Ransom

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


Warnings: Angst, Slash, Established Couple, Violence


Rating: FRM


* indicates thoughts


Ransom
Chapter 5


Bo stumbled along, wincing at every step he was forced to take on his twisted ankle. The fresh air hit him in the face, alerting him to the fact they were moving outside the hospital. Behind them, he could hear the voices of his cousins and lover as they discovered the empty wheelchair and discarded i.v.. He opened his mouth to call to them, only to snap it shut a second later as he felt a gun barrel pressed into his ribs.


"Not a word blondie, or you'll be missing a few people from your life," Leroy quietly growled the warning. "Come on," he ordered, jerking Bo away from the door and heading for his waiting car.


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"Rosco, did you see any sign of him?" Luke asked, as they met up in the basement.


"No, did you?"


"Not yet..."


"Hey y'all, over here," Daisy called to them.


"What is it Daisy?" Luke called as he hurried towards his cousin. Coming around the corner into a hidden alcove, he felt his blood run cold at the sight of the empty wheelchair, the nearly empty i.v. bag, still hanging from the pole.


"Luke, what's wrong?" Rosco asked when the oldest Duke cousin stopped in front of him, blocking his way.


Without a word, Luke stepped further into the alcove, allowing Rosco to see the area clearly.


"Well what are y'all standing around here staring for?"


"Huh?" Daisy and Luke both asked, still staring at the empty wheelchair.


"He can't be too far ahead of us, and with Bo's bad ankle he'll be slowed down, so let's find the exit," Rosco explained. He didn't bother to wait to see if they would follow, confident that now that he'd pointed it out both cousins would be hot on his trail.


Daisy and Luke were both surprised that they hadn't thought of it themselves and they quickly followed after the sheriff. "What are ya waiting for Rosco?" Luke asked, coming up to the exit, only to find the older man standing there.


"I want you two to stay back for a minute, don't argue with me, just give me a chance to make sure it's clear," Rosco ordered. Carefully pushing open the door, Rosco peeked around it, wondering if there would be a bullet waiting for him. Seeing nobody around, he stepped outside and motioned for the Dukes to follow him. Looking around, he desperately tried to find something to indicate which way they had gone.


"There he is!" Luke called, pointing towards a green sedan that his cousin was being forced into. Breaking into a run, he raced towards the car, praying that he would get there in time.




"Don't fight me blondie," Leroy ordered as he forced Bo into the trunk of the car.


Bo wanted to fight, afraid that if he let this man take him away from the hospital he wouldn't live through whatever was to come, but he couldn't. He didn't dare to fight back, not when he couldn't see and had no idea if there was anybody else nearby, or if this man might have a partner to back him up. So without a struggle, he allowed the larger man to force him into what felt like the trunk of a car.




Rosco raced to catch up with Luke before he could ruin his quickly forming plan. Catching up to the younger man, he pulled him to a halt.


"Rosco, what are you doing?" Luke demanded, struggling to break the sheriff's hold.


"Just wait a minute Luke and you'll see." Rosco watched as the mountain of a man forced his lover into the trunk, waiting for his moment of opportunity. The second the trunk slammed shut, he moved. Letting go of Luke's arm, he pulled his gun, "Freeze it right there mister!"


Leroy turned towards the sound of the shout, bringing his own gun up and into a firing position. Sighting down the barrel, he prepared to pull the trigger as he aimed it towards Luke, knowing that the sheriff would have to stop and tend to a wounded civilian. Before he could tighten his finger, he felt something slam into his chest, knocking him backwards into the rear of the car.


"Drop the gun!" Rosco ordered, moving closer to the car that held his lover.


Recovering slightly, Leroy ignored the shouted order and again brought his gun up. Another bullet slammed into him, and he fell heavily to the ground. Realizing that he was probably dying and angry that his plans had been ruined by a hick sheriff, Leroy decided on revenge. With a triumphant sneer, he used the last of his strength to fire into the gas tank of the sedan.


"Nooooooooo!" three voices screamed as they saw what the kidnapper intended. Cringing away from the car, they threw up their arms in an attempt to protect their heads from the expected explosion. It took a few seconds for realization to set in. For a moment, three people stared at the still intact sedan and then as though a spell had been broken, they broke out in a run towards the car that held Bo Duke.


Rosco reached the car a second before the Dukes, grabbing the keys from where they had fallen next to the kidnapper, he opened the trunk.


Bo lay in the trunk, trying not to shake as he heard the lid slam shut, trapping him. The welcome sound of his lover's voice brought a relieved smile to his face. "Rosco!" he cried out when the shot came, terrified that the older man had been shot. "Thank you God," he gasped the moment he heard his lover telling the other man to drop his gun. Realizing that it must've been Rosco's gun he'd heard, he began to relax. He jumped in response to the second shot, his heart again raced with fear for the man he loved. As he lay in the trunk, he heard another shot and the sound of metal tearing through metal.


"Bo!" Rosco called his lover's name as he threw the trunk lid upward. "Bo?" he whispered, paling at the sight of blood spreading rapidly across his lover's shirt, he reached to check for a pulse.


"Rosco?" Luke asked, having seen the same thing as the sheriff.


"He's alive, get help!" Rosco ordered.


Without a word, Luke turned and raced for the nearby hospital. Running into the emergency room, he hurried to the nurse's desk. "Please," he gasped, "We need help, my cousin's been shot!"


"Where is he sir?"


"Parking lot...across the street," Luke answered, turning to point. A hand on his outstretched arm and he quickly raised his fist against the new threat.


"Whoa, hold it son," Jesse said, taking a step back and holding his hands up to show he was no threat.


"Uncle Jesse?" he asked as recognition set in.


"What's happened Luke?"


"We found Bo, got him away from the guy that took him, but he got shot," he quickly explained.


"Shot? How bad?"


"I don't know Uncle Jesse," came the pained reply. "Rosco said he's alive, but the front of his shirt was covered with blood."


"Where is he?"


"Parking lo...no here they come now," Luke corrected as he saw a gurney bearing his cousin towards help, followed closely by Daisy. "How is he?" he asked as he stepped up to Bo's side, stopping the gurney.


"We can't say yet sir, but we need to get him in the back," an orderly replied.


"Oh, yeah," Luke said, letting go of the gurney and backing away.


"Come on son, let's go sit down," Jesse suggested, realizing they were in for what might be a long wait.


"Wait, Daisy where's Rosco?" Luke asked, turning towards his cousin.


"He had to stay and talk to the police."


Taking his nephew's arm, Jesse guided him to some nearby chairs. Gently pushing him into the seat, he sat down on one side of him. "What happened out there?"


"We found Bo's wheelchair in the basement, and the I.V. bag, Rosco headed outside, me and Daisy followed him. When we got out there, we didn't see any sign of him at first, then I saw him being forced into the trunk of a car. I started running, I didn't know if I would get there in time, but I had to try. Rosco stopped me though..."


"Stopped ya? Why in tarnation would he do that?"


"It was the right thing to do Uncle Jesse. I hadn't thought about it, but as soon as that guy shut the trunk, Rosco hollered at him to freeze. I guess he'd figured out that if he waited until the trunk was shut, Bo'd be a little bit safer."


"So how'd he get shot?"


"I'm getting to that," Luke replied, pausing to take a deep breath. "The guy tried to shoot Rosco and he fired back, hit the guy in the chest and knocked him into the car. I figured it was over then, but when the guy was told to drop his gun, he tried to shoot again. Rosco didn't have any choice, he fired again and this time the guy hit the ground. I don't know why he did it Uncle Jesse, maybe just revenge..."


"Did what?"


"He fired into the gas tank. I ain't sure how long we all stood there, before we realized that the car hadn't blown up. Then we ran to the car and Rosco opened the trunk, that's when we saw that Bo was bleeding."


"The bullet went through the gas tank and hit Bo?"


"Yes sir, that's what I figure happened," Luke confirmed.


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"Alright Coltrane, just what happened here?" Sheriff Ed Little demanded as he climbed out of his cruiser and headed towards the other man.


"I shot a man who was attempting to kidnap Bo Duke," Rosco curtly supplied.


"Kidnap? Why would anybody kidnap one of the Dukes?"


"Well I won't be sure until we do some checking, but he may have been working with a couple of hitmen."


"Hitmen? Now I don't like the Dukes but even I know..."


"Huh? Not Bo ya dipstick! Look yesterday, Lord was it only yesterday? Anyway, these two hitmen kidnapped Bo and said they'd give him back after I delivered a prisoner to them."


"What prisoner?"


"Well if ya'd stop interrupting, I'd tell ya," Rosco replied, getting exasperated.


"Go on then," Sheriff Little ordered.


"Fine! There's this man named Lewis Turner and he's being transferred to Virginia so he can testify against the man who hired these hitmen. They took Bo and said if I wanted to get him back I had to bring Turner to them when he comes through Hazzard. Well Bo managed to escape and we found their hideout, so they're setting in jail. Bo got hurt though and we had to bring him over here, that's when this man here tried to kidnap him. We caught up to him as he was putting Bo into the trunk of this car. I let him go ahead and put Bo into the car, so he wouldn't be able to put a gun to Bo's head. I told him to freeze and he pointed his gun at me, that's when I shot him the first time. After that I told him to drop the gun, and he aimed it at me again, so I shot him a second time. When he was laying on the ground, he fired into the gas tank; but instead of blowing the car up the bullet went through the tank and hit Bo."


"Okay, but why kidnap the Duke boy?"


"Cause he's the man I love," Rosco replied.


"What? You and Bo Duke? Now I know you're lying to me," Little insisted, unable to believe that one of the most notorious ladies men in three counties was having an affair with a man.


"You ask anybody in Hazzard, hell ask his family and they'll tell ya it's the truth. Now, I've told ya what happened, if you got anymore questions you can find me over at the hospital."


"Now you just hold on a minute Coltrane," Little said before he could leave. "There any witnesses to what happened?"


"Daisy and Luke Duke saw the whole thing."


"Anybody else?"


"Nah, I don't..."


"Actually sheriff I saw the whole thing," a middle-aged businessman said, stepping forward from the gathered crowd.


"You are?"


"Name's Bill Thompson, I was just getting out of my car when I heard the sheriff here holler at that man to freeze. This fellow on the ground didn't though, he just raised his gun and pointed towards the sheriff and the two people with him. That's when the sheriff shot him, then told him to drop his gun and he tried it again, so the sheriff shot him again."


"So you're sure it happened like that?"


"Yes sir, and I'll testify in court to that effect if need be," Thompson confirmed.


"Alright then, guess you're free to go Coltrane," Little told Rosco, clearly disappointed that he would have to release the other man.


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Bo was rushed into the exam room, where he was quickly assessed and x-rays were ordered. As orders were shouted, the staff of Tri-County moved with efficiency to care for their patient. A nurse rushed into the room, handing Dr. Appleby the x-rays. Holding the film up to the light, Amos Appleby didn't like what he was seeing. The bullet was lodged very close to Bo's left lung, close enough that he was concerned about it shifting during surgery and puncturing the lung. Knowing time was of the essence, Amos ordered Bo prepped for an operation, while he hurried to inform the boy's family.


"Amos, how is he?" Jesse asked, rushing towards his old friend.


"He's alive Jesse, but we are going to have to operate."


"How bad is it?" Rosco asked as he came into the room and approached them.


"Not as bad as it could be, but the bullet is lodged in a dangerous spot and so we're heading up to surgery now. I just wanted to come out and tell y'all what was happening first," Amos explained.


"Is he going to make it?" Luke asked.


"It's too soon to say..."


"Doctor, we're ready," a nurse called from the back.


"I'm sorry, I've got to go. You can wait in the surgery waiting area on the second floor if you like."


The four of them stood watching as the elderly doctor moved away from them. Silently four prayers were sent upward as four grief-stricken people numbly walked towards the elevator. Traveling to the second floor, not a word was spoken between them, each lost in their private thoughts and fears. Without conscious thought they put one foot in front of the other, stepping off the elevator. Following the signs, they walked down the hall to the surgical waiting area and settled in to wait for news.


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Inside the operating room, Amos assisted Dr. Phillips in removing the bullet from Bo's body and repairing the damage that had been done. Amos had called the younger doctor in to operate when he realized that given his closeness to the family it would be best if he only assisted. As he watched the younger man work, he was pleased with his choice, knowing that Bo was in capable hands. His relief when the bullet was removed, was short-lived: suddenly Dr. Phillips shouted for suction!


"Nurse I need suction, there's too much blood to see."


"What happened Tim?"


"We've got a bleeder somewhere Amos," came the terse reply. "Can you handle the clamps Amos?"


"Of course," came the quick reply as Amos began to move tissue aside, allowing the other doctor to see more clearly.


"Blood pressure's dropping, we're losing him doctor," came the warning only seconds before an alarm sounded.


"Don't do this to us Bo, keep fighting son," Amos encouraged as Dr. Phillips searched frantically for the bleeder.


TBC


Yes, I know I'm evil, and to prove it I've left y'all with an evil cliffhanger. ;) Hope you liked it, please review and feed the muse.