Misunderstanding

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


Warnings: Angst, Violence


Rating: FRM


* indicates thoughts


Misunderstanding
Chapter 4


"Uncle Jesse I'm getting worried about Bo," Luke told his uncle an hour after Rosco left.


"I got to admit, so am I. I guess maybe you ought to go look for him." Jesse gave the answer he knew Luke was hoping for.


"I'll holler at ya as soon as I find him," Luke said, climbing into Daisy's jeep and starting the motor. Before he could put it in gear though, he heard the sound of a pick-up coming up the drive. Turning off the jeep, Luke jumped out and grabbed a nearby piece of wood in case it was the men from earlier. Sighing in relief when he saw that it was Cooter's tow truck, he dropped the piece of wood on the ground. The relief he felt was short-lived as he noticed what the truck was currently towing. Hurrying to the truck as Bo and L.B. climbed from the cab, the first thing Luke did was grab Bo's arm, turning his cousin towards him.


"Bo are you okay? What happened?"


"I'm fine, just hit my head is all," Bo started to explain. Wincing in pain, he stopped speaking when Jesse started yelling.


"Fine? You hit your head and ya already got a concussion, how can ya think you're fine?"


"Uncle Jesse please, just calm down would ya?" Bo asked, very nearly whining due to the pain in his head.


"I'll calm down when you stop taking foolish chances! Out driving around when ya already got hurt, and now ya wrecked the General and hurt yourself some more."


"I didn't wreck the General cause I was hurt, some fellas shot the tire out and I lost con..."


"Shot the tire out? Who? Did ya get a look at 'em?" Luke interrrupted.


"I couldn't tell who they were, but they were driving a dark colored pick-up," Bo replied.


"Damn, that's probably the same ones that threw the rock then. I should've gone after them," Luke berated himself, forgetting that it had been Jesse who stopped him.


"That's what I figured, but it ain't your fault Luke. Even if you'd gone after them, doesn't mean ya'd a caught them. Far as that goes, what could ya have done against a group like that, especially when they got a gun?" Bo said, smiling at the irony of him being the voice of reason.


"Guess I better go call Rosco again," Jesse muttered, speaking more to himself than anybody else. "Bo, I want you to come on inside and sit down until Rosco gets here," Jesse ordered, before walking inside.


"Uncle Jesse do you have to call Rosco?"


"Yes Bo, now come on inside, Luke and L.B. can take care of the General."


"Alright, thanks L.B. I appreciate the lift and the talk," Bo said, turning towards the house and following his uncle.

"I want to thank ya too L.B.," Luke said, as he stood watching Bo go inside the house.


"Sure thing Luke, it wasn't no trouble. I'm just glad I was there," L.B. replied.


"How did he seem when you found him?"


"Well after I woke him up, he got out of the General on his own, but he was a little dizzy."


"You mean he was knocked out when ya found him?"


"Yeah, but he woke right up and after he got out I had him sit down for a bit. He seemed okay after we talked, leastways I didn't notice anymore dizzy spells."


"Did he tell ya what happened?"


"You mean the rock through the window, or what happened in Cedar City?"


"Either, both," Luke replied, as they walked around the General examining the damage as they talked.


"Yeah he told me about both. I'd like to kick that Bobby Jensen's butt for spreading rumors like he is. I don't know what that boy's problem is but there ain't no call for stuff like that."


"I agree with ya there L.B., as for Bobby's problem, he's always been jealous of Bo so I guess that's the reason."


"You know I been wonderin' something Luke."


"What's that?"


"Well, if Bobby was where he could see that Bo was, uh, doing what he says, wouldn't he have been able to see the gun?"


"I can't believe I didn't think of that! Of course he would've, he must've seen the gun, but of course that wouldn't cause trouble so he left that out. That jerk, that little bast...he saw that man force Bo to do that, and he stood by watching. I'm gonna kick his..."


"Now hold on a minute Luke," L.B. interrupted, grabbing Luke's arm and stopping him in his tracks. "Ya don't know that he saw the gun, and if you beat him up he'll just have you arrested. How you gonna protect Bo then?"


"So what am I supposed to do L.B.? Do I just let him get away with what he's doing?"


"For now, yes. Look Luke, I understand how mad ya are, but beating Bobby Jensen up ain't gonna fix anything."


"You're right L.B., I don't know what's wrong with me. Usually it's Bo that's flying off the handle and ready to solve the problem with his fists."


"Ain't nothing wrong with ya Luke, you're just frustrated cause ya weren't there to protect Bo last night," L.B. replied.


"Yeah you're right about that," Luke said, trying to hide the surprise he felt.


"Well there's a first time for everything," L.B. replied good-naturedly.


They stopped talking as Rosco pulled into the drive, for the second time that day. Parking his car behind Jesse's pick-up, the sheriff climbed from behind the wheel and headed towards the two young men. "Luke, L.B., what's happened now?"


"Those guys in the pick-up went after Bo again," Luke replied. "They shot his tire out and he wrecked the General, hit his head too. Luckily L.B. came along and was able to bring him home."


"Did you see anything L.B.?"


"Nah, by the time I came along, the only one there was Bo," L.B. replied.


"Where exactly did this happen?" Rosco asked.


"At the beginning of Ridgerunner Road, from the marks in the dirt looks like he lost control as he started to turn. He went down an incline and hit a tree, when I found him, Bo was knocked out, but he came right to when I called his name."


"Alright L.B. that's a help. Did you notice any other tire tracks, or anything that stood out?"


"Well there were other tracks, but I was worried about Bo so I didn't pay real close attention to them," L.B. reluctantly admitted.


"Okay, I suppose Bo's inside?" Rosco asked Luke.


"Yeah, Uncle Jesse wanted him to sit down and rest while we were waiting for you. Rosco before you go in there I need to tell ya something. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself, but L.B. was wondering if Bobby saw what Bo was doing in that alley, why didn't he see the gun?"


"You think maybe he saw the gun and didn't try to help, just decided to spread rumors instead?" Rosco asked, quickly grasping the idea and proving he could be a good sheriff when he had to.


"Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking. Ain't there some law Rosco about seeing a crime like that and not trying to help, even if all ya do is call the police?"


"I don't think there is Luke, though there probably should be. I'll check into it if it'll make ya feel better," Rosco offered.


"I'd appreciate that Rosco," Luke sincerely replied.


"Well I better go inside now, see what Bo can tell me," Rosco said. Feeling a little flustered, Rosco turned away from them and headed towards the back door.





"Rosco just pulled up, how you feeling Bo?" Jesse asked, stepping into the living room to check on his youngest.


"I'm fine Uncle Jesse, wish y'all would stop worrying," Bo replied.


"Well now Bo, we're your family we can't help worrying about ya when you're hurt. Just like you'd worry about anyone of us if it was one of us in trouble."


"Yeah I know, guess I just don't really feel like I deserve it," Bo softly said.


"Why wouldn't ya think ya deserve us worrying over ya"?" Jesse asked, moving to the couch and sitting down beside his nephew.


"I don't know if I can explain it Uncle Jesse. I keep thinking about what happened last night..."


"What about it?" Jesse asked, when Bo stopped talking and looked away from him.


"I don't know! I know it was five to one and then when that guy came back he had a gun, but I keep thinking I should've been able to stop it. Luke never would've let that happen to him, neither would you," Bo finally replied.


"Now Bo that's just not so. No, you just listen," Jesse interrupted, when he saw Bo about to argue. "Luke has combat training from the Marines, so maybe they would've had a harder time with him, but they still would've won. No man, no matter how skilled he is, nor how strong can go up against five men with nothing but his fists and win. As for me, even in my prime I couldn't have won against five men either and now I sure wouldn't have a chance."


"Maybe that's true, but what about when that one man came back? Ain't no way you or Luke would've done what he said, no matter what he threatened to do."


"Is that what you think? Aw Bo, I wish there was some way I could make ya see that ya really didn't have any choice. I do know that I would've done what he said and I bet Luke would've too. Bo, he had a gun pointed at your head, there wasn't anything you could've done."


"I could've tried to get the gun away from him, that's what you or Luke would've done. I didn't though cause I'm too much of a coward, that's why I don't deserve your concern," Bo explained. "I could've at least tried to knock the gun..."


"You'd be dead if you had," Rosco spoke from the kitchen, startling them both.


"You don't know that Rosco," Bo protested.


"Yeah Bo I do," Rosco replied, moving into the living room. "Bo," Rosco quietly spoke as he sat down in Jesse's rocker and faced the couch. "After I left here, I went back to my office and called the police in Cedar City. I can't file a report for you, but I told them what happened to you last night cause I was wondering if maybe it might've happened before. They told me there's been a couple of incidents near that bar that happened just like the attack on you. There was also one man they found dead, now they don't know for sure that he was attacked by the same men. However he was beaten real bad and he was shot in the head at point blank range, they figure it was the same group."


"But..."


"There ain't no arguments Bo, if ya'd fought back with a gun to your head it wouldn't prove ya was brave, just stupid! Now what do you figure your family would rather deal with, this and you alive or being told ya was found dead in an alley near a gay bar?" Rosco asked.


"Rosco's right sprout, ya know he is," Jesse softly said, reinforcing Rosco's argument.


"I guess so," Bo replied, willing to at least consider what Rosco and his uncle were saying. "I suppose ya want to know about what happened when I was in the General?"


"Yeah I do need to know about that. Can ya tell me what happened?"


"I was just out driving, trying to clear my head. I didn't even know they were there until they hit the back bumper. I hit the gas, figured I could outrun them since they were just in an old pick-up. It would've worked too, but they started shooting at me and just as I went to turn onto Ridgerunner Road, they hit the tire. When that tire blew, I tried to keep control of the General, but I just couldn't and next thing I know there's a tree right in front of me. That's the last thing I remember until L.B. was calling my name and waking me up."


"What color was the truck?"


"Dark blue, and it was an older truck," Bo replied. "I couldn't really see who was in it, but it looked like there was several guys. I figure it was probably the same ones that threw that rock earlier," Bo explained.


"Probably right about that, well we'll keep an eye out for the truck. Thank you for the help Bo, and I hope you'll keep in mind what I told ya." Rosco said, standing up and moving towards the back door. Stopping with his hand on the doorknob, he turned back around. "Bo, I know it'd be hard, but I hope you'll file a report with the police in Cedar City. The more information they have, the better the chances they'll catch these guys," Rosco told him, before opening the door and walking outside.


"You want something to eat?" Jesse offered, patting his nephew on the knee as he stood up. He had thought about trying to talk some more to the boy, but he sensed that Bo needed a break from his problems.


"Nah, think I'll go lie down for a little while," Bo replied. Pushing himself to his feet, he headed for the room he shared with Luke. Walking inside the room, he shut the door behind him. Turning in surprise when the door popped back open, he saw Daisy standing in the doorway.


"Bo, can I talk to you for a minute?"


"Yeah, I guess so," Bo cautiously replied, motioning her to come in.


Stepping into the room, Daisy walked to Luke's bed and sat down. Waiting for Bo to sit down on his own bed, she nervously picked at the blanket edge. "Bo, I heard what Rosco said to you. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was coming out of my room and heard him when he was leaving. I know you're probably tired of talking about this right now, but I had a question I want you to think about."


"You're right I am tired of it, but everybody else has weighed in: so what's your question?" Bo asked, trying not to sound irritated.


"If I had been raped, what would you tell me to do?"


"That's different Daisy, besides I wasn't raped," Bo protested.


"Yeah honey you were," Daisy gently told him. "What that man forced you to do is a type of sex, that makes it rape. Bo I'm not saying this to upset you, I just want you to think about what I asked."


"I don't need to think about it Daisy, I'd tell you to report it. It's different for me though, I'm a guy and this kind of stuff doesn't happen to men," Bo said, refusing to look at her.

"Except it did happen to you Bo, and if you don't report it, they get away with it. Bo, I know how you are, how guilty will you feel if they hurt somebody else and you could've stopped it?"



"Daisy even if I report it, I can't really identify them so they could still hurt somebody else," Bo told her.


"Well then I guess you shouldn't even try," Daisy replied. Standing up, she moved towards the door leaving Bo alone with his thoughts.




"Daisy, how's Bo doing?" Jesse asked when he saw her coming out of the boys' bedroom.


"I'm not sure, I just hope he'll listen to what I said," Daisy replied. "I was trying to convince him to report what happened," Daisy explained when she saw the question in her uncle's eyes.


"Well you've tried, that's all ya can do sweetheart. Come on out in the kitchen with me, you can keep me company while I cook supper," Jesse suggested.


"Okay," Daisy softly replied, as she moved towards the kitchen with her uncle, she couldn't help looking back at Bo's door, with a sad look on her face.




Laying down, Bo closed his eyes, trying to block out Daisy's words. It wouldn't work though, the harder he tried to block her words, the louder they repeated in his mind. *Is she right? Will it be my fault if they hurt somebody else? But I can't tell the police anything, I didn't even see their faces clearly.* Bo thought to himself, as the events from last night replayed in his mind, Daisy's words echoing in the background. *One of them had brown hair and and I think I saw a brown t-shirt, it's useless! I can't even identify the guy who came back. All I can tell them is that he had a green shirt, and he was a big guy, damn it how am I gonna report anything? But if I don't...no Daisy's wrong! It won't be my fault if they hurt somebody else, it can't be.* With an incoherent yell, Bo pushed himself from the bed, grabbed some clean clothes and rushed into the bathroom. Turning the shower to the hottest setting he could stand, Bo quickly stripped and climbed into the scalding stream of water. Standing beneath the water, he scrubbed his skin as roughly as he could, desperately trying to get clean.


TBC


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