by: Kristy Duke

A small worm of doubt mixed with guilt slowly begins to grow within me as I silently watch Trent slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone with Boss once again. Glancing around at Boss, whose round face is lit up in happiness and joy of another deal done, questions flare wildly within me. Why Garrett and Ethan? Hogg could have put an ad in the paper and he’d have a driver in no time around here where jobs are limited and with plenty of young people in need of a job. Yet he had set out to get Garrett specifically. He may be a Duke, but he’s not like Bo and Luke, Garrett never got in the way, but usually looked the other way. Yet he was the chosen Duke.

“We gone and done it, Rosco,” J.D. Hogg laughs as he grabs another cigar from his top drawer, his dark brown eyes twinkle in the light in his enjoyment, “we got ourselves a new sport shop . . .we’ll make a fortune out of this.”

“If you say so Boss,” I softly respond as I glance through the window lying on the side window to watch an old rusted blue truck pulling into Cooter’s parking lot before glancing back at Hogg.

“You don’t sound so excited, Rosco,” Hogg smiles as he lights his cigar, “I mean I’ll be sharing a big chunk of that money with you.”

“Thanks Boss, I appreciate that,” I tip my hat at him before looking up at him, “I just get this sense about those two guys…Trent and Levi. I don’t like them…not alone trust them. Just something about them.”

Hogg glares at me over his cigar for a long moment before standing up to walk towards me, placing a comforting fat hand upon my shoulder. “So what? They’re just like any other associates I’ve had,” Hogg shrugs as if it’s no big deal.

“Yeah and others has double crossed you before to destroy what you’ve been working at, also,” I gently remind him as I continue to think of Garrett and Ethan, on how bad they had been beaten by the two guys Hogg had hired, “I mean, they already double crossed you by Trent pulling that gun. You made it clear, no one is to get hurt…they throw Garrett through the door and then they put Ethan at gun point. What’s to say they won’t do more tomorrow while they do your job? I am not going to have anyone killed or hurt in my county -”

“No Rosco, it’s not your county…it’s my county!” Hogg snaps, displaying his power he holds, “And I am not going allow anyone to get hurt…I gave them my warning and they’ll take it seriously. If not, it’s back to the drawing board and get someone else to run our store…easy as that. Trust me, Rosco, you’re worrying too much here. We’ve gotten ourselves a good as gold deal here.”

“If you say so, Hogg,” I shrug as doubt continues to rush through me as thoughts of last night continues to race through me, “I’ve got to go call in Enos and see what he’s up to this morning and get to those reports Kristy put on my desk last night. All of this got my stomach in knots.”

“Your head is in knots, Rosco,” Hogg quickly replies despite the smile upon his face, “it’s time you get ‘em all untied and stop worrying. I mean it Rosco… we got ourselves a good deal here.”

“As I said, if you say so,” I shake my head in disagreement as I slowly walk towards his closed door, forcing my thoughts away from last night and to the upcoming day, “I’ll see you around, Hogg.”

“Hopefully not,” Hogg laughs behind me as I slowly open the door and step into the lighted open sheriff station. Gently closing Hogg’s door behind me, I slowly walk farther into the sheriff’s station while quietly taking in the familiar surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Good morning sheriff,” Kristy’s soft and gentle voice abruptly interrupts my thoughts as I find myself staring blankly into the empty jail cells that sit behind the front desk and near the file cabinets. Glancing quickly at my watch, I slowly turn around to find my secretary standing a couple of feet behind me wearing nice fitting dark blue jeans, white running shoes, and a white cotton dress sweater with a gold chain hanging under her small chin. Her soft thick strawberry blond hair is pulled back at the sides into a gold beret while the back of her hair rests down below her shoulder bones, naturally curly at the ends. Her soft green eyes smiles warmly at me as she holds up the daily newspaper and a Styrofoam cup of coffee that she brings in every morning for me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you sheriff.”

“You’re fine, Kristy,” I smile approvingly at her as I gently take the thick bundle of paper from her and the scalding cup of coffee, “thank-you…I really appreciate you picking this up for me in the mornings. My wake up call.”

Her eyes manage to dance as she laughs kindly at my statement before nodding in agreement, “I think it is for us all.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” I find myself smiling at her, taking in her beauty while reminding myself that she’s my secretary…and a Duke, “you’re here early today…well earlier than normal.”

Abruptly regret and dread quickly fill me as her eyes quickly lose the sparkle they had when she first stopped me and I am reminded of her brother; of Garrett. “Uh yeah,” she slowly nods as she glances over my shoulder and then back at me, “LB took the kids this morning so I could by chance have a word with you…about Garrett.”

I slowly nod as I glance down at my freshly polished black work boots while struggling for the right words to say or how to react. Looking up at her, I say, “I think we got that under control,” I pause as she gives me a quizzical look, “Garrett and Ethan made a deal earlier this morning with Hogg and the men they had a fight with last night at the Boar’s Nest. They all came to an agreement.”

“Oh good,” relief momentarily reaches her soft eyes before she looks up at me, “you mean, they’re free now?”

“As of a half hour ago,” I stiffly nod as my regret and dread towards the situation continues to filter through me followed by Hogg’s argument of trust, “you probably passed them on the way to work.”

“Probably…go figure,” her smile returns to her kind face, “thank-you sheriff, for your time. I was just hoping that by chance we could come to an agreement over Garrett and all…but since everyone already made an agreement, I guess I’m not needed, on Garrett’s behalf at least.”

“Oh you’re needed, Kristy,” I smile at her as foot steps echo in the hall outside of the sheriff’s station and I glance up as the door opens to find Enos slowly walking in with his own cup of coffee in his hand. “Thanks again Kristy…I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”

“Sure thing, sheriff,” Kristy once again smiles before she slowly turns around and I watch her walk slowly to her office that rests between my closed office and Hogg’s.

As she disappears behind her closed door, I slowly walk around an unused desk that holds an CB radio on to approach my deputy while sipping at my coffee. “Sunshine Café makes the best coffee,” I slowly say as a greeting to Enos who smiles widely at me and nods, “Morning Enos. Before you go downstairs,” I pause as I think of my wording, “I just want to let you know that Ethan and Garrett made a deal with Hogg and I, and with the two men at The Boar’s Nest last night. They were sent home over a half hour ago…so don’t worry about breakfast for them.”

“Oh yes sir,” his smile widens as excitement flares in his eyes, “that is good to hear, sir.”

“I spose it is, Enos,” I nod as I feel the weight of the newspaper sinking into my right hand, “I think for now I am going to sneak into my office to look at the reports you filled out last night and work on more paper work that Kristy sent in. If you need me, that is where I will be for most of the morning. As for you, I want you to go into town and see how many parking tickets you can issue and collect…we’re running low in that area.”

“Ok sheriff,” Enos nods, still excited at the release of Garrett and Ethan’s release and my guilt continues to work through me as I think of the future, of everyone’s reactions will be when everything is finished; when Hogg’s plans are finished.

“Thank-you, Enos,” I softly nod before I slowly unlock the door to my office and walk into the darkened room, a thin ray of light filters in through the closed blinds.

Struggling with doubt and worry, I slowly turn on the light to throw away the remaining darkness to slowly glance around my office. I allow a short moment to pass before I slowly set the paper down with my coffee upon my scarred wooden desk before I raise the blinds to let the morning hazy light to shine in. Raising the last blind to the window that hangs behind my desk, I abruptly stand silently still while watching the rain slice through the morning fog. Staring blankly through the chilly morning rain and at the back sides of houses and business buildings that line the back of the sheriff’s station, my mind continues to run across Hogg’s latest scheme. Hogg has ran across some shady characters through his term of commissioner and through his money making schemes, schemes that I had been apart of without much thought. Yet now I can’t stop thinking about his two business associations that I had only met a few times and only talked to Levi once about the set up fight. Yet something is wrong and I’m the only one that seems to feel that way.

“Damn it,” I silently cuss as I force myself away from the window and from the falling rain to slowly back out my chair to take a seat. Pushing myself up to my desk, I hesitantly glance through the reports on my desk before I slowly set them upon the right edge and pulling my folded newspaper and coffee closer to me. Taking a long drink of my hot coffee, I feel the warmth of it melt down my throat and into my stomach to chase away the remaining chills that had remained from the chilly morning.

Unfolding this morning’s daily newspaper, I am struck with fear as Whinston’s handsome face takes up most of the upper half of the newspaper; a picture that was taken off of his wanted poster before he was arrested. A smaller, yet newer picture is printed towards the end of the long, half page article showing him in an orange jumper with letters printed across his thick, muscular chest. Flashbacks abruptly flood through me as I stare at his younger picture in disbelief, taking in his crazy and wild dark brown eyes and his reckless grin. “Whinston,” I hear myself say his name, my voice quivering in fear and at disbelief at seeing his picture as I shift my attention from the big picture to the small picture. In the newer picture his dark black hair is cut and shaved into a crew cut, he is clean shaven, his ear ring is taken out, and with the orange collar of his jumper folded neatly down, there is a trace of a black tattoo on the back of his neck. His dark eyes seem darker without the glow of craziness that had shined in his eyes when the wanted picture had been taken; since when I had last seen him.

After a long silent moment of staring at the two pictures with nightmarish flashbacks flashing wildly within me of the confrontation I had with him on that sunny June day to the court proceedings that had followed my release from the hospital. He was sentenced to death with several counts of murder along with several other major crimes he had committed with his gang of friends.

Taking a deep breath I slowly take my eyes away from the horrid pictures to take another drink from my coffee to distract my attention; struggling with the clear and horrible scenes of Rachel’s petite body lying in the dark green grass, her long soft hair spread across while blood sept through her soft lavender summer dress. Tears quickly blur my vision as I slowly begin to read the large, black, bold title: DANGEROUS DRUG LEADER ESCAPES! “No, no, no,” I moan as I reread the title several times before I slowly read the lengthy news article that takes up most of the front page and half of the second page.

“A bus transferring several dangerous criminals from the Georgia State Pen to Florida State Pen was hijacked yesterday afternoon after one of the security guards had called in with a flat tire,” the newspaper reads, “Sgt. Aaron Tuffle called in around one PM to tell dispatch they’d be a few minutes late due to a tire blow out, but didn’t sense any danger around. Forty-five minutes after the call to dispatch was made, a call was sent in by an citizen to report the hijacked bus. Jack Lensus of Atlanta was on his way home when he passed the bus that was driven down a steep hill and into a thick tree. Georgia Highway Patrol sent units out with ambulances to find the bus driver and the four security guards shot to death with a shot to the bus’s left rear tire.

“The bus was transferring fifteen dangerous criminals including Whinston Merlin who had been responsible for several bank robberies and murders over twenty-six years ago. Four prisoners were found shot to death as well,” the article continues, “Lieutenant Kent Zeler from the High Patrol says he is uncertain if the remaining eleven criminals left together or went their separate ways, but is willing to bet they had left together due to the four criminals they had killed. “We think that they killed the four other prisoners, because they were unwilling to follow Whinston’s path,” Zeler reports, “we are pretty sure it was Whinston’s men that hijacked the bus and killed the driver, guards, and the prisoners.” As of now, the Highway Patrol has teamed up with the FBI to see what they may come up with,” the article slowly finishes, “the FBI refused to comment other than to say they plan on finding out who had killed the good men that had secured the bus for over ten years along with the veteran bus driver.”

Disbelief thickly washes through me as my fear continues to rush wildly within me, vivid flash backs rush through me of the nightmarish June day that had changed my life forever. A life of happiness had been shattered within a second as that evil metal bullet had stole her life, stole her from me and from the world. Tears slowly melt down my cheeks as my mind fixates upon Rachel and the memories we had built with one another for three years, three years of dreaming of a life together, of a family. Gone.

“Damn it,” I say angrily as I throw open my lap drawer to slowly pull out a large gold picture frame to stare at my reflection that stares off of the glass, before staring at the picture. The picture was of Rachel and I twenty-six years ago at a town picnic that we had attended together only a month before the shooting. Love and happiness shines in her dark green eyes as her thin tan arms are wrapped around my neck as she smiles brightly at the camera. Her petite round head rests gently upon my shoulder, her dark chestnut hair brushed back into a pony tail while her bangs curl over her dark brown eye lashes. Tight fitting dark blue jeans press against her thin long legs while she wears leather sandals and a thin white sweater over a light blue dress shirt, her engagement rings shines against the sun upon her right ring finger. “Rachel,” I softly mutter her name as I touch her tan forehead with my finger as the picnic comes back to me, her soft laugh, her giggle, her ‘Oh Rosco’ seems to echo within me.

In the picture, I sit comfortably next to her in an ironed uniform with my hat sitting in the background in the green grass. I hold tightly onto her with my right arm while my left hand rests down into the sunny grass, my hair is a gray-less dark brown, thinly cut, and my own eyes shine in happiness. In the background people are walking around or sitting on blankets while in the left corner the Hazzard Pond sits with several people fishing off the grassy bank. A happy day.

Tears continue to roll freely down my cheeks as I stare at the old picture, recalling the day vividly for a long while before I slowly up the picture away into the drawer after taking a long, last look at Rachel. “Damn it,” I angrily mutter once again as I grip tightly onto my coffee cup, swallowing the last of it. Putting it back down upon the desk, the large older picture once again grabs my attention and I am reminded of his threat he had issued several times in court; payment of the death of his brother. Fear grows within me as his threat echoes within me while I vividly picture pulling the trigger on his nineteen year old brother who had shot Rachel, shooting him without much thought. I killed a kid. Once again, doubt floods through me. Did I shoot him out of defense or out of anger towards him for killing Rachel? What was done, was done. Killing him didn’t help anything, but bring out guilt at the death of a kid. A kid that thought he was helping his older brother out of trouble, perhaps without much thought of the consequence of things. A kid.

Glancing back down at the newspaper, Whinston continues to smile up at me, as if quietly assuring me that he plans on following up on his threat. Staring blankly down at him, tears roll down my cheek to splatter upon the newspaper, as thoughts and emotions rush through me. “Damn it!” I yell, this time louder as I angrily throw the newspaper into the top drawer of my desk before abruptly standing up, sending my chair back a few feet into the wall. Turning around, I glare deeply into the rain as cars rush by on their way to work or school, my mind raveling around the past and the article. “What now Rosco?” I question myself aloud as I fear the future that seems to be pressing harshly down on me.

***KRISTY DUKE***

Staring blankly up at the tall, chipped farm house, my thoughts rush wildly within me to stir up new embers of emotion, emotions that I had laid aside while at work. Now staring at the old farm house, my mind returns to where it had been this morning, to Garrett and his fight last night, a fight that had led to his arrest. Struggling with the anger that burns within me, I slowly take in his dark red Mustang that is parked a foot away from the stairs of the deck while his motorcycle is parked within the shadows of the barn. LB’s old rusted black truck is parked in between Garrett’s car and my truck.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly throw open my heavy door to step out into the chilly early spring evening that resides in a dreary, hazy grayness. Closing my door behind me, I slowly walk through the muddy drive way and to the old wooden steps leading up to the deck before reaching the front door.

“Mommy!” Jamie’s soft voice quivers in excitement as I tightly close the wooden door behind me to be filled with the heat of the old house. A short moment later, my five year old daughter’s petite body appears from their play room at the end of the hall, running towards me. “I’ve missed you!” she giggles as she throws herself at me, hugging me tightly.

“I missed you too,” I struggle to put on a smile as I bend down to hug onto her, “how was school today?”

“It was ok,” she shrugs as she shoves her thin hands into the small pockets of her faded denim jumper outfit, “I got to sit with Erin at lunch today and we played at the swings at recess.”

“A new friend?” I smile down at her as she nods, looking up at me with her innocent green eyes, her light brown freckles barely visible against her pale skin, “Well that’s good…good friends are good to have.”

She nods excitedly before abruptly turning serious as she pulls her hands out of her pockets and grab a tight hold onto my right hand, her green eyes clouded over in intense concern, worry. “What’s wrong, mommy?” she finally asks, demanding an answer with her eyes, “Why is Uncle Garrett in trouble?”

“Why? What all has he told you?” I ask bending down to set her on my knee.

For a moment she falls into silence as she shrugs while looking down at her white, shiny shoes. Looking back up at me she answers, “He only says that you’ll be upset at him when you get home. Are you? You angry at Uncle Garrett?”

New founded emotions abruptly rush through me as somewhere in the house I hear Shay giggle excitedly with LB’s child-like voice playing with him. “Well Uncle Garrett doesn’t need to be telling you things like that,” I finally respond looking down at her.

“What he do, mommy?” she insists, her eyes growing darker with worry, “I don’t want you to be upset at him, mommy…maybe -” she cuts herself off as excitement runs into her worried eyes, “maybe if he apologizes to you, you won’t be angry at him.”

“I wish it was that easy, sweetie,” I slowly respond and she looks questioningly up at me, “but sometimes it takes more than just an apology to make the hurt go away or to settle things.”

“Why mommy?” she asks once again, “What Uncle Garrett do?”

I sigh heavily as I listen to Shay’s laugh as I fight for words to answer her questions, to her satisfaction. “Well when Timmy pushed you last week in the mud,” I slowly start out, “and Mrs. Meller told him to say he was sorry to you, did that make you feel better?”

“No,” she shakes her head, “he got me all dirty…and my favorite shirt!”

“Well that’s the same thing here,” I slowly respond and she slowly nods, “just different situations.”

“OK,” her voice trails off as LB’s thick laughter rings out from the play room before she turns back to me, “but what did he do to make you upset, mommy?”

“You won’t give up, will you?” I smile at her and she shakes her head at me, “Uncle Garrett did something to hurt Bo last night.”

“Hurt Uncle Bo?” her eyes once again cloud up in concern as she grips tighter onto my hand, “How? Why would Uncle Garrett hurt Uncle Bo for, mommy?”

“That’s a good question, sweetie,” I smile understandably at her before setting her down to straighten up, “a question I plan on asking him. Why don’t we go in and see Shay and LB?”

“OK come on,” she smiles as she leads me down the wide hall by my hand until we pass the kitchen on our left and reach the end of the hall where an arch opening lies to the right. We slowly walk into the messy play room where LB sits comfortably upon the ugly brown carpeted floor while Shay stumbles with a small rubber ball.

“Mommy!” he yells out in excitement as he waddles over to me, “Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie,” I smile as I pick him up while LB slowly stands up to show off his grease stained outfit.

“What about me?” LB smiles as he joins us, “I love you too.”

“Hmmm I’ll have to get back to you on that one,” I quickly respond and he gives me a pouting face, “seeing how someone here picked up my kids from day care and forgot to tell me.”

“Oh that,” he grins, his green eyes sparkling with his crazy nature, “I tried calling you at work, but Rosco said you left already and you wouldn’t respond to my calls…so I had to leave the message.”

“You’re forgiven,” I smile as I elbow him in the ribs, “and of course I love you too.”

He slowly leans over to kiss me gently on the cheek before he grabs Shay away from me who wiggles to be set down. Silence falls over us as he waddles over to the ball and says, “Ball LB.”

“Well since you seemed to have my children entertained down here,” I slowly respond as dread fills me for what I am about to do, “I guess I better go see Garrett. Where is he?”

“C’mon Kris,” LB pleas me with his green eyes as he watches Jamie brush past him to her baby cradle where her doll rests. Looking back up at me he continues, “he feels bad enough as it is, he doesn’t need you to be upset at him. Besides Bo is fine…he was over at the garage with Luke this afternoon.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I respond as I allow my emotions to rush through me, “but this isn’t the first time he’s done something to Bo or the rest of the family, and it probably won’t be the last. I am fed up with his attitude…you don’t tell me where he is, I’ll find him by myself.”

“He’s in his room,” LB quickly calls after me and I slowly nod before turning the corner to be back in the hall where I walk to the front door to walk up the wide stair way that lies across the hall from the front door. I allow my thoughts to run freely through me as I walk up the stairs to the hall way that is lined with the four bed rooms and the full bath room, the bathroom that lies across from the stair way.

“Garrett,” I say into the closed wooden door as I knock loudly onto his door, a moment passes before his loud music is turned off and he slowly opens the door, “I think we have something to talk about.”

“Figured you would,” he sighs as he shoves the door open the rest of the way before walking back to his unmade bed where he sits down by the ruffled pillow. Silence fills the room as I glance around his room where his double bed leans against the right wall with a night stand by the head of the bed where his large CD player lies. His closed closet door is on the left wall as is his heavy dresser, leaning against the wall at the foot of his bed, a couple of feet from his entry door is an old, small desk where car magazines are scattered across the top of the desk, an old chipped wooden chair is shoved lazily into the desk. “Look Kris,” he slowly starts in as he eyes me with his gray eyes before eyeing the floor of his bed room that has clothes and CDs scattered around. Looking up at me, he continues, “I know you are upset at me and I suppose you have good reason to be upset at me, but please try to understand.”

“Understand what? That you purposely blew your smoke at Bo…knowing it would set off one of his attacks?!” I ask, my voice full of sarcasm as my anger continues to grow within me, “And yes, I have a pretty damn good reason to be upset at you! I came to Hazzard to find the family I had left behind years ago, a change of life style for me and my kids…so they can grow up somewhere safe. Hazzard is that place. You may not like it, but tough luck for you. You’re the one that agreed to come with me -”

“Dad pretty much made me agree to come with you!” Garrett abruptly sits up on his bed, his eyes hardening towards me, “What else was my choice? Stay behind to be pulled around by dad’s business partner at the garage? I don’t think so…I can’t stand him with dad there not a lone when he’s gone!”

“Does it look like I care, Garrett? Because I don’t…you came with me saying that you would give it a good chance…where’s that chance? We’ve been here for over a year now and yet you still hold that damn attitude towards everyone here…especially Bo, Luke, Jesse, and Daisy. You haven’t even tried to get along with them or to find friends of your own down here,” I reply.

“If you say so,” Garrett slumps back into his bed as he glares at his wall across from him, “What you call Ethan? Or doesn’t he count as a friend?”

“OK…one. Ethan who pretty much has the same attitude as you do,” I snap back at him, “that is still not giving Hazzard a chance! You don’t want to be here…then fine, that is your choice! But I have found a place that I am happy at…that my kids are happy at, so you better not ruin what I’ve got by your actions…by your attitude!”

“I’m happy for you,” Garrett grumbles sarcastically he continues to stare harshly at me, his own anger displaying upon his handsome face, “really I am. If being Hogg’s slave and being with that grease monkey down stairs -”

“First of all I am no one’s slave…I work for Hogg and for Rosco. It may not be the work I planned on doing, but it is better than doing nothing…of which you are doing! Second of all, “I yell as I feel myself losing my temper all together, “LB has no part of this…you have no right sitting there calling him names as if he’s done something to you! In fact…he was wanting me to leave you alone…says you feel bad enough as it is. Well I guess he was wrong about that, because you don’t seem to feel bad about anything!”

Silence quickly creeps within his warm room as he abruptly grabs his attention away from me and out through the window that lies above his CD player. “Look Kris. I’m sorry…I really am,” he pauses to look up at me, his eyes cloud over with sincerity, “I would never mean any harm to you or your kids. I am really happy that you are happy here, with LB and working with Hogg. LB isn’t that bad of a guy…better than you’ve had in the past,” he pauses once again, “and I am sorry for last night.”

“It’s not me who you need to be apologizing to,” I quickly snap as a yell of excitement rushes from down stairs, “it’s Bo…Luke. I think you owe me an explanation of what happened last night.”

He sighs heavily as his attention goes back to outside before he glances down at his hands that rest in his lap before eyeing me once again. “Maybe you are right…maybe I haven’t given Hazzard or them much of a chance. Back in Knoxville, I had my friends…friends that had stood up for me, friends I didn’t have to prove myself to; friends that I had fit in with,” Garrett pauses to glance out the window, “here, it’s like I am expected to be like Bo or like them; as if I have to prove myself to them, to you.”

“To me?” I ask as he fades into silence once again, “Why? I knew who you were before we even thought of coming to Hazzard…I had accepted you for who you are when I had first moved in with you and dad. I don’t expect you to change who you are…I just want you to look around, give Hazzard a chance. You just may like it here other than to just work on your car,” I pause as I take a step farther into his room, “and as for your friends in Knoxville, they’re just one other…huge reason why you should stay in Hazzard and give Hazzard a chance. As dad said, they were nothing, but trouble. They dragged you into a whole lot of trouble if you don’t remember right…almost got you killed. No Garrett, they weren’t your friends…not the kind that you want to have.”

“They didn’t get me into trouble…I got myself into trouble,” he snarls defensively at me, “I chose to hang out with them and I chose to do the things we did. And maybe it isn’t something that you or anyone here would approve of, but if I had to say so, I’d say I had some pretty fun times with them.”

“That’s besides the point,” I sigh, attempting to calm myself, “all of this is besides the point. If you would only try to get along with Bo, Luke and everyone, maybe you would find yourself fitting in with them and liking it here better. But you haven’t given them a chance…not a decent one at least.”

“Either has Bo, but everyone seems to defend him on it,” Garrett quickly responds, “everyone is so eager to defend Bo…especially Luke. And last night,” once again Garrett fades into silence as he stare out the window, “I can’t even remember what started it really, one thing kinda just led to another. Luke kept telling me to go somewhere else to smoke as if I needed to be reminded and Bo just kinda sat there eyeing me suspiciously, as if expecting me to do something. So,” he shrugs, “I lost it…and did something.”

“Something stupid,” I shake my head in disgust, “all this over looks and being asked to leave? You and your damn temper, Garrett!”

“Look I said I am sorry,” he glares up at me as he continues to fidget on his bed, “there is nothing else I can do now.”

I sigh heavily as I listen to my own heart beating angrily within me as I feel my adrenaline rush through me shoving my thoughts and emotions racing through me. “Tell that to Bo…and Luke,” I finally respond as exhaustion slowly begins to settle in, “What happened with those other two guys? That Rosco arrested you for?”

“I didn’t start that, Kris,” he glares back up at me as his hand sub-consciously moves to his thick scar to slowly begin to trace it, “they did, even ask Ethan. The one guy was in my car and the other guy was looking under my hood, I asked them nicely to move, but they wouldn’t. Push came to shove and they threw me through the door…the other guy put Ethan at gun point.”

I silently nod while watching him for a long moment tracing his scar. “Rosco said you and Ethan made a deal with Hogg and them two guys,” I slowly start out, “what deal was that?”

“Well you’ll never believe this,” a small grin begins to form on his face as his hand falls back onto his lap, “but Ethan and I got ourselves a job. Full time driving Hogg’s semi, picking up and delivering goods to Hazzard and to Hogg himself; we start tomorrow.”

The world seems to come to a halt for a long moment as all that Garrett is telling me slowly sinks in to send my mind rolling around with the idea of him driving for Hogg. “Driving for Hogg?” I slowly ask as I recall the two guys that had left Hogg’s office early this morning as I had gotten to work. I sigh realizing that they were probably the two guys Ethan and Garrett had fought and lost to last night, Hogg’s new business partners that look untrustworthy from the get go. “You know he has to have something planned…he’s been planning something big for that new store they’ve got. Knowing Hogg it won’t be something good.”

Garrett shrugs. “Better than sitting the next ten years in jail for something we didn’t start,” he slowly responds, “besides you have been bragging on me to get a job. Well I got one.”

“I don’t like this, Garrett,” I sigh, “I work with him, I may not know what he has going on, but it is something.”

“We’ll watch ourselves, Kris,” Garrett shrugs once again, “you worry too much. We’ll be fine.”

“If you say so Garrett,” I sigh heavily as my emotions continue to rush through me, “one other thing, you don’t need to be telling Jamie that I’m upset at you! She was truly concerned that I was angry at you…next time you’ll do the explaining and not me! She is five years old, she don’t need to be brought into your games!”

“I get your drift,” he slowly answers as he stiffly stands up, “Ethan and I’ll be meeting Hogg at his office in town at eight tomorrow.”

Silence once again barges in between us as my mind struggles to settle upon the reason why Hogg would go out to get Ethan and Garrett to drive his truck when there is so many young men in Hazzard looking for jobs. A Duke. It doesn’t make sense. “He has to be up to something. You watch yourself,” I slowly respond before ducking back into the hall and down the stairs as I slowly think of what to fix for dinner.

***DAISY DUKE***

“Daisy,” Luke’s voice shatters the silence that had filled the old farm house since Bo’s and Jesse’s abrupt departure over an hour ago. His voice quivers in his own fear, his own worries as I continue to glare out through the open window at the soft, gentle rain that almost floats onto the muddy ground below. “C’mon Daisy, you’re gonna be late if you don’t go.”

“I don’t care,” I softly respond in fear of showing my own emotions that rush through me, afraid of losing control of them, “I’m gonna wait until they get home.”

Silence once again enters the dark farm house as I feel his tense body standing somewhere behind me while I silently picture him standing there impatiently, searching for the right words to prod me with. “Hogg sure will care when he finds out you’re not there on time…be perfect excuse to fire you,” he finally responds, taking a step forward to cause the old weak floor boards to squeak under his pressure.

“You should know better than that, Luke,” I sniffle back a couple of lose tears while watching the budded trees outside the window sway gently with the wind, “Hogg would never fire me…Duke or not. He’d lose customers…which means money.”

Once again he resorts to silence as he drops back into his own personal worries, his personal fear for our cousin. Looking through the old smeared glass that rises above the screen, I watch his stiff body standing a couple of feet behind me with his muscular hands shoved deeply within his dark jean pocket. His figure in the window seems to be lost in thought, lost in emotion. “Maybe not,” he sighs loudly as he yanks his left hand out of his pocket it to run it through his thick dark brown hair, “but you know Jesse would go nuts if you’re still here when he gets home; knowing you’re late for work.”

“He’ll get over it,” I stiffly answer as I glance down at my small watch to find it ten past seven at night, already ten minutes late for work, “just as work will get over it. I am not going to leave until they get here and tell me what’s wrong with him.”

“We could call or I could come in to tell -”

“No Luke!” I abruptly yell while quickly turning around to pin him with angry eyes and he takes a quick step back towards the old couch, “I am not going anywhere until Bo and Uncle Jesse get here! End of story!”

Luke bites his lower lip while nodding thoughtfully at me, for the first time I see a glimmer of wetness in his eyes, wetness that he’s never shown anyone since returning home. “It was just an offer,” he puts his hands up in surrender before slowly turning around and silently walks down the right small hallway to disappear within the room he shares with Bo. I grimace as the boys’ white door abruptly is slammed shut.

For a long moment I stare silently at the closed door as my thoughts slowly drift to Luke, wondering what he must be feeling, must be going through. He has always held his emotions in while others are around, especially in front of Bo. He had always held strong in front Bo, being there for him no matter what he felt inside. But now, he had opened up to me, enough to see the tears that had glimmered in his dark eyes, tears of worry for Bo; his concern. I sigh heavily as guilt begins to rise within me for getting angry at him, for yelling at him when he was only trying to help the situation.

“Damn it,” I silently mutter under my breath as I slowly turn away from my cousins’ closed door to glare out into the darkening, hazy night. Rain continues to race lazily down from the hazy gray sky and down onto the muddy ground, splattering rhythmically upon the thin roof.

Watching the rain fall unto the ground, my mind slowly returns to Luke’s fight with Garrett last night, after Garrett had purposefully set off one of Bo’s attacks. The events of the last twenty-four hours rolls roughly within me, from their trip to Cooter’s when Bo had seemed fine until a couple of hours ago when his inhaler wouldn’t ease Bo’s asthmatic attack. I sigh as I force myself to remember that last night didn’t start it, reminding myself of how Bo’s breathing had seemed to worsen a week ago. Bo’s attacks had increased in numbers and grown worse within the past couple of weeks, his breathing forceful and wheezy.

A few minutes seem to be hours before Jesse’s old dusty truck slowly comes into sight up the road as it turns the sharp corner, speeding past the open cow pasture and the empty field. Watching the truck growing closer with each second, I grasp desperately at what Doctor Applebee had told them, struggling to guess what is wrong with him. From his first sixteen years plagued with the disease, I have learned that it could be anything that’s wrong; from a cold or an infection to his conditioning worsening, his lungs weakening, his heart weakening. Or nothing. Closing my eyes, I drop into silent prayer for my cousin, for his health, for him to be OK; to fight whatever it is that’s wrong.

Opening my eyes, I watch Jesse slowly yanking the truck into our dirt drive way, pulling to a slow halt a few feet away from the General and a couple of feet in front of the stairs leading to the front porch. Jesse slowly opens the driver’s door to send on the dome light and I watch Bo as he sits momentarily in the passenger seat, staring blankly ahead. Time seems to click slowly away before Jesse slowly eases Bo’s door open for him, motioning him to get out of the truck. Bo seems to hesitate for a long moment before throwing open the door to step out in the chilly rain that slowly picks up speed. “Let’s go, Bo,” I hear Jesse say through the open window as he walks ahead, waiting for Bo at the grill of his truck.

Feeling the chilly breeze float through the open window, I slowly step away from the window after watching Jesse and Bo slowly climb the old wooden stairs. Fighting to act casual, I slowly sit down upon the old couch as the old screen door squeaks open before clanging shut to be followed by heavy footsteps. “Daisy,” Jesse quickly punctures through the thick silence as he walks into the living room, his right hand resting upon Bo’s tense right shoulder, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at work.”

“I…uh,” I start to say as Bo and Luke’s door slowly squeaks open to pull their attention behind me, to Luke who tiredly walks out of the small hallway.

“Well Daisy?” Jesse asks again, directing his attention onto me.

“I wanted to see how Bo’s doctor’s appointment went before going,” I slowly answer and disappointment enters Jesse’s crystal blue eyes that shine in worry.

An awkward silence begins to hang around us for a long moment before Bo stubbornly pulls away from Jesse’s protective hand to glare defensively from Luke to me. “I’m fine,” he abruptly answers, his breathing remains as wheezy as it had been before he left an hour and a half ago. Harsh emotions rush within his baby blue eyes as he quickly walks away from Jesse’s reach and by Luke to disappear into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

“What did Doctor Applebee have to say?” Luke finally asks to break the silence once again, bringing Jesse and my attention away from the closed door and onto him, “How is he, Jesse?”

Jesse seems to age five years within a second as he takes a deep breath, sadness and fear cloud within his crystal blue eyes as he refuses to look at us for a long moment. “His condition is worsening…his lungs and heart seem weaker this time than they were at his last check up,” Jesse pauses to force himself to look at us, “Applebee found an infection in his lungs. I told him about what you said that happened last night,” he pauses once again, struggling for emotional strength to continue, “and he says that surely didn’t help anything, but the infection, by the size of it, was in his lungs for a while before last night.”

“Damn it,” Luke mutters behind me and Jesse slowly nods in agreement.

“He put Bo on a certain medication for his breathing that should help clear things up, hopefully,” Jesse slowly continues, “Bo’s to go back to see him Wednesday morning at eight.”

Silence quickly begins to form between the three of us as the information slowly settles into me, sending a wave of vivid flashbacks flashing within me; flashbacks of when Bo was growing up with the disease. Fear and worry roughly rush through me as my mind races from my cousin’s nightmarish past filled with pain and fear to the uncertain future that lays ahead for him, for all of us.

“Uncle Jesse,” I slowly break the silence as a couple tears melt down my cheeks and I roughly push them away before walking up to Jesse to give him a hug and he slowly returns it, “he’ll be fine…just like before. He’s strong…a fighter.”

“A fighter,” Jesse says the words, his voice quivering in disbelief as he lets go to glance over at Luke who leans against Jesse’s metal desk; struggling with his own emotions. Glancing around to Jesse, I find him staring at the old clock that hangs over the left hall way that leads to his room; forty-five minutes late to work. “By the time you get to work, you’ll be an hour late, Daisy. Maybe you should call in -”

“No, we need the money,” I sigh as my mind slips onto work, wondering how I can pull my strength up enough to go, “I’ll go…I just wanted to hear how his appointment went before I left. Bye Luke…bye Uncle Jesse.”

“Bye Daisy,” Luke says behind me and I give Jesse another hug on my way to the front door, grabbing my red purse on the counter before disappearing into the dark, rainy night.

******************

“You’re late, Daisy,” Jerry softly speaks up as I quickly walk around the thick wooden bar, watching me with worried light brown eyes as I swiftly yank out an oiled stained half-apron out from under the bar, “is everything OK?”

Emotions continue to swarm thickly through me as I silently force myself to glance around the smokey, crowded bar, taking in the every day customers while taking in new a couple of new faces here and there. An old Kenny Rogers plays loudly upon the aged jukebox while the laughter and the conversations bounce loudly off the thin brown walls that surround us. “I don’t know Jerry,” I slowly answer as my mind continues to wind through the past twenty-four hours. Silence enters between the lead bartender and I for a moment before I slowly glance up at him, taking in his light brown curly hair and his kind face that shines in sincere concern. “Jesse had to rush Bo to Doctor Applebee an hour before I had to be in, due to his breathing,” I pause once again while steadying myself against the wet bar, “and I waited until they got back to leave. I am really sorry that I am so late for work, it’s just that -”

“Shhh don’t you worry about it,” he grins understandingly at me while patting me on the back, “We all understand…Thea was here and agreed to work until you showed up or until your shift ended. I’ll just tell Hogg that you had a family emergency and we had it covered.”

“Thank-you so much, Jerry,” I force a weak smile for him as I continue to fight against the emotions raging within, “you’re a life saver.”

“Anything for a friend,” he grins at me for a short moment before handing me a notepad, “there is a couple at table seven that needs their order taken…I think they’d prefer you take it for them, than me.”

“OK,” I silently nod before I slowly make my way around the thick bar and into darkened restaurant, making my way through the thin trail in between tables. Halfway across the room towards the table Jerry had directed me to, I spot LB and Kristy sitting in a booth upon the back wall, holding hands across the old scratched table. “Kristy, LB!” I excitedly say as I quickly reach their table and they both look up at me, “It’s a surprise to see you here, tonight.”

“Figured you’d need a surprise,” LB smiles up at me while he rubs at his thin whiskers that line the bottom of his chin, “every once in a while.”

“Don’t mind him…he’s just in one of his ornery moods,” Kristy grins up at me before dropping her kind smile into a serious _expression, “We had Garrett watch the kids…we figured he deserved at least that for his behavior last night. I’m really sorry for his behavior, for what he had done to Bo…and then to Luke. It all is -”

“Not your fault,” I shrug, glancing from LB and then to her, “so you shouldn’t be apologizing to me about it, neither should he. But to Bo.”

“I told him he should, but I doubt it’ll happen,” she shrugs again, her green eyes shine in concern as she watches me, “how is Bo? LB says he was fine at the garage this afternoon.”

“He was fine then,” I slowly respond as I struggle for the words that I should say, “but he had a bad attack an hour and a half ago or so. He couldn’t breathe and his inhaler wouldn’t work,” I slowly pause to take in Kristy’s saddened and angered _expression, “not because of what Garrett did, but due to an infection in his lungs. As Applebee told Jesse, the smoke surely didn’t help anything, but it isn’t what started the infection. Rather the infection had been building up for some time now and that it finally got too much for his inhaler to handle or him.”

Silence explodes around the three of us while the rest of the crowd seems to grow louder as they look at one another before looking back at me. “I’m real sorry to hear that, Daisy,” Kristy finally says, “if there is anything that I can do to help, just say it.”

“It’s not your fault or Garrett’s,” I force a smile at them as Kristy stiffly stands up to pull me into a tight hug before sitting back down, “it was gonna happen one way or the other. As for help, I don’t think there is much that anyone can do. They got him on medication that should clear the infection out and get things back to normal. . . hopefully.”

“That’d be why you were late,” LB speaks up and I slowly nod.

“Talking of which, I should probably take your orders,” I grin at them while pulling a pen out from my apron, “what can I get for you?”

“A Diet Pepsi,” Kristy answers for me before pointing at LB, “and he’ll have his usual, I presume.”

“I’ll got get those for you,” I smile before slowly turning around to walk through the smokey bar and back around the bar where I slowly get a thick beer mug to slowly fill it up with beer before walking to the small refrigerator to get a can of Diet Pepsi.

“Hey pretty lady,” a masculine voice rings out from behind me to send me glancing over my shoulder to find a tall thin handsome man sitting at the bar, watching me with hazel blue eyes. He resorts into silence as he seems to take me in quietly while he runs a tooth pick from one side of his mouth to the other side of it, sucking upon it’s sharp end that hides within his mouth. “May I have a word with you?”

“What about?” I slowly turn around to stand squarely in front of him, watching him carefully while taking him in at the same time. His sandy brown hair is buzzed tightly around his head while the thin hair stands an half inch up in an crew cut, a crew cut to display the harshness that seems to shine in his hard eyes.

“You, of course,” he winks at me as he takes a long drink from his half drunk mug of beer before putting it back down on the bar in front of him, “you have a name?”

“Daisy,” I slowly respond while watching him, someone I have never saw before, “may I help you with something, sir?”

“Sir? That is way too formal,” he half laughs while running a muscular hand across his head, “I’ve been out of the Army for two years now…I just like the feel of my hair this way. The name’s Braiden Lane.”

“OK Braiden,” I nod as he fades into silence and I watch cautiously as he grabs a napkin to begin to scribble on it.

“Here’s my cell phone number,” he grins handing me the napkin that holds his name and number on it, “in case you want to call or you can give me yours and I can call you.”

“Wishful thinking,” I shake my head at him as I slowly tuck his napkin into my pocket, “but I’ll keep you in mind. What you in town for, honey?”

“We’re putting up a new store in town here,” he grins proudly at me, “‘Hazzard Sports Store and More’ is what it will be called. It should be open within a few days or so.”

“Sounds interesting,” I nod before I catch eye contact with Kristy at the back of the restaurant, “but you’ll have to excuse me because I need to get back to work. Nice meeting you, Braiden.”

“Daisy,” he grins lustfully at me as I turn to get LB’s and Kristy’s drinks, “don’t forget to call.”

I nod quietly at him as I make my way around the bar and through the bar towards the back of the room to where Kristy and LB sit. “Sorry it took me so long,” I shrug, “some guy stopped to chat, I guess.”

“We saw,” LB grins at me, “I think we even saw him droolin’ over ya.”

“I must of missed that,” I hand him his drink and then hand Kristy hers, “he’s putting up a new store in town here…some sports store.”

“Hazzard Sports and more’,” Kristy nods in recognition, “Hogg has his hand in it in some way or another…it’s suppose to be big, but I’ll wait and see that for myself. Oh…talking about Hogg. Did you hear they released Garrett and Ethan?”

“No way?” I ask as disbelief rushes through me, “How they get so lucky? Not that I want them arrested or anything, the whole thing seemed messed up to me last night, but it’d take something for Hogg to drop charges upon any Duke.”

Kristy shrugs. “They had to make a deal with the people they fought and with Hogg,” Kristy answers, “Ethan and Garrett are Hogg’s…Hazzard’s new semi truck drivers. Starting tomorrow they will do the pick up and deliveries for Hazzard stores and for Hogg…starting with a pick up for the new sports store sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

“I would never have guessed,” I smile as relief enters within me at hearing my cousin and his friend being released, “though knowing Hogg he has something planned.”

“I’ve warned him,” Kristy shrugs glancing across at LB who seems to watch Kristy with interest, “so I guess we’ll see. It’ll be good for him to have paying job for once…a steady job.”

“Yes it will,” I nod as I hear someone hollering my name from a nearby table, “Well that’s me, y’all stay out of trouble.”

“You ruin our fun, Daisy,” LB yells after me as I make my way to where Jake Lymes sits with his new girl friend at a close table.