B.L. Davenport

Luke nodded smiling gently at Bo "you got it....nobody's gonna make ya do anythin' ya don't wanna do and I'm gonna be in trouble fer not finishin' the roof on the house so a little more trouble won't bother me." Starts to climb down again looks back at Bo who hadn't moved yet "c'mon go get ready the girls is packin' a picnic and will be ready ta go soon."

Luke could see the uncertainness in Bo's expression even if he wasn't looking him directly in the eye. "We'll be right there Bo all of us, nothing will happen we won't let it. You can't keep being afraid of being afraid." Luke tried once again to sway Bo's decision to go with them.

"Bo we will all be right there, nothing will happen. We won't just stare at you the whole time but ya can be sure we'll all have one eye on ya makin' sure yer ok." Luke sighed softly moving his hand up to squeeze Bo's shoulder. "you'll never know if yer ready or not until ya try. Ya can't keep bein' afraid of the what if's Bo ya gotta get out there and live life again."

"I'll try, you girls go pack us a picnic while I talk to him." BL nodded and taking Daisy by the arm headed back to the house to pack the picnic basket. Once the girls were gone Luke climbed up on the barn roof next to Bo. Putting a light hand on his back. "Bo, why doncha come with us? It'll do ya good and there's nothin' at the swimmin' hole ta spook ya. We'll all be there with ya anyways if somethin' does so there's nothin' ta worry about."

B.L. was still backing away from Luke when Daisy joined them and circled around behind Daisy putting her between them. "We're ready." BL sighed heavily "I asked him, he said he don't wanna go, he ain't ready fer that yet."

"Ow, hey watch it there ain't no protection there." Luke protested at being flicked with the towel on his bare leg. BL sighed nodding she had hoped Bo would go feeling that he needed to go in order to bring his recovery from the ordeal that one step further. Sees Luke come out of the house in his cut off shorts. "Ok....ya know where ta find us if ya change yer mind. If ya don't wanna come by yerself give a holler on the CB one of us will come back and get ya." Luke walked over to stand by BL being able to tell without asking that she hadn't been able to convince Bo to go. Sighing softly he leant on her shoulder. "Daisy'll be out in a minute she's puttin' on her baithin' suit" Nodding BL stepped away from Luke who wasn't expecting her to move and almost fell over. "Hey Luke props are dangerous" Grinned backing away as Luke pretended he was going to chase her.

"But....Cooter's even closin' up the garage fer the afternoon." BL tried one more tactic to convince Bo to go,not quite ready to admit defeat yet. Luke laughed as Daisy jumped and shrieked. "Hey, go put on yer bathing suit and let's go with BL fer a while, Cooter's gonna close up the garage early and meet her at the swimmin' hole."

"Aww c'mon Bo, Luke's goin' it won't hurt ta play hookey from chores fer a couple of hours." Pleading giving him his own puppy dog eyed look. She thought this was just what Bo needed. He'd been on the farm more or less the whole six months he'd been back and shirking chores was part of getting back to 'normal' it was something they had all done but not as often as they had played hookey from school. Luke came out of his and Bo's bedroom in a pair of cut off jean shorts seeing Daisy at the sink snuck up behind her tickling her ribs. "Hey Dais, wanna go swimmin'? BL's tryin' ta talk Bo into goin'."

Luke watched the mischevious grin appear back on BL's face and climbed down from the roof. "You get Bo." BL didn't need a second bidding and jogged over to the barn looking up at Bo whistling happily as he worked. "Hey Bo c'mon down from there and let's go swimmin. Cooter's gonna meet us there."

Luke worked on patching the roof of the house from the storm while Bo was working on the barn roof. He stopped to wipe the dripping sweat from his eyes and to look across the yard at Bo. At times like this you could hardly tell that anything had been wrong or that he still had an occasional set back. Hearing a car pull up below he looked from Bo down at the silver GTO as BL climbed from the driver's seat looking at them smiling mischeviously. "Hey" Luke chuckled to himself she was upto something the question was what. "Hey BL what brings you by?" BL leaned on the hood of her car trying to look innocent. "Oh nothin' much, just goin' swimmin' thought you fellas and Daisy might wanna come along. I even persuaded Cooter ta close up the garage fer the afternoon and join us." Luke bit his lip her offer sounded very tempting it was mighty hot out today, but they had to get both the house and barn roofs patched before the next storm came through.

"Me too" Luke agreed quietly

Luke hugged Daisy a little tighter wondering that himself. Technically Bo was still a ward of the mental institution in Atlanta until the family removed him. So he really didn't know what was going to happen next. "I don't know Dais.....I do know one thing though Bo's not goin' back ta that god fersaken mental hospital! He shoulda never been there in the first place."

Luke returned Daisy's close hug. "Physically he's ok but he was huddled by the road scared stiff when I found him." Jesse continued to hold Bo close knowing that's what Bo needed now more than anything else. B.L. followed Daisy back to the livingroom at a slower pace smiling when she saw the Duke family complete and whole again as it should be. Going to Cooter's side where he sat in Jesse's chair and sitting on the arm of the chair leaning against his shoulder.

"Bo's back" B.L. repeated as Daisy blinked awake and looked at her. "He somehow got away from the hospital and was makin' his way home apparently. They called and told Uncle Jesse, Luke called Cooter and the three of 'em's been out lookin' fer Bo. Luke found him and brought him home." Finishes telling Daisy the abbreviated version of the story. Jesse continued to hold Bo tightly, speaking softly in his ear as Luke and Cooter watched from their places.

"I'm so sorry Bo I should have known better than ta send you away like that." Jesse mumbled into Bo's hair as he rocked him gently relieved beyond words that they had found Bo before anymore harm could come to him than what had been done already by the guy who had made him this afraid and by the hospital that was supposed to be helping him but was only making him worse. B.L. stood next to Cooter watching the family reunion with a tiny smile on her face there was just one thing missing from it quietly she slipped from the room and went to Daisy's bedroom entering without even bothering to knock this time. Daisy was still sleeping soundly but B.L. knew she wouldn't want to miss what was going on in the livingroom so shaking her shoulder gently B.L. spoke quietly. "Daisy wake up Bo's home."

"B.L. help me get him to the couch" Luke said as he pulled Bo back to his feet gently and between the two friends they soon had the youngest Duke resting on the couch a blanket thrown over him. Waiting for Jesse and Cooter's arrival.

Luke had them home in record time pulling up into the Duke yard at the back of the house. Climbing out of the driver's side window he went around to the passenger side and helped Bo out. With an arm around the blonde's shoulders Luke guided Bo into the house. B.L. was out of her chair like a shot as the two Dukes came in the back door. Wrapping her arms around Bo's neck hugging him tightly. "Are you alright Bo?"

Luke drove toward the farm silently, only glancing at Bo in the dark once in a while. Reaching over he placed a hand on Bo's trembling arm squeezing it reassuringly.

Luke let Bo hold onto him for a few moments then slowly guided him to the General and helped him climb in the passenger window before going around and climbing in on the driver's side. Picking up the CB to let Jesse and Cooter know Bo had been found and they were headed home. "Breaker one Breaker one this is Lost Sheep one and I've found the other Lost Sheep we're headed home." Jesse stopped the truck hearing Luke's announcement, looking to the heavens he sent up a silent prayer of thanks his boy had been found. Turning the truck around he headed back the way he'd come toward the Duke farm. Back at the Duke farm there still hadn't been a peep from Daisy, B.L. thought she must be completely worn out not to have woken up by now. Sleeping however was out of the question for the young Davenport woman until Bo was at home and safe where he belonged. Hearing the CB crackle to life she rushed to the kitchen hearing Luke say that Bo was ok and they were headed home she sank down in the closest chair at the table in relief.

"Yeah it's me buddy, c'mon let's go home" Luke reached to help Bo to his feet. Determined to take him home where he belonged.

Jesse continued on his route toward Atlanta he was almost at the point where the three routes connected. There had still been no sign of Bo anywhere. Luke was fast approaching that junction of the three routes himself and hadn't seen Bo but he was still a good mile or two away from the junction so Bo could still be somewhere along the way. Something huddled on the ground by the roadside caught his eye and he came to a screeching halt climbing out of the General and approaching carefully but wanting to run to the figure huddled there as he recognized the blonde hair. "Bo? It's Luke"

Jesse drove along his designated route slowly looking on the side of the road hoping to get a glimpse of his youngest. But there was no sign of Bo anywhere not a glimpse of blonde hair or anything. Luke at the same time was driving down his chosen route looking desperately for Bo, both Duke men praying for some glimpse of the missing member of the family and that he'd be unharmed.

The three searchers went on their way in their designated routes leaving the two young women back at the Duke farm to wait. After peeking in on Daisy and seeing that she was sound asleep oblivious to the ruckus going on around her B.L. went back to the livingroom stretching out on the couch to wait listening to the CB that was in the kitchen for any news.

B.L. knocked softly on Daisy door in case she might be asleep B.L. didn't want to startle her awake. If she were awake then there would be an imidiate answer to the knock. Luke and Jesse listened to Cooter's plan intently. For once Luke was glad that someone else was taking charge and thinking up the plans because as the moment he didn't know if he could scoop water in a bucket much less think of a decent plan to track down Bo he was so worried. "Right....good thinkin' Coot. I'll take the Chickasaw route, Uncle Jesse you take the Chocktaw route and Cooter you take Hatchepee. He's probably still in Atlanta or close to it, too confused and scared out of his mind to have gotten far. If he was himself I'd say he'd be halfway ta Hazzard by now." Jesse listened to the two younger men "Alright let's get movin' the sooner we do the sooner we'll find Bo" not giving any thought to not finding Bo that was not an option, Dukes didn't give up and especially on the other Dukes they were going to find Bo, Jesse was sure of that.

B.L. sighs nodding miserably in the dark as they pull into the Duke driveway. "the trick is ta find him before he gets lost so bad we don't find him or heaven forbid hurt." She climbs out of the wrecker and heads inside where Luke and Jesse are in the kitchen waiting. Jesse gives her a brief hug as she enters the house looking worried and a little scared. "Where's Daisy?" Luke points toward Daisy's room saying "We dunno if she's awake and just stayin' in there or if she's asleep but with all the commotion goin' on I don't see how she could still be sleepin" B.L. gives Luke a hug on her way to Daisy's room whispering "we'll find him"