General Lee's Revenge

Chapter Two: The Big Change

Sunlight shone in through the hospital room window. An old, weathered man sat in a chair, staring out into it, trying to find peace. You could tell by the way he looked, that he was ailing. The man's name was Jesse Duke. Most people referred to him as Uncle Jesse because, in Hazzard County, Boss Hogg and Rosco Coltrane may have been the law but Jesse Duke was order. He was tradition. He had become the father figure of Bo, Luke, and Daisy Duke after they came to live with him at a young age, although he was still their uncle. They were family no matter what and greed had torn that family apart.

Lying in a hospital bed, in the middle of the room, was Luke. He'd survived Hollow Hill and a dangerous, incidental overdose that'd been an attempt to either kill him or wipe his memory. The drugs were unsuccessful in doing both. So, after hours of unconsciousness, the effects were wearing off, and Luke was starting to come out of it.

The first thing he noticed was the pain in his head. It was like his brain was trying to push his eyes out of his skull. He lifted a hand to his face and pressed his palm into his eye socket. He sat up, opening his eyes.

It was bright in the room. It came as a surprise to him not seeing the hayloft of the barn there. Then it hit him; he was free. He was in the hospital--with his family. He could go home. He turned to Jesse sitting in the chair, who was staring out the window absently. The man looked miserable. Luke remembered his injuries. He didn't want him to see him like this, but he had no choice.

"Uncle Jesse?" Luke said.

Jesse nearly jumped at the sound of Luke's voice. Seeing Luke sitting up and smiling, Jesse walked over and wrapped his arms around his nephew. He silently thanked the Lord, before backing away. A few tears began to roll down his face.

"What day is it?" Luke asked.

"April twenty-sixth, late afternoon," Jesse replied.

Luke looked at him in shock.

"You've been out since last night. It's been two weeks since you've seen home."

Luke thought for a moment. "Two weeks? Guess we really lost track of time, but I've been able to see home the whole time."

"What're you talkin' about?"

"On the barn roof, you can see the entire town of Hazzard and the farm."

Jesse smiled, then his expression changed. "I've, ah, got some good news, and I've got some bad news."

"Well, what's the good news?"

"The good news is, Hogg and Rosco's court hearin's tomorrow."

"And the bad news?"

"There's a federal investigator comin' to Hazzard. After Rosco got caught, the government doesn't trust Hazzard law with the Clayton and Russell investigation. They're gonna wanna know everythin'."

"Great, that's just what we need."

"There's also somethin' I shoulda mentioned a long time ago, but with you bein' at Hollow Hill and all, I figured I'd wait until you were home."

"What is it, Uncle Jesse?"

"After your third or fourth day of bein' gone, I started to get sick. I've been gettin' worse every day."

Luke was quiet, unsure of what to say and what to feel.

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It was the day after Boss Hogg's court hearing. He and Rosco had been found not guilty after promising to launch a manhunt for Clayton and Russell and to never be caught dead at a moonshine still. They agreed, of course, and returned to Hazzard, where everyone blamed them for what had happened at Hollow Hill. Boss Hogg was indirectly responsible, but that didn't make the inventor of boats responsible for the sinking of the Titanic, did it?