A/N Wow.. 7 Years is a long time… But when I came across this story on my computer I had to finish it! If only just for myself… When I was finishing it, I had a small idea for a sequel, so who knows… For now:
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
13.
A white casket was slowly being lowered in the sun warmed earth. From above, several heads could be seen bowed over in grief.
A puffy man in white, one sheriff and his deputy, various other people and three people who seemed to huddle together to get warm in the hot spring air.
Teardrops seemed to soil the ground as each visitor dropped a single rose into the hole containing the one who they were mourning over.
As the mourners slowly left the burial grounds, only one person was left standing…
Blond curls danced in the soft breeze that touched them with gentle fingers, as he bowed his head deep while tears fell towards the hard ground in a steady rhythm.
"I'm so sorry…" he sobbed softly, "It's all my fault…"
Falling to his knees with a painful grunt, Bo Duke looked at the skies above him.
"Bring im back… It's me ya wanted, why didn't ya take me?" came from him in a soft yet broken whisper.
His fists were buried in the warm earth surrounding him, trying to find some way to ground himself, but the grief he felt was overwhelming and it seemed to swirl through him like a hurricane on its gruesomely destructing way.
The earth in his fingers suddenly seemed to disintegrate before his very eyes. Instead, when he put his hands in front of his eyes, they were soiled with blood…
"No…No…"
The blood came out of nowhere, filling his fingernails, his knuckles and slowly creeped over his wrists, seeping into his pours…
"Get it off.. Have to get it off… Have to get it…" Bo muttered as he scrubbed his arms over his blue Sunday suit.
"Why take it off?" A voice seemed to come out of nowhere. It boomed around him, stilling him in a second.
"Who is there?" Bo's shaky voice called out. His eyes skittered over the burial ground, finding only darkness around him. The grave before him was now one gaping hole with no end to it.
"Why I'm the one you killed boy."
And suddenly there was a face only inches from his…
"B-benny…"
"This is the way you'll pay for your actions Duke. You killed me, and now you also killed your cousin. Isn't that justice for ya?"
The cackling laugh that followed caused Bo to put his bloodied hands over his ears, tears running from his eyes, finding their bloody way over his cheeks and onto his chin.
"No… Please nooo!"
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Nurse Rhonda softly shook her patient, seeing his distress as he squirmed and turned in the hospital bed. She almost jumped three feet high as the boy let out a huge gasp and almost completely sat up, blankets falling over his bandaged chest.
"Luke…"
"Shhh," Rhonda calmed him, "It's okay, Luke's okay…"
Bo's confused eyes slowly searched the room, finally landing on Rhonda, his dream fresh in his mind. Looking at his arms as he saw them clean of any blood, a soft sigh escaped him.
Immediately he turned frantic eyes towards the kind nurse, who answered it with a small smile.
"He's alright Bo, yur cousin is gonna be just fine…"
And with those words, Bo sagged back into the bed and cried soft tears of joy, sorrow, guilt and relief…
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One week later
"You ready to blow this joint cuz? Cause I am getting itchy just thinkin bout getting the heck outta here…"
Bo Duke looked up with a small smile on his young face. His eyes however, didn't have the little spark they usually had, and Luke Duke was inwardly cursing Benny for his cousins depression.
Walking in slowly, as he had been just given a clean bill of health, Luke still had his arm in a sling. The fading bruises on his neck stood out in stark contrast with the paleness of his skin, and Bo couldn't help but shiver involuntarily at the picture it brought up in his mind of Luke lying there with Harry's hands around his neck, squeezing the life out of him…
"You with me cuz?" Luke asked as he gently laid a hand on Bo's shoulder, shaking him from his dark thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine, jus ready to leave this place I guess."
"Well," Luke smiled, "That's good, cause we are leaving as soon as yur ready cuz."
Standing up as fast as his healing injuries allowed him, Bo found himself supported by Luke's good arm.
Grunting softly, Bo slowly looked down, just a little, so he could see into his cousins bright blue eyes. With a soft sigh he sat down as gently as he had just stood.
With a questioning look in his eyes, Luke sat down next to his cousin.
"Bo? What's wrong? You ain't ready yet?"
Frown marring his pale face, Luke was getting concerned…
"Your wound hurtin?"
Bo just shook his head, and with one deep sigh decided to put his dark thoughts into words. Knowing he could tell Luke anything…
"It's just… I never would a thought we'd be here like this, ya know?"
Tears sprang to his eyes just thinking about the events leading them to their current situation.
Luke put one calloused hand on his cousins knee, looking out the window, knowing he couldn't look Bo in the eye at this moment, cause seeing his cousins pain would feel like being strangled again…
Folks, them boys are out of tha heat but they's still hurtin… Let's hope a good talkin will help em…
"Bo," Luke began, "Ya hafta know it wasn't yur fault… If anyone's ta blame, it's me… I'm the one who thought of that half assed plan. An' I'm the one who left ya in that cave…"
Finally looking his cousin in the eyes, he saw the lonely teardrop fall down Bo's pale face.
"Luke, I could never blame ya for that," he said convincingly.
"I shot him… An' I's the one who's gonna hafta live with that…" he said, swallowing before he would turn into a blubbering mess. Looking towards the ceiling he felt Luke's hand squeezing his neck.
"Bo…" Luke was about to contradict his cousin when he heard the door open behind them. Looking back he sighed deeply when he saw the familiar red cap and the white beard, attached to their beloved uncle.
"Now boys," Jesse started, wanting to nip this thing in the bud, knowing Bo was beating himself up with guilt, and Luke probably the same…
"You's gonna stop right here… Bo listen ta me very carefully, you took a man's life, I know ya see it like that now, but the one thing ya hafta remember is that it was you or him. An' if the good Lord woulda taken you away from me, I swear I woulda killed that low life myself…" Jesse ended, looking winded from his emotional speech.
Both Duke boys were staring wide open mouthed at their usually peaceful and god fearing uncle.
"Uncle Jesse," they both started, only to be stopped by two calloused hands resting on both their backs.
"Now u's gonna forgive yourself, and we's gonna go home, go on with our lives an' deal with this the best we can. You got that?"
That earned him a chuckle from Luke and a big guffaw from Bo, but somehow, that small speech from their uncle had pulled both boys from a dark road they were almost heading on.
Leave it ta Jesse to talk some sense into them boys. Y'all should hire Jesse for motivational speeches… Ahh look at them boys, walkin out Tri County with their uncle… Folks, I think things are gonna be okay. Them Dukes always land on their feet, but boy did they almost land on their asses in this one!
Walking out of the hospital, Bo, Luke and their beloved uncle in between them, no one saw the man sitting in back seat of the FBI car around the corner… His dark eyes pinned on the boys who ruined his life and took the precious life of his only son.
All Hardware Harry could think about in that moment was revenge…
But with Daisy waiting for them in the truck, neither of the Dukes saw this, and as far as they are concerned, all was well in Hazzard.