Author's note: This is a sequel to 'Brotherly Love'. I know people have done this before, but this is my version.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
"If I need help, I'll call!" Bo shouted just before diving into the water.
Minutes before, the car driven by the two dangerous gamblers who'd kidnapped Jud Kane, Luke's kid brother, had flipped on its hood and sunk to the bottom of the lake. Bo had arrived on scene in the General seconds after it happened, only to find his cousin Luke stumbling toward the water's edge, trying to get to the sinking vehicle. Bo's heart lept into his throat. Luke was in no condition to even be walking, as he was still recovering from a head injury received in a car accident earlier that day. "I'll get him!" Bo had promised. All he could think of was how heartbroken Luke would be if he lost his brother again, after just finding out he'd been alive all these years. He also felt a tremendous amount of guilt. Jud was Luke's real brother, and they had been spending a lot of time together. As much as he hated to even think it, Bo was jealous. He had always thought of Luke as more of his older brother than his cousin, and they had always spent all their time together. Now, in one day, all that had changed, and there was a place deep down in Bo's heart where he secretly wished Jud Kane had never come to the Duke farm. It shamed him to think that way, and he'd avoided Luke for some time, afraid that his eyes would betray what he was feeling. But when that car flipped into the lake, and Bo saw the look of helpless horror on his injured cousin's face, he pushed all the bad feelings aside and was determined to save Jud . Jud Kane was not going to die, not like this, not on his watch.
Bo swam over to the spot where the car had sunk, took a deep breath, and went under. He swam down to the vehicle and tried the doors, but they wouldn't budge. His heart was racing, he didn't know how much time the occupants had left, or if they were even alive. He popped to the surface for another quick breath before going under again, this time swearing he wouldn't resurface without at least Jud. He found a crowbar in the opened trunk, and used it to smash a window. One by one, the driver, passenger, and finally, Jud, exited the vehicle. Cheers broke out from the shoreline where Uncle Jesse, Daisy, Luke, Rosco, Enos, and Harvey the medic all waited expectantly. Bo was the last to surface, making sure the others made it first. His lungs were burning, fighting for air, and his shoulder was now throbbing with pain. When he finally made it to dry land, he collasped, exhausted and sore.
"Good job, Bo!" Daisy cried, running over to him.
"How's Jud?" asked Bo weakly.
"He's just fine, thanks to you," she said, putting a hand on his injured shoulder. Bo imediately recoiled and cried out in pain.
"Ow, ow, ow!" he hissed, doubling over and grabbing his arm.
"Bo, what's wrong? Uncle Jesse! Luke! Something's wrong with Bo!"
Harvey ran over, followed by Uncle Jesse and Jud, who were holding up Luke. That's when Harvey noticed the black scuff marks all over the back of Bo's shirt.
"Take off your shirt," he instructed. Bo did as he was told, slowly, as to not brush the fabric against his raw skin. Everyone gasped when the shirt finally came off, revealing deep, raw, gashes and scrapes all over Bo's right shoulder, forearm, side, and back. Harvey whistled. "That's some pretty extensive road rash," he commented.
"Roadrash!" exclaimed Luke. "How'd he get roadrash?"
"Uh, I think I can answer that," Jud spoke up. "At the hospital, when the gamblers forced me into their car, Bo jumped on the hood and tried to reach in the window and grab the steering wheel to stop them. But he got thrown off, and then they tried to run him over." Daisy gasped at this, and gentely ran her fingers through the blonde boy's wet hair.
"I'm fine," Bo lied. "It ain't that bad."
"Well it looks pretty bad to me," said Harvey. "And you could have other injuries. You should get checked out."
"He's right, Bo," Uncle Jesse agreed. "You better get to the hospital. Me and Daisy'll follow ya." Bo was too tired to protest. Jud and Harvey helped him up and led him to the ambulance, while Daisy and Uncle Jesse headed toward the pickup.
Later, at the hospital: Bo sat up in the bed, lightly dozing, heavy bandages swathed around his arm, shoulder, and midsection. The doctor had said he'd had a bruised hipbone, and torn muscles in his shoulder. His whole body felt like one big bruise. Just then the door opened and Luke swaggered in, looking much better than he had at the lake.
"Bo?" he whispered. "You sleepin'?"
"Not anymore," Bo said with a smile. Luke grinned sheepishly.
"Hey, if you really wanna sleep, I can come back later…"
"Naw, come on in. Where are the others?"
"They went home. Told 'em I was gonna stay the night with ya. They'll come again in the morning."
"Wait a minute, they're admitting me? I'm gonna have to stay here overnight?" Bo cried. He hated hospitals.
"Now, take it easy, Bo. The doctor said he wants to ya some time to rest up and heal. Besides, it's only one night." Bo sighed and settled back into the hospital bed.
"How come you're stayin'?" he asked.
"Well, I gotta look out for you, right? Make sure ya stay outta trouble. Besides," he added. "They kinda wanted me to stay too. 'Cuz of the concussion." Bo chuckled. Then he grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
"Hey, did ya see my nurse? Whoeee, cousin, is she pretty!" Luke laughed and rolled his eyes.
"I feel bad for her," he joked. They continued to banter like that for a few more minutes before lapsing into an uncomfortable silence. Luke sat in a nearby chair, staring at a spot on the floor, searching for something to say. He kept clearing his throat, wanting desperately to tell Bo how proud he was of him, and how much he loved him and was glad he was okay. So much had happened in the past 24 hours, and somehow the right words wouldn't come. He stole a glance up at his younger cousin, who lay looking down at his hands, picking at the bedsheet. For once, Luke hadn't a clue what was going through his mind. Bo had been through a lot, and Luke wondered how it was all affecting him.
Bo, too, was lost in thought. So many different emotions churned in his gut, leaving him feeling drained and confused. He wished he knew how Luke felt about all that had happened, but as usual, his older cousin was a man of few words when it came to feelings. Was he mad at him? Bo remembered how desperate Luke was to get to that lake, even after Bo had promised to get Jud out. Did Luke not trust him? And then there was Bo's foolish jealousy, which had left him with so much guilt and shame. What would Luke think if he knew how Bo had been feeling?
Finally, Luke decided to break the silence, though he stumbled over the words he'd rehearsed in his head.
"You know, Bo, what you did today…well, it was a really good thing you did. I mean, I-I'm proud of ya, cousin. Real proud." Bo shook his head at the hearfelt words.
"Well, you shouldn't be."
"What?" Luke was confused. It wasn't the reaction he'd expected. When Bo didn't answer, Luke got up and sat on the bed, prompting the younger man to speak. "Come on, Bo, half the time I can't get ya to stop talking. What's wrong?" Bo swallowed hard. He knew he had to get this off his chest.
"Luke, when Jud first came here and said he was your brother, I was happy for ya, I really was. But then…after a while, I became jealous. And I…I even wished that he'd never found us." Bo looked away when he spoke, refusing to meet Luke's eyes. He was so sure his cousin would be mad at him. When Luke didn't respond right away, Bo looked at him. "Well, ain't you gonna say somethin'?" Luke sighed.
"Bo…I understand why you'd be jealous of Jud, in a way. Heck, you an' me have been like brothers since we were kids. And now all of a sudden, I find out that my kid brother's been alive all these years…it had to have been hard on ya. But I don't understand why you'd feel so guilty about it, I mean it's no big deal."
"No big deal! He was my kin, Luke! And all I was thinkin' about was myself!"
"But you jumped in that lake, Bo!" Luke insisted. "Jud would've drown if you hadn't! There ain't no shame in that, no matter how you felt!" There was silence for a moment, as the boys tried to calm themselves and sort out their thoughts. When Bo spoke again, his voice was quiet and somber.
"I'm just glad everybody's okay. When that explosion happened, I was scared, Luke. You could've been killed. And then everything happened with Jud…"
"Yeah, it was pretty rough. But I'm okay. Everybody's okay," Luke gently assured. "Look at me, Bo."
Bo reluctantly did as he was told, and Luke's heart hurt at the pain and confusion in his younger cousin's eyes. "Jud may be my biological brother, but you an' me, we're brothers in here," Luke tapped his chest with his fist. "That's what counts, an' that will never change. You understand?" Bo nodded slowly. "And as for what happened down at that lake…what matters is that you did the right thing. I'm proud of ya, Bo."
"Ya ain't mad at me?"
"No, I ain't mad at'cha," said Luke, clasping the younger man's shoulder. "Now, whaddaya say we get some shuteye, before the nurse comes in and yells at us?"
"Sounds good," Bo mumbled, his eyes already half closed. In his heart he knew that Luke was right. The bond they had was stronger than anyone could imagine.
It was a bond of the heart.
The End
This was my first posted Dukes of Hazzard story. I have two more I need to post and one that's in the works. Please review and tell me what you think!