Ransom

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.


Warnings: Slash, Established Couple, Angst


Rating: FRT


* indicates thoughts


Ransom
Chapter 10


"You okay Bo? Ya hardly said a word all the way home," Luke asked. Taking his cousin's arm, he helped the younger man into the house, grateful to have him home from the hospital after 5 long days.


"Just tired," Bo replied, his voice heavy with some unknown emotion. *Tired of pretending everything's okay. I just want my life back, want Rosco to tell me what's wrong. I guess he won't though, he's probably afraid of hurting me.*


"You sure?"


"You calling me a liar?" Bo demanded, immediately becoming defensive.


"No, of course not, it's just that you sound like there's something more going on," Luke replied, forcing himself to stay calm.


"I'm sorry Luke, you didn't deserve that. I think I'll just go lay down, okay?"


"If that's what ya need," Luke outwardly agreed, while inside his worry grew.


"Thanks Luke," came the soft reply as they headed down the hall towards their room.


With his cousin's help, Bo was soon lying down. Folding his right arm behind his head, he sighed heavily as he thought over the last several days. He knew something was wrong, though Rosco refused to admit it. Bo could feel his lover pulling away from him, the tension between them so thick you could cut it with a knife, but he didn't know what to do about it. Bo hadn't told anybody, but he was terrified that Rosco was going to leave him. Not that he blamed him, after all what use was he now? All he could offer the older man was the promise of a burden hanging around his neck. Lying in his bed, lost in thought, Bo wasn't even aware of the tears that fell silently from his eyes.


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"Agent Harper, what can I do for you?" Rosco asked.


"Actually I just came by to tell you that you've been cleared. To be honest with you Sheriff, I never really thought you had anything to do with the murder of the Blevins brothers, but I had to be sure."


Leaning back in his chair, Rosco gave the younger man a measuring look. "So who did it?"


"I don't know, we probably never will know. Whoever it was, he was a professional, there's no doubt about that," the agent replied.


"What about Bo?"


"What about him?"


"Any reason to think he's in danger?"


"No sir, there's no reason for anybody to go after him. Even if he were to regain his sight, he wouldn't be able to link the Blevins to Carl Turner. I'm sorry for the worry I put you and your loved ones through, however I do thank you for your cooperation."


"You were just doing your job, no reason not to cooperate," Rosco acknowledged the apology.


"Well I won't take up any more of your time, good-bye Sheriff Coltrane," Harper said, offering his hand to the other man.


"Good-bye Agent Harper," Rosco returned, rising to his feet to shake the offered hand. Sitting back down in his chair, Rosco ran a shaking hand through his hair. When the agent had stepped into the office, he had been sure that he was in for another round of questioning. Maybe he was even going to be charged for two murders he'd never committed. The last thing he'd expected was an apology from the man. *Well Bo will sure be relieved.* Thoughts of Bo inevitibly led to thoughts of his recent kidnapping and the injuries he had suffered. Even after nearly a week of thinking about it, he still didn't know what to do about the situation.


"Sheriff, you okay?" Enos asked, startling Rosco from his thoughts.


"Huh? Oh yeah Enos, I'm fine, just thinking."


"I seen that FBI agent heading out of town, did he say something to upset ya?"


"No, in fact just the opposite. He just stopped in to tell me I'd been cleared, I guess he's headed back to Atlanta now."


"No sir he's not, unless the Duke farm is on the way to Atlanta now."


"What are ya talking about Enos?"


"That FBI agent, he weren't headed to the highway, looked to me like he was headed towards the Duke farm."


"Damn him, if he goes out there...Enos you take care of things here, I've got something to do," Rosco ordered. Grabbing his hat, he hurried outside to his car.


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"Mr. Duke, I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment?"


"What is it Agent Harper?" Jesse asked, his tone none too friendly.


"I've already spoken to the sheriff and I thought it only fair to pay your family a visit as well..."


"Pay us a visit? Why?" Luke asked suspiciously as he joined the two men.


"To let you know, that I've come to the conclusion that nobody in Hazzard had anything to do with the murder of the Blevins brothers."


"Coulda told ya that," Luke grumbled.


"Luke," Jesse warned.


"Sorry Uncle Jesse."


"I understand you're irritation Mr. Duke, but I had to be sure, even though I didn't really think any of you were guilty. Even knowing that Carl Turner had arranged to pay Bo's hospital bills,"


"He did what?" Jesse roared, interrupting the agent.

"He's paying Bo's hospital bills, even so I didn't ever seriously think that it was a payoff. I know how Turner thinks and he doesn't believe in using a man's loved ones against him the way the Blevins did. Because of that, I was sure that he decided to pay the bills as a way of making up for that," Harper explained.


"I'm gonna call over there to that hospital and tell them..." Jesse's voice trailed off as he marched into the house.


"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset him," Agent Harper apologized. Turning towards the sound of sirens coming up the drive, he was surprised to see Sheriff Coltrane barreling up the gravel roadway.


"Alright Agent Harper, I want to know just why you're out here harassing these folks?" Rosco demanded as he stalked up to the younger man.


"It's alright Rosco, he was just letting us know that none of us are suspects anymore," Luke quickly explained.


"Oh, well I suppose that's okay then."


"He also told us something disturbing," Luke continued.


"Disturbing?"


"Yeah, seems this Carl Turner is paying Bo's bills at the hospital..." Luke stopped when he saw the guilty look on Rosco's face. "You knew! How could you keep that from us Rosco, from Bo? Don't you think he has the right to know?"


"Know what?" Bo asked.


Turning around, they saw Bo standing on the porch, obviously having just gotten out of bed. "Luke? Rosco?"


"I'm here Bo," Rosco said from beside him, having hurried to join the younger man on the porch.


"What was Luke talking about Rosco?"


"Um, well ya see, I was gonna tell ya Bo, honest I was. It's just that with the investigation and everything I hadn't had time to do anything about it..."


"Rosco!" Bo interrupted.


"Carl Turner is paying your hospital bills," Rosco reluctantly informed him.


"No he's not," Bo protested. "I ain't taking money from a man like that, where's the phone?" he asked, turning to the front door.


"Just take it easy Bo, Uncle Jesse's already calling the hospital," Luke stated as he stepped up onto the porch.


"Take it easy? How would you like to find out a man who thinks nothing of having people killed is paying some of your bills? I ain't gonna take it easy, not until the hospital returns any money he's already given them." Bo was so angry that he forgot to use the cane he'd been given. Banging into the wall with his healing shoulder, he nearly collapsed to his knees from the sudden pain. "Ahhh," he cried out, not even aware when the strong arms of Luke and Rosco caught him.


Grabbing the screen door with his free hand, Luke pulled it open. With Rosco's help, he maneuvered Bo over to the couch.


"Let me see your shoulder Bo," Rosco said, reaching for his lover's shirt. Pulling it open, he was relieved to see nothing more than a bruise on the younger man's skin. "Looks like it's just bruised up good, ya didn't rip the stitches none."


"Rosco?" Bo whispered as he fell towards the older man, the pain pulling him into unconsciousness.


"Bo! What happened to him?" Jesse asked, hurrying into the room from the kitchen.


"He hit his shoulder when he was coming inside," Luke explained.


"I'll call the doc," Jesse said, moving back to the phone.


"I don't think he'll need the doc Jesse," Rosco called, stopping him.


"Luke?"


"Rosco's right Uncle Jesse, he ain't bleeding. I think he just bruised it," Luke agreed with the sheriff.


"Well then why'd he pass out?"


"I think it's just the pain was more than he could handle right now," Luke answered. "Did you have any luck with the hospital?"


"No, they said there's nothing they can do about it," Jesse replied in disgust.


"Well maybe there's something I can do about it," Rosco said. Laying Bo down on the couch, he stood up. Pausing to caress his lover's cheek with one hand, he smiled fondly at the younger man. "I ain't having this upsetting him," he muttered. "I'll be back later, holler at me if anything happens," Rosco said, reluctantly moving away from the couch, he walked out the door.


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"Ms. Leeds, I need to speak to you," Rosco said without preamble as he entered the business office at Tri-County.


"Sheriff if this is about the hospital bill for Bo Duke, I've already told you there's nothing I can do about it," she explained. Turning away from him, she continued with the paperwork she'd been working on when he walked in. As she worked, trying to ignore his presence, Susan couldn't help wishing that Bo Duke had been taken to a different hospital. Let somebody else deal with his family and friends, stupid people, they didn't know when they had it good. Imagine! Objecting because somebody wants to pay your bills for you, and why? Because you think the person paying is some kind of criminal, well so what! His money would spend just as good as anybody else's and it wasn't like these were rich people who could afford a large hospital bill. "Is there something I can do for you Sheriff?" she demanded when instead of leaving, the man simply sat down in the chair across from her desk.


"Yes ma'am there is," Rosco replied. "I've been thinking about all of this, and I think I've got a solution to the problem. This anonymous donor who is paying Bo's bills, have you already sent the bill?"


"No, but we will be sending it in a few days."


"How much is it?"


"What difference does that make? The donor is already paying it," she snapped.


"Ma'am?"


"Fine, the total bill is $17,469.57, though I don't know why you need to have that information."


"Does the hospital really care who pays the bill?"


"No of course not, as long as it's paid," Susan confirmed.


"We do though, Bo, his family and me that is. You see we don't want to be obligated to a man the likes of your donor. I know, I know, you can't do anything to stop it, the arrangements have already been made. But who says the money has to go to Bo's bill?"


"What?"


"I mean, let me pay Bo's bill and you can take the money the donor sends, use it for something else the hospital needs. Maybe buy some kind of special equipment, or use it to take care of some kid who needs treatment for something."


"Let me get this straight, what you're proposing is we let the donor think he's paying Mr. Duke's bills, but you'll be doing that. Then we take his money and use it for something else, is that right?"


"Yes ma'am, that's it exactly, this way everybody's happy."


"That could work, but can you afford to pay that large of a bill?"


"Don't you worry about that Ms. Leeds, the hospital will get it's money," Rosco snapped.


"Oh I'm not worried about that Sheriff, after all we'll still have the money from the donor. However I know that a sheriff doesn't make that much money...."


"You just let me worry about that, do we have a deal then?"


"Yes sir we do," Susan confirmed.


"Thank you," Rosco gratefully said, taking her hand in his, he said his goodbyes.


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"Mmmmmm," Bo moaned as consciousness returned a few mintues later.


"Bo? How ya feeling sprout?"


"Uncle Jesse? What happened?" came the confused reply.


"You hit your shoulder, don't you remember?"


"Turner! He's paying...Uncle Jesse give me the phone I want to talk to the hospital," Bo requested, pulling himself into a seated position.


"I already tried that Bo, they said there ain't nothing they can do about it. We'll just have to let him pay the bill, for now."


"No! I don't want his blood money paying my bills, I ain't gonna owe a man like that," Bo protested.


"You won't Bo, even if he is paying the bill, you didn't ask him to so you don't owe him," Luke pointed out to his youngest cousin.


"Same thing Luke," Bo retorted.


"Actually Bo, well I think he should pay the bill, after all it was his people that put you in that hospital."


"Come on Luke, you know how people like that think. If I let him pay the bill, he'll show up someday wanting something in return. Even if he doesn't, it won't change the fact that he got his money doing stuff that destroys lives and I don't want it!" Bo insisted. "You agree with me, don't ya Rosco?"


"Rosco ain't here Bo," Luke started to explain.


"Not here?" Bo asked. He didn't hear whatever explanation Luke offered, he couldn't hear anything over the sudden roaring in his ears. Sitting there on the couch, with his worst fear becoming a reality, Bo felt his blood turning to ice in his veins, as the fear settled in his stomach like a rock.


"You okay Bo?" Jesse asked, interrupting Luke.


"Huh?"


"You're awfully pale, you okay?"


"Don't feel so good, think I'll go lay down," Bo replied. He hated worrying his family, but he couldn't talk about it right now. So with help from his cousin, he stood up and made his way to the bedroom. Laying down on his bed, he closed his useless eyes as he tried to figure out how to go on without Rosco in his life.


TBC


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