by: Kristy Duke

Emotions rush roughly through me as I silently stare out through the small window that over looks the oval shaped dirt drive way and the few trees that line the yard against the dusty dirt road. My mind rushes through the past that had brought us to Hazzard, that had led us to the farm house window that I stare out through of. Since the day dad had disappeared well over twenty-two years ago, I had dreamt of returning to Hazzard, being able to run free as I once had. And yet, as I stand in the house that seems to be my future home, I am stuck with mixed emotions and left wondering if I made the right decision. Glaring through my reflection that stares silently at me, I bring a soft gentle hand to softly brush it against the bruise that still shines on my cheeks, slowly growing lighter as time passes. If Trevor where to think of coming to Hazzard to find me, he wouldn’t think twice of hurting anyone to get to me and the kids. Abruptly I am filled with what if questions, all pertaining to Trevor finding me in Hazzard.

Glaring through the window, I watch as my eyes begin to glisten through the reflection that stares back at me before a lonely tear breaks lose to roll gently down my cheek. A week and a half has passed since Trevor’s attack and yet the memory remains clear as if it had happened last night, bringing on more fear of him finding me. The past week and a half has been filled with sleepless nights where Jamie awakes screaming and yelling, lost in one of her fits as she is certain that he will return to hurt me. She is afraid for me. Only four and a half years old and she has grown to fear her own father and being afraid of losing me or seeing me hurt through all that she has witnessed the past couple of years. If only I had been stronger for her and walked out on him long before I had, perhaps her young life wouldn’t be as scarred and troubled. She is my angel that gives me strength to awaken each morning, her and Shay.

I force myself to take a deep breath as an old rusted white truck passes by on the dusty dirt road forcing my thoughts to switch from Trevor to being reunited with the family I hadn’t seen since I was six. The old Duke farm stands the same as I remember it being so many years ago and Uncle Jesse remains as sweet and kind as he had been years ago, the only thing that seemed to change was the graying of his hair. Daisy keeps the thick long chestnut hair and the light bluish brown eyes that sparkle with mischief as she had years ago, growing only an inch taller than me into be an adult. Luke remains smart and quick witted with clever bright blue eyes and thick dark brown hair as he had been years ago though now stands well over me and muscular. Everything seems to remain the same here.

Slowly, my thoughts once again return to Bo, clearly picturing him lying injured in the old hospital bed hooked up with his monitors, IVs, and the tube stuck in his nose. Pain and fear radiated in his dark blue eyes as he had clearly fought off tears as a dark ugly bruise lies halfway hidden under the blood stained bandage over his forehead, another bruise forming across his right rib cage. I continue to fight off hurt feelings from visiting my brother in the hospital over an hour ago as he displayed distrust and irritation at seeing me in his hospital room. The same emotions he has shown both Garrett and I ever since he had first walked into the Duke farm to see us, learning about us for the first time. I silently force myself to remember what Daisy had said about Bo, how he doesn’t take well to people he don’t know, how it takes a while for him to warm up to them. I sigh trying to convince myself to give him more time, to give him a fair chance of acceptance.

Gradually, my mind shifts from Bo to Garrett and the attitude he displays proudly for everyone to see, the attitude that clearly says he doesn’t want to be here. I sigh warily as I wonder if he will ever be able to accept living here, if he could possibly be happy living here instead of Knoxville. Moving down here served both of us, wether he is willing to accept that or not, for me to get away from the place Trevor knows to find me, to protect me and my children. As for Garrett, the move to Hazzard has tore him away from his circle of dangerous friends, friends that has brought him down with them on several occasions and wouldn’t think of doing it again. It was only a matter of time until his friends and him to do something truly stupid that would bring him to serious jail time with little way out. He’s spent a few days in jail or in juvenile hall in the past, but dad has always been able to make some sort of deal with the police to haul his troubled son out of more trouble. Moving here was a way to hopefully prevent it for him.

Once again I silently compare the differences and similarities of Bo and Garrett, something I had always wondered about since the day dad had first mentioned anything about Bo, through his lie that Bo had died at birth. Now I have at least the physical traits to compare with a little personality traits as Bo seems to cut himself off from us as much as possible. He don’t seems to hold the harsh amount of attitude Garrett holds nor as cold and angry as Garrett. Garrett stands a good inch shorter than Bo with a couple shades darker of blond hair while Bo has dark blue eyes, the smokey gray color of Garrett’s eye clearly dominates over the blue in his eyes. Through different life styles that they grew up living, they dress differently than one another and holds different interest, different likes and dislikes. The one thing they seem to have in common is their love of cars and racing, but that seems to a trait that rushes through most of the male Dukes.

Through the clear glass of the small window, I watch as a shadow of a reflection slowly enters the room behind my own reflection. Slowly I take a deep breath in attempt to hide the emotions that boil rapidly within me, sending tears to swarm in my eyes. Wiping at my eyes I slowly turn around to find Garrett a couple of steps in front me wearing his long sleeved dark blue Jimmie Johnson shirt, khaki colored thin pans, and his expensive black leather boots. He watches me through his smoky gray eyes as he says something into his small silver colored cell phone that makes me wonder who he is talking to. I silently roll my eyes as I suspect him talking to one of his many troubled friends that remains in Knoxville, perhaps trying to talk Garrett back down and back into more trouble. He gives me a nonchalant shrug while he runs his muscular hand through his thin sandy blond hair before slowly covering the mouth piece to his phone. “It’s dad,” he answers my unspoken question, “he wants to talk to you.”

I give him a small smile of relief as he hands me the phone and I silently whisper, “Thank-you.”

He watches me for a silent moment before a caring hand reaches out to land on my shoulder and concern sparkles in his eyes. “Kristy,” he speaks up to direct my attention up at him, “You OK?”

“Of course I’m fine,” I fight to give him a smile to try to convince him but come up empty. Slowly I turn away from him before saying into the cell phone, “Hi Dad.”

“Hi sweetie,” my dad’s voice comes through the phone dripping full of worry, “how you holdin’ up?”

I shrug as if he should be able to see me through the phone before I speak my answer, “I’m fine.”

“And the kids?” he slowly asks and I can visualize him sitting in his favorite leather black reclining chair while talking into the portable black home phone, “Is Jamie still having troubles at night? I am worried about her.”

“Every night…I’m worried too,” I slowly admit as I return to the window and look out over the drive way, “but there isn’t much that we can do at the moment,” I pause to fight the tears that build up in my eyes before changing the subject, “we are moving into the farm house we told you about a couple of days ago…it’ll give the kids plenty of room to play.”

“That’ll be good for ’em,” he responds, “That is why I called…Garrett is going to be riding up to Atlanta to meet up with me. We have rented one of those moving trucks to place your’s and Garrett’s belongings into…along with the kids’. As well as a few furniture that we could stand to let go of, it’ll make the place seem more like home to you. Garrett tells me that some guy by the name of LB agreed to drive him up to meet me so that one of them can drive the truck home.”

“Thank-you,” I softly answer as I hear Jamie let out a laugh full of innocence, something I haven’t heard in a while.

“It’s no problem. How are things going over there? Other than with the new deal with the farm house. Is this LB you renting with a good guy?” he is full of questions and through his voice I detect a bit of jealousy, wanting to be here; the home place he is always talking about.

“LB Davenport,” I answer with his full name, “he seems to be a great guy, very nice and caring. He is the one that helped us with the accident and find our way around here…offered us his help. He gets along with the kids really well and the kids seem to enjoy playing with him. Even Jamie.”

“Davenport! I remember the family name,” he says, his voice full of recognition, “a very nice family.”

“They both seem nice,” I silently agree as I break myself free from the window of my new room. We have been working at moving the little belongings we have here all morning and afternoon with the little break to go see Bo in the hospital. We have picked out what is going to be our rooms and I got the first room to the left of the stairs on the same wall, while Shay and Jamie gets the room across from mine. Garrett has the room to the right of the wall, while LB has the smaller room across the hall from Garrett, down the hall from Jamie’s and Shay’s. “After we finish moving in here, we plan on looking for jobs and a day care for the kids. Jamie is excited about meeting new friends her own age.”

“It’ll be good for her,” he slowly agrees, “it sounds like everything is going well for all of you. Garrett told me what happened at the local bar with Bo…you’ll have to keep me updated on him.”

“Yeah sure,” I slowly answer as I detect the sadness in his voice that drips with guilt, “we all make mistakes, dad. Uncle Jesse seems real forgiving, perhaps if you talk to him and get things settled it would work.”

“Yeah well the mistake I made has forced an innocent person to suffer greatly while growing up and perhaps to suffer once again if it is what they are suspecting is wrong with him now. He may be able to forgive,” he slowly admits, “but he will never forget…either will I. I never felt bad about it, what I done,” he pauses slowly, “it is funny how growing old changes you.” Once again he pauses and I once again visualize him in his favorite chair with sadness and anger glistening in his bright blue eyes, “Now, I look at Garrett I feel guilty for what I had done, what we had done. We are lucky it only affected one baby as it affected Bo. Rosa feels just as guilty, not only for the drugs, but for dropping him off at Jesse’s door step unannounced. But it was for the better…for him.”

“As I said, we all make mistakes, it is up to us all to learn from the past and to forgive yourself,” I answer after a brief moment, “it won’t help now to beat yourself up about it.”

“Yeah perhaps,” he answers, breathing heavily into the mouthpiece, “thank-you for listening to me complain about it. Is Jamie there?”

“I’m here if you need to talk,” I answer awkwardly as I slowly leave my room and enter the hall way where I can hear Shay giggle in delight and Jamie talking in an excited voice, “yeah let me go get her.”

“Remind Garrett that it is tomorrow morning at ten that we will meet in Atlanta,” he speaks up as I slowly step into the open door way of the kids’ new room and Jamie glances up at me from brushing her dolls hair. Excitedly she jumps up and hugs me tightly as dad speaks up, “I hear my little girl.”

“Grandpa’s on the phone,” I smile at Jamie, “and he wants to talk to you.” She yells out in excitement as I tell my dad good-bye.

Handing the phone over to her small petite hands I glance across the room where Jamie’s bed sits to the right of the door, still naked of any blankets or sheets while we have un-folded Shay’s portable crib and set it up against the left wall; until we can get his wooden crib. Jamie’s dolls and Barbies are spread across the carpet while Shay sits next to Daisy who sits against the far wall, playing with a couple of chew toys and a few wooden blocks that we had packed. Daisy grins up at me as she slowly stands up from sitting and slowly walks up to me. “You sure seemed to have them excited in here,” I am the first to speak up, “Thanks.”

“It was fun…I haven’t had the chance to play with any babies for a long while now,” she smiles as she gives me a gentle hug, stepping back she says, “you look like you needed a hug.”

“Thanks,” I give her a smile as I watch Jamie talking on the phone as she sits on her bed. Her left hand lies hidden into her pockets of her denim overalls that Rosa had gotten her a month ago while Shay wears his pair of red overalls. “You did a good job at doing her hair, thank-you.” Jamie’s light brown hair lies up in a pony tail in one over her Pooh Bear hair ties.

“As I said, it was fun,” she shrugs as her mind seems to drift somewhere else, “What do you think I should wear tonight? I don’t want to wear anything too formal, but I want something nice . . .after all it is only the first date. Perhaps the last one. I don’t know. He seems nice enough.”

“That’s right…you have that date tonight,” I grin as a chill of adolescent giddiness rushes through me, “Who is it again?”

“Travis Lurns. He isn’t from around here, I think he said Atlanta, but he is an FBI agent,” he grins, her excitement seems to radiate off her body, “he’s tall, fair skin, beautiful green eyes, with reddish brown hair…oh and muscular too.”

I smile as I glance over at Jamie before motioning her to follow me into my new room where I pick up my heavy black suit case and set it on the bed. I slowly open it and search through the clothes I had packed before I find the outfit I am looking for. “You can wear this if you wish,” I set out the out fit which is of a pair of tight faded jeans and a tight long sleeved black shirt that has a large red heart that covers the chest, “it isn’t anything too dressy or anything I would wear to church if that is what you are looking for. But it is something cute…give him something to look at, to remember.”

“That’d be perfect!” she exclaims as she excitedly gives me a tight hug, “Thank-you.”

“No problem,” I shrug as Jamie slowly walks into the room to hand me the cell phone and I check to see if anyone is there to be answered with static. I slowly shut the phone off before looking up at Daisy, “You should have a great time with a guy with that status, perhaps he’ll have some exciting news to share with you.”

“Yeah it should be for a good time,” she sighs tiredly, “Luke doesn’t seem to like him much, if at all. He was giving him the disapproving eye at the table last night after Bo left for the bathroom and Travis trying to take over the CPR, only made Luke more mad and upset than he already was. He now disapproves of him for sure now. . .everything is personal when it comes to Bo with him.” She sighs, “Guess I can’t make everyone happy…nor do I have to have his approval of who I date.”

“Where’s Bo?” Jamie speaks up at hearing Bo’s name, “Is he OK?”

“He’s at the hospital honey,” I slowly answer as she hugs onto me and I return her hug, “I am sure he’ll be fine, he just needs to recover from the owie he got last night…spend a few nights at the hospital to recover.”

“Oh.” she answers silently, “Just like you before we came here.”

“That’s right,” I smile as I glance up at Daisy who watches with concern, “if you wish to wear something else, you can. It was just an offer.”

“No, this is great!” Daisy grins as she picks it up from the bed before looking at her watch, “I hope things will go well here…I have only an hour to go get ready. I will tell you all about it tomorrow morning. Bye.”

I give her a small smile and a wave as I say, “Bye…you have fun.” She nods as she quickly walks out of the room and walks down the stairs on her way out to her vehicle outside. I sigh silently as Jamie takes my hand and I give her a smile and say, “Let’s go play with Shay.”

***DAISY DUKE***

 

Looking into the old rectangular shaped mirror that hangs directly over the bathroom sink, I force a smile onto my face as I run my midnight blue brush through my thick hair. Staring blankly at the reflection that stares back at me, my mind slowly wonders through the last month and a half that had led my family to where it is now. From Luke slowly reuniting himself into the person he had once been before he left for war, to Kristy and Garrett showing up in Hazzard, and to the harsh cardiac arrest Bo had suffered through at the Boar’s Nest a couple of nights ago. Emotions swarm thickly through me and with in the mirrored image of myself, I watch as tears begin to glisten in my dark bluish brown eyes.

Brushing harshly at my dampened cheeks, anger rushes through me at allowing my emotions to take control over me, to allow my tears to fall. “Damn it,” I mutter under my breath as I look into the mirror while continuing to brush my hair before I slowly give up. I had promised myself a good night tonight, to go out and be myself for Travis, and yet tears now streak down my face. Tiredly, I glance over at the small clock that rests on the small shelf to send panic rushing through me at realizing that I only have a few minutes before he is supposed to show up. Taking a deep breath in a single attempt to control the emotions that continue to rage angrily within me as I splash icy cold water over my face.

After drying and applying make up to my face I run my favorite brush through my hair for the last time before standing back in order to take myself in, in the mirror. Through the mirror I take in the tight faded denim pants that hug tightly onto my legs and the dark black long sleeved shirt that clings tightly to my body. “Good enough,” I nod in approval as I place in a set of violet ear rings before rushing out of the bath room and into my room. Quickly I glance around my small room before running over to the closet that stands to the left of the door, on the opposite wall of my bed. Throwing it open, I am welcomed by several hanged clothes and a few boxes as I glance over the shoes on the floor before finding my favorite set of white and blue walking shoes. ‘Nothing too formal,’ I remind myself silently as I sit on the foot of my single bed to place my shoes onto my stocking feet.

My thoughts are quickly interrupted as a loud pounding sends the front door in the kitchen rattling a few times before I hear Luke’s heavy foot steps exit his own room. “I got it,” he calls out and I sigh irritably as I finish tying the last shoe string. Out in the hall I hear Luke greeting whoever is at the door as I quickly step into the bathroom to recheck my hair before I quickly rush out and into the living room. “I’ll go get her,” Luke slowly says as he steps into the living room and nearly runs into me. For a long moment he glares at me wild eyed before saying, “It’s for you.”

I sigh warily before smiling slighting towards him as his irritation towards Travis lies apparent in his speech and body language, spelling out his dislike in capital letters. “Thanks,” I slowly answer before I slide past him to walk into the kitchen to find Travis standing in the open door way wearing black khaki pants, name brand leather boots, and a leather coat that lies unzipped to show a large football sweatshirt under neath.

He lets out an admiring whistle as he runs his thick hand through his neatly combed and sprayed reddish brown eyes as he scans me over with his light soft green eyes. “Lookin’ good,” he smiles at me and I slowly glance over at Luke as he glares angrily at Travis.

“Tha-”

“Is that how you guys treat woman? By whistling at them?!” Luke snaps stepping forward to interrupt me and I glare angrily at him.

“Well,” Travis stutters as he looks at me for help, “no. I was just admiring what I like.”

“I bet you were,” Luke resorts sarcastically as he grips angrily onto the back of a chair, “just like you were trying to help Bo the other day at The Boar’s Nest!”

“Luke!” I yell filled with embarrassment, “He was only trying to help and you know it!”

“Yeah, like he didn’t think I could do it,” Luke resorts before he glares angrily back at Travis, “but I did do it, didn’t I? Just because I ain’t no big shot FBI agent as yourself don’t mean I can’t take care of myself or my cousin for that matter!” I take a deep breath as Luke slowly quiets down and I force myself to look over at him to find fear and worry to consumes his bright blue eyes. As he speaks up again, his voice has soften, “I hope you have a good time,” he looks at me before looking hardly over at Travis, “and you, you better take good care of her…and make sure she don’t hurt emotionally or physically!”

“Thanks Luke, I can take care of myself,” I slowly say as I lay a hand on Travis’ shoulder before reaching back to get my coat I had set on the counter. Putting it on I watch Luke as he seems to boil in anger at the thought of me going out with the man he despises at the moment. I sigh silently before turning to Travis and say, “Let’s go. Bye Luke, don’t wait up for me.”

I hear him grumble something as we walk out into the chilly night air and I follow him to his red sports car where he opens the door for me and I slowly step in for him to close it behind. “He’s still upset at me,” Travis slowly states after closing his own door and starting the engine.

I allow an air of silence to divided us for a moment as I fight for an answer, a way to explain how Luke is before I resign a deep sigh. “I will apologize for him…he is protective to a degree, but normally not like that. This thing with Bo,” I pause as I glance over at him, “this thing with Bo, has him really upset. Bo grew up idolizing Luke and Luke was always there for Bo, to stick up for him and what not, despite the age difference, they both considered the other their best friend. Then seven years ago, over seven years ago, Luke signed up with Marines, took a lot of time for training, went to Korea for a couple of years before coming back for a couple more, spending those years at the closest base. The last few years he had been sent from Korea to Iraq for war, with only a couple months off. He got injured and sent home early.” I pause once again, “Any way, with all the training, the war, Luke has never been the same emotionally. He spent the last month and a half grieving over all that had happened, lost within himself and in painful memories that he refuses to share.

“Though that isn’t why he is so protective…not of me, but of Bo. He turned Bo down so many times since he returned home, deciding to hang out with other friends his own age, going out and getting drunk,” I sigh as I glare out the window, “Though something last week had awakened him of what he had been doing…to everyone, how much the war has changed him. He promised Bo he would work at restoring their friendship; at being who he was. And through the past week, he had kept his promise, he spent his nights at home with Bo instead at the bar with his other friends,” I pause once again, “they have always been close. Finding Bo lying on the floor of the bathroom the other night tore him apart…it tore the whole family apart, but it has had it’s effects on Luke. You butting in as you did not only hurt his pride, but insulted him. Luke does anything he can to protect Bo…to look out for him. He refuses to allow anyone else to do it, if he can do it.”

The car abruptly explodes into silence as I slowly finish my story to slowly glare out the window to find dark hills rolling off in the distance. Glancing back over at him, he slowly moves his strong jaws in attempt to talk, before slowly closing them. “I really didn’t mean anything by it,” he slowly states, “or to hurt any pride. I just figured I’m trained to do it, perhaps it would be best I do it. I didn’t know.”

“I know that and so does he,” I sigh tiredly, “it all is hard to explain…other than what I just said, if that made any sense. I don’t know how he would handle if Bo were to have died…him or Jesse.”

“How is he?” Travis slowly asks, his strong voice seems to tremble slightly.

“Bo?” I ask and he slowly nods as he concentrates on the road ahead of him, “He’s been better that’s for sure…and looked better. He has a serious medical back ground that they are fearing has returned…some of it has of the test that he was able to read at the moment. The other tests are blood tests and won’t come in for another day or two now. I guess time will tell.”

He nods silently as he glares ahead at the road before glancing back into the rear view mirror and a sense of panic seems to wash through him before he fights to hide or control the panic. “Well, I hope he will be ok,” he slowly says, “for everyone’s sake.”

“Yeah me too,” I slowly respond in a weakened voice as tears once again begin to build in my eyes. Anger and frustration slowly begins to build up within me as I attempt to fight back the emotions that continue to rage wildly within me despite the attempt I had displayed at settling them in the bathroom a few minutes ago. Staring into the darkening night, images of Bo lying silently still on the bathroom floor of the Boar’s Nest flashes vividly behind my eyes mixed with the vulnerable scene of him lying in the hospital as he had been only a couple of hours before. Silently, I brush a gentle hand over my eyes at an attempt to dry the tears that threaten to fall as what if questions float thickly through my mind.

“You OK?” Travis’s voice is thick of worry and concern as he breaks the dead silence that had entered his sporty car.

“Of course,” I display a smile as I attempt to think of something else than my cousin, “so what’s the plan for tonight?”

I glance over at him to find a tight smile slowly begin to form before it quickly disappears as he glances into the rearview mirror for the third time since leaving the farm. Worry and panic is quickly set into his light green eyes before he slowly glares ahead of him as he fights to control his own emotions. Slowly he glances over at me when he feels as if he has conquered his emotions before replying, “I plan on havin’ some fun…how ’bout you?”

“Fun sounds good,” I answer as I continue to watch him as he yanks his black steering wheel to his left to make a sharp left turn down onto another dirt road.

“Damn it,” he mutters under his breath, his words laced thickly with fear and worry as he glances back into the rear view mirror. Through my side mirror I glance through to find a black new modeled sports car, perhaps a Mustang.

“What is it?” I finally ask as I feel our first date turning sour quickly.

“Nathaniel,” he spats under his breath as he glares back into the rearview mirror, “and perhaps one of his other brothers…or a friend. Anyway you look at it, it ain’t good.”

“Who’s Nathaniel?” I ask naively as he presses harshly onto his accelerator and the car rockets ahead.

“Part of the McKleen family over in Capital City…trouble,” he says breathlessly as he checks into the rear view mirror, “the true reason I am in Hazzard,” he pauses as I hold onto the arm rest on the door, “I had followed them here along with their friends they had been dealing business with through their family named garage. Dealing and doing drugs and guns, enough guns to support an army if need be…guns, explosives, knives; you name it. Anyway, we have had them staked out for a couple of months now in attempt to gather enough information and evidence.

“We had a undercover guy that had them believing he was a big time buyer and went through the normal procedure of how they bought and sold the stuff. Though about a month ago, one of the gang that deals with the drugs and guns, not the McKleen family, they just help them with their garage, some sort of deal they have going. Anyways, part of the gang had some how found out that he was a cop and killed him dead…tortured him more like it. By the time he had been discovered no one could tell who it was,” he sighs as his voice tremors with emotions as he keeps his glare ahead of him and on the road as he races his car up a steep hill, “anyway that is Nathaniel’s car…one of the McKleen brothers. They musta been following me and watched me pick you up or something.”

Nervously, I glance back in the side mirror to find the sporty black car quickly catching up to Travis’ own car that is reading well over eighty miles per hour on the speedometer. Clenching tightly onto the arm rest, I feel my hands clam up with heated sweat of fear. I have been through plenty of car chases with Bo and Luke as they are being chased by the local law or the men that the local law hire, but I have learned to trust their driving, but nothing as official as this, at hearing that a couple of murderers are set after us. “Can’t you call for back up?” I question, my own voice tremors in panic.

For a short moment he glances over at me with a wishful look before glancing back into his rear view mirror to send his foot pushing tighter onto the accelerator. “I wish I could,” he gulps audibly, “but my cell phone had died on me only a few moments before leaving the hotel room to pick you up, it died on me while I had talked to my boss in Atlanta. My CB radio is currently glitched with some bug or lose wires during a car chase up in Capital City a few days ago. In other words…I don’t have any communicational needs in order to call for back up.”

Anger surges quickly through my body as I glance back into the mirror to find the black car steadily climbing closer to us, holding little challenge of keeping close to us. “You mean,” I stutter in anger, “you mean, you had the nerve to take me out on this so called date knowing you have no phone, no CB, no way of calling for back-up! Knowing that you and your so called friends are after druggists and gun maniacs who has already killed how many times, that you know is after you, without even a hint of telling me?!”

“It . . .it,” he fights for words as he forces another right sharp turn, “it isn’t like that. If I had known they were watching me or if this would happen, I would have canceled.”

“Swell…so you expect me to believe that you left your hotel room to pick me up without even as looking around you, to make sure you weren’t tailed? You expect me to believe that you are dumb enough not to think of what may happen when you leave the security of your fellow FBI agents,” my heart races quickly within me as dark thoughts cloud my mind like an angry black storm clouds, “Perhaps Luke is right to feel the way he does about you and after all that I did to defend you against him,” I sigh in disgust as I silently wonder if I will ever get the chance to see Luke, family again after tonight, “perhaps I should have listened to him.”

“Yeah maybe,” he slowly agrees as a bead of sweat runs down his smooth cheek, “all I can say is that I am sorry.”

I roll my angry eyes as I force myself to glare out through my passenger seat as hilly scenery rolls off in the distance while right out through my window, I glare down a small rocky hill, leading down to a few trees. I yell out in fear-filled surprise as the we are abruptly hit harshly from behind to send Travis’ car rushing forward and the seatbelts that strap us in, prevents us from smashing into the dash board. After a brief moment fighting to control his car, Travis looks over and asks, “You Ok?”

For a long moment I glare back through the mirror as I watch the black car fight to attempt to make enough speed in order to make contact once again, for now Travis holds them back. “For now I am,” I snap sharply as my mind runs quickly within me as it displays all that could happen clearly within me. For a brief moment my mind returns to Bo’s hospital room, where everyone’s fear and concern lies at the moment as he struggles for strength while awaiting the horrid word of what it may be. Fighting off more tears I silently pray for Bo’s health, for him to be ok before praying for my family to be alright, to give them strength, before my prayer finds it’s way to me, for help of getting out of the situation that I find myself in.

“Damn it,” he cusses loudly as we are once again jolted forward as the car from behind us rams us harshly from behind, this time harder than before. The blow forces me forward, sending my head smacking against the forehead despite the restraining belt. “You ok?” he questions once again looking over me.

“Don’t worry about me…get us away from them!” I yell out as I hold onto my head to feel a warm gooey feel and as I take my hand down I see a trail of blood slowly rolling down my hand. My fear escalates within me as I watch the blood slowly creep down the palm of my hand before I catch another drop of blood from rolling down my face. Luke’s last words as we had walked out the door, rushes through my head, to Travis to take care of me, to make sure I return home safely. And yet as I glance into the side mirror I feel a chill rush through me as an eerie feeling rushes through me, feeling like I am currently looking death in the eye.

Suddenly the black car seems to disappear from within the reflection of the mirror and I slowly glance up at Travis in hope to find a few answers. “I don’t – ” I slowly begin to say before we are abruptly hit from the back left corner of Travis’ sports car. From behind the wheel I hear Travis yell out in pain as we both are thrown forward as the car begins to spin out of control with the harsh contact of the other car. Blackness threatens to take me hostage as I am forced back into the leather seats and I fight to find something to grab onto, something for support. Through blurred vision I grab a hold of the door’s arm rest once again as Travis says something to my side, something I can’t understand and sounding distant.

I fight to yell out in pain-filled surprise as the opposing car runs violently into the door that sets besides me and pain filters quickly up my right arm from holding onto the door rest. Blood splashes before my eyes as I feel the car quickly begins to roll down the deep ditch as my chest seat belt snaps open. Air comes sparse as I am thrown onto the hood with gravity as the car rolls down the rocky hill and as the car slowly rolls over onto it’s tires, I am helplessly thrown out of the broken windshield before the car comes to an abrupt stop a few feet away, landing violently into a few trees.

For a brief moment I give into the darkness before I slowly open my eyes to find thickly blurred vision of the thin layer of snow that lies under neath me, now covered thickly in dark blackish red blood. Fear creeps through me as I hear a door slam shut off to the near distance as pain creeps roughly through my body starting from my head, through my right arm, and down through my chest and legs. “T-” I fight to yell out for Travis, for some help as I hear heavy foot falls of men struggling down the deep ditch, the two men from the car. To my left I see through my blurred vision as Travis slowly climbs out of the drivers seat with wobbly legs and blood rushing down from his forehead, of all that I can see of. Panic flares through me as he glares over to me and I slowly mutter, “Travis,” for help before he quickly turns and wobbly begins to run through the trees where he slowly reaches a fenced in cow pasture.

Fear seizes my numbing pained body as two sets of dark bodies quickly rush to the car, chasing after Travis. My thoughts trail of what will become of my family once they learn about what has happened, after my death as I slowly slip thickly into darkness.

***LUKE DUKE***

 

“Dukes,” a thickly accented voice calls out from behind me and as I slowly turn around, I find a small balding doctor with thin dark brown hair standing near the nurses station, looking down at his clipboard.

“That’s us,” Jesse says as he abruptly stands up and I am forced to follow quickly behind him until he suddenly stops only a foot a head of the doctor. The small doctor presumes the image elderly wisdom as he glances up at us from reading the chart on his clipboard to peer through his thick rimmed glasses with knowledgeable green-brown eyes. “How’s Daisy?” Jesse is quick to reach the point.

The doctor silently takes us in for a short moment while he bites onto his lower lips and a pained _expression reaches his eyes before he averts his eyes back onto his paper. Looking back up at us, he has placed upon a shield to hide his expressions over his face as he presumes an expressionless face. “I am Doctor Lynder, I will be Daisy’s doctor,” he slowly introduces us as he looks from Jesse to me, “I will not lie to you…your daughter’s condition -”

“She’s my niece,” Jesse slowly interrupts as he swipes away a tear, “I took her in when her parents died when she was six.”

“Ok your niece,” Lynder corrects himself once again as he unsurely checks his chart once again before looking back up, “your niece’s condition is in very poor shape, she is, you all are lucky, that she is still a live at the moment. What the paramedics and fire responders had said, it was a very serious accident involving several rolls of the car before she was thrown out through the windshield on it’s last roll over. One of the fire responders had looked the car over to find her seat belt torn and broken…the air bag never came out.”

He goes silent for a long moment as he silently takes in our reaction before looking back at his clipboard and back at us. “They are still looking, but at the moment, there is no sign of the driver,” he slowly continues, “it looks like someone had ran into them and took off after the driver.”

“How is she?” Jesse’s voice drips with feared impatience.

Lynder’s eyes suddenly become alert as he glares at Jesse before he stares momentarily at his clipboard once again. “Daisy has suffered serious head injuries with several blows to the head causing for a serious concussion, her right arm is bruised and swollen with a couple of cracked bones,” he slowly starts and sadness enters his eyes once again, “two broken ribs and a bruised rib, one of the ribs has punctured a lung.”

“Will she,” I slowly speak up fighting for words to come, “will she be OK?”

He silently shrugs as he glares out a blackened window before averting his attention back to us as he slowly answers, “At the moment she lies unconsciously in a deep coma due to the head injuries she has suffered. We have done all that we can do, it is now up to her, whether she wakes up,” he pauses for a long moment, “or not. With her punctured lung, she has stopped breathing and her heart rate is better now than it had been when she had first came in, but not by much. She has a long struggle a head of her if she wishes to waken up and to be alright,” he once again pauses, “her chances of survival or of waking up, would be greater if she had gotten help a lot sooner than what she had. By the tracks in the mud and all, they have predicted at least an hour and a half to two hours had passed before help had arrived since the accident.”

An air of silence seems to explode within the empty waiting room as I force myself to glance over at Jesse to find tears glistening in his bright blue eyes. “What’re her,” Jesse finally speaks up, each word is shoved out of his mouth forcefully, “her chances? Of wakin’ up, living?”

Lynder seems almost in tears himself as he rechecks his clipboard as if expecting to find some sort of answers in order to erase all the pain and suffering this has and will cause our family. “She holds a forty percent chance of waking up,” Lynder softly speaks up and silence is quick to follow his statement as it slowly and roughly sinks in. First Bo, now Daisy.

“Can I see her?” Jesse speaks up besides me to puncture a hole into the thick silence that had lingered over us.

“Only for a brief moment,” he nods as he turns and motions Jesse to slowly follow him down a wide lengthy hall way.

Watching my doctor slowly disappear around the corner, I feel my body begin to tremble out of control, out of fear and anger. Fear of losing my cousin, of the long road that lies ahead of her, and anger towards Travis for escaping as he had without even a thought of calling for help. A young couple on their way to their own date had found Daisy lying in a pool of her own blood in the ditch, a few feet away from a dented and busted sports car. Glancing up at the clock that lies over the secretary’s desk, I sigh warily as I count up the long hours that has gone by since the call Jesse had received from the hospital. Three and a half long hours, meaning three and a half hours of Daisy being in the ER. Silently I am lost in deep prayer and thought of my cousin before Bo slowly enters my head, of him lying in his own room, alone and in pain.

Stiffly I slowly stand up to walk over to the old scarred desk where a petite woman with thin red hair pulled up in a bun and fiery green eyes sits reading a book. “Scuse me miss,” I slowly speak up to gather her attention, “if my uncle, the man I had been here with, returns, can you tell him I went to go visit Bo?”

She writes something down for a short moment before answering, “I’ll try.”

 

********

 

“Bo!” I abruptly yell out to jerk myself awake from a deep sleep to find myself sitting in an old rusted metal fold up chair, my neck aches as it rests upon the cold hard wall. Momentarily I fight to distinguish my location as my heart races rapidly within me and icy cold sweat melts from beneath my hair to roll down my face. A chill rushes through me as irritating and off beat beeping seems to go off in the distance as I fight back the blurriness that consumes my vision. I let out a slight sigh of relief as I slowly look around to find myself sitting in the cold metal chair that sits a foot from Bo’s barred in bed in his hospital bed. I slowly sit up from leaning against the wall as my panic slowly settles within me as I slowly take in my surroundings.

“What Luke?” Bo asks to force my attention down to him, his dark blue eyes shine with pain, fear, and worry as he searches me for what’s wrong, why I had called out his name.

“Sorry,” I answer sleepily as I rub the remaining sleep from my eyes as I glance down to realize that I had waken him up by yelling out his name, “to awaken you. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Didn’t think it was,” he sighs tiredly as a tear melts from his right eye as he glares into me before he glares to the window to find the bright morning sun shining in.

“How you feelin’, Bo?” I slowly ask as I run my hand through his bangs as his pain not only seems to radiate from his _expression, but from his still body.

“I hurt,” he slowly admits as I silently watch his still body to slowly find a barely rise of his chest and I take in his heart monitor that reads the same signal. Vivid flash backs of watching Bo suffer greatly in the same hospital flashes through my head, reminding me of the great fear we were left to feel, wondering how much time we have left with him. “Everywhere.”

“I know buddy,” I fight for comforting words as my mind slowly shifts to Daisy as I am painfully reminded of the events that had led us here at one in the morning, waiting until four thirty until any word on her condition. Staring up at the small clock that hangs near the small TV, my mind rushes through me at seeing that I had been here for nearly five hours, most of which I had spent sleeping. Glaring up at the clock, I am left to wonder what had happened to Jesse, why he hadn’t came and got me when he had finished visiting Daisy.

“How’s Daisy?” Bo slowly asks as if reading my mind and I slowly remember telling him all that had happened before he had fallen asleep on me.

“I haven’t been to see her or heard any word since I got here,” I answer looking back up to the clock, “I was thinkin’ of changing rooms to go visit her…would you mind?”

He glares at me for a long moment and for a short moment I am left to believe that he was going to oppose to me leaving his room to go see Daisy. “Not at all,” he sighs before being stricken by a harsh coughing attack and I help administer his inhaler and his coughing resumes into painful wheezy breathing, “I am sure she would want that.”

I nod slowly as I rise to my feet before running my hand through his thick hair before saying, “I’ll be back.”

He nods slowly before I turn my back to him and awkwardly walk to his door before walking out into the brightly lit hall way to close the door behind me. My thoughts rush quickly through me, from Bo to Daisy, to the nightmare I had just awakened from. Anger continues to boil through towards Travis for abandoning her as he had, wondering how much could have been prevented if he had gotten the help she needed. I sigh as I force myself to remember that my anger won’t resolve anything nor make matters better.

Entering the small waiting room I slowly glance around to find a couple of families scattered through out the room with the same secretary behind the old desk, reading the same book. “Scuse me, again,” I force a smile to her and she returns a tired smile, “can you tell me where I can find Daisy Duke’s room?”

For a brief moment she glares blankly at me before alertness enters her eyes and she glares down at her desk before grabbing a file. Looking up at me she smiles as she slowly gives me directions to her room before returning to the book I had interrupted her from reading. “Thank-you,” I slowly say before turning away and begin to walk down the hall, following her directions to Daisy’s room silently.

After passing several closed doors on each side of the hall way and a few nurses and a couple of doctors I slowly reach the room she had directed me to. I sigh warily as I glare momentarily at the closed door ahead of me, trying to brace myself for what I may see, forcing myself to be ready for the worse. I say a silent short prayer before I slowly shove the door open to be welcomed into the dark dreary room by the loud irritating beeping of the monitors, off beat as well. The constant pump of the air tank hisses loudly as it ushers air down into her lungs through the tube that is taped and shoved down her throat as well as through thin plastic tubes that lie in her thin nose. Several IV’s drips slowly into her, seeming to echo off of the thin walls.

Reaching for the light switch that lies on the wall next to the door I silently read the monitors that show very little heart rate and breathing. Fear rushes quickly through my veins as I watch from the distance, fear of losing her, and of what the future has in store for my family as I slowly watch it falling apart. “Damn it,” I utter under my breath as I slowly step forward to her bed and look down at her bruised and cut up face. A white bandage is wrapped around her head with bruises spreading across the edge of the bandage, a deep cut lies on her deathly pale right cheek while a dark bruise lines her left jaw line. Glaring into her ashen pale skin I feel as if I am staring into death in the face as I take in my injured cousin, her right arm lies in a thick plastered cast, above the sheet.

“Hi Daisy,” I finally speak up as my anger seems to escalate within me as I watch Daisy lying silently still on her hospital bed. Anger directed at Travis for leaving her for dead has he had, for getting into the accident or the chase without taking any responsibility; for injuring Daisy as bad as he did. FBI agent or not. “He,” I slowly start as I run my hand through her thick brown hair, “Travis and who ever is involved, that caused what happened to you, won’t get away with this,” an older nurse with graying brown hair tied in a tight bun walks in behind me as I say this and moves to her IV bags, “for the accident…for Travis for abandoning you like he did.”

I swipe away more tears as I stare at her unresponsive body as the nurse works slowly on the IV bags before she glares up at me and slowly walks out of the room. Thoughts continue to rush through my mind of last night through this morning to fuel my anger towards Travis. If only he had called for help…

 

*****

 

Concern and worry is etched thickly upon Cooter’s face as sends me a disbelieving glare before he silently glances back at LB who rests upon the edge of Cooter’s scarred wooden desk. Noticing everyone’s eyes lain upon him, LB slowly shrugs as he grabs absently at his pop can that sits besides him and takes a motion of drinking it before finding it empty. Shaking his head in disgust he tosses the can into the metal garbage can that rests next to the can to send the sound of aluminum scraping against metal echoing through the silent garage. “Maybe he’s right,” LB shrugs as he notices our attention to remain glued upon him.

“Maybe he’s right?” Cooter’s voice rises in disbelief as he glares from LB to me, “Y’all claim that I am the crazy one…Luke you are suppose to be the rational one out of us all. Did we some how reverse roles here without me realizing it?”

“Not that I am aware of,” I slowly answer as I lean against the bed of the old truck that Cooter is currently working on, “but I don’t see anything about it as being crazy.”

“Ok fine…not crazy, but truly un-rational and dumb at a time like this,” Cooter rolls his eyes at me as he tosses a metal tool down on his work bench, “very un-thoughtful, and very unlike you Luke. I am surprised that you are the one that is suggesting such a thing at a time like this.”

Abruptly I glare up at him from staring down at his grease and oil stained cement floor as silence soon cuts him off to find him glaring tiredly at him, a blank look spread across his face. “Look, I don’t see anything wrong with my plan,” I finally speak up, defending myself.

“You don’t?” he says sarcastically as his eyes harden as he stares through me, “I see plenty of things wrong with it. Do you want to guess or should I help you by pointing them out? Where should I begin?” he makes a motion of trying to think before continuing, “Do you know what that would do to Uncle Jesse if you were to get caught? Especially with all that he is faced with as it is? It would kill him, tear him apart, more than he already is. How much do you think he can handle?”

I shrug as I glance back at LB as he slowly stands up from sitting upon the old desk that lies between the garage door and the walk in door of Cooter’s garage. “I won’t get caught,” I answer matter of factly.

“That’s what Bo thought until his customers sent an unhappy bullet into one of his tires,” he glares up at me,”and sent him to the state pen for having a back seat and a trunk full of it. Look Luke, I see what you are doing, what you are trying to do, but it would do more harm than good at the moment. Perhaps when -”

“When nothing Cooter! I know he’s going through a lot…we all are going through a lot,” I pause as I feel my temper rising within me, “but life goes on and while it does, we all have to figure a way to survive. Jesse already made it clear that we ain’t got no money for medical bills and with Bo and Daisy in the hospital…there’s no way. I have some saved up that I offered up, but that’s not near enough. It’s either this or Jesse will be forced to not pay his mortgage payment in a couple of weeks and lose his farm. A few runs and we would be -”

“Jesse would never accept it knowing it came from shine,” Cooter cuts in, “he got out of the business when Bo got busted, it was part of the arrangement they had when they let Bo go on probation. Jesse gave them his word and he don’t break his word for nothing…Jesse wouldn’t accept it and be angry at you for going behind his back.”

I glare at him for a long moment as I allow silence to build between the three of us before I glare out a small window at Main Street that goes by, watching the local sheriff drive by. “That may be so Cooter,” LB chirps in from the desk where he now leans against, “but you also know that farm means the world to him. A few runs here and there to some well known customers wouldn’t take much if they liked the shine. You continue to do your runs, so what’s the difference if he joined in and helped?”

“Difference? I’m not on probation!” Cooter responds in disbelief that LB has joined my side, “Bo is and Jesse gave his word. The farm may mean the world to him, but so does his family. He isn’t about to risk Bo’s probation for the farm or for a few medical bills. He’d have Luke’s hide if he knew what he was thinkin’ now.”

“So we don’t tell him,” LB answers for him, “tell him we went out and done some charity work..perhaps me and you had some money saved up, along with a couple of friends. Anything handy.”

“Lying to Jesse is a huge mistake,” Cooter grunts, “he’ll add that in your punishment when he finds out. If it hadn’t been for Bo being caught last year, there wouldn’t be a problem, but there is. You run shine and get caught, Luke, it would tear Jesse apart, more than he is now. He has enough to handle than to worry about you.”

Silence is quick to build up as we all digest his last statement as my mind wonders back in the hospital, visiting Daisy and seeing just how bad she had been injured. While visiting her, I had began to think of Jesse’s problem of being unable to call Applebee to check on Bo when his symptoms started to occur, even owing medical bills still. Instantly, I began to think of any way that I could help gather some money to pay off his past medical bills and begin to build on paying for Bo and Daisy’s upcoming medical bills. I had quickly came to the conclusion the only way that would work was to make a few runs. But as Cooter now points out the negative aspects of it, I see my plan draining quickly beneath my feet.

“We won’t lie to Jesse,” I speak up as I hug onto my coat, “we just won’t tell him what we are doing. Once we have the money he has to take it…or better yet, we don’t give it to him, we take it directly to the hospital and pay it there. Perhaps explain everything to him afterwards.” I pause as I silently take in Cooter before glancing over at LB who slowly nods, “I see where you are coming from, Cooter, but I don’t see any other way. He needs money to pay off bills…even if he has to lose the farm, we would need money to live somewhere.

“There is consequences to everything you do, some you have to face up to while others you hope not to face up to. This is one time you just have to hope, pray not to get caught and forced to face up to the consequences,” I sigh glaring at Cooter, hoping that I am talking him into helping me, “but this is something I think I need to do…unless you have a better idea,” I glare at him and he gives me a reluctant shake of the head, “Well then, if you won’t go along and help me, I will find someone else that will. There is plenty of people around here that runs shine…perhaps Brodie or Dobro would be able to help, they’re friends of Bo. ”

Cooter glares at me before he sighs in resignation as he glances back at LB who steps closer to us all. “We all could help,” LB offers, “may even have a little fun at it. I remember the time when I was up here, before Bo was on probation, we had a heck of a time running shine together.”

“So I’ve heard,” Cooter sighs before looking at me, “fine, I’m in. I just have to disagree with the timing. Jesse would kill us all if he knew what we were up to. Only one thing…only me, LB, and you is to know and in on this, right?”

“Sure,” I nod in agreement as does LB.

“OK,” Cooter sighs before glancing up at the clock, “it’ll have to wait a couple of days to get things settled and things that are needed. . .and a few phone calls to important customers.”

“That’ll be fine,” I nod and LB lets out a rebel call besides me before being hushed by a stern look from Cooter.