B.L. Davenport

B.L. sighs but understands Daisy's feelings all too well. Reaches for the phone on the table beside the couch. "Ok....well let's see if we can get Cooter to convince Luke ta come over here. I think it'd do ya both some good to get outta the house for a while" Picks up the phone asking Mable "Hey Mable can ya get me the Duke farm"

B.L. shakes her head turning side to side working out the kinks "No and we probably wouldn't sleep anyway we've been doing that for several hours anyway. I thought we'd ride back ta your place and see how Uncle Jesse and Luke was doin'. That is if ya wanna"

*****Later that same evening***** B.L. had fallen back to sleep on the couch as she and Daisy sat mourning Bo. Daisy too had cried herself to sleep. Looking at the clock B.L. gently shook Daisy they should at least go back to the Duke farm for a little while then Daisy could come back and stay the night there with her, but B.L. wanted to check on Luke and Uncle Jesse. "Psst Daisy hey darlin' wakeup for me 'k"

Luke sat there holding onto Uncle Jesse as if both their lives depended on it and in a way he guessed it did. Without the rest of the family to hold onto and Bo not there physically anyway he'd surely go crazy.

Luke heard the hears leave the yard but waited in the barn till he could no longer hear it going down the road. Slowly he climbed down the ladder dragging his feet as he walked across the yard it got harder to go inside the house each time he left expecting to see Bo there only to be crushed when he wasn't. Seeing Jesse on the couch with Cooter nearly broke the sparse hold he had on his emotions once again but he mentally pulled himself togeter sitting next to Jesse on the other side wrapping his arms around the older man. That was the only way any of them was going to get through this was together.

Elmo and Sam both pat Jesse comfortingly on the shoulder as they pass going into the boys room both stopping briefly this was one of the hardest jobs they'd ever done. Bo Duke was a well liked young man in the county and his passing was going to affect alot of people. Elmo found Bo's suit and shoes before helping sam put the body in a body bag and strap it to the gurrney. Laying the clothes over his arm the two men wheeled the gurrney back through the house. Once more passing Jesse with sympathetic looks before loading the gurrney into the hearse and driving away.

As Luke sits on the couch doing his best to keep his mind blank a car is heard pulling into the driveway. Looking out the window he pales then gulps seeing the hearse there to get Bo and get him ready for the wake. Gets up going to the kitchen and opening the door saying on his way out. "Can't stay here while they take Bo" with that he walks out and heads to the barn loft. In the loft Luke lays looking out the opening across the field seeing the general lee though is too much so sits up turning his back.

Luke leans into Jesse's hold glad for the strong arms supporting him he'd made it home but he was still so very tired after so much ranting and crying. Nods against Jesse's shoulder not caring one bit that Cooter was standing there seeing him like he was. "No I ain't hurt....I'm alright just needed some time ta myself ta start gettin' my head 'round all that's happened" He decides not to tell them about the encounter with Bo's ghost they'd think he'd finally gone off the deep end.

Luke rubs his eyes this was just too strange first Bo appeared out of nowhere and now he just disappeared right before his eyes. Getting to his feet walking back toward the farm slowly letting his mind come to terms with everything that had gone on since the race it wasn't easy to comprehend and he might never fully comprehend it all.

nods comforted at least a little by the knowledge even if it was a dream or a hallucination it beat not having Bo around at all ever again.

Luke nods he had to make it there was no other way but to just pull himself together and get home. "Yeah I'll make it don't worry"

Sits there a few minutes with his chin resting on his chest and his eyes closed breathing deeply. Looks back up to once again make sure he hadn't been seeing things and Bo hadn't disappeared. Notices for the first time how much the sun had moved in the sky Uncle Jesse would be sending out a search party for him if he didn't get back to the house. Mentally shaking himself one last time Luke looks at the transparent form of his baby cousin "I better git home Uncle Jesse'll send out a search party thinkin' I done somethin' foolish."

Looks around noticing for the first time how close he really was to the edge. Luke stands shakily stumbling a few feet away from the edge of the cliff before sinking down to the ground again too shaken up and too exhausted from the emotional breakdown he'd had in the woods and lack of proper sleep to go further.

Convinced now more than ever that his mind was playing tricks on him,Bo was gone but yet here he sat making jokes. It was overwhelming and Luke swayed blinking back the darkness that threatened to reclaim him and relieve the shock of what was happening.

chuckles still not so sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. It was all like a dream a strange dream where everything seemed to be normal except Bo was there beside him. "I still ain't sure I see ya.......of if s'mah mind playin' tricks on me"

Luke shakes his head sniffing as Bo dried the last few tears. He might have the right to be wrapped up in hisself right now but he couldn't afford to do that not when Daisy needed him and Uncle Jesse would need him to help with the chores more now without Bo. "I know there ain't no shame in it but I can't let myself get too deep in my ownself cos I don't know if I can pull out again and go on livin' and helpin' Uncle Jesse with the farm like I know I should or takin' care of Daisy. But I can't seem ta stop these damn wild emotions one minute I'm fine the next minute it's like somebody turned on a faucet."

Luke nods he knew Bo's reasoning and even understood it at least in his head but the rest of him wasn't quite so understanding at the moment. Biting his lip a couple tears escape Luke's eyes he didn't mean to be worrying Uncle Jesse he'd been worried enough about Bo and was grieving himself. "I....don't mean ta worry him....jist can't seem to help it. I guess I been so wrapped up in myself since we got back from the race and found out about ya that I hadn't noticed how he was takin' things or that he was even watchin' me"

Luke looks at Bo no he kept reminding himself it was Bo's ghost,his eyes haunted and dull. "It wouldna hurt anymore than it does now. I know your not hurtin' nomore and fer that I'm glad you's been so sick and ya was real brave durin' all o' it. Part o' us will always hurt jist cos we miss ya so much but I s'pose it'll get easier,did fer Uncle Jesse all them years ago when Aunt Martha passed. As well as our Daddies and Mama's.....Diein' in front o' us wadn't a been no crueler fer us than when we was beggin' ya not ta give up when that woulda ended all yer pain and ya'd have been well again. *nods,it made sense that Bo would help the family even in death as he had in life that was just the way Bo was. He'd walk on hot coals to help his family anyway he could long having it drilled into him as it had been Luke and Daisy that family was all they really had.*

Takes in a deep breath letting it out shakily there was so much he wanted to say that didn't get said last night. But the one thing uppermost in his mind was the question Daisy had asked him that he couldn't really answer. "Daisy asked me somethin' and I couldn't really give her an answer......she asked me if ya had been waitin' ta die after ya's knew we'd all left fer the race so we wouldn't be there ta see it?" There's a catch in his voice that he can't hide "We......I need answers Bo,can't put my mind ta rest otherwise. I want ta hurt them guys as bad as I hurt as bad as we all hurt. It just ain't fair that they done what they did ta ya and then get ta live even if they are behind bars. It's got ta stop somewhere Bo.....when does it stop the hurtin' the anger,fear when does it all stop?"

Luke scrubs a hand down his haggard face closing his eyes briefly before snapping them open afraid Bo would disappear and he didn't want that it was nice to have him back even if it was only for a little while. "I don't know what I'm thinking anymore"

chuckles Bo never had been an angel neither one of them had but Uncle Jesse had always said they were just sewing wild oats and rambunctious. "You'll make it ta them pearly gates I know ya will" dips his head he never could fool Bo everything becoming clearer now "wasn't really gonna jump.....I couldn't Jesse's taught us that commitin suicide is a sin and if I took the easy way out I couldn't get ta the pearly gates and see ya again."

chuckles Bo never had been an angel neither one of them had but Uncle Jesse had always said they were just sewing wild oats and rambunctious. "You'll make it ta them pearly gates I know ya will" dips his head he never could fool Bo everything becoming clearer now "wasn't really gonna jump.....I couldn't Jesse's taught us that commitin suicide is a sin and if I took the easy way out I couldn't get ta the pearly gates and see ya again."

Smiles slightly but it doesn't reach his eyes and its really more of a grimace. Giving his standard answers it wasn't like him to be like this and he didn't set well to know he was so close to going off the deep end. "I'm ok......it's Daisy I'm worried about she took off ta Cooter's and B.L.'s like a scalded cat sayin' she needed ta get away guess I did too. Guess ya sorta like our guardian angel now?.......I'm ok Bo really just tryin' to adjust ta it all and guess it's probly bein' over tired that made me react the way I did ta things."

Luke watched as the aspiration sat next to him indian style it looked like Bo,sounded like Bo but it just couldnt be Bo was dead and there was no such things as ghosts or so he thought until now but here was somethin' that could only be explained as Bo's ghost. Finally wetting his lips Luke asked "Why then?" Thinking it a logical question considering the circumstances not much was logical but if it no he thought Bo wasn't here to get revenge or cause mischief then there had to be another reason.

Luke's eyes fluttered open at Bo's urging he didn't know what was going on but he aimed to find out right quick. Sitting up slowly he wiped a hand down his face before glancing back to Bo..no he corrected Bo's ghost. Shaking his head he thought he'd read too many ghost stories as a kid. "Alright what's going on? I ain't amused"