Friends or Lovers?

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


Warnings: Slash, Angst


Rating: FRM


* indicates thoughts


Friends or Lovers?
Chapter Seven


Worried about his lover Cooter hurried to his own truck and climbed behind the wheel, planning to go after him. Just as he was about to back out Rosco pulled in behind him, blocking his exit. Angrily jumping out of the truck, he ran back to the sheriff's patrol car, "Rosco what are ya doing?"


"What am I doing? What are you doing sending the county a bill for thirty-five dollars for repairs to Enos' patrol car?"


"That's what the charges are Rosco and who else am I supposed to send the bill to?"


"Well Boss sent me over here to tell you, the county ain't paying such an outrageous sum!"


"Is that right? Well guess I won't be fixing anymore patrol cars, will I? Now if that's all you're here for get this thing out of my way, I got things to do," Cooter demanded.


"You better not refuse to fix the patrol cars or I'll slap ya with a 605 or is that a 506, well whatever it is, you'll be sorry," Rosco warned.


"Okay Rosco, now would you get your car out of my way?"


Still grumbling about the bill and mumbling threats about issuing citations Rosco backed his car out of Cooter's way.


The moment the patrol car was out of his way, Cooter backed his truck out and took off after Bo and Jesse.


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Jesse followed along behind Bo, staying far enough back that his nephew hopefully wouldn't spot him, knowing if the boy sped up he'd lose him for sure. *I can't believe that boy, what's come over him? Thinking he's in love with Cooter, when he ain't never shown signs of liking men before now. And Cooter! The way he acted after Delbert kidnapped Bo, treating me like I was a threat to the boy, even after he knew about the drugs and the brainwashing, the nerve of that man! All that time he was helping Bo and what he was really doing was taking advantage of him, but how am I going to make Bo see that?*


Normally Bo would've been racing along the backroads, but that was in the General, not an untried loaner. Not knowing what the car could handle, he kept his speed at a reasonable level, which wasn't helping him to calm down at all. *How could Uncle Jesse suggest that Cooter was taking advantage of me? Doesn't he think I'm smart enough to know what I want? Or maybe he thinks I'm so weak that I'd let somebody use me. Cooter would never do that to me or anybody else and Jesse should know that, why would he ever think otherwise?* "Dang it, where'd he come from?" he asked aloud as he spotted Jesse in his mirror.


His response to seeing his uncle's truck was immediate and instinctive, stepping on the gas he sped up, hoping to leave the older man behind.


The moment Bo sped up, Jesse knew he'd been spotted and increased his own speed. Just barely able to keep the other car in sight, the Duke patriarch was glad his nephew wasn't in the General. "Shepherd to Lost Sheep," he called on the c.b..


Bo heard his uncle's voice coming over the c.b., but he ignored him, hoping he'd get the message. By the time the call was issued a third time, Bo gave up and grabbed the mic, "I ain't got nothing to say to you Uncle Jesse."


"Bo please, just pull over and talk to me, let me explain," Jesse plead.


"Nothing to explain, I know how ya feel and you know how I feel," Bo replied. "Don't seem like there's anything to talk about," tossing the mic aside, he ignored the continued calls from his uncle. Pushing the car a little harder, he headed up Cottonwood Lane, figuring he could lose his uncle on one of the many side roads. As he rounded a particularly sharp curve he heard a loud pop and suddenly the wheel was nearly wrenched from his hands. Forgetting all about his uncle, Bo desperately fought to keep control of the car! Within seconds he had lost the battle and the car began tumbling down the steep embankment, flipping several times before coming to rest against a tree at the bottom.


Jesse slammed on his brakes, watching in horror as Bo lost control of the car after the front driver's tire blew out. As time slowed to a crawl, he saw the car slide off the road, rolling down the embankment until a tree at the bottom stopped it's descent. Shakily climbing from his truck, he hurried to the edge of the road and looked down at the mangled car that held his youngest. Running back to his truck he picked up the c.b. mic, "This is Jesse Duke calling Tri-County Hospital, I need an ambulance out here on Cottowood Lane, about a mile past the Choctaw turn-off."


Cooter's blood ran cold when he heard the desperate call coming over the c.b., as soon as the hospital answered Jesse, he grabbed his own mic. "This is Cooter Davenport calling Jesse Duke, what happened?"


"Bo ran off the road Cooter, we're gonna need ya out here with your tow truck," Jesse quickly answered.


"I'll be there in five minutes," he called back. Stepping on the gas, he drove as quickly as possible to the scene of the accident, praying that the younger man wasn't badly hurt. Parking his wrecker behind Jesse's pick-up, he got out and approached the older man, "Where is he?"


"Down there," Jesse answered, pointing a shaking hand down the hill.


"Have ya been down there to check on him?"


"Not yet, I was just about to head down," Jesse replied.


"Well what were ya waiting on?" Cooter demanded angrily, taking a step towards the edge.


"Cooter wait," Jesse said, grabbing his arm. "It ain't safe to go down that way, there's a safer path over here."


"You think I care about my safety?"


"Well ya ain't gonna do Bo no good if ya get hurt, now are ya?"


Heaving a sigh, Cooter had to admit the older man had a point. "Alright, where's the path?"


Leading the way, Jesse took Cooter a few feet back the road to the path he'd found. Letting the younger man go first, he followed him to the car, dreading what they might find.


"Bo? Can ya hear me Bo?" Cooter called to his unmoving lover.


"Can ya reach him Cooter?"


"No," Cooter replied as he looked into the car. Thankfully the car was upright, but the drivers side had hit the tree and the passenger door was too mangled to get open. Leaning in as far as he could through the now much smaller window, he could almost touch his lover, where he lay against the steering wheel. "Stay here with him, I'll be right back," he instructed. Hurrying back up the hill, he arrived at the top just as the ambulance pulled up. "Harley over here," he called, pointing to the path he'd just come up. "I'm gonna get my truck into position so I can pull the car away from the tree. It looks like it'll be easier to get the driver's door open than to get the passenger side," he explained. Not waiting to hear Harley's response, Cooter ran to his tow truck and pulled it further up the road. Turning it sideways across the road, he back it to the edge and hurried to lower the hook. Letting the cable play out, he tossed the hook part way down the hill. Leaving it laying where it landed, he let more slack out on the cable, then using the cable for support he made his way down to the hooked end. Picking it up, he continued making his way down the embankment to the car. Attaching the hook, he grabbed onto the now tight cable and made his way back up the hill. Getting into the truck, he turned the wheel hard to the right and inched his way forward, carefully pulling the car away from the tree. After a short distance, he stopped the truck and went to the edge of the road, "That enough?"


"Yeah Cooter, that's good," Harley called up the hill.


Waving a hand to let Harley know he'd heard him, Cooter went back to his truck and backed it up a little. Walking back to the edge, he called down to Jesse, asking him to release the hook. Hauling the hook back up to the tow truck, he secured it and quickly moved his truck so it was out of the way. As quickly as he could, he made his way back down to the car, just as Harley and his partner were pulling Bo from the wreckage. "How bad is it?" he fearfully asked.


"I don't know Cooter, he's breathing okay that's a good sign," Harley replied.


"There's so much blood though and ya got that thing around his neck."


"It's a cervical collar and it's just a precaution," Harley explained as they secured Bo to a backboard. "He's got a head injury Cooter and they always bleed a lot, it may not be as serious as it looks," he assured the mechanic. "Y'all can follow us to the hospital," he told them as he picked up his end of the stretcher and led the way back up to the ambulance.


As the ambulance pulled away, Cooter turned to Jesse, "Ya want a ride?"


"No, I can drive."


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Luke had spent the morning trying to stay busy at the farm, wondering if he maybe he should go into town. He had known as soon as Jesse left the house that morning that he was going to look for Bo and he'd thought about following him. He hadn't though, because he'd known all along that it was only a matter of time before his uncle discovered where Bo was and who he was in love with. Knowing that Cooter would do all he could to protect Bo, Luke had made the decision to stay at the farm.


Inside the house, Daisy too was trying to stay busy, praying that her uncle wouldn't end up driving Bo away for good. "Duke farm, Daisy speaking," she answered the ringing phone.


"Daisy honey there's been an accident," Jesse told her as gently as possible.


"Bo?" she asked, gripping the phone tightly.


"A tire blew out on the car he was driving and he lost control."


"How bad is it Uncle Jesse?"


"I don't know baby, he was unconscious when they pulled him out of the car, that's all I know right now."


"Where is he?"


"Tri-County Emergency."


"We'll be there soon," Daisy quickly said. Hanging up the phone, she hurried outside to find Luke, "Luke!"


"What is it Daisy?" he asked, coming out of the barn at her frightened call.


Running up to him, she wrapped her arms around him, "Uncle Jesse just called, Bo's been in an accident."


"How bad?"


"I don't know, he said Bo was unconscious when they got him out of the car, but that's all he knows."


"Where is he?" Luke asked as he hurried to the General and slid inside.


"Tri-County," she replied as she slid into the passenger seat.


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"He'll be okay," Cooter said, trying to convince them both.


"I don't even know why you're here."


"Why shouldn't I be here?"


"Because this wouldn't even be happening if it wasn't for you," Jesse growled.


"How do you figure that?" Cooter demanded.


"You got him all confused, making him think he's in love with you. If you hadn't done that, he wouldn't have been out there to have that accident."


"And if you hadn't come to the garage and argued with him, he wouldn't have taken off like he did," Cooter pointed out.


Huffing out an angry breath, Jesse turned to the younger man, "I want you out of here."


"I ain't leaving Jesse," Cooter responded, crossing his arms over his chest.


"I can tell the nurse that ya ain't family and she'll make ya leave."


"It's a public building Jesse and I got as much right to be here as anybody else does."


"Uncle Jesse any word?" Luke asked as he and Daisy came hurrying up to them, interrupting the argument.


"Nothing yet," Jesse replied.


"Are you okay?"


"I'm fine, I wasn't in the car."


"What about you Cooter?"


"I wasn't there," Cooter answered.


Looking between them, Luke realized that his uncle knew who it was Bo was in love with, and he obviously hadn't taken it well. "What happened?"


"Tire blew out," Jesse replied.


"I know that much, but why wasn't he at the garage?"


"Ask your uncle," Cooter snarled.


"Uncle Jesse?"


"I found him at the garage and we were talking...he said something that made me mad and I slapped him."


"Uncle Jesse how could you?" Daisy cried out.


"He was blaspheming Daisy, I couldn't let him do that," he defended himself.


"What happened after that?" Luke asked through gritted teeth.


"He came in," Jesse replied, pointing at Cooter. "Watching the way he was with Bo, I realized that he was the man your cousin thinks he's in love with."


"I've seen them together Uncle Jesse, Bo don't think he's in love with Cooter, he is in love with him." Luke said.


"Only because Cooter has him confused, he obviously used what happened with Delbert Penny as an opportunity to take advantage of Bo."


"Did you say that to Bo?"


"Something like it," he admitted, "That's when he took off."


"Jesse took off after him, but before I could follow, Rosco pulled up and blocked me in. By the time he left and I could get on the road, they were both out of sight," Cooter told them, glancing towards the doors that hid his lover.


"I hung back, trying not to be spotted, but eventually your cousin saw me and he took off. He was going around a sharp curve on Cottonwood when a tire blew and he lost control."


"How bad was the wreck?"


"It was bad...he flipped several times going down the embankment, the car was stopped by a tree when it slammed into it on the driver's side," Jesse answered.


"Oh lord," Daisy gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and leaning against Luke for support.


"Shhh, it'll be alright Daisy, Bo's a fighter," Luke soothed.


"Luke's right Daisy, ya know Bo ain't gonna give up without a fight," Jesse added.


Cooter hadn't moved from the chair he was sitting in. Staring at the doors that led to the treatment areas, he gripped the arms of the chair tightly as he waited for somebody to tell them something.


Pulling away from her cousin, Daisy sat down beside Cooter and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Ya really love him, don't ya?" she quietly asked.


"More than anything," he softly replied.


Snorting derisively, Jesse stalked to the nurse's station to ask for news.


"Ignore him," Daisy said when she saw the angry look in the mechanic's eyes.


"You don't think I took advantage of Bo do ya?"


"Of course not," Daisy quickly answered. "You'd never do that to anybody, especially a friend," she said with conviction.


"Thank you Daisy."


"You're welcome sugar," she said, giving his shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Can I get ya anything?"


"Nah...wait a minute there might be something."


"What is it?"


"Jesse wants me to leave and, well I don't think he can, but if I have to leave would you make sure Bo knows I'll be back?"


"Of course I will Cooter, but I don't think that'll happen."


"I hope not," Cooter softly said.


"Any news Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked when the older man returned.


"No, she said somebody will be out to talk to us as soon as they know something," he replied.


"Guess we might as well sit down and wait," Luke said, taking a seat on the other side of Cooter.


Giving them all a disgusted look, Jesse sat down as far from them as he could get and still be close enough to see when the doctor came out. Settling in for what he hoped wouldn't be a long wait, he did his best to ignore the man who was destroying his family, succeeding where Delbert Penny had failed.


TBC


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