Mighty Oak

[StuntMan23]

Tri-County hopsital's emergency room was hopping by the time Cully pulled up in his battered Pontiac. Luke, Bo and Daisy were all being attended to, along with a few other folks who had sustained various injuries when the tornados hit. Cully quickly got the attention of a nurse and explained what he had in his car. The nurse also noticed Cully's arm and imediately called for assistance from anyone who was available.

In no time, Rosco was brought in on a stretcher and was being taken care of. Cully was directed to one of the ER beds where a nurse treated his arm. As the nurse bandaged him up he over heard as the doctors and nurses on duty conversed quickly on the situations they had.

He heard the name Duke mentioned three times, one with an injured shoulder, one with multiple injuries and one knocked unconcious. Before he could listen further, another nurse appeared around the curtain and looked at him.

She was about to say something to him when she looked at him a moment longer. "Wait a minute, you look the guy we just brought in."

Cully chuckled. "I'm one of several guys you just brought in. Yeah, I know. The Sheriff. He's my cousin, thus the slight family resemblence."

"Slight?" She smiled. "What's your name."

"Cully Dawson."

"Do you know what happened to Sheriff Coltrane, Cully?"

"No ma'am. I found 'em like that. He doesn't know what hit 'em either." Cully paused. "Is he gonna be ok?"

"He should be okay. He's in a lot of pain right now but he is concious and talking to us. I was hoping maybe you knew what hit him."

Cully shook his head. "It was probably one of them damn tree limbs that was flying around town when the twister hit. He probably never saw it coming."

"That's possible." She looked at his arm as the other nurse finished with the bandages. "What did you do?"

"He thought he was superman," the nurse replied. "Jumpin' through windows..."

Cully smiled. "I see 'em do it all the time in the movies."

Both nurses chuckled.

[StuntMan23]

On the other side of the curtain from Cully, Bo was sitting quietly upon the bed his shoulder bandaged up and aching. He listened to the conversation next to him and even though he heard the man say his name, the voice sounded a lot like Rosco's.

Bo chuckled to himself. *Only in Hazzard....identical cousins!*

The nurse that had been talking to Cully then came to see Bo.

"Hi, Bo," she said with a gentle smile.

"Hi," he said. He looked at her a moment. "Luke?"

"He's gonna be okay. He has suffered some blood loss and did break a rib but he did not, thankfully, suffer any serious neck injury. He's still unconcious but he's stable and is not in any life threatening situation. He's going to be fine."

Bo sighed with relief. "Thank you, ma'am."

The nurse nodded and went on to check on other patients. Although Bo was relieved that Luke was okay, he had no idea that his cousin Daisy was also in the ER.

[StuntMan23]

Boss Hogg had taken refuge under his desk in his courthouse office during the twister and waited for several minutes once the storms seemed to past before he emerged. He looked out his window and saw the town was a mess but that people were moving about, surveying the damage. The big oak tree he had wanted to cut down had been savaged by nature herself. He turned from the window and left his office, grabbing his white stetson as he left.

"Rosco! Enos! Cletus! MaryAnne!" he called as he came out of the courthouse. Enos of course was across the square with Val, checking Doc Walker's place. But Boss found Miz Tizdale.

"Pipe down, JD! Enos is over at Doctor Walker's with Val checking the place."

"Miz Tizdale, do you know where Rosco, Cletus and MaryAnne are?"

"Rosco's on his way to the hospital, Cletus found the Duke boys and called for an ambulance, and....MaryAnne....?" Miz Tizdale paused. "I haven't seen MaryAnne in town all day come to think of it."

"You ain't seen her at all?"

Miz Tizdale shook her head.

[StuntMan23]

Back at the hospital, Cully had seen as a group of people came through the ER and stopped at the bed on the otherside of the curtain, to see Bo. An old man in overalls, an attractive young woman and two other young men were with them. Cully recognized one of them in the grey trench coat. Although he stared hard at the man, the man never looked at him. Which was just as well.

While the visiting went on next to him, a nurse came to Cully and told him that he was welcome to sit out in the waiting area. Cully agreed, figuring the bed could be better used for someone who really needed it. Quietly, the ex-stuntman got up off the bed and walked out to the waiting area.

Bo, meanwhile, was getting the details on Daisy from his kin. Although they were all relieved that Luke was going to be okay, now they had to wait to hear about Daisy. To keep the worried silence from penetrating too much, Bo commented on how the man behind the curtain must have been Rosco's cousin, as he even sounded like the Sheriff. But when Jesse peered behind the curtain to see, the bed was empty.

"Well, I'm sure he hasn't gone too far," Bo said. "Not like you can miss 'em. He's another Rosco!"

(Cue anybody! Sorry for the multi-part posts...I can't help myself. LOL)

[Valerie Strate]

The twins stared at the splintered back door.

"You know Nate pulled Daisy out from here. What's to say they didn't miss somebody, in the excitement of getting Daisy out?" Val asked her brother as she stood there looking at the doorway.

Her brother just shrugged and pulled his flashlight from his gun belt and flicked it on, "I don't think it'd be a bad idea to take a peak."

Val looked leary eyed at him then looked at the house, "I don't know, 'E'. The place looks a little wobbly if ya ask me. But we should probably check even though because, no one has seen Chance since the storm and this is her house. Why would Daisy be in her house and she not be?"

"Good thinkin' Val... You ever thing of becommin' a deputy?" Enos asked her.

"You ever think of becomming a Park Ranger?" Val answered with a chuckle back.

"Huh... no..."

"Nuff said." Val grinned and pulled out her flashlight as well.

"You ain't goin' in there too?" Enos asked her.

"Why not? You could use the help."

"Because I need someone to watch from the outside to see if the house is falling and to go get help if it is." Enos explained as he walked to the door frame of the Doctor's house.

"Ok... that makes sense. Be careful..." Val called to him as he entered the structure and flashed the flashlight around inside looking for signs of life that might have been missed.

(cue anyone)

[Brian Coltrane]

Consciousness returned and brought a drum corps with it. Over the percussion in his head, Brian heard the sound of footsteps and voices. He stirred weakly, finding himself stomach-flat on the floor, an impossible weight holding him pinned. The last thing he had remembered was finding the Doctor's note on the old upright piano, saying she'd be out of town for a couple days....Daisy had just walked in, too...he'd been about to read the note to Daisy...

....and then, there had been a tremendous shattering of the world, the abrupt storm turning the house dark; the wind and thunder clamouring as if it were the arrival of armageddon.

But Coltrane luck had been with him. He had dived for the floor, instinctively, as the house sounded as if it were coming apart around him. The Doc would be pleased to know that her antique piano had survived the mess, as Brian had thoughtfully cushioned the floor with his body. The piano fell over on him with a disjointed chord, the C sharp leaving one Coltrane flat.

"Gah...." A jacket-sleeved arm reached out and grasped around in the debris. The flashlight shone upon it....

*Cue Val*

[Valerie Strate]

The deputy cautiously made his way through the clutter. Enos carefully sifted through items as he shown the flashlight around the house. Suddenly a shifting sound could be heard. The deputy stoped in his tracks and stood so still he could here his own heart beating. Then he heard another stir. Slowly he moved the fashlight in the direction of the sounds. He didn't know if the noisy that he heard was the shift in the house or a sound of motion from some lifeform that was cast aside in the storm. He was praying for the latter of the two, for fear that someone might have been in here and not made it and for his own life. The Strate swallowed hard. He realized his sister didn't call to him so the structer of the house must still be fairly intacted. He then moved the light acrossed the Doctor's antique piano. When his heart struck a chord it's self, a human hand weakly reached out to his ankle and grasped it for life. A moan from below could be heard.

"AAAAAAaaaahhhh!" The Hazzard deputy yelled as he felt the hand on his ankle and jumped back in fright. He fumbled with the flash light as he tried to regain composure of himself, "Possum on a gumbush! A talkin' piano!"

He shone the light down at the floor infront of the piano and seen the hand grasping around.

"Either that's, that cousin 'Thing' thing from that television show or someone's squashed under the piano." He spoke aloud. Then he then got down on the floor and shone the light underneith to see Brian Coltrane squashed by the piano.

"Brian! What'd ya doing under that piano!" Enos asked, "And was anyone else in here with you and Daisy? Chance here? Daney around? Mr. Hogg?"

(cue Brian)

[Brian Coltrane]

"What am ah doin' under this piano?" Brian drawled in answer. "Makin' mahself an organ donor! Now git this @#&*% thing off of me!"

Enos and Val moved the debris that was weighing down the piano. Then the two of them carefully lifted the piano up, just enough so that Brian could crawl out from under it, his black-clad form slinking into view like a cat that had been hiding beneath the furniture.

The piano was eased back down to the floor, lest some shifting of the house cause it to topple again. Brian accepted a hand from both Strate's, standing up slowy. Despite a few dozen assorted aches, nothing was broken in the Coltrane body, and after shaking the dust from his hair, Brian regarding the two people who had effected his rescue.

"Thank ya both." Brian shook Val's hand and hugged Enos, rather than the other way around, just to be a smartass. It proved, however, that he truly was alright. His grin faded after a moment, as his mind turned to the fates of everyone else in Hazzard.

"Daisy was the only other person in here, that I know of...." he said worriedly, casting a look around the mess. "I don't know about anybody else. I wasn't here all that long when it hit. I nevah did find MaryAnne, n' I was lookin' for her...good Lord, and Rosco was on his way someplace, last I knew."

Brian's dark eyes flicked back to the Strates, pleading for news. Preferably, good news...but he prepared himself for the worst.

(cue anybody!)

[Valerie Strate]

"Well, Brian... Rosco is up at Tri-County. A fella named..."The Strate sister looked to her brother for a moment for the name.

"Cully." Enos answered her.

"That's it. Cully took him. Supposedly Cully has a cut arm as well. But he took'em up there. The Duke boys are up at Tri-County as well along with Daisy. The boys were out with the General and got caught up in a twister but it's said both are going to make it. The General's pretty tough, ya know. Daisy was found in here by a gentleman named Nate Iriving. I was stuck in the courthouse basement and he rescued me as well. Min, Jesse Cletus, and that Ian fella are all at Tri-County waiting for everyone to get better. As far as the where abouts of Mr. Hogg, Chance Walker, Daney Duke. Plus, I haven't seen Cooter and Hilery anywhere. I wonder how they are doing, so their where abouts are unknow. No one seems to know where MaryAnne is. We haven't seen her all day. And Mis. Tizdale is out in the square." Valerie explained to Brian when the group all heard a shifting sound.

"We best get out of here or we might be going to Tri-County. This house don't seem stable." Enos told Brian and his sister.

The three made it out of the house and outside of the Doctor's damaged home.

(cue anyone)

[DaneyDuke]

(Please note, Val’s author phoned to say her internet connection was going to be out for a few days. She asked that I write for the Game Warden if the occasion warranted.)

Val’s mild grey eyes narrowed seeing a still figure along side of Doc Walker’s house. Her six-foot tall frame scurried like a chicken from a fox in the Duke’s henhouse. Her ears heard a graceful rendition of ‘Small Town' by John Mellencamp. A mule eating briars type grin spread over the Game Warden’s lips.

The five foot, eight inch form rose up. Slender hands came up and ran through waist length brunette hair.

“I feel like an eighteen wheeler ran over me,†the brown green hazel-eyed woman said mischievously.

“Daney!†Val exclaimed. “That’s an awful thing to say.â€

“This is Hazzard where it doesn’t get dark,†Daney countered good-naturedly. She had already spoken a silent prayer that everyone else had made it ok… her best friends, family, Chance, and a list of folks longer than offenses on Hughie Hogg’s rap sheet. A copy of that document kept in Boss’s office safe.

She forgot the pain in her body, appreciated the fact that she was alive. She blinked and focused attention on another resident.

(Cue MaryAnne, Chance or Hilery)

[StuntMan23]

Boss Hogg came running over like a huge marshmellow flying through the air. "Is everyone awright?!" he asked, looking at the faces and taking a mental tally of who had been accounted for. By his best estimate, Dr. Walker, Hilery and MaryAnne were still among the missing.

"I saw Cooter over the garage," he said. "Hilery's probably there too. Did any body find Dr. Walker? MaryAnne?"

[Brian Coltrane]

Brian answered Boss's anxious question with the only information he had. "Doc Walker is out of town. She wasn't here when it hit. Far as the Strates have told me, everybody else is accounted for, except...."

At this, the words trailed off, and it took some effort to speak the names. "...for Hilery n' MaryAnne."

Brian's dark eyes scanned the storm-damaged town, his hope fading. Worst-case scenarios flipped through his mind like cheap postcards, each displaying another tragic scene of how MaryAnne might have met her end. Grimly, he pictured another possibility...that she was trapped somewhere, alive, but in peril...what if live power lines had fallen on her patrol car, and she didn't dare move? What if she had tried to rescue someone, but had forfeited her own life in the attempt? She had always been too damn brave for her own good...

As the wail of fire trucks and ambulances pealed through town, Brian could only wonder if Hilery had been with MaryAnne when the storm hit....and if the fate of one, was the fate of both.

There were two choices; stand around and wait for news...

Or go out there, in the mess, and try to find them, when they could be anywhere in Hazzard County.

Option number two won out, and Brian adjusted the collar on his jacket, firmed his jaw, and set out to investigate. "I'm goin' lookin' for 'em," he said to the group. "I'll meet up with y'all later."

As his long strides took him towards Diablo's hiding spot in an alley, he sent up a silent prayer, willing to bargain with the Almighty Himself.

(cue...MaryAnne! Scooby Doo, where ARE you?!?!)

[MaryAnne]

It had been the most hellacious ride she had ever experienced, and if she could remember any of it, she'd be seriously wondering how the heck she was still alive.

Deputy MaryAnne Coltrane had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of a not so long lost cousin, Cully Dawson from Hollywood. His visit was to have been a surprise, although Rosco started to figure things out the previous day when he saw a letter on the booking desk amongst MaryAnne's things. Although he didn't read it, he recognized the return address in Los Angeles. In fairness to MaryAnne, he played dumb.

Of course now, Mother Nature had dished out her own surprise. Once Rosco and Brian were out of the house, MaryAnne had spent most of the morning cleaning the house and getting the guest bedroom ready. She then headed out on her routine patrol.

When the storm hit, she had no choice but to ride it out. She tried out running it but like an angry child, the tornado caught her, picked up the patrol car and threw it like a toy into a rocky ditch.

The whole ordeal should have killed her. The patrol car was totalled, the frame having been completely busted. Windows were smashed out and fenders were buckled. Yet somehow, held by her seat belt in the drivers seat, MaryAnne Coltrane survived.

She was unconcious for a good half hour or so until she slowly began to come around on her own. She had no idea where she was or what had happened, but her entire body ached from the ordeal. Her head didn't feel all that great either. She moved slowly, checking that everything still worked....one arm...another....one leg...the next. So far so good. With a shakey hand, she unclipped the seat belt and then reached to try to open the door.

It was busted. But the window was open. Taking in a deep breath, she moved to climb out the window.

She got as far as sitting her posterior on the door frame and she rested a moment. She looked across the vast white roof of the patrol car and noticed that a set of gumballs were sitting cockeyed off the back window.

Gumballs?

She eased the rest of her out of the window and stood for a shakey moment leaning next to the mortally wounded Fury. It was then she looked at her blue uniform sleeve....the patch on her shoulder....the badge on her shirt.

Her head pounded now. Although physically she was sure she was going to be all right, she suddenly got this sickly feeling that something was desperately wrong otherwise.

She looked around her and saw she wasn't too far from the road. With careful steps, she walked to it...

(Cue anybody!)

[countrygirl1986]

Meanwhile outside of town, not all that far from the Deputy infact, another young woman was waking up, and she was in pain. She looked around slowly, and then sat up. Pain shot right through her head as she did, much worse than it already was. She was really throbbing all over, but her head distinctly hurt. Hilery brought her hand up to her head, more or less to make sure it was still there, and felt something that didn't sit too well with her. Blood. It was all over her face. She was bleeding from a cut right above her eye brow. Hil shook her head. Not her day. Then she noticed why her left leg was screaming in pain, and a lot more than her head was. There was a rusty, dirty, old junker car on it! Her leg was clearly broken. Tears welled up in her eyes. She wished she had a friend there to talk to, like her cousin, or even her crush, Bo Duke, but then again, she'd go for just about anyone to talk to!

Hilery sighed, and looked at the car. Even if it had a CB, she wouldn't have been able to get to it without flipping the car back to its proper position from its side. She looked around again as best as she could, trying to keep a clear head and not scream in pain. Not one person in sight. She doubted anyone was on the other side of the car. Finally though, starting to cry hysterically, she screamed in pain, and began to weep. The weight of the car was just too much for her leg. Her head wasn't bothering her as much as the broken bones. Even if she did get out from under the grimy piece of junk, she wasn't going to go to the Emergency Room until everyone was found, and that was final. She would be able to cope so long as the vehicle was removed. If Hilery hadn't been in this much pain, she would have marvelled at how far the tornado had taken her. The last thing she had known, she was in the middle of town.

"IF ANYONE CAN HEAR ME, HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!!!!!!!!"

Back in town though, Cooter was running to catch up with Brian, and as soon as he got close enough to be heard over the sirens, he yelled, "I"m going too in my tow truck! I already tried the on the ER on the CB and my cousin is NOT there!" He was worried, and it showed. As soon as he was sure Brian had heard him, he turned tail and ran for his truck.

[MaryAnne]

MaryAnne had walked just a little ways from her busted patrol car when she heard the call for help. She stopped walking and listened, trying to determine which direction it was coming from. It sounded like the voice was somewhere ahead of her. She continued walking, hurrying her steps and looking around intently.

When she came around the bend of the road, she saw the old junk car turned on its side and determined that's where the voice had called from. She walked briskly toward it.

"Hello?" she said. "Somebody here?" MaryAnne walked around the car and saw Hilery on the ground, pinned under it. "Gah! My goodness..."

(Cue Hilery!)

[pendragon1980]

Chance's hands gripped the steering wheel of the black Bronco as the truck splashed its way through the damaged backroads. The doctor had been called out of Hazzard to Tricounty ER when the hurricane warning went out. The ER had been filled almost to capacity of victims of the storm's wrath.

Nearly 10 hours later, Chance had been allowed to leave to check on her own people. She had heard over the emergency band that the hurricane had touched down in Hazzard itself.

The Bronco swung around a corner and Chance slammed on the brakes. In front of her was a overturned car, MaryAnne was standing by it and Hilery trapped underneath. Exiting the car, Chance hurried over to them.

"Hilery, are you alright? Don't move, we'll get you out of there."

[countrygirl1986]

"I guess I'm okay except my head is bleeding and my leg is broken. I just woke up, so I might have a concussion too." Hilery responded. Her words were muddled because she was trying to keep herself from screaming out in excrusiating pain again by holding her teeth tightly shut. "Chance, you got anything that can numb my @#$%^&* leg?" she asked, and unfortunately taking a word out of Brian's colorful vocabulary. "And the best way to move the car is to roll it so it's on all fours. Unfortunately, that is going to really really hurt a lot worse than it does now. It might take more than the two of you though to move it," Hilery breathed. The pain had her out of breath from fighting another scream, and she was feeling like she was going to pass out from it, so to try to take her mind off of it, she decided to try to make some conversation, and give the Doc a moment to think.

"So MaryAnne, how's the Strates, the Duke's, and Rosco 'n' Brian? And what about my cousin? Did they all make it through the tornado-ous storm okay?"

Now let's just thank God Hilery hasn't gone into shock, and is trying to keep herself awake.

[MaryAnne]

MaryAnne didn't recognize her own name as it was spoken. She also didn't know the young woman pinned under the car or the one that had drove up in the black Bronco. But apparently they knew her.

For a moment, MaryAnne had a deer caught in the headlight look. She didn't know who she was. Or where she was....

She looked at Hilery and blinked. "Who?"

[countrygirl1986]

"Uh Chance... I think our dear friend MaryAnne has amnesia..." Hilery mumbled, and looked at her, now noticing a telltail big, purple bump on her head. Hilery would have reached out to give her friend a hug, but a cirtain cluncker car, which she was really disliking was preventing her from doing so. "Okay Deputy, take a seat," Hilery said, and didn't wait before continuing. "Your name is MaryAnne Coltrane, and you are a Hazzard County Deputy, with as far as I know, 2 male cousins, 1 female cousin. Your one cousin, older than yourself, is sheriff, you work for him. He works for a Boss Hogg who runs around in a white suit and is the commissioner. Lulu Hogg is Rosco's sister, and Boss Hoggs wife. You also have a cousin who has had numerous run ins with the law, and is an exhitman. Kinda interesting really, considering both his closest cousins are the law. Rosco is also a little crooked, and Boss Hogg is very crooked. You on the other hand, are the only noncrooked member of your family, eventhough your cousin Rosco was best lawman in the state til his pension got taken away. Well, that's about the best summery I can give ya right now, concidering the pain I'm in," Hilery told her, then closed her eyes, "I wish the cavalry would hurry up and get here...."

[pendragon1980]

"Alright, Alright, Hil, That's enough for now. Just take it easy." Chance walked back to the Bronco and returned with her medical bag. Picking out a hypodermic needle and small bottle. "I'm just gonna give you a local until I can look to your concussion." She said as she filled the needle. "MaryAnne, I will see to you as soon as we get Hilery out of there."

Once the numbing medicine was administered. Chance looked from the overturned car to her truck. "You think if we hook the Bronco to this car, one us of can use the winch pull it over while the other drags Hil outta there.?"

[MaryAnne]

MaryAnne was hardly able to process everything Hilery had told her when Chance suggested a course of action for moving the junk car to get Hilery out. And obviously Hilery's situation was more dire than some silly bump on MaryAnne's head. She shook her own confusion away for the moment and looked at the car that Hilery was pinned under. "Yeah...." she said nodding.

[countrygirl1986]

"That might just work," Hilery said, feeling the numbness taking over her leg. "Thanks Doc," She added. "Owe ya one for the pain relief." At that moment, the young Davenport woman relaxed, now that only her head hurt. "Least if something goes wrong, I won't feel it in my leg."

[pendragon1980]

"Ok, Let's do this then." Chance tossed her keys at the deputy. "MaryAnne, if you can see your way fit to working the Bronco, I'll hook the winch up and pull Hilery out. Then I can splint her leg and get you both back to town."

With that, Chance hooked one end of the winchline to the overturned car and fastened the other end of the steel cable to the undercarriage and fender of the big truck.

Finally, Squating down next to Hilery, Chance gently put her arms under Hil's shoulders, ready to pull the young woman out as quickly and carefully as possible.

"MaryAnne, when I give the signal. Throw the Bronc in reverse and gun it!"

[MaryAnne]

"Ok!" MaryAnne went to the Bronco and climbed into the big 4X4. She started the truck up, the engine whining in a high idle at first. With a push on the gas, the engine settled to a lower idle and MaryAnne put her left foot on the brake, kept her right foot over the gas pedal and had the Bronco already in reverse waiting for the signal.

"When yer ready Doc!"

[pendragon1980]

Tightening her grip around Hilery's shoulders, Chance nodded and looked down at her friend. "Ready, Hi?". At the young woman's nod, Chance glanced looked at the Bronco and shouted "Hit it!"

Instantly, the truck was thrown in gear and small clods of dirt flew as the tires spun before finding traction in the wet earth. The Bronco fishtailed slightly. Then the overturned care slowly began rolling over, opening the gap Hilery lay in.

Mindful of the broken leg, Chance started pulling Hilery away from the wreck. Suddenly, she heard the tension wire holding the wreck upright strain and glanced back to see the knot she made coming undone.

Chance put all her strength behind one last tug and pulled Hilery completely free, a second before the steel cabled knot gave and the wreck came crashing back to earth, just inches from their feet.

Huffing, she grinned wryly. "Guess I should stick to medicine and not mechanics"