Ransom

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


Warnings: Angst, Slash, Established Couple


Rating: FRT


* indicates thoughts


Ransom
Chapter 3


After waiting twenty minutes, Rosco's patience was worn thin. "This is Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane calling Jesse Duke, come in Jesse," he called into the walkie talkie he carried on his belt.


"This is Jesse, did you find him?" Jesse anxiously replied.


"No but his tracks are pretty easy to follow so me and Luke are gonna start tracking him. We'll mark the trail as we go."


"Alright, y'all be careful and let us know if you find him."


"Will do, I'm gone," Rosco replied. Clipping the radio back onto his belt, Rosco followed Luke as they began taking the same path Bo had taken earlier.


An hour later, they were still following the prints in the dirt, along a trail that made less and less sense. "Is it just me, or has he been changing directions for no reason?"


"No Rosco it ain't just you, that's exactly what he's been doing. This is the third time his direction has changed and I can't see any reason for it. Heck right now, he's actually headed back towards the cabin," Luke confirmed the sheriff's suspicions.


"You think maybe his injuries are affecting his thinking?"


"Could be, a fall like that he could've hit his head. Even without something like that, we know he's been bleeding and wandering around out here in the heat so he's probably getting dehydrated. That by itself would be enough to get him confused."


"Well we ain't gonna find him just standing around here talking about it, let's get going," Rosco suggested.


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Bo kept moving along as quickly as he dared, which wasn't very fast at all. He knew from the position of the sun that he'd been out here for a while now, but that was the only thing he could be sure of. As he walked, he fought to keep the panic at bay. It seemed to be working, at least, as long as he was moving. Every time he fell, Bo found himself momentairily paralyzed by the fear he felt from wandering around blind. The pounding pain in his head wasn't helping any, either, and it only seemed to be getting worse, making Bo wonder if maybe he should stop where he was.


"No I can't stop! Have to keep going, have to find somewhere safe until Rosco can find me. Please find me cowboy, please lord let him find me," Bo muttered to himself as he stumbled along.


The sound he heard as his stick collided with something in front of him was familiar, bringing the stick back and moving it forward again, he realized what it was. Solid rock, moving the stick to the side, he searched for a path around it. That was when he knew that it wasn't just a rock, or even a large boulder, but was in fact a wall of rock. Stepping towards it, he felt for the wall with his hand. Carefully feeling along the wall, he hoped to find an end to it, maybe even the opening to the canyon.


"Ooomph," he grunted as his hand met empty space and he fell roughly to his knees. Kneeling there on the hard surface beneath him, he took several deep breaths to calm down. Reaching out to either side of him, his hands met rock wall and he realized he'd found the entrance to a cave. Deciding that it was as good a place to wait as any, and certainly, it would provide shelter from the sun, he moved further into the cave. The moment he was inside, he heard it; the sound of water moving across rocks was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever heard. "Must be an underground spring," he spoke the thought aloud as his parched throat contracted painfully at the thought of water. Carefully moving towards the sound of the water, Bo moved deeper into the cave, praying that he wouldn't have to go far. He didn't know how far he'd gone when he noticed the sound seemed to be growing fainter. "Dang it! I must've taken a wrong turn somewhere." Needing the water, he had no choice but to turn back towards the sound and try again to find the source of the necessary substance.


The echoes within the cave were very confusing, forcing Bo to change his direction several times, each time taking him deeper into the cavern. No matter where he turned, it seemed he couldn't find the water that he knew was so close. The sound of it rolling over rocks taunted him, frustrating him with his inability to find it. "Ahhhhh!" he cried out as he fell to his knees, his hand coming into contact with a stone that felt different than any of the ones he'd come across so far. The strangeness of the stone distracted Bo from his situation for a few seconds. Suddenly he dropped the stone like it was on fire and scrambled back, wanting as much distance as he could get between it and him. *A skull? Why is there a human skull in here? What is this place?* Bo was not a fearful man, but after all that had already happened to him, this was the final straw. As the the thoughts raced through his mind, he forgot about the water, not even noticing when the sound faded away as though it had never been. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them as his mind, refusing to face any more horrors, shut down.


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Just over an hour after beginning the search, Rosco and Luke were joined by Jesse, Daisy and several others as they continued to look for the missing man. Though they weren't fighting injuries, still they had to move slowly so as not to miss any tracks, especially with the erratic path they were following. The further they went, the more the prints changed directions and several times they came across evidence of Bo falling. The more falls they saw, the more worried they were all becoming and as the day wore on without any sight of Bo their concern grew.


"Damn it! I lost the trail," Luke cried out as he stood looking at the ground, the undisturbed dirt mocking his inability to find his cousin.


"Calm down Luke and let's think about this," Jesse advised, coming up behind him and laying a hand on his back. "Now up until now, Bo's prints have been easy to see right?"


"Yeah," Luke agreed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.


"The ground hasn't changed any, so if he were still going this direction we'd be able to see his tracks," Jesse observed. "So we're just going to have to go back to the last place we had clear tracks and figure out which direction he turned in." Turning away from his oldest, he led them back towards the last place they'd seen Bo's footprints.


Carefully examing the ground, they soon realized that the only place Bo could be was inside the cave. As Rosco started forward, he was startled by Luke grabbing his arm and holding him back. "Luke let go of me," he demanded.


"Rosco I want to find Bo as much you do, but we ain't got no flashlights rememember?"


"Oh yeah," Rosco sighed. "Harvey you got your ears on?" Rosco called into the radio to the base they'd set up at Wilson's cabin.


"This is Harvey," came the reply across the airwaves. "What do ya need sheriff?"


"Harvey, Bo's tracks have ended and it looks like he went into a cave, we need some flashlights."


"Where are ya?"


"We're actually only about two miles east of the cabin. I'm gonna send somebody back, if you could meet them halfway with some flashlights, it'd be a help."


"Will do sheriff, Harvey out."


"I'm the fastest runner here, I'll go," Darrell Hobbs offered.


"Thanks Darrell," Rosco acknowledged the offer with a tight smile.


While they waited, Rosco stuck his head into the opening of the cave and called for Bo. He had hoped that the younger man would be near the front of the cave, but when he got no answer even after several tries, he was forced to give up. He wasn't sure which would be the worse reason for the lack of an answer: that Bo had gone deeper into the cave, or that he was unconscious but nearby.


Finally, after a twenty minute wait that seemed three times as long, Darrell returned with the flashlights. After passing them around, they entered the cave. When they saw that there were several tunnels branching away from the main cave, they divided into two man teams. Agreeing to meet back in the main cavern after thirty minutes, each team picked a tunnel and headed down it.


"Bo!" Rosco called, waiting for the echo of his voice to fade, he prayed for a response from his lover.


"We'll find him Rosco," Luke assured the older man.


"But will he be alive?" Rosco sadly questioned.


"Ya can't be giving up on him now Rosco, he wouldn't give up on you."


"You're right Luke, I'm just scared and worried," Rosco admitted. "Well come on, time's wasting," he said, turning away and continuing the search.


"I wonder why he went wandering through these caves?" Luke asked.


"Doesn't make any sense does it?"


"No it doesn't," Luke agreed, not mentioning how much it was worrying him. *How bad are ya hurt cousin? Please God let us find him soon, and please let him be alive.* Luke silently prayed as they continued to search, every few minutes stopping to call Bo's name.


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"Uncle Jesse, why do ya think Bo came in here?" Daisy asked.


"Well at first I thought it was to find shelter, but now.... I just don't know and I'm starting to wonder if he's hurt worse than we thought."


"What do ya mean?"


"There's nothing down here Daisy, no reason for him to move deeper into the cave and he knows better. So why didn't he stay near the entrance? Unless maybe he has a bad head injury or is hallucinating from blood loss and dehydration," Jesse softly explained.


"Oh," Daisy responded with a heavy sigh, her fear for her cousin growing with her uncle's words.


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"Don't you worry Cooter, we'll find him," Darrell assured the mechanic as they searched.


"Sure we will Darrell, sure we will," Cooter agreed. "Bo! Bo Duke! Where are ya buddyro?" Waiting in the the pitch black, he hoped to hear his friend calling back to him.


"We got to be back in the main cavern in ten minutes, we better start back. Maybe one of the others found something," Darrell suggested, trying to keep their spirits up.


"Yeah, well sooner we get back, the sooner we'll know," Cooter agreed. Turning back the way they'd come, he led the way back to the main part of the cave.


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Amos Appleby followed after B.B. Davenport as they headed back to the main cavern, disappointed that they hadn't found any sign of Bo. He prayed that one of the other search teams had found something, if not Bo, at least a clue about which way they should go. The longer the younger man went without treatment for his injuries, the more concerned Amos became. Though he hadn't said anything yet, he was afraid that if they didn't find him soon, there'd be no point.


Stepping back into the main cave, he saw two of the other teams emerging from their tunnels. The looks on the faces of Jesse Duke and Cooter Davenport confirmed his fears; they hadn't found anything either.


Suddenly Luke came running from the fourth tunnel, "Doc, thank God!"


"What is it Luke? Is Rosco hurt?" Amos fearfully asked.


"We found Bo, but he's unconscious and we were afraid to move him," Luke explained.


"Lead the way," Amos ordered. "Jesse, why don't you and Daisy come with us. Darrell, Cooter, B.B., y'all run back to the base and get a stretcher just in case," he suggested.


"Yes sir," Cooter answered for all of them. He waited until the rest of them were out of sight, then leading the way outside, he started them back to base.


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Rosco and Luke had been just about ready to turn back. Then as they turned, the beam from Luke's flashlight fell on the curled, unconscious form of his youngest cousin. Hurrying forward, the two men dropped to their knees next to the younger man.


"Bo? Can ya hear me cousin?"


"Sweetheart, wake up please," Rosco begged, running one hand lightly through Bo's hair.


"You stay here with him Rosco, I'll get the doc," Luke instructed. Standing back up, he gave his cousin one last glance, before hurrying back to the main cave for help.


"Bo, please wake up," Rosco continued to call to his lover. Swallowing back the tears when there was no response, he began to move his light up and down Bo's body, searching for injuries. He had already noticed the blood matting the younger man's hair, and as he moved the light, the first thing he saw was the blood on Bo's shoulder. Gently moving the shirt aside, he sighed with relief when he saw that the injury beneath wasn't anything more than a graze. As he continued to examine his lover, he moaned in sympathy at the numerous bruises he saw on Bo's body. A groan from his lover had him bringing his light back towards Bo's face. Just before the younger man's eyes opened, Rosco realized that the light would surely be painful and moved it away.


"Bo?" he called, reaching out to touch his lover's face.


"No, don't," Bo cried out, jerking away from the unexpected touch.


"It's alright sweetheart, it's me Rosco, you're safe now," he assured.


"Leave me alone," Bo plead as he attempted to crawl away.


"Bo, please listen to me, you're safe I promise ya."


Bo didn't seem to hear him though, he just kept trying to move away from a danger only he could sense. "Please just leave me be. Rosco! Where are you Rosco? Help me, please somebody help me," Bo called into the darkness, more terrified than he had ever been before.


With tears in his eyes, Rosco slowly moved toward his lover, hoping he could break through his obvious fear. "Bo, it's me sweetheart. I'm here, please let me help ya."


"Rosco? Are ya really here?"


"Thank God," Rosco whispered. "Yeah Bo, it's me."


"Rosco? Where are ya?"


"I'm right here, don't ya see me?"


"Can't see ya, 's dark," Bo replied.


"Dang it, of course it is," Rosco said as he realized that the flashlight was pointed away from them. Reaching for the light, he picked it up and shined it towards his own face. "There, ya see I'm here, you're safe now."


"Dark, too dark," Bo mumbled, still not fully aware of what was happening.


"No," Rosco whispered as the terrible truth hit him like a ton of bricks. "Bo, sweetheart can ya see me at all?"


"Uh-uh, can't see anything, too dark. Help me, don't wanna be blind, please help me," Bo begged, the earlier fear returning in force.


"Shhh, calm down Bo," Rosco soothed, swallowing his own fears as he gathered Bo into his arms and began to gently sway. "I'm here sweetheart, I'll get ya through this," Rosco spoke softly, sighing in relief when Bo relaxed into his embrace.


"Rosco, let me see to him now," Amos said as he came up to the two of them.


"Hold on a minute doc," Rosco said, looking up at the other man. Turning back to his lover, he gently brushed his fingers down Bo's cheek. "Bo? Doc's here, he needs to check ya out, okay?"


"Doc?"


"Yeah, I'm gonna lay ya down now so the doc can take care of ya," Rosco said, matching actions to words.


"No! Don't leave me," Bo cried out, wrapping his hand into Rosco's shirt and refusing to let go.


"Bo ya got to let go now, the doctor needs to see how badly hurt ya are," Rosco said, trying to pry the fingers from his shirt. Finally succeeding in laying Bo back on the ground, he slowly climbed to his feet, feeling as though he were abandoning the other man.

"No! Rosco please, 'm scared, don't leave me. Rosco, where are ya?" Bo called, turning his head from side to side, desperately searching for his lover.


"Doc," Rosco said, grabbing the other man's arm. "I don't know what happened, but he...he can't see," Rosco managed to get out.


"Thank you for telling me Rosco. Don't worry, I'll make sure he knows I'm there before I do anything," the doctor assured him.


"Rosco, what's going on?" Jesse asked when the sheriff finally joined them, leaving the doctor to treat Bo's injuries.


"He's blind," Rosco blurted out, his fear and weariness making him blunt.


"Blind?" Jesse asked in disbelief.


"Rosco, could you help me please?" the doctor asked, interrupting them.


"What is it doc?" Rosco asked, hurrying to help in any way he could.


"I need you to keep him calm so I can check his injuries."


"Of course," Rosco agreed. Kneeling down near Bo's head, he began to speak softly to the younger man, all the while running soothing fingers through his thick hair. "It's okay Bo, it's just Doc Appleby."


"Doc?"


"Yeah, he needs to check ya out, okay?"


"Okay," Bo sleepily agreed.


"Keep him awake Rosco," the doctor tersley instructed.


"Bo?"


"Hmmm?"


"Why'd ya come so deep into the cave?" he asked the first thing that came to mind.


"Water," came the tired reply.


"Water? What made ya think there's water down here?"


"Could hear it, can't ya hear it cowboy? Thirsty, needed water," Bo explained.


Looking at the doctor with concern in his blue eyes, Rosco was at a loss to explain Bo's words.


"He's lost blood Rosco and he's dehydrated, he needs water, so he hears water," the doctor explained.


"You mean he's hallucinating?"


"Yeah, but don't you worry none, it's just from the blood loss and lack of water."


"Well I can fix some of that right now," Rosco said, unscrewing the cap from the canteen he carried.


"Rosco stop!" Dr. Appleby quickly called out.


"What? Why?"


"Ya can't be giving him a drink until I'm sure there are no internal injuries. I know it's hard Rosco but he can't have anything by mouth until we get him to the hospital and run some tests."


"Oh, I didn't know," Rosco said, horrified that he could've caused his lover more pain by trying to help.


"No harm done," the doctor assured him. "Luke, go see if they've got back with a stretcher? If they have, bring it on down here, I don't want him trying to walk right now."


"Sure thing doc," Luke replied.


"Hang on sweetheart, ya hear me? We're gonna get ya to the hospital and you're gonna be just fine," Rosco assured his lover, praying that it was the truth.


TBC


Hope y'all liked this chapter. Please review and tell me what ya think.