The Man He Used To Be
By
Luke Duke stopped his work for a minute, swiping his arm across his forehead to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. It was a hot day for early April. There had better be something cold to drink when he got back to the house. Mending fence was a hard job, especially since he was doing by himself. His cousin, Bo, was gone for the weekend helping Uncle Ben over in Chickasaw County build a new barn. The boys were always the first ones asked to help out when a friend or family member was in need of a pair of extra hands.
Luke ran his hand through his thick dark hair and squinted at the sun. He decided it was time to take a break and eat the lunch that Daisy had made for him that morning. He walked over to the back of Uncle Jesse's battered white pickup truck and sat down on the tailgate. He reached for the white cooler sitting on the tailgate and opened it. Inside he found a 12 ounce can of coke, some left over fried chicken from last night's supper, some potato salad and some cookie chip cookies. Smiling to himself, he leaned back against the side of truck to enjoy his lunch and rest before finishing his job.
Luke had only been back in Hazzard for about three months after spending almost a year up north with his Aunt Pauline. After the tragic death of his wife, he had fallen into a deep dark depression that had almost destroyed him. He had even thought about taking his own life. It had gotten so bad that Uncle Jesse had sent him to Pauline's to keep him from losing his mind.
Luke was not fond of being up north; it was completely different from the life he was used to in Hazzard. People weren't nearly as friendly or outgoing. And there was a major difference in the weather. Luke had hated the cold northern winters. But leaving Hazzard had been what he needed to do at the time. He needed to get away from the memories that haunted him everywhere he looked. Pauline was his favorite Aunt and she had helped him to slowly get over losing Kelly. She had helped him make the choice to go on with his life, a life he hadn't wanted to go on living without Kelly in it. He still had his bad days when it was impossible not to think about Kelly and the life they had hoped to share.
As her sole heir, Luke had inherited everything from Kelly's estate. He had sold the house she had bought when she returned to Hazzard, knowing he could never live in that house without Kelly. Even though Uncle Jesse had stubbornly tried to refuse (That famous Duke Pride did get in the way sometimes) Luke had used the money to pay off the mortgage on the Duke Farm. With what was left, he had bought new appliances for the kitchen and a new tractor. The only things he had kept that had belonged to Kelly were her guitar and her car. (Although he seldom drove it since he was usually with Bo and they always took the General)
Before returning to Hazzard, Kelly had had a successful career in Nashville as a back up singer and a songwriter. Luke received the royalties on the songs she had written and published and he owned the copy writes for the material that had not been published yet. Once in awhile, he would turn on the radio and hear one of her songs that she had written being played. That always hurt and brought back the painful memories that were always lingering just beneath the surface of his mind.
Although Luke would never admit it to anyone but himself, he still felt guilty about Kelly's death. He had been forced to make the decision to pull the plug on the machines that were keeping her alive when the doctors told him there was no hope of her surviving her injuries. She had been hit by a car on their wedding day and died six days later. She was buried in the Duke family plot on the hill behind the barn. Luke still visited her grave almost every day. The man who had been driving the car that hit Kelly that day had been arrested and sent to prison for the rest of his life for killing her, especially since he had confessed and told the sheriff that someone had hired him to do it. But, in spite of a deal offered by the prosecution, he had refused to tell anyone who had hired him. Luke figured they would never know who was really behind Kelly's murder.
Today was a good day. Raised on the farm all of his life, Luke was used to the hard work involved with keeping the farm running. Although he had a lean build, it was a muscular one developed from years of hard work around the home place. The Duke farm had been in the family for over five generations and as long as there was a Duke alive to work the land, it would stay in the family. It was 80 acres of the richest farm land in the state. Finishing with his meal, Luke jumped down from the tailgate and went back to work.
He never noticed the black sedan parked on the road that ran in front of the Duke farm. Even if he had, he wouldn't have thought that much about it. He would have recognized it as belonging to a local resident named Pete Madison.
~~~~~
Pete lowered the binoculars he had been using to watch Luke with. Lighting a cigarette, he glanced at his companion and said “Why don't we just do it now? He's by himself.”
His companion shook their head. “No, not yet. I'll let you know when the time is right.” His companion smiled faintly “Don't forget, you're getting a hell of a lot of money to make sure you do this right”
~~~~~
After another two hours of hard work, the job was finished and Luke put his tools in the back of the pickup. Slamming the tailgate, he climbed under the wheel and headed back towards the farm house. Ten minutes later, he pulled into the barnyard and climbed out of the truck. Uncle Jesse was sitting on the back porch steps, relaxing for a spell before getting to his afternoon chores. He was in his mid sixties but looked and acted a lot younger than his actual age. He had white hair and a white beard with blue eyes that sparkled with life. He was a patriarch of the Duke Family. His word was law and was always obeyed, out of love mostly but always obeyed. He had taken Luke in when he was only 4 years old and raised as his own, along with his two cousins, Bo and Daisy. He was the only father Luke had ever known or even wanted.
“You got that fence fixed?” Jesse asked as Luke walked from the truck to the house.
“Yes, sir.” Luke told him with a grin.
“Then you best git to them other chores.”
Luke nodded. Around a farm there was always work to be done and chores were a part of his regular daily routine. There were chores that had to done in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. And Jesse could always find something extra for the boys to do. (And usually did) He had raised them with a firm hand, not hesitating to take a switch to them if they didn't mind or got into trouble. (And he probably still would if he thought they needed it, even if Luke was 29 years old and Bo was 25.)
Luke went inside long enough to sit the cooler down on the kitchen counter and grab a glass of lemonade from the refrigerator before going back outside to do his afternoon chores. (And Bo's too since Bo was gone for the weekend)
After finishing supper and the evening chores, Luke took a shower and changed clothes. He was planning to go to the Boar's Nest, just like he did almost every day. It was the local hangout, a honky-tonk owned by Boss Hogg, the County Commissioner . But then, Boss Hogg owned just about everything in Hazzard County and what he didn't own, he held the mortgage on. (Just like he had held the mortgage on the Duke farm until Luke paid it off) Actually, there was an ironic justice in the fact that Boss Hogg had been the one who had bought Kelly's property. And he had been forced to pay a fair price for it since it was part of her estate and the selling price had not been negotiable. So, Luke had actually paid Boss back the mortgage on the farm with Boss's own money.
The Boar's Nest was located just off Route 7 about five miles from the Duke farm and eight miles from the town of Hazzard . It was located in a large one story cinder block building with a huge dirt parking lot in front. Luke pulled in beside a white jeep CJ7 with the name Dixie written in gold on the hood. The jeep belonged to his cousin, Daisy, who was a waitress at the bar. Since Bo had the General Lee with him, Luke was driving the black Sable that had belonged to Kelly.
Luke climbed out of the car and went into the bar. Several voices called out a greeting as Luke made his way through the crowd to the bar. Daisy smiled and poured a cold draft beer for him when she saw him enter the bar. She was the prettiest girl in Hazzard county with big blue eyes, a friendly smile, and long chestnut colored hair. She could shoot like Annie Oakley, drive like Richard Petty and knew the words to every Dolly Parton song. The guys all flocked around Daisy just like a bee to honey.
“Hi, cuz.” Daisy said with a grin as she handed Luke the watered down beer. “You're late tonight.”
“That's cause I had to do Bo's chores too.” Luke reminded her, with an easy smile. The three cousins were all exceptionally close. Having grown up together, Daisy considered Luke her overly protective older brother. Being the oldest, Luke had always been responsible for looking out for Daisy and Bo, a job he had taken seriously. As Daisy turned her attention to another customer, Luke took his beer and headed towards a table in the back of the room.
His close friend, Cooter Davenport, looked up as Luke sat his beer on the table and sat down across from him. “Hi, Luke.” He said with a grin “How's it going?”
“Pretty good.” Luke said. Cooter had been a close friend of the Duke Family since they were kids. He was just like one of the family. He might as well be a Duke too.
“When's Bo supposed to be back?”
“Tomorrow”
“Just in time for the race, huh?” Cooter said with a huge grin. The boys were the best drivers in three counties and the General was the fastest car. They entered every race they could both to bring in extra money and just for fun. And they usually won too. The General had only been beaten once. With Bo driving and Luke riding shotgun, they were an unbeatable team.
“You gonna be in it this time?”
“Naw, I'm gonna pass this time.” Cooter said. “Got too much work backed up at the garage.” Cooter owned the only garage in Hazzard (and the Duke boys gave him half of his business) and he was known all over the state for his mechanical talents. He could fix anything on wheels.
“Hi, Cooter. Hi, Luke.” said a sultry feminine voice from behind Luke. A pretty redhead with big brown eyes smiled and sat down at the table beside Luke.
“Hi, Margie.” Cooter said with a smile. Both boys had gone to school with Margie Lincoln. Like most of the girls in Hazzard County she had dated both Bo and Luke over the years. (Although she had dated Bo more then she had Luke, she‘d always had a huge crush on the dark haired Duke) Luke smiled as he felt Margie pressing her leg against his underneath the table.
Although Luke was still friendly and polite to everyone and he still flirted with the girls, he hadn't actually gone out with anyone since Kelly's death. And more than one girl had tried their best to tempt him. All the girls in Hazzard knew what had happened to Kelly and they all longed to be the one who could make Luke Duke smile again. Luke enjoyed the attention but he wasn't interested in anything else, not even a one night stand.
His heart still belonged to Kelly and it always would.
“Hey, Luke” Margie said, leaning in close and batting her eyes at him seductively “Why don't you come over for dinner Sunday?”
“Well, now Margie, I'd really like to,” Luke told her with a smile to take the sting out of his refusal “But Bo and me are in the race Sunday.”
“How about tomorrow?” Margie persisted.
“Luke promised to help me out at the garage.” Cooter said, giving Luke an excuse so he wouldn't have to turn her down again. “I'm up to my ears in work.”
“Okay,” Margie said with a pout “Maybe next time.” She shoved herself to her feet and walked away.
Luke glanced at Cooter and grinned “Thanks, Cooter.”
“Glad to.” He looked at his friend solemnly “You know Lukas, one of these days, you're gonna have to start getting out again if you catch my drift.”
“Yeah, I know.” Luke admitted “That's what Jesse keeps telling me too.” He sighed softly. “I just ain't ready yet, Cooter.”
Cooter turned their conversation to other subjects, knowing how painful it still was for Luke to talk about Kelly. It was close to midnight when Luke decided to call it a night. When he left the Boar's Nest to head back to the farm, he didn't notice the couple sitting in a car a short distance from where he was parked.
~~~~~
“You still ain't told me what you're planning to do to Luke.” Pete said, glancing at his partner questioningly.
“That's none of your business. You were just hired to help me watch him. I got two fellows coming in from Atlanta to help me finish the job.”
“You're not really gonna hurt him none are ya?”
“Of course not. We're just gonna teach him a little lesson that's all.”
~~~~~
Bo arrived home early the next afternoon and the two boys spent the rest of the day and most of the evening getting The General Lee ready for the race the following afternoon. Satisfied that they had the General in top running condition, they turned in early so they would be well rested for the race.
Bo tapped the General's accelerator, revving the engine, as he waited for the race to start. He never got nervous before a race but he did get impatient. Luke adjusted the strap on his orange crash helmet and glanced at his cousin with a grin. Bo was always full of nervous energy but before a race, that energy kicked into a high gear. And it was that same energy that brought out Bo's razor sharp skills behind the wheel during a race.
The starting flag waved and the race was on. The General's powerful engine roared as Bo took off, the rear tires smoking. It was only a matter of minutes before Bo had pulled to the front of the pack. Bo kept the lead, the General easily outrunning the other cars in the race. Which anyone who had ever seen the Duke Boys race knew to expect if they were entered.
Twenty laps into the race, with just five more laps to go, a yellow car suddenly appeared from out of the pack and pulled in beside the General on the left.
“Where the heck did they come from?” Luke said in a startled voice
“Who the heck are they?” Bo asked, equally surprised to find a little competition after all.
“I don't know, Bo.” Luke said “But if you wanna win this race, you better pay attention to your driving and not the competition.”
For the next three laps, Bo did everything he could to stay ahead of the yellow car. But no matter how many tricks he tried, the yellow car stayed with him. “Come on, Bo!” Luke told him “You gotta get ahead of ‘em!”
Bo's jaw tightened with determination as he gave the General all he had. Slowly, the General inched back into the lead. He blew the horn triumphantly, the musical sounds of Dixie floating in the air, as the General crossed the finish line first. The yellow car came in second. It had been close, the closest the Dukes had come to losing a race. The General had only been beat once and that had been years ago by a driver with a turbo charged engine.
“YEE HAW!!!!” Bo yelled excitedly, as he pulled the General into the winner's circle. The boys climbed out of the car and sat on the roof, grinning happily and waving to the crowd that was applauding enthusiastically.
From the corner of his eye, Luke saw the yellow car stop a short distance away. The driver climbed out of their window and reached up to take off their helmet. Luke turned around to stare as sun streaked dark blonde hair spilled out and fell halfway down the other driver's back. Slowly a huge grin spread across his face as he recognized the other driver (even though it had been six years since the last time he had seen her)
Leaving Bo to accept the prize money and the trophy, Luke slid down off the General's roof and walked over to the yellow car. The woman driver saw him coming and smiled as she crossed her arms and leaned back against her car.
“Luke Duke,” she said as he joined her “Up and walking around. That's better than you were doing the last time I saw ya.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Luke said with a happy grin “I have you and your brother to thank for even being here. You ran a good race. You had me and Bo running scared for a minute.”
“I still came in second, didn't I?” She said with a soft laugh.
“We can't all win, Darling.” Bo said, joining his cousin in time to hear her comment. “But I didn't expect to almost get beat by a girl.” When the girl and Luke both started laughing, Bo looked at them with a puzzled frown “Am I missing something here?” he asked
Sorry, Bo.” Luke apologized. He dropped a friendly arm around the girl's shoulders “This is Shelby Lynn”
“Hot dang!” Bo said, instantly recognizing the name. “I don't remember you being so pretty.”
“Well, you had other things on your mind that day.” Shelby told him. Six years ago, Luke had gone on a camping trip up in the mountains. He had accidentally stepped in a bear trap and would have died if Shelby 's brother, Cory, hadn't found him and saved his life by taking him back to their cabin. Shelby had cared for him until Cory had returned with help. After his injuries healed, Luke had tried to find the brother and his sister to thank them personally for what they had done but he hadn't been able to find the Lynn cabin. Now, it looked like he was finally going to get his chance to say thank you.
“Hey, you have to come to supper tonight.” Luke said “I know Uncle Jesse and Daisy would love to meet ya.”
“I don't know…..” Shelby said hesitantly
“Come on,” Luke encouraged her “Uncle Jesse would tan my hide if he finds out I ran into you again and didn't insist that you come to supper.”
“Well, we can't have that.” Shelby said with a grin “Okay, I'll be there. When and where?”
Luke told her to be at the farm at 6 and gave her directions on how to get there. As she climbed back into her car and pulled away, Bo looked at his cousin and said in a teasing voice “You never told me she was so dang pretty, Lukas.”
“To tell you the truth, I didn't notice it myself till just now.” Luke said with a grin
Because of the accident, he had been in so much pain that he hadn't really been able to notice a lot of things too clearly. Among other things, his ankle had been badly broken and to this day, it still ached when the weather got cold because of the pins that had been inserted so it would heal properly.
After finishing up things at the fairgrounds, the boys drove home and told Jesse and Daisy about winning the race and the prize money. Then Luke told them about running into Shelby Lynn and inviting her to supper. Both Daisy and Jesse got tickled when the boys told them about Shelby almost beating them in the race.
“Old Red taught all his young'uns to drive just like I taught you boys.” Jesse said with a laugh “So I guess she comes by it natural just like you two did.”
Daisy made a special supper in honor of their guest. She made a honey ham, candied sweet potatoes, homemade biscuits, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Shelby arrived promptly at six. After the introductions were made, Jesse smiled and said,
“It's real nice to meet you, Shelby. You sure are a pretty little thing.”
“It looks like sweet talk runs in the Duke men.” Shelby said in a teasing voice.
“She's got you all figured out and that's for sure.” Daisy said with a laugh “Sugar, you ain't heard nothing yet.”
~~~~~
High on a hill overlooking the Duke farm, Pete and his friend were sitting in his car. They had seen Shelby arrive and go into the house. Neither of them recognized her.
“Looks like one of the boys has a new girlfriend.” Pete said dryly. He'd always been a little jealous of the Duke boys and their popularity with the girls in Hazzard County .
“As long as it's not Luke” his companion said ominously. “Cause if it is, that's one relationship that sure ain't gonna last very long.”
The Dukes spent a pleasant evening visiting with Shelby . All of them thanked her for her part in saving Luke's life when he had been hurt. Jesse told stories about his days running shine with her granddaddy and Shelby admitted that she and Cory still ran shine using her granddaddy's recipe. When she decided that it was time for her to leave, Luke quickly offered to walk her to her car before Bo could volunteer.
As they walked outside, Luke said “Ya know, I tried to find you after I got out of the hospital but I never could find your cabin.”
“Yeah, granddaddy had a thing about people knowing just where he lived. You can't find the cabin unless ya know exactly where to look and how to get there.”
They paused by her car and Luke moved closer. In a quiet voice that only she could hear, he said “You'll have to show me someday.”
“Maybe I will.” Shelby said with a grin
“I'd like to see you again.” Luke told her “I still haven't had a chance to thank you personally for saving my life.”
“What did ya have in mind?”
“This.” Luke whispered, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently kissed her lips. For the first time since Kelly's death, he felt a strong attraction to another woman. Part of him felt relieved but part of him also felt guilty.
Gently pulling herself out of his embrace, Shelby smiled and said,
“Goodbye, Luke.”
Luke stood there watching as she climbed into her car and drove away. He wondered if and when he would see her again. He still didn't know how to find her. That meant if she wanted to see him then she would have to find him. Still unsettled by the strong attraction he had felt towards her, he decided to take a walk before going back inside. Without even thinking about where he was going, he started walking towards the Duke Cemetery on the hill behind the barn.
Ten minutes later, he knelt in front of Kelly's grave. His eyes welled up with tears as he read the inscription on her stone : Kelly Marie Duke Born June 19, 1970 Died July 21, 1995. Beloved wife of Lukas K. Duke Our love will never die. Forever in my Heart. Luke reached out and gently ran his fingers over the surface of the stone.
“I miss you, Kell” he said, swallowing hard past the lump that always rose in his throat when he came here to talk to her “And I always will. Nothing will ever change how much I love you. But I guess Jesse and everybody is right, I need to get on with my life…….even if it has to be without you.” A single tear fell down his cheek as he slowly rose to his feet, turned and walked away.
Bo was in the room the boys shared getting ready for bed when Luke opened the door and came into the room. He didn't ask Luke where he'd been. Bo knew that when Luke took one of his late night walks, he usually went to Kelly's grave. As Luke started to undress, Bo looked at him and smiled “You like that Shelby don't ya?”
“I don't even know her, Bo.” Luke said not really wanting to have this conversation right now.
“But ya still like her. I can tell.” Bo said “Too bad I didn't see her first.”
“Well, next time you can go camping and get your foot caught in a bear trap.” Luke said with a grin
“Did she tell ya how to find her again?”
“Nope.”
“Well, that ain't no way to get to know her, cuz.”
“Drop it, Bo and let's get some sleep.” Luke said, the tone of his voice warning Bo that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Luke finished undressing and climbed into bed, pulling up the covers as Bo reached over and turned out the lamp on the nightstand between the two beds. Soon Bo was sleeping soundly but Luke was still wide awake, staring into the darkness. His body was tense with a frustration that he recognized even if it had been awhile since he felt it.
Finally he gave up trying to sleep and went downstairs. Turning on the kitchen light, he got himself a glass of milk and a piece of apple pie. He glanced up as Jesse came into the kitchen.
“Couldn't sleep?” Jesse said, getting himself some milk and joining Luke at the table.
“Nope.”
“Ya got something on your mind you wanna talk about?”
“Nope”
“Ya know, Luke” Jesse said “There ain't nothing wrong with feeling like you might want to get to know somebody else……it's been a long time.”
“Yeah, I know that Uncle Jesse.” Luke said, more irritation sounding in his voice then he intended. He sighed softly “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap.”
Jesse suddenly had a flash of intuition. Instinctively, he realized what was bothering Luke. “Well, you just go on to bed when you're ready.” He said, emptying his milk into the sink and rinsing out the glass.
Luke couldn't help but smile as Jesse left the room. Whenever anything was bothering any of them, Jesse always seemed to know exactly what it was even if they didn't tell him. Even if it was too embarrassing or too personal to talk about. Finally Luke went back to bed where he fell into an uneasy sleep.
The next couple of weeks passed quickly with little break in the normal routine. The boys helped Jesse get the crops planted, a hard job that left them too exhausted to do much more than fall into bed at night. Friday and Saturday nights still found them at the Boar's Nest having a good time and flirting with the ladies. At times Luke found his mind drifting to a girl with sun streaked hair. A girl he didn't even know how to find.
~~~~~
Billy Porter and his brother, Bobby watched as the two young men climbed into the orange car and sped away. The two brothers were parked in the back of the parking lot at the Boar's nest. They had been trailing Bo and Luke all day, careful to keep out sight so they wouldn't be spotted. “That's him” Billy said “The dark haired one”
“When are we supposed to take him?”
“First chance we get to catch him alone.”
~~~~~
“We're gonna need some more wire.” Jesse said, critically eyeing the section of fence that the boys were mending. “One of you boys wanna run into town and get some?”
“I'll do it.” Luke volunteered. He picked up his shirt which was lying in the back of the pickup and slipped it on.
“Don't go stopping at Boar's Nest or nothing…” Jesse ordered “Git that wire and get back here.”
“Yes, sir.” Luke said with a grin.
“Yeah,” Bo told him with a grin “I ain't finishing this job by myself if you get side tracked.”
Ignoring his cousin's banter, Luke slid behind the wheel of the pickup and turned on the engine. He drove into Hazzard and picked up the wire for Jesse, charging it to the Duke account. On his way back to the farm, he was driving along Hunter's Ridge road when he noticed a gray sedan pulled over at the side of the road with the hood up and two men leaning over examining the engine. Like a good neighbor, Luke pulled over to see if they needed any help.
“Howdy,” He said as he climbed out of the pickup and walked over to the other car “You fellas need a hand?”
One of the men looked out from under the hood and grinned at Luke coldly. “We need you to get in the back seat of this car.” For the first time, Luke noticed the gun that the man held in his hand. Cautiously, he raised his hands in the air.
“What do you guys want?” Luke asked “I ain't got no money. If you want the truck, go ahead and take it.”
“We want you, Duke. Now git in the car” the man motioned towards the car with his gun. From the corner of his eye, Luke noticed that the second man had snuck around the back of the car and came up behind him. He had a gun in his hand too. Even though the odds were against him, Luke knew he couldn't allow himself to be forced into that car.
Taking the men by surprise, Luke suddenly spun around and kicked the man behind him in the gut. He grunted in surprise and doubled over, dropping his gun. Luke kicked it out of the way and then slammed his shoulder into the other man's chest, catching him off guard. It had all happened so fast that neither of the Porter brothers had time to react. Luke tackled Bobby and took him to the ground. Luke drew back his fist ready to punch Bobby in the jaw, when he suddenly felt cold steel against the back of his neck. Billy had found his gun and had Luke in his sights. Luke pulled back his punch and raised his hands again.
“Alright, plow boy!” Billy growled, grabbing Luke by the arm and pulling him to his feet “You got this coming!” He slammed Luke against the side of the car and twisted his left arm behind his back, close to the breaking point. Luke cried out in pain as his shoulder was pulled out of alignment. Then he felt a terrible pain in the back of his skull and everything went black as he crumbled to the ground.
The Porter brother's quickly lifted Luke's body into the back seat of the car and then climbed into the front speeding away from the scene of the abduction. Unfortunately for them, They both failed to notice the rider on the black horse high on the ridge above the road.
Bo and Jesse looked up from their work as a black horse came galloping across the field towards them. As the horse got closer, they could see that the rider was Shelby Lynn. From the way she approaching, both Dukes knew something had to be wrong. She reined Lobo in and jumped off his back at the same time. Breathlessly, she said,
“Somebody just grabbed Luke up on Hunter Ridge .”
“What?” Jesse and Bo both exclaimed simultaneously
“There were two men on Hunter Ridge Road acting like they had car trouble. Luke pulled over to help them and they pulled guns on him.”
“Is he hurt?” Jesse asked
“I don't know. He tried to fight ‘em but they got the best of him. I think they knocked him out before they put him in the car.”
“We best get to the house and call Roscoe.” Jesse said grimly “ Shelby , you best come with us. Rosce'll wanna talk to you.”
“Uncle Jesse, maybe I should go see if I can find Luke.” Bo said in a worried voice
“No, you best stay here till we get hold of Rosce. You don't even know where to start looking.” Jesse told him firmly
“You think Roscoe's gonna care about a Duke?” Bo said sarcastically
“Now, Bo…” Jesse said “Roscoe may not care for you boys much but he ain't gonna stand by and let one of ya get hurt.”
When the Dukes and Shelby got back to the house, Jesse called Roscoe and told him what Shelby had seen. Even though he sounded skeptical, he agreed to come to the farm immediately. True to his word, Roscoe arrived twenty minutes later.
Roscoe listened as Shelby repeated what she had seen.
“Now who on earth would want to grab one of you Dukes?” Roscoe said
“That's your job, Roscoe. To find out who took Luke.” Bo said dryly
“Well, everybody knows you Dukes ain't got no money, so it can't be no kidnapping.”
“Roscoe,” Jesse said in an irritated voice “You're the sheriff…now, it's your job to find my boy before something happens to him.”
“Now settle down, Jesse.” Roscoe spluttered. He didn't want to get old Jesse riled up. “I'll take a drive out to where this little lady said she saw them men grab Luke and see if I can find any evidence that he was even took.”
“I ain't lying, Sheriff.” Shelby said, her eyes narrowing. She didn't like being called a liar. “I saw two men with guns grab Luke and put him in a car and take off with him.”
“Maybe you did and maybe you didn't. That's up to me to decide.” Roscoe said
“Roscoe!” Jesse snapped “Quit your jawing and get out there looking for Luke!”
“HeeHeeHee..” Roscoe snickered “I'm gone.”
As the sheriff left, Bo looked at his uncle and said in a disgusted voice, “Roscoe's gonna be about as much help as a bull at milking time.”
“Is he always like this?” Shelby said with a frown. “If he is, he's poor excuse for a sheriff.”
“Welcome to Hazzard County .” Jesse told her with a thin smile. “Old Roscoe used to be a pretty good sheriff till his pension got turned down. Then he joined forces with Boss Hogg and got more crooked than a dog's hind leg.”
“So what are y'all gonna do?” Shelby asked
“Same thing we always do, darling” Bo told her with a grin “Take care of it ourselves.”
“Do y'all mind if I stick around?” Shelby asked “I'd kinda like to see how things turn out.”
“Of course ya can.” Jesse told her “If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even have any idea what happened to Luke. Looks like us Dukes are obliged to you again for your help.”
“Jesse, I can't sit around here” Bo said in a worried voice “I gotta go out looking for Luke.”
“Alright,” Jesse told him “But you be careful and keep in touch on the CB.”
“Yes, Sir.” Bo said as he hurried out the door.
Jesse poured two glasses of lemonade and handed one to Shelby . Sitting back down at the table, he said, “Looks like Luke was lucky you happened to be passing by and seen what happened.”
“Actually, I wasn't just passing by.” Shelby admitted “I was coming over to see y'all. I found some stuff of granddaddy's and there was pictures of you and him from the old days that I thought you might like to have.”
“Well, I appreciate that.” Jesse told her with a smile “That's mighty kind of ya.”
“I'd have brought by sooner but….” She paused, a slight flush creeping into her cheeks “I didn't wanna give Luke the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea about what?”
“I saw his wedding ring…..” Shelby said in an uncomfortable voice
“Oh…” Jesse said. He had forgotten that Luke still wore his wedding ring. “Well…I think maybe you got the wrong idea.” When Shelby looked at him with a puzzled frown, he said “Luke's wife is dead. She died about a year ago.”
“I'm sorry.” Shelby said “I didn't know.”
“With you living up there on the mountain instead of down here, there's no way you could have know.” Jesse said
“I saw the ring and just assumed…” Shelby started “Well, never mind what I assumed. I should have known that wasn't Luke's style.”
“I think Luke feels like if he takes off his ring, it'll be like losing her all over again.”
“Now I feel terrible.” Shelby said
“You shouldn't.” Jesse told her “You should be flattered. You're the first girl Luke's been attracted to since Kelly died.”
“What happened to her?”
“She was murdered.” Jesse said solemnly
“What?”
“She was run down by a car on their wedding day. She died six days later and Luke's the one who had to make the decision to pull the plug.”
“Oh, my god!” Shelby exclaimed, instantly feeling sorry for Luke and what he had been through. “Did they ever catch whoever did it?”
“Yeah,” Jesse shook his head “Some guy who said he was paid to do but he's never told a soul who hired him.”
“Poor Luke.”
“We were all really worried about him for a ling time. He took it real bad when she died.” Jesse told her. “He's pretty much back to himself now but you can tell he still misses her.”
“You don't think what happened to her and whatever happened to Luke today could be connected, do ya?”
“I never thought about that.” Jesse said thoughtfully, mulling over the idea.
“If there is a connection, then it seems to me that it would have to be something they both had in common or somebody they both pissed off.” Shelby said “It might be a place to start looking anyway to try and figure out what's going on.”
“You could be right,” Jesse said slowly “and if you are then Luke could be a whole lot more trouble then we think.”
Luke struggled to fight his way out of the blackness clouding his mind. His head throbbed with pain from the blow to the back of his skull that had knocked him unconscious. (Good things the Duke boys have hard heads) As more awareness returned, he realized that he was leaning against a post in an old barn with his hands tied tightly behind his back. His ankles were tired too.
Instinctively, he flexed the muscles in his wrists and arms, testing the ropes. They were tied so tightly that he could feel the rough fiber of the rope cutting into his skin. The more he struggled trying to free himself, the more the ropes cut into his wrists until he felt a small trickle of blood running down his arm. He gave up. That wasn't going to work.
Completely conscious now, he felt the searing pain in his left shoulder and remembered how one of the men who had bushwhacked him had twisted his arm behind his back. He knew the shoulder was probably dislocated from the feel of it. Things weren't looking very good at the moment. He had no idea why the two men had grabbed him or what they had in mind for him but he was fairly certain he wasn't going to like it.
Luke looked around trying to place his surroundings. He was in an old barn that had obviously been deserted for a long time. That didn't help much, there were a lot of places like that in Hazzard County . Through the cracks in the walls, he could see that it was dark outside. He knew that Jesse and Bo would be looking for him by now but they had no more of an idea where to look for him than Luke had as to where he was. Luke took a deep breath and exhaled softly. All he could do was wait and see what happened next.
He didn't have long to wait. About an hour after he regained consciousness, the barn door opened and the two men who had abducted him came into the barn. Smirking, they walked over to where Luke was tied.
“Not so damn cocky now, are you boy?” Billy sneered
“Can't pull any of them fancy tricks on us now, can ya?” Bobby said with a smirk. Although Luke was securely tied, Luke noticed that neither man got too close.
“What's this all?” Luke asked, his voice dangerous quiet, not a good sign if you knew Luke.
“You'll find out soon enough, Duke.” Billy snarled. “Let's just say we're gonna have us a little fun.”
“Yeah,” Bobby said with a chuckle “Fun for us but not so much fun for you.” Without any warning, Bobby suddenly punched Luke in the stomach, several hard quick blows. Luke tried to catch his breath in between punches but he didn't have time to fully recover before being hit again. When Bobby finally stopped, Luke gasped and coughed, trying to get his breath back.
Billy, who was obviously the one in charge, grabbed Luke's hair and jerked his head back. “Now listen up, boy..” he growled “I'm in charge here and don't you forget it. You try anything funny and you will be sorry. You have no idea how long and how bad I can make it hurt before I kill ya.”
“If you're gonna kill me anyway, don't you think I got the right to know why you're doing it?” Luke said defiantly, locking eyes with the other man without backing down.
“You'll find out soon enough.” Billy told him. He jerked back hard on Luke's hair, slamming his skull against the post hard enough to make his head spin. In a fair fight Luke could handle himself but this was anything but fair. These guys meant business. Luke just wished he knew why the hell they had it in for him so bad. Luke had his share of enemies but he couldn't think of anybody who would go this far. He had a feeling they were just playing with him for now, the worst was yet to come.
“That's enough” a woman's voice said sharply from behind Luke where he couldn't see her face. “I don't want him hurt…….. not yet anyway.”
The two men scowled but stepped back away from Luke. From the corner of his eye, Luke saw a woman move out of the shadows until he could see her face.
“Christy?” he exclaimed in a startled voice, as he recognized a local girl that he had dated a few times in the past. “What the hell is this all about?” There was a hard edge to Luke's voice as he tried to figure out what Christy's involvement was in this whole thing. Nothing about this whole situation was making any sense.
“It's kinda of game, Lukas..” Christy said with a phony sweetness in her voice that irritated Luke. “It's called getting even.”
“Getting even for what?” Luke demanded, his eyes narrowing angrily. He was tired of this game already.
“For being you.” Christy told him
“What if I don't wanna play?”
“You don't much choice….you're gonna play, you're just not gonna win.”
“You're crazy.” Luke muttered
Instantly, he realized that was the wrong thing to say. Christy's eyes flashed with anger and she slapped Luke across the face, hard enough to jerk his head to one side.
“Don't ever call me that!” she screamed at him “Or I'll kill you myself right here and right now!”
“Okay…okay.” Luke said hastily, trying to pacify her. He suddenly realized that Christy might just be more dangerous than he thought. “You're gonna kill me anyway, aren't ya? That's part of your game, isn't it?”
“Of course it is.” Christy said “But the best part of this game is going to be watching you suffer first.”
“What did I ever do to you?” Luke said, still trying to figure out just exactly what was going on.
“It's what you didn't do.” Christy snapped “I wasn't good enough for you. I was just another one night stand as far as you were concerned.”
“I wasn't the only one in Hazzard you were sleeping with.” Luke said pointedly “Yu were sleeping with every guy that asked ya.”
“Maybe I was but that wasn't no reason for you to treat me like dirt.” Christy hissed
“I never treated you like dirt.” Luke said defensively
“You did after you met that little piece of trash that you married.”
Luke's jaw tightened angrily at the mention of Kelly and his eyes flashed.
“You leave Kelly out of this.” He snapped
Christy laughed, a strange look on her face that Luke couldn't quite read.
“But I took care of her, now it's your turn.”
Luke's mind suddenly filled with a cold rage worse than any he'd ever known as the pieces of the puzzled slowly fell into place. “You're the one that hired that guy to run Kelly down.” He said coldly, not bothering to keep the rage out of his voice. Uselessly, he struggled against the ropes that held him prisoner. If he could have gotten loose, he would gladly have killed Christy at that moment with his bare hands and enjoyed it.
“So you finally figured it out.” Christy said with a smug smile. When she reached out to touch his cheek, Luke furiously jerked his head to one side, not wanting her to touch him.
“You really are crazy!” he snarled
“I told you not to call me that!” Christy screamed, clawing his cheek viciously. She glared at the Porter Brothers. “Teach him some manners.” She stepped back, watching in pleasure, as the Porter boys closed in on Luke and began beating him with their fists.
Luke hung limply from the post that he was tied to. He was conscious but barely. The Porter brothers had beaten him badly on Christy's orders. His mouth was busted open and a couple of teeth had been knocked loose. And he was pretty sure that his nose was broken. His chest and stomach hurt from the vicious punches to his ribs and midsection. His vision was blurry and he couldn't seem to focus his eyes. Luke knew that if Christy had her way, he wasn't going to make it out of this alive. Luke wasn't afraid to die, he had faced death before, but he didn't want to die like this unable to even defend himself.
Dimly Luke was aware of the Porter boys and Christy coming back into the barn. He wondered what else they were going to do next to hurt him. He didn't bother raising his head, it would have taken too much of an effort and he didn't have the energy right now. He heard a third male voice that he recognized as a local boy named Pete Madison.
“He don't look too good….” Pete was saying in a nervous voice. “You said you weren't gonna hurt him bad….just knock him around a little.”
“It's none of your business what we're gonna do to him. What's going on in Hazzard?” Christy said
“They know these two grabbed him. Some girl saw ‘em do it and hightailed to Jesse and told him what happened.”
“What girl?” Christy demanded angrily
“I don't know, just some girl. She gave the sheriff a pretty good description of these two and of the car they was driving.”
“That don't matter, the car's long gone. They ain't never gonna find it. And nobody knows Billy and Bobby here.”
“What if they find out I had something to do with you grabbing him? I don't wanna mess with them Dukes.”
“Just keep your damn mouth shut.” Christy told him sharply “Or you'll end up 6 feet under with Luke. I'll make sure of it.” The threat was given in cold, deadly voice that sent chills down Pete's spine. This was more than he had bargained for. He may not care much Luke Duke but he didn't want to have no part in killing him.
“Yeah, nobody knows where we are but you.” Billy snarled “So if anybody finds us before we get a chance to finish him off, we'll know who squealed on us.”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts.” Christy said cutting Pete off in mid sentence. “Just keep an eye on what's going on in town and let us know if they start getting too close to finding him. Now get out of here.” Pete didn't need to be told twice. He scurried out of the barn and climbed into his car, roaring away at a high rate of speed.
Christy walked over to Luke. “Come on, Lukas.” She said in a no nonsense voice “I know you're awake so stop trying to play possum.”
Luke slowly raised his head and stared at her with ice cold blue eyes that were filled with hatred. A thin smile tugged at Christy's mouth as she examined the bruises and cuts on Luke's face from the earlier beating. His bottom lip was swollen and split wide open and there was a deep gash over his right eye. His nose was obviously broken and both eyes were already starting to turn black and blue. The Porter boys liked their work just a little too much, it was a shame they had messed up his face. Not that it really mattered much considering the other things Christy had in mind for Luke.
Luke jerked his head, startled as a black hood was suddenly slipped over his head from behind. Not being able to see what they were doing (or planning to do to him next) scared him and his heart began to pound frantically, but he refused to let his fear show.
The hood made it hard to breathe and Luke knew he couldn't panic. He felt someone ripping open the snaps on his shirt and then tearing the shirt from his body, leaving his bare chest exposed.
He heard someone to his right moving something closer to him. It sounded like a cart or something on wheels. Suddenly, he was hit with a blast of cold water that immediately drenched him and chilled him to bone, making him shiver. Luke gasped with the sudden, unexpected attack. He suddenly had the feeling that whatever they had planned next was going to be something bad, really bad.
The blast of water stopped, then Luke felt a sharp pinch as something was clamped to his skin just below his ribcage, first on the right side and then on the left side. Luke's heart began pounding harder and he felt the fear rising in his throat, almost choking him and he had a sudden sick feeling as to what they had in mind. Almost before the thought even finished forming in his mind, Luke got his answer as an electrical shock surged through his body, the effect heightened by the water.
Unable to hide his pain, Luke screamed in agony, his body bucking and jerking as the current flowed through his body. His heart was racing wildly and he was breathing in deep gasping breathes. Again and again he was shocked, the torture seeming to go on forever. By the time they finally stopped, Luke's heart was racing so fast it felt like it was going to explode inside his chest and every nerve ending in his body seemed to be screaming with pain. His head fell forward, his chin touching his chest as he struggled just to breathe. Every system in his body seemed to be quivering. It took several long agonizing minutes before his body finally started to return to normal. His knees were weak and he would have fallen if it hadn't been for the ropes tying him to the post.
“You like that, Luke…..” Christy whispered his ear, startling him. “I think we're gonna just leave you alone for awhile. Let you wonder what we got in store for you next.”
Luke barely noticed when they left. He was too exhausted and in too much pain to care. Lack of sleep, no food or water, and the tortures he had already been subjected to was taking it's toil on him, both physically and emotionally. He didn't want to be hurt anymore but he knew that there was no way he could stop them. He just hoped that when the time came, the end would come quickly, like a thief in the night. He had resigned himself to the idea that he was probably going to die here at the hands of a lunatic.
“Dang it, Uncle Jesse” Bo said in a discouraged voice “Nobody seems to know nothing.” The Dukes and Shelby were sitting at the kitchen table discussing what to do next. It had been almost four days since Shelby had seen Luke forcibly taken and there was still no sign of him. Even though none of them had put it into words, they all knew that it might already be too late for Luke.
“Somebody has to know something.” Jesse said “This wasn't just a spur of moment thing, somebody planned it out.”
“But how are we gonna find out who?” Daisy said in a worried voice “And why?”
“I don't know, baby. I just don't know.” Jesse admitted
“We got everybody in Hazzard looking for him.” Bo said in an irritated voice “And we're checking out every place we can think of where they might be holding him.” He didn't say it out loud but in his mind he added to himself Or where they might have dumped his body.
“At least Roscoe believes us now and is helping look for him.” Jesse said somberly. “But he ain't having much luck either.”
“Y'all said you didn't think those guys were from around here.” Shelby said “So that means they don't know the area, they'd have to have somebody local helping ‘em if they're still around somewhere.”
“Yeah,” Bo said, putting his biggest fear into words “But who's to say they haven't already killed Luke and dumped his body somewhere?”
“The question is still why.” Jesse said “We figure that out maybe we'll have a place to start looking.”]
“What about Boss Hogg?” Bo said “How can we be sure he ain't behind this somehow?”
“Now J.D. Hogg might be a lot of things” Jesse said firmly “But he'd never do anything to intentionally hurt anybody, including you boys.”
“I gotta go to work” Daisy said, close to tears “Call me if you hear anything.”
“I'm going to look for Luke some more.” Bo said. Even though he knew it was useless without a clue where to look, he still had to try.
The house was quiet after Bo and Daisy left. Jesse settled down in his chair to read the paper while Shelby helped out by doing the dishes. Shortly before ten o'clock the phone rang. Jesse answered.
“Uncle Jesse, it's Daisy.”
“What do ya need, honey?”
“Pete Madison is here at Boar's Nest and he's pretty drunk. He keeps telling me how sorry he is about Luke…..and I don't know, Uncle Jesse, but I think he knows something. He's acting awful guilty.”
“I'll be right there.” Jesse said. He told Shelby what was going on and the two of them left, heading for the Boar's Nest. On the way, Jesse got hold of Bo on the CB and told him what was going on. Bo said he would meet them there.
Bo and Jesse arrived at the Boar's Nest within minutes of one another and they all went into the bar together. Pete was sitting by himself at a booth near the back. He looked up, his eyes widening with fear as Bo and Jesse slid into the booth across from him. Shelby had gone over to the bar to talk to Daisy while Jesse and Bo talked to Pete to see if they could find out if he knew something about Luke's disappearance.
“Howdy, Pete.” Jesse said in a calm voice “You look like you could use another beer. How about letting me buy ya one?”
“No…no, thanks…..” Pete stammered, obviously very nervous about something.
“What's the matter, Pete?” Bo asked, his eyes cold as ice and a smile just as cold. “You're acting like a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers.”
“Naw…” Pete said trying to stay calm “I just had a fight with my girlfriend that's all…” He swallowed hard, squealing with fear, as Jesse suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist. Jesse leaned forward, his eyes cold as ice and as deadly as a rattlesnake.
“I think it's more than that.” Jesse said, his voice still calm but with a threatening overtone. “I think you know something about what happened to my boy.”
“No…I don't, Jesse.” Pete stammered, pulling his hand away from Jesse's grasp. “I swear I don't….”
“You sure about that, Pete?” Bo said in a cold, dangerous voice. “Cause if you're lying and I find out…..” he let the sentence go unfinished but he saw the fear growing in Pete's eyes.
“I don't know nothing…..” Pete said anxiously. He didn't want no fight with the Dukes. Damn, why had he ever let Christy get into him this mess. He was scared of her and her hired thugs, but he was more scared of the Dukes.
“If you know something about what happened to Luke, you need to tell us before it's too late.” Jesse said. Normally, Jesse was not a man to threaten someone or try to intimidate them, but it when it came to the safety of one of his kids, he'd do whatever took to protect them.
“I didn't wanna do it…………” Pete stammered, caving in. “Christy swore she wasn't gonna hurt Luke………”
“Christy?” Bo exclaimed in a surprised voice “ Christy Lane ? What the heck has she got to do with this?”
“She told me she just wanted to rough him up a little…..get even with him for dumping her…….” Pete said “They weren't suppose to hurt him none…”
“Who else is in this besides Christy?” Jesse demanded
“A couple of thugs she hired out of Atlanta .” Pete told him
“Where have they got him at?” Bo demanded, struggling to hold on to his temper until they found out where Luke was. He wanted to punch Pete out.
Pete took a deep breathe, he'd gone this far, he might as well tell them everything.
“There's an old deserted barn up in Rainbow Canyon . Near the north end. That's where they got him….but I don't know if he's still alive or not. He was pretty messed the last time I was up there.”
“When was that?” Jesse demanded
“Yesterday. Look, I just hope you find him in time…I don't wanna be no part of anybody getting killed.”
“You better hope we find him in time.” Bo said coldly, as him and Jesse squeezed out of the booth. They quickly told Daisy and Shelby what they had learned from Pete. Both girls insisted on coming with them to see if Luke was really where Pete said he was. Jesse and Bo took the General, while the two girls followed in Jesse's pickup. On the way, Jesse called Roscoe and told him what they had found out and about Pete's involvement in Luke's disappearance. Roscoe said that he would meet them at Rainbow Canyon , along with Enos.
Rainbow Canyon was located in the southern most corner of Hazzard County . It was full of hidden valleys and hollers and unless you knew your way around, it was easy to get lost there. Jesse, Bo, Daisy and Shelby arrived first. They waited until Roscoe and Enos arrived before going into the Canyon. They drove deep into the Canyon towards the location Pete had given them. It took some doing but they finally saw the old barn in the distance. Not wanting to alert anyone who might there besides Luke, they left the vehicles a short distance from barn and went the rest of the way on foot.
“Uncle Jesse, Roscoe” Daisy said in a loud whisper “Look! Down there by the lake!”
There was a lake to the left of the barn and they could see two men and a woman standing on the old deck at the edge of the lake. There was a third form crumbled on the deck in front of one of the men. They could only assume that the body on the ground was Luke. Slowly, the group edged their way closer to the deck.
“You two stay here with Jesse.” Bo said, glancing at Shelby and Daisy. They were within a hundred yards of the trio on the deck and, so far, luck was with them. They hadn't been noticed. Jesse nodded, putting an arm around each of the girls. Bo, Roscoe and Enos slowly crept closer to the deck.
One of the men reached down and grabbed Luke, who was dead or unconscious, Bo couldn't tell which. He lifted Luke's body into an upright position just as Roscoe announced their presence by yelling “Freeze! Just Freeze! You're all under arrest!”
The man holding Luke responded by pulling a gun and pressing the barrel against the side of Luke's head. “Stay back!” he yelled back “Or I'll put a bullet in his brain right now!”
Unable to help herself, Daisy screamed Luke's name when she saw the man holding a gun to her cousin's head. Instinctively, the man holding Luke swung his gun in the direction of Daisy's scream and fired. That was when all hell broke loose. Several things happened simultaneously. Roscoe fired back at the man holding Luke. He hit him and the man fell backwards into the lake, taking Luke with him. The other man tried to run only to be tackled by Enos who wrestled him to the ground. Bo and Shelby both took off running towards the lake, hitting the water at the same time as they dove in to try and rescue Luke. And Christy darted to the left to try and get to her car which was parked behind the barn only to run into Daisy who raised her fist and punched her in the jaw with a perfect right hook. Christy went down with Daisy on top of her. Daisy punched her again and Christy went out. Enos handcuffed his suspect and Roscoe handcuffed Christy, while Daisy and Uncle Jesse both ran to the edge of the deck, their eyes anxiously scanning the surface of the lake for some sign of Luke, Bo or Shelby.
Meanwhile, Bo and Shelby were frantically looking for Luke, trying to see through the murky water of the lake. Bo finally saw a body lying on the bottom of the lake and dove down, relieved to discover that it was Luke and not the other man. He grabbed Luke under his left arm (Luke's hands were tied behind his back) just as Shelby appeared beside him and grabbed Luke under the right arm. Together, they headed for the surface with Luke between them.
They were both gasping for air as they surfaced a few feet from the deck. Jesse and Daisy both reached out frantically to help get all three of them out of the water. They grabbed Luke and pulled him onto the deck, lying him on his back just as Bo and Shelby climbed out of the lake. Leaning over his cousin, Bo quickly felt for a pulse.
“He's not breathing!” Bo said anxiously. Immediately, Bo and Shelby started CPR, with Bo doing the chest compressions and Shelby breathing into Luke's mouth. Tears streamed down Daisy's face as she watched Shelby and Bo trying to get Luke breathing again. Jesse wrapped his arm around Daisy and held her close, praying silently that they weren't too late. Even in the darkness, they could all see Luke's cut and bruised face. He had obviously been severely beaten. Every few seconds, Bo would pause while Shelby checked Luke's neck for a pulse. Fear gripped Daisy and Jesse's heart each time Shelby shook her head, indicating that Luke still wasn't breathing. They had been joined by Roscoe and Enos, who were watching just as anxiously and hoping just as hard that Luke wasn't dead.
“He's breathing!” Shelby said the fourth time she checked for a pulse.
“We gotta get him to the hospital right now.” Bo said, gathering Luke up in his arms. There was no time to worry about any other injuries Luke might have, to save his life they had to get him medical help immediately.
“Git him in the truck!” Jesse ordered “I'll drive”
“Enos'll give you an escort.” Roscoe said “I can take care of things here.”
Enos ran to his squad car, while Jesse, Shelby and Daisy ran to other cars. Bo followed with Luke in his arms. After gently laying Luke in the back of the pickup, it was quickly decided that Shelby would ride in the back with Bo since she knew CPR too, Jesse would drive the truck and Daisy would drive the General. With Enos' squad car in the lead, the siren blaring, they took off for the closest hospital which was in Chickasaw County just across the county line, approximately a fifteen minute drive. Ole Jesse made in eight.
At the hospital, Luke was immediately taken into the emergency room and the rest of the family was ordered to wait in the waiting room. They all sat huddled together waiting anxiously to find out if Luke was going to live or die.
It was almost three hours before a doctor finally came out to where the Dukes were gathered, along with Enos and Shelby, to give them news on Luke's condition.
“Are you Mr Duke?” he asked Jesse
“Yes, sir. And this is my nephew, Bo and my niece, Daisy. How's Luke?”
“I'm Dr Barnes. Your nephew, Luke, is in critical condition right now. He's been severely beaten, there's evidence of some kind of torture. He's got burns, broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a broken nose, a head injury, and evidence that someone tried to choke him. He also has a badly bruised kidney, a couple knife wounds and water in his lungs from almost drowning.”
“Oh my god….” Daisy cried, burying her face against her Uncle's shoulder.
“What are his chances?” Jesse asked, voicing the one question he wasn't really sure he wanted to hear the answer to.
“We don't know yet. His heart stopped just after you brought him in. We got it started again but in his weakened condition, I can't make any guarantees. The next seventy two hours will be critical. If he makes through that, he may just have a chance.”
“Can we see him?”
“I'm sorry, not right now. We have him in a medically induced coma and on life support. Hopefully that will give his body a chance to get strong enough to start functioning on its own.”
Jesse's face went white and so did Bo and Daisy's. It was if they were re-living the events leading up to Kelly's death but this time it was Luke's life on the line. Jesse prayed desperately that he would not be forced to make the decision that Luke had been forced to make concerning Kelly. Daisy burst out crying. Bo reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. He felt like crying himself.
Shelby and Enos stood watching the Dukes with expressions of compassion and concern on their faces. They could feel their pain and their fear.
“Uncle Jesse,” Enos said “I gotta git back to Hazzard but I'll be praying for Luke.”
“Thank you, Enos.” Jesse said, struggling to keep his own emotions under control.
As Enos left the hospital, Shelby gently put her hand on Jesse's shoulder. When he looked at her, she said softly “I'm so sorry, Jesse. I'm praying for him too.”
“Thank you, child. We all appreciate that just like we appreciate all you've done to help us find Luke.”
“I wish I could have done more so you could have found him sooner.”
“Now don't you fret none. If you hadn't seen those men take Luke in the first place, we might never have known what happened to him.”
“I need to go home but I'll come back to see how he is.” Shelby said “I promise.”
She knew that this was a private time for the family and she didn't feel comfortable staying any longer.
Jesse nodded. Since there was nothing more they could do at the hospital and they weren't going to be allowed to see Luke, Jesse quietly told Bo and Daisy that they needed to go home and get some rest. They would come back the next day to see how Luke was doing. Since it was almost three in the morning when they got back to the farm, Shelby agreed to spend the night and head home on Lobo in the morning.
The next morning the Dukes were all up early, unable to get much sleep the night before because they were all so worried about Luke. After breakfast, Shelby prepared to leave. Bo walked out to the barn with her while she saddled Lobo.
“You will be back won't you?” he asked “I mean to see how Luke's doing? I know it would be a lot to him if you did.”
“I'll be back. I promise.” Shelby told him as she swung herself into the saddle “But right now, it ain't my place to be here.”
“Shoot, after all the help you've been….you're part of the family now.” Bo told her with lopsided smile.
“I'll be back in a few days. I promise.”
Bo watched as she rode off, heading towards the road that led up onto the mountain. For the second time, she'd helped save Luke's life (at least Bo desperately hoped it turned out that way) Bo didn't know what he would do if Luke died. They were more than just cousins, more than just best friends, and closer than brothers. There was bond between them that went deeper than blood, a connection that sometimes made it seem as if they were different sides of the same person. They always seemed to know what the other was thinking or feeling or even when one of them was in trouble. Without Luke, Bo would use a big part of himself.
Faced with the possibility of losing Luke, Bo suddenly realized how Luke had felt when he lost Kelly. Bo had known at the time that Luke was grieving and had fallen into a deep depression, he understood all that, but he didn't understand what Luke had felt inside until now. Bo waited until the tears had stopped, then turned and slowly walked into the house.
The Dukes went back to the hospital. There was no change in Luke's condition and they still weren't allowed to see him. So they waited, unwilling to leave the hospital in case something happened while they were gone. And late that night, something did. Luke's heart stopped again. Against all odds, the doctors were able to revive him once more. The next morning, Daisy insisted that Jesse go back home with her. She didn't say anything but she was worried because of Jesse's history of high blood pressure. She didn't want him ending up in the hospital too. Jesse argued at first but finally gave in. Bo refused to leave the hospital and promised to call them if anything else happened to Luke.
Luke survived the 72 hours that the doctor had said was critical but he was still on life support and still in a medically induced coma. Finally, Jesse demanded to be allowed to see Luke. If he was going to die, he was going to die surrounded by the people who loved him the most, his family. To avoid a major confrontation, the doctor gave in and showed them to Luke's room in the intensive care unit.
The scene in the room brought back unpleasant memories of Kelly, the machines, the noise, the nurses hurrying in and out of the room. And the tubes and different monitors attached to Luke to monitor his vital signs. When Jesse reached out to touch Luke's hand, he found that it was cold to the touch. He was completely unresponsive, showing no signs of even knowing that they were in the room.
“Luke,” Jesse said, leaning down so that he was talking directly into Luke's ear
“It's your Uncle Jessie. And Daisy and Bo are here too. You're in a hospital and you're safe now, ain't nobody gonna hurt ya no more.”
“Mr. Duke,” one of the nurses who had come into the room said “Could you talk to him again?”
“Luke, its Uncle Jessie. Can you hear me? We're all right here with you.”
“I think he hears you!” the nurse exclaimed in surprise. “Whenever you talk to him, his heart rate goes down.” She checked the machines, adjusting some dials and making some notes. “I'm going to get the doctor; he may be starting to respond.”
“Luke, if you can hear us, just hang on” Bo said, bending down and talking into Luke's ear just as Jesse had done “Don't let go, hang on.”
The doctor came into the room and ushered the Dukes into the hallway so that he could examine Luke. It was several long agonizing minutes before he finally came out of the room. Looking at the anxious worried faces of the Dukes, he said somberly “I'm not exactly sure how to explain it but he seems to be coming around. He trying to breathe on his own and I think we can start weaning him from the respirator and bringing him out of the coma.”
“Thank god…” Daisy said, her eyes filling with tears but this time they were tears of happiness.
Over the next few days, Luke was removed from the life support system. He was breathing on his own and the drugs keeping him in a coma had been cut back, but he still wasn't waking up. There were indications that he was aware when other people were in the room with him, especially Bo, Daisy or Jesse. But no matter how much he was coaxed, he just wouldn't open his eyes. His body was getting stronger, his injuries were starting to heal but he wouldn't wake up and the doctors weren't sure why.
The Dukes were dividing their time between home and the hospital. Bo was by Luke's side almost constantly, only leaving when Jesse forced him to. Somehow, it seemed almost fitting that Bo was the only one there when there was a dramatic change in Luke's condition.
Daisy and Jesse had gone home to get some rest and change clothes when Bo called them from the hospital. Daisy answered the phone.
“Duke farm, this is Daisy speaking.”
“Daisy, its Bo. You and Uncle Jesse need to get back here as soon as you can. I got somebody here that's awful anxious to see you.”
“Uncle Jesse!” Daisy yelled “Luke's awake!”
So excited that she hung the phone without telling Bo goodbye, her and Jesse both ran outside and climbed into Dixie . They arrived back at the hospital in record time. When they walked into Luke's room, Luke looked them and smiled a weak smile but a smile nevertheless.
“It's about time you woke up.” Jesse said gruffly “You had us all pretty scared.”
“Sorry, I didn't mean to….” Luke said his voice barely above a whisper.
“It doesn't matter, sugar. You're awake now and that's all that matters.” Daisy said, carefully giving her older cousin a big kiss. Although most of the machines and monitors had been removed, he still had an IV in his right arm and a couple of leads pasted to his chest, still monitoring his vital signs.
They visited for awhile but Jesse could tell that Luke was getting tired and needed some rest. He gently suggested that they leave and come back later that evening.
“I need to talk to you for minute, Jessie.” Luke said as they prepared to leave “Alone.”
“We'll go get some coffee.” Daisy said
As the two younger cousins left the room, Jesse looked at his oldest nephew wondering what was on his mind. Bo had told Luke how they had found him and about rescuing him but Luke had no memory of most of the incident, including what had happened to him during the days he had been held captive. The doctor assured Jesse that was normal that the mind often develops a form of amnesia that prevents someone from remembering a traumatic injury. He said it was doubtful if Luke would ever remember what had happened to him entirely. But he had remembered enough to tell them about Christy's involvement in Kelly's death.
“Jesse, something happened….. I ain't sure if it was a dream or if it was real.”
“What happened?'
“I saw Kelly…” Luke whispered, saying the last thing that Jesse had expected him to say “She told me…I had to come back that I couldn't stay with her…..she said it wasn't my time yet…to go….”
“Do you believe it was real?” Jesse said in a quiet voice, gently taking Luke's hand.
“I don't know….I could feel her, Jesse….I touched her and she kissed me goodbye….”
“I think that just proves that she's up there watching out over you.” Jesse said in a soothing voice. A deeply religious man, Jesse had seen things in his lifetime that couldn't be explained, so he was able to accept Luke's vision without question. Satisfied with Jesse's explanation, Luke's eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.
Luke was restless and irritable. He had been in the hospital for over two weeks and he was more than ready to go home. The doctor insisted that he stay at least until the end of the week. He had been out of intensive care almost a week and once he woke up, he had started recovering so quickly it surprised the doctors. He felt fine, just a few aches and pains but he knew they would pass. He had already made up his mind that if the doctor didn't let him go home Friday, he was just going to walk out.
Bo and Daisy had been there earlier but had gone home. Luke knew they wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Daisy had left some of her famous fried chicken and praline pie. Luke hated hospital food. He had tried watching TV but couldn't keep his mind focused on anything that was on. When the door to his room opened, he glanced up, expecting to see one of the nurses. A big smile crossed his face when Shelby came into the room. Bo had told him about her part in helping to find him and rescue him but he had not seen her since waking up from the coma.
“Hi” he said, surprised at how happy he was to see her.
“Hi, yourself. You're sure looking better than the last time I saw ya.”
“I'm glad you came. Looks like I owe you for saving my life again.”
“Yeah, it's getting to be a habit.”
“Well I hope this is one habit we can break.”
“Stay away from mountains and crazy blondes.” Shelby told him with a grin
Luke laughed softly and then his eyes grew serious as he looked deeply into her eyes. “I wanna see you again when I get out of here.” He told her
“You mean like a date?”
“Yeah…that's kinda what I had in mind.”
“We'll see.” She told him without giving him a direct answer
“Ya know, I still don't know exactly where you live. You're not going to walk out of this room and disappear on me again, are ya?”
“Now would I do something like that?” Shelby said with a laugh
“I don't know.” Luke said, laughing back “You did the last time and it was 6 years before I saw you again.”
“I didn't exactly disappear….you just couldn't find your way back to the cabin.” She reminded him with a grin
“You're not gonna give me a straight answer are ya?”
“No, not right now.”
“Well, “ Luke said taking a step closer to her “In case you do disappear on me again, I guess I better thank you now for saving my life again…” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close and kissed her, deeply and passionately. At first, she tensed then relaxed and kissed him back with a fierce intensity of her own. When they finally pulled apart, Kelly gently moved away from his embrace.
With a nervous laugh, she said, “You definitely are feeling better……but I have to go.” Before Luke could stop her, she was gone. Luke frowned trying to figure her out. He was almost positive that she was attracted to him too but something was holding her back. He couldn't help but wonder if and when he would see her again.
Luke was released from the hospital that Friday and went home. Christy was charged with several counts including kidnapping, attempted murder, felonous assault, and murder in connection with Kelly's death. (When she finally went to court almost 6 months later, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She avoided the death penalty because her attorney presented medical records to the court showing a long history of mental problems) Billy Porter was dead, shot by Roscoe the night Luke was rescued. His brother, Bobby, was also found guilty of kidnapping, attempted murder and felonous assault and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. For his part in Christy's devious scheme, Pete Madison was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Slowly things returned to normal. Luke still carried the physical and emotional scars of his ordeal and he always would. But because of the vision he'd had that nobody else knew about except Jesse, he knew that he could on with his life without feeling guilty. Kelly's death had been avenged. Unfortunately, Shelby had disappeared again, dropping into his life then vanishing back up into the mountains somewhere.