by: Marty Chrisman
Luke sat on the bed anxiously watching the door waiting for Jesse and Bo to arrive. Today was the day he was finally going to go home. He glanced up and smiled when Cindy came into the room, disappointed that it wasn’t Bo and Jesse, but pleased to see the therapist that he owed his recovery to.
“I couldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye.” Cindy told him with a grin and a hug. “I’m gonna miss my favorite patient.”
“I’m gonna miss you too.” Luke admitted with a wicked grin.
“There’s that smile again.” She teased him “I’ll bet you’re gonna have the girls lined up back home just waiting for you to ask them out again.”
“I’d rather ask you out some time.” He told her
“I’d really like that but it’s against the rules.” She told him regretfully. She leaned closer and whispered “But I can still give you a kiss goodbye as long as you don’t tell anybody.” She gently kissed his lips, startled only momentarily when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, returning the kiss. When he released her, she blushed and felt the butterflies in her stomach. “Goodbye, Luke Duke.” She said, hurrying out of the room before she forgot that she was a professional and he was her patient.
Shortly after she left, the door opened and this time Bo and Jesse came into the room. “You ready to go?” Jesse asked with a huge smile on his face
“You bet.” Luke said, grinning back. Bo took Luke’s arm and helped him to his feet. Even though he no longer needed the crutches, he still had to take his time and concentrate on his walking so he wouldn’t stumble and fall. But Cindy had assured him that would go away as he got stronger and gained more confidence in his ability to walk again.
Outside, Bo led the way across the parking lot to where he had parked Uncle Jesse’s truck. He had wanted to bring the General Lee but Jesse had reminded him that for the time being it would probably be easier for Luke to get into the truck than it would be for him to crawl in and out of the General. Once Luke was settled in the front seat between Jesse and Bo, Bo turned on the engine and headed for home.
Luke smiled happily. There had been days when he thought this day would never come and now that it was finally here, he was overwhelmed with emotion. As they got closer to Hazzard, his eyes drank in the familiar scenery that spelled home. He felt as if he had been gone for a lifetime. He felt a surge of excitement when Bo turned into the drive behind the farmhouse and parked the truck beside the General. He was finally home, the one place in the world where he wanted to be more than anywhere else. As they walked into the house through the back door, all of his friends and most of Hazzard started yelling “Surprise” and “Welcome home!” Luke smiled and ignored the tears that started running down his cheeks. He had never felt so happy or glad to be home in his life. And he had never felt so much love.
THE END