If I Had Only Known

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


Warnings: Slash, Angst


Rating: FRT


If I Had Only Known
Chapter 7


David stepped back into Bo's room a few minutes after his family left. As quietly as possible he walked over to the bed, smiling when he saw his lover's eyes were open. "Hey," he softly greeted, cupping his lover's cheek in his hand, "you okay?"


"Am now that you're here," Bo quietly answered.


"They mad at you?"


"Ain't happy," Bo sadly confirmed.


"I'm sorry Bo."


"Not your fault."


"I know, but I'm still sorry they're acting this way," he said, brushing the hair back from Bo's face.


"Okay," Bo softly says, still groggy from the surgery.


"You need to rest, we can talk later."


"Can talk," Bo sleepily argues.


"It's okay beautiful, you sleep for now," David quietly said, his voice filled with love.


"You be here?"


"I'll stay as long as they let me."


Nodding his acknowledgement, Bo gives up the fight and lets his eyes slide shut.


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"What are we gonna do Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked as they left the hospital.


"I don't know son, we'll think of something," Jesse replied, patting him on the back.


They walked the rest of the way to the parking lot in silence. Climbing into the cab of his truck, Jesse glanced at Daisy in the seat next to him. "You okay Daisy?"


"Yes sir," came the quiet reply.


Though he wasn't convinced, Jesse decided to drop it for now as he pulled from the parking lot and followed the General home.


Daisy had never been so relieved to see a drive come to an end. All the way home she hadn't been able to get Bo's face out of her mind. She couldn't believe the way Uncle Jesse was acting, he'd always been the most tolerant man she knew. Daisy prayed that she'd been right when she told Bo that they'd come around, hoped that her family wouldn't be destroyed by this.


"Uncle Jesse I was thinking about calling Coop again," Luke said as they walked into the house.


"Ain't no point in that Luke, he's already checked into the man," Jesse said.


"I know he did, but he didn't check into his relationships, wasn't any reason to."


"What are you thinking Luke?"


"I'm just wondering why some rich artist from the big city would even be interested in Bo."


"You think he's just using your cousin?"


"I don't know, but I'm thinking if he is, it's probably not the first time."


"What I don't understand is why Bo would go along with this, he ain't never been interested in men before," Jesse said.


"I don't know, maybe Sorenson's been giving him something to make him easier to influence."


"Ya think he drugged Bo?"


"Makes more sense then Bo, who's always been girl crazy, suddenly falling in love with a man."


"I'm going to call the hospital and ask that doctor to run some tests," Jesse said.


"That's probably a good idea Uncle Jesse and I'm going over to his house, gonna see if I can find anything."


"Y'all are amazing," Daisy snapped. "Bo's been going over there a lot since David moved in, you ever seen anything to make you think he was being drugged?"


"Ain't been looking for anything like that," Luke replied.


"Maybe not, but don't you think that something like what you're talking about would be noticeable?"


"You might have a point Daisy, but we owe it to Bo to be sure," Jesse said. Picking up the phone he called the hospital and asked to speak to Dr. Branson.


When Jesse picked up the phone, Luke went outside, planning to go to David's while the place was empty.


"Luke wait," Daisy called, running out of the house after him.


"For what?" Luke asked, turning to face her.


"What are you going to do?"


"I'm gonna go to his house and see if I can find anything."


"What if you don't?"


"Then I'll have Coop check into him, I ain't gonna let him hurt Bo," Luke vowed.


"Are you listening to yourself?"


"What's wrong with you Daisy? Don't you want me to protect Bo?"


"Protect him from what? From being in love?"


"You don't really think he's in love with that...that...with him?"


"Why not?"


"He ain't never been interested in men before," Luke pointed out.


"That doesn't mean he couldn't be, and besides how do you know he hasn't?"


"I'd know Daisy," Luke insisted.


"You didn't know about him and David until Bo got hurt," Daisy calmly reminded him. "For all you know Bo's been interested in men lots of times."


"Doesn't matter," Luke said, pulling himself up onto the door of the General.


"Of course it matters Luke!"


"No," Luke said, shaking his head. "Even if what you say is true Daisy, it doesn't change the fact that this guy is a rich artist and he ain't likely to be interested in Bo. At least not as anything more than somebody to play with," he added.


"So what you're saying is that Bo isn't good enough for David?"


"No way!" Luke nearly yelled. "More like David ain't good enough for Bo, but that don't mean David sees it that way."


"What are you going to do when you find out you're wrong?"


"If I find out I'm wrong," he said, emphasizing the word if, " I don't know," Luke admitted.


"There's one other thing you might want to think about Luke."


"What?" he asked, impatient to be on his way.


"How's Bo going to feel when he finds out that you don't trust his judgement?" Without waiting for an answer, Daisy turned on her heel and hurried back into the house.


Luke watched her go, her last question ringing in his ears as he sat there wondering if he she was right. Deciding that he owed it to Bo to look out for him, he ignored the doubts Daisy's words had caused and pulled out of the yard, heading to David's house.


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Blinking open his eyes, Bo lay there for several minutes trying to figure out where he was. With a gasp he sat up, grabbing his side and crying out, he quickly fell back against the bed.


"Bo!" Pulled from a restless sleep by his lover's cry of pain, David jumped from his chair and went to Bo's side. "What is it? Should I call the nurse?"


"Hurts," Bo replied through clenched teeth.


Grabbing the call button, David pressed it and told the nurse what was happening. After being told that she would be in soon, he laid the call button down and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. "She'll bring you something for the pain soon, is there anything else I can do for you?"


"You okay?"


"I'm fine Bo, I swear."


"Been here all night?"


"Yeah," David softly replied.


"Didn't have to."


"Maybe not, but I wanted to," David assured him. "I'm so sorry you got hurt Bo, I should've thought about something like this happening..."


"No, not your fault," Bo interrupted. "I'm just glad they didn't hurt you too," he told him, moaning lightly in pain.


"I'm going to see what's taking that nurse so long," David said as he stood up.


"It's okay," Bo said, taking his hand. "I can wait," he whispered.


"You shouldn't have to," David insisted.


"She's got other," Bo stopped for a moment as a wave of pain washed over him, "people to see to."


"Two more minutes and then I'm going to find her."


"Okay."


Luckily for the nurse she came into the room a few seconds later and quickly gave Bo something for the pain. "I'm sorry it took me so long honey," she told him as she worked, taking his vitals after giving him the pain medicine.


"It's alright, know I'm not your only patient."


"Thank you for understanding, the doctor will be in after breakfast to check you over."


"When do you think I'll be able to go home?"


"That'll be up to the doctor, but I wouldn't be surprised if he lets you go home tomorrow."


"Thank you."


"You're welcome honey," she said.


"Feeling better?" David asked after the nurse left.


"Yeah," Bo softly answered.


"What's wrong beautiful?" David asked, sitting back down and gently caressing his lover's face.


"My family been back?"


"No, but I'm sure they'll be here today."


"Maybe Daisy will, she didn't seem bothered by us. I don't think Luke or Uncle Jesse will be here though," he sadly said.


"They wouldn't be mad at you if I left and ya told them that you'd been wrong about us."


"I ain't gonna do that," Bo hotly declared. "I love you David, I ain't gonna give you up to make them happy. I shouldn't have to do that."


"No you shouldn't, but I don't want you to lose your family because of me."


"If I lose my family it won't be your fault," Bo quickly assured him. "David if they decide they can't stand to be near me, that will be their choice, not your's or mine."


"I don't want you to end up hating me Bo, I'd rather lose you now than to have that happen."


"I could never hate you slick," Bo softly said, bringing his lover's hand to his lips and brushing a kiss over the knuckles.


"You will, I've seen it happen before with friends of mine. Someday you'll resent me and hate me for costing you the family you love."


"Maybe if you were standing there telling me to choose between ya's I would, but you're not doing that. If anybody's likely to ask me to do that, it'll be Luke and Uncle Jesse. So there ain't no reason for me to end up resenting you and there's nothing that could make me hate you."


"I know I should walk away for your sake, but I can't do it," David softly said. "I love you too much to let you go, I don't want to imagine my life without you in it." Leaning down he gently kissed his younger lover, letting all the love he felt for him come through in the soft touch.


"Good, because I wouldn't want to go on without you," Bo told him when the kiss ended, his voice thick with emotion.


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"Uncle Jesse, what are you going to do if ya find out that Bo is doing exactly what he wants to?" Daisy asked as they ate breakfast.


"Even if Bo ain't been brainwashed or drugged, doesn't make what he's doing right."


"So what are you going to do?"


"What do you mean?"


"Are you going to throw Bo out?"


"I don't know," Jesse reluctantly admitted.


"So you've thought about it?"


"I don't approve of what he's doing, it's a sin, goes against the laws of God and nature."


"Haven't you always taught us that it's God place to judge, not ours?"


"God's told us through the bible that what Bo is doing is a sin, I can't just let him do something that will condemn his soul to hell."


"So if he doesn't love who you think he should you'll turn your back on him?"


"I never said that," Jesse protested.


"You're sure acting like it though, you and Luke both," Daisy said, looking between the two men.


"You think I should just let him do what he wants, even if it'll hurt him in the end?"


"I think he's a grown man and you should let him make his own decisions. I think that if he loves David, then you should accept that and let God decide if it's right or wrong."


"I can't do that, I won't do that," Jesse declared. Pushing away from the table, he stormed outside, angrier than he'd ever been. Stalking to the barn, he attached a lead rope to Maudine and led her from her stall. As he got the mule ready to go pull stumps from the fields, he spoke to the ornery beast, "I can't believe that girl! What's got into this family? Bo thinks he's in love with a man and Daisy seems to think that's perfectly okay. Can't she see that he's going to suffer for all eternity if he doesn't stop this sinful behavior? How can she expect me to just accept that and let God punish him later? I have to at least try to make him see that he's wrong. What am I going to do though if he insist on being with that man?" he asked himself miserably as he pulled Maudine from the barn and headed for the fields.


"What about you Luke? Are you going to turn your back on Bo if he doesn't stop loving David?" Daisy asked after Jesse left the house.


"You know I'd never turn my back on Bo," Luke said.


"But you think he's wrong too, don't you?"


"I don't think he knows what he's doing. I think that David is manipulating him somehow and I'm gonna find some way to prove it. Bo'll thank me in the long run," Luke confidently stated.


"What if David's not manipulating him? What if they honestly love each other?"


"That can't be real, Bo's not thinking straight," Luke insisted.


"I give up," Daisy said getting up from the table. "I'm going to see Bo as soon as I'm through cleaning up the kitchen, I ain't turning my back on him," she told him.


"I ain't turning my back on him Daisy, I'd never do that."


"You'll come with me then?"


"No, don't look at me like that Daisy, I just don't want to chance seeing Sorenson. Besides I got something else to do this morning."


"Oh that's right, you have to call Coop and ask him to dig into David's private life," she sneered.


"I ain't doing that just to be nosy, I'm trying to look out for Bo," Luke explained. "But that ain't what I was talking about," he added. "I'm planning to go see Cooter and Brody, I want them to back me up when I go after Ernie Ledbetter for what he did to Bo."


"I'm surprised you're bothering."


"What's that supposed to mean?"


"Well you seem to agree with Ernie."


"What?" Luke yelled. "Just cause I don't think Bo knows what he's doing doesn't mean I think he should be beaten for it."


"Not physically anyway," she mumbled as she cleared the table.


"What does that mean?"


"You and Uncle Jesse are hurting him worse than Ernie ever thought about."


"We ain't trying to hurt him Daisy, everything we're doing is for Bo. Oh forget it, I'm going to Cooter's," Luke said, stalking out and jumping into the General.


Looking out the door, Daisy sadly watched him drive away. Sighing heavily, she turned back to the kitchen, praying that God would look over them all.


TBC


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