Misunderstanding

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


Warnings: Angst, Violence, Slash, Character Death


Rating: FRM


* indicates thoughts


Misunderstanding
Chapter 12


Luke had just helped Cooter through the bedroom window when they heard a gunshot, followed by L.B. screaming. Forgetting about stealth and with fear in their hearts, they rushed towards the kitchen. Sliding around the corner, they were just in time to see Bo and the murderer fall to the floor, both of them covered in blood. "Bo," Luke whispered despairingly as he caught sight of his cousin's impossibly wide eyes and blood covered chest. He jerked his hand back, when Bo unexpectedly flinched from his touch. "Bo? Let me see where you're hit?" Luke again reached out, this time prepared for Bo's reaction. Carefully pulling open the younger man's shirt, he look at Bo's upper body, surprised by what he saw, or didn't see.


"Luke, how bad is it?" Cooter asked, keeping a firm grip on his own cousin as he spoke.


"It's not his..." Luke mumbled.


"What?"


Turning to look over his shoulder at the Davenport cousins, Luke repeated himself. "It's not his, he wasn't shot," he softly explained. Facing his cousin again, he gently forced Bo's head away from where the other man lay bleeding on the floor. "Bo? Can ya hear me cousin?"


Outside, Rosco, Enos and Detective Richardson had also heard the gunshot. "Enos, call an ambulance," Rosco ordered, even as he was moving with Richardson towards the house. Cautiously opening the back door, they stepped into the kitchen, nearly tripping over Mark Dawson. Leaving Richardson to deal with Dawson, Rosco moved towards the Duke boys. "Luke, is Bo...?"


"He's just in shock Rosco," Luke replied, before the sheriff could complete his question.


"Here Luke," Cooter said, coming back from the living room with an afghan from the back of the couch. Handing the blanket to the older of the Duke boys, he couldn't help wishing there was more he could do to help. "Rosco, did you call an ambulance?"


"Yeah, uh Cooter, where's L.B.?" Rosco asked, as he looked around the kitchen, surprised not to see him.


"Living room," Cooter replied, hooking a thumb towards the other room. "He's not as bad as Bo, but he's kind of in shock too. I got him sitting on the couch and covered up, keeping them both warm is about all we can do for them right now." After explaining the situation to the sheriff, Cooter returned to his own cousin in the other room.


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"Cooter? Is Bo okay?" L.B. asked.


"He's in shock, but he didn't get shot."


"Are you sure?"


"I'm sure L.B., Bo's gonna be fine," Cooter assured his younger cousin.


"I want to see him," L.B. said, throwing the cover off and trying to stand up.


"I don't think that's such a good idea right now," Cooter cautioned. He grabbed L.B.'s arm and pulled him back down to the couch.


"You said he's okay, so why can't I see him?"


"He is fine, physically, but he ain't said a word yet and the kitchen's kind of crowded. I just think you should let Luke take care of Bo right now, you worry about taking care of you."


"I'm fine Cooter," L.B. protested. Pulling his arm from his cousin's grasp, he again stood up and moved towards the kitchen.


Not sure what he should do, Cooter shrugged his shoulders and followed his cousin into the kitchen.


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"Bo, come on cousin, say something," Luke plead with the younger man. He was unnerved by the way Bo sat against the wall, staring ahead as though he didn't see any of them. "Bo! Snap out of it!" Luke cried out, shaking his cousin roughly.


"What do ya think you're doing?" L.B. demanded, rushing forward and stopping Luke's actions.


"Let go of me L.B.," Luke snapped, jerking away from the other man.


"He don't need you treating him like that right now Luke," L.B. admonished him. "Let me try, please?"


"Alright," Luke said. With a tired sigh, he stood up and backed away from Bo.


"Bo, wake up now Bo, you're scaring us," L.B. softly called. Reaching out, he brushed one hand down the other man's cheek, hoping he could reach him.


"Luke," Rosco said, as he came up beside Luke and Cooter. "Dawson's dead," he quietly informed them.


"Who?"


"Him," Rosco replied, nodding towards the man on the floor.


"Oh," Luke said. Christian or not, he found that he couldn't work up any sympathy for the man who had terriorized his cousin for no real reason.

"L.B.? What happened?" Bo asked, sounding confused, but thankfully no longer staring ahead in shock.


"You don't remember?"


"He was going to kill us," Bo replied with an involuntary shudder.


"That's right," L.B. confirmed.


"We were fighting for the gun...oh God, I shot him!"


"No Bo, it ain't your fault. You were just trying to keep him from shooting us, the gun going off was an accident."


"Is he...?" Bo quietly asked, unable to say the word.


"I don't know," L.B. replied. Just then the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, and he heaved a sigh of relief.


"L.B.? The ambulance is here, ya need to get out of their way now," Cooter said, as he laid a hand on his cousin's back.


"You gonna be okay Bo?" L.B. asked, ignoring Cooter for the moment.


Nodding, Bo tried to hide the shudder that ran through his body. A moment later L.B. had stepped away and a paramedic was kneeling beside him.


"Thanks L.B.," Luke said as they stood watching the paramedics checking Bo over.


"No problem Luke, just wish I could've kept him from suffering any of this." L.B.'s eyes widened in concern when he saw the paramedics putting their equipment away without securing Bo to the stretcher. "Hey wait a minute, ain't you gonna take him to the hospital?"


"He's refusing transport and other than emotional shock there doesn't appear to be any other injuries. Frankly the best thing for him right now would be to get him away from here and give him something hot to drink, heavily sweetened." Having given the only advice he could, the paramedic returned to the waiting ambulance with his partner. Coming back a few minutes later with a black body bag, they soon had Mark Dawson's body secured for transport and they carried him from the house.

L.B. and Luke both moved forward when the paramedics left the house. When L.B. saw them returning with the body bag, he made sure that he was blocking Bo's line of sight to the body.


Luke looked up from where he was kneeling next to his cousin, when he heard the sound of an engine. "Cooter, are they gone?"


Walking to the back door, Cooter glanced outside in time to see the ambulance disappearing down the driveway. "Yeah, they're gone," Cooter replied, confirming Luke's suspicions.


"Good, thanks. You ready to go home now Bo?"


"Pppplease," Bo stuttered, still shaking from everything that had happened.


"Come on then," Luke said. Taking hold of Bo's arm, he helped the younger man to his feet.


"Now hold on a minute Luke," Rosco said. "I have to ask Bo a few questions."


"Can't it wait Rosco? He ain't in no shape to answer any questions," Luke protested, determined to protect his cousin.


"I'm sorry Luke, but I need to do this now," Rosco reluctantly said. "I promise I'll make it as quick as I can."


"It's alright Luke, I cccan do it," Bo assured his older cousin, as he laid a restraining hand on the older man's arm.


"You sure?"


"No, but it's got to be done."


"Alright, but Rosco if he says he can't handle it, you'd better save it for another day," Luke cautioned.


"I think it'd be best if we all moved into the living room," Rosco suggested, choosing to ignore Luke's demand. "Not you L.B. and Cooter, y'all need to step outside while I talk to Bo."


Once they were all seated in the living room, Rosco began the questions. "Bo, can you tell me what happened when Mark Dawson arrived?"


"Mark who?"


"Oh right, the man who was here with the gun has been identified as Mark Dawson."


"Oh, well me and L.B. were taking a break in the kitchen. We were talking when all of a sudden Dawson came through the back door. I recognized his voice immediately as the man who had...hurt me. He made us sit down at the table and then he started talking about how he had been kicked out of the police academy. From what he said, he blamed a couple of gay cops for it, but I don't know if they were really gay or not. Anyway, when L.B. came back inside after y'all got here, we started edging towards the living room. We almost made it too. He had that gun pointed at us and was going to shoot. I rushed him, grabbed the gun and tried to get it away from him. I don't know how, but it went off and then I don't know what happened."


"Alright Bo, thank you," Rosco said. Standing up, he went outside where Detective Richardson had been questioning L.B.. After comparing notes, it was obvious that Bo had acted purely in self-defense. Rosco hadn't really expected any other outcome, but it was necessary that he prove it was the only thing Bo could've done. Going back inside, he let the Duke boys know that they were free to go. "Bo, there really wasn't anything else you could've done," Rosco assured the younger man, before he left.


"Thanks Rosco," Bo said, touched by the show of concern.


No sooner had Rosco left the house, and the front door opened, letting Cooter and L.B. back in. "You okay Bo?" L.B. asked, as soon as he was inside.


"Getting there," Bo replied. Leaning against his older cousin for support, he gave L.B. a small smile, "What now?"


"What do ya mean?"


"Is that detective still out there?"


"No, he left with Rosco. I don't know if he'll need to talk to you anymore, but he's done for today anyway."


"Good, I really don't want to talk about it anymore."


"What do you want Bo?" Luke asked, shifting so that he could wrap his arm more firmly around the younger man.


"I just want to forget Luke," Bo whispered.


"I wish you could, wish I could make that happen for ya cousin," Luke said, giving him a gentle hug.


"I know," Bo quietly said, leaning into his cousin's embrace. "Can we go home now?"


"Yeah Bo, that sounds like a good idea."


"L.B., Cooter? Y'all are welcome to come stay at the farm for a few days," Bo invited, glancing towards the bloodstained kitchen as he spoke.


"Bo's right y'all," Luke confirmed the invitation.


"You know that's not a bad idea," Cooter agreed, giving his cousin a concerned look. "Come on L.B., let's pack us a bag to take," Cooter suggested. Leaving the room they went to their bedrooms, each packing a small bag. Coming back a few minutes later, bags in hand, the two cousin's followed the Duke boy's outside.


"Uh, Luke, Cooter, how are we gonna go anywhere?" Bo asked, as they stepped outside to an empty driveway.


"The General and Cooter's truck are parked down by the road, we'll just have to walk down there. Think you can handle it?"


"Sure," Bo replied.


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When they arrived home, Jesse agreed with his nephews and went to get the guest room ready. The atmosphere that evening was subdued and quiet, but somehow more relaxed than it had been in a while. When bedtime rolled around, they were all feeling better and behaving almost normally. It was an illusion that was bound to shatter.


A few hours later they were awakened by Bo's screams, as he was caught in the grip of a horrible nightmare. "Bo, wake up! Bo!" Luke yelled, shaking Bo's arm and trying to bring him out of the dream.


The door flung open at the same moment Bo woke from his terror. The noise as everybody rushed into the room had Bo crying out in fear and cringing against his cousin, still not fully awake.


"Shhh, it's okay Bo," Luke soothed. "It's just Jesse, Cooter, L.B. and Daisy, see?" Luke asked, moving slightly so that Bo could see the four of them at the end of the bed.


"Luke? What's going on?" Bo asked.


"You had a bad dream Bo, it ain't nothing to worry about. You want to talk about it?"


"Do I have to?"


"Of course not, but it might help," came the gentle suggestion.


"Maybe later. Sorry I woke y'all up," he apologized to the other four people in the room.


"Ya ain't got nothin to apologize for Bo," L.B. spoke up first. "Ya can't help having a nightmare."


"L.B.'s right Bo, you couldn't help it," Jesse assured him as well. A second later, Cooter and Daisy were adding their own assurances to the conversation.


"You gonna be okay now son?"


"Yeah Uncle Jesse, thanks."


"Anytime sprout," Jesse replied, reaching down and giving Bo's foot a quick squeeze. "Alright everybody, back to bed, we all need to get some more sleep."


"You sure you're okay?" Luke asked, after the others had left the room.


"Yeah, it was just a bad dream," Bo assured him. "Goodnight Luke, and thanks," Bo said, laying back down and pulling the covers up to his shoulders.


"No problem cousin," Luke replied. "Goodnight," he said before moving back to his own bed.

Bo closed his eyes and was soon drifting back to sleep. Just as he was about to fall into a real sleep, his eyes popped open. *How am I gonna sleep, when all I can see is his face? Stop it Bo Duke, he's dead and he can't hurt you no more!* Bo reminded himself as the images from his nightmare replayed in his mind. He saw himself being held down, felt the other man's dick as he forced it into Bo's unwilling body. Suddenly Mark Dawson was replaced by another man, a man that he knew would never do that to him. Bo just couldn't figure out why he was having nightmares of being raped by somebody he knew he could trust. Once more, Bo closed his eyes, trying to will away the images, only to be confronted with them again as he drifted to sleep. Afraid to sleep, sure that he would once again be trapped in the earlier nightmare, Bo quietly climbed from the bed. Grabbing the blanket from his bed, he headed outside to the porch swing, knowing there would be no more sleep for him tonight.


TBC


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