B.L. Davenport

Luke nodded grinding the heel of his hands into his eyes as he sat at the table. He wished he knew which route the mental hospital had taken Bo by then he'd know for sure where to look, as it was they we're going to have to check all the routes back to Hazzard in hopes that Bo hadn't wandered off the wrong way and was still headed home. "Yeah and it'll be easier ta concentrate on findin' Bo if we know B.L.'s takin' care of Daisy." B.L. held on for dear life as Cooter broke every speed limit in the county in his hurry to get to the Duke farm. Explaining along the way what was going on. "He'll be headed home." B.L. said matter of factly knowing that Bo would try his best to get home.

As soon as Cooter signaled B.L. was gone like a flash slipping her jeans on with her pajama tanktop and rushing out to the car starting it up waiting for Cooter to get changed and come out to the car. As soon as he came out she wasted no time asking. "What's wrong with Bo?" Luke hung up the phone and went into the kitchen where Jesse was to report that the two Davenport's were on their way. "Cooter and B.L. are on the way...ya want me ta go tell Daisy what's goin' on?" In truth he wasn't looking forward to being the one to tell Daisy any of this.

B.L. leaned against the wall by the telephone waiting for Cooter to finish and tell her what was going on. She already had a suspicion what it could be and just hoped Bo was ok. Luke swallowed and stilled his shaking hand as he answered one of his best friend's question. "Cooter, the mental hospital just called Bo's gone missing, they don't know how long he's been gone,where he's headed or nothin'. I need yer help lookin' for him."

Turning back to the phone in his hand Luke dialed the number to the Davenport farm. Jesse in the meantime went into the kitchen to make some coffee they would need it in order to stay awake and alert in their search for Bo.

Jesse hung up the phone slowly and looked at Luke who now stood beside him waiting to be informed of what was going on and what to do. "Bo's missin' they don't know where he's gone or where he's goin' or even how long he's been gone." Luke listened to what Jesse said... "Uncle Jesse he'll be headed home you know that. We just gotta find what route he's on and hope ta get to him before he can get scared and lose his way." Jesse nodded of course it made perfect sense Bo would come home where he knew he was safe and wouldn't be harmed in anyway. "Ya right Luke, we best start lookin' for him"

"MISSING?!" Jesse shouted angrily into the phone "Just what do you mean missing? He was sedated when we left him so just how did he escape?" Luke came rushing out into the livingroom at Jesse's shout dressed in his jeans and throwing on his shirt as he came into the room. "Bo's missing? How long? Are they looking for him?" Luke fired the questions anxiously as Jesse tried to divide his attention between Luke and the person on the phone.

Jesse Duke was awakened in the middle of the night as the telephone ringing pierced the peace. Climbing out of bed he made his way to the phone in the livingroom turning on the desk lamp so he wouldn't disturb Daisy and Luke that is if the phone ringing hadn't already. "Hello Duke farm, Jesse Duke speaking." Luke had heard the phone but Jesse had gotten there first so he just sat in his and Bo's darkened room with the door cracked open ever so slightly so he could catch what the late night call was about.

Everything on the Duke farm was quiet they had all gone to bed hours ago. Luke however was not sleeping the images of Bo in that hospital room haunted him everytime he closed his eyes. So awake he was and awake he'd stay he could go several days without sleep he had done so in 'Nam. On another farm not far away another young blonde was wide awake this one a Davenport not a Duke but to the Duke family like her cousin Cooter she was an honorary Duke. Daisy had called very upset after the visit with Bo, telling B.L. how he'd looked and acted and about how they were scaring him to death then doping him up afterwards to calm him down. It was all very disturbing to both young women but neither could think of anything to do in order to change it unless they went against Uncle Jesse and that wasn't likely to happen.

Jesse watched the nurse go then looked back at Bo's sleeping form. He was beginning to think stronger than ever that Luke had been right all along and they should have kept Bo home at least a little longer and tried a little harder to get him over his fears. Putting and arm around Daisy and a hand on Luke's shoulder he turned them both toward the door. "c'mon let's go home he'll probably sleep fer a while." Luke allowed himself to be steered out the door and back toward the entrance of the hospital but he was still seething over what the so called treatment entailed.

Jesse matched her steely glare his arms folded. "Of course we don't want him to have a heart attack!" "We don't want him doped up to his eyeballs either!" Luke cut in not at all happy with Bo being sedated into oblivion, when a milder sedation would probably work just as well and have the desired effect but still leaving Bo able to function. Although if Luke were honest he wasn't funtioning much with or without the medication.

Jesse and Luke both watched the nurse stepping up to her at the same time leaving no room for her to get past them. Both towered over the woman who looked up at them with a steely glare. "yes? What is it?" Jesse his voice even but leaving no doubt that he had not liked what he'd just witnessed. "What's that stuff ya just gave my boy and why'd ya give it to him?"

Luke shook his head trying to dispell the echoing sounds in his head. "I dunno"

Luke held Daisy against him tightly stroking her hair comfortingly in an effort to calm her down this was hard on all of them but seemed to be affecting her the most. Bo didn't seem bothered as much as Luke had expected him to be by the sounds but maybe that was a sign he was getting better although Luke doubted it from Bo's listless reaction to everything so far it was as if he had just give up and didn't care anymore about anything. Jesse watched Bo's reaction closely and was as surprised as Luke to see that Bo had a minimal reaction of only his hands shaking violently.

"Well where else would we be? They told us we could see ya now and here we are." Jesse informed rather puzzled by the question he thought Bo would have known his family would have been there all along if they had been permitted to see him. Luke sighed and wrapped his free arm around Daisy he should have pushed Jesse harder to keep Bo at home. This was getting them nowhere he was worse if anything.

Luke smiled a little as Bo looked up at him and the trembling seemed to lessen. He didn't move his hand but he didn't want to startle Bo more by engulfing him in a hug no matter how much he'd like to do just that. Jesse stepped closer to the bed wondering just what in the name of heaven he'd done to his boy, Bo looked much worse off now than he had been back at the farm. Placing a hand on one of Bo's knees he squeezed it gently with a soft smile. "Hey Bo, how are ya?"

"Bo?" Luke called again as he crossed the room and put a hand on Bo's shoulder when he didn't respond. He looked so fragile in the bed hugging his knees to his chest so unlike the self confident Bo they were all used to seeing. Jesse looked at Bo and then the stark white surroundings of the room and he wondered if this was the right place for Bo.

Jesse hugged Daisy tight as Luke sat on the edge of his chair all three anxiously waiting for the nurse to come take them to Bo's room. Finally about ten minutes later an older woman with graying red hair came. "Bo Duke family?" She asked and the three Dukes stood following her down a long hall. Jesse still holding tight to Daisy as she huddled closer into him each time they heard a moan, scream or crazy mutterings coming from the other rooms they passed. They reached Bo's room and were told to go on in. Luke and Jesse both put on big smiles for Bo's sake as they walked in. Luke greeted him normally. "Hey Bo, any pretty nurses caught yer eye?"

Luke hugged Daisy tight again burying his face in her hair. Holding onto her as if he was holding onto a lifeline. In a way he was, Daisy was the only cousin he had left at the moment and even though he knew Bo would be back when was still uncertain.

Luke echoed Daisy's sigh with one of his own that seemed to come straight from his toes. "I know, but it don't make it any easier to accept that it happened to Bo"

"I know Daisy, but he wasn't even actin' like he was gonna give 'em any trouble. He was meek as a lamb. I know they got proceedures they hafta follow but they should be able ta alter those proceedures when it's someone like Bo." Luke agreed with Daisy but it still didn't make him feel any better about it all, Bo hadn't deserved that he'd been as calm as could be when they led him away. B.L. had been the one standing there with fire in her eyes he knew without being able to see her face clearly but her stance had told him volumes about her facial expression. He smiled a little imagining her staring the two men with the straight jacket down.

Luke sighed his eyes dropping to the bed deep down he knew Jesse was doing what he thought was right and that Bo really did need the help he knew that too. "I know Daisy, I know...I just....gawd did they hafta take him off in a straight jacket chained to the wall though? They treated him like he was some crazed lunatic that was gonna jump 'em any minute and go balistic on 'em. Bo's not out of control his sense of fear is and treatin' him that way ain't gonna help none."

Luke sighed and nodded miserably dropping a light kiss on Daisy's head. "yeah we should have, B.L. at least had the guts to stay out there but she couldn't even bring herself to stick around while they put Bo in that danged straight jacket and carted him off. I saw her take off on foot through the woods, no idea where though." His voice hardens a little on the next sentence. "Jesse just stood there and let 'em put that jacket on Bo."

Luke hugged Daisy tight rocking gently. He whispered quietly in her ear as he rocked. "I saw, I was just inside the back door. I wish we could have done somethin' to stop it but we couldn't."

When Daisy didn't answer him Luke opened the door to her room quietly going over to the bed. Sitting down beside her and rubbing her back gently not saying anything just comforting her quietly.

Luke stayed huddled on the floor by the door for a long time, not crying or anything just sitting there numb. As he began to gather himself together it hit him like hitting a brick wall that Bo would think he didn't care about him because he had stayed inside the house for his own selfish reasons of not being able to watch Bo carted away or even step outside long enough to give him one last hug and reassurances that this all would be over soon and he'd be coming home. The realization made Luke feel lower than a snake's belly that he had basically abandoned Bo when he needed the support of his older cousin the most. Slowly he got to his feet and made his way to Daisy's room knocking softly on the door. "Daisy? You alright?"