A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Reconstruction

A few days pass through the weekend Doug slowly begins to rebuild the barn following the plan he engineered in the office. Monday rolls around and school is back open so the kids are off to school again. Sasha and Ana wave off their kids as they all ride off in Katya's truck. Doug tips his hat to them and he starts working by him self. Sasha and Ana come up to him and Sasha says "let us help you at least." Doug says "alright." They help him through the day only stopping for lunch and drinks in-between. The kids are late coming back from school so Ana stops and calls Caroline. When she comes back Ana shakes her head "Michael fought at school today." Doug asks "did he win?" Ana says "seriously?!" Doug says "yes I'm serious! Alex would have asked the same exact question." Ana says "I don't know I didn't ask." Doug sighs and Sasha shakes her head but adds "for him to have fought they deserved it because normally he's a good kid." Doug says "he also has one hell of a temper he's yet to learn to control." Doug smirks "acting like his Mama staying mad half the time." Ana says "hey!" Doug says "and there it is!" Ana flips him off making him laugh and the kids in Katya's truck. Doug laughs even harder when he sees the truck. Ana's face turns red when she sees Caroline grinning from ear to ear. Caroline gets out "Yay Mom!" Ana sighs "please don't." Michael tries to avoid the adults but Ana says "Michael! Come here!" He walks over and she asks "how was school today?" He looks up revealing a black eye "why ask? You already know how it was." Ana folds her arms "what's gotten into you?" Michael says "A guy grabbed Caroline's butt so I turned around and slammed him against the locker then beat the living hell out of him." Ana says "and?" Michael sighs "I'm suspended for two days." Doug says "and the scumbag?" Michael says "resource officer got him for sexual assault. There's a zero tolerance policy at school." Doug asks "did you win?" He smirks "of course I did." Caroline hugs him and kisses his cheek. "Love you!" Doug says "wow that's new I've never seen her do that." She then burps in his face and Doug says "nevermind." Katya says "excuse you." Caroline mocks her "excuse you!" Little Doug and Willie walk past fist bumping Michael as they head inside. Sasha says "ahem!" They stop and she says "aren't you going to give Mama a hug?" They both hug her before heading inside to be met by their Granny. Elvira and Daniel finally show back up getting out of her car. Sasha says "My goodness you finally came back!" Elvira says "I'm sorry I didn't call, I went to the library to use the computer for a job interview then stayed in a hotel." Sasha says "oh really?" Elvira nods "I'm off to Dallas Texas working for the power company there in the billing department." Sasha says "well good for you!" She hugs her and asks "when are you leaving?" Elvira says "tomorrow." Sasha half smiles and Doug says "congratulations." She nods "thanks." Sasha heads inside with her cousin and Doug sighs "I guess that means she's done for the day." Ana says "I think I am too. You should knock off also you look exhausted." Doug says "I'm fine." She heads inside and he gets up on the ladder to continue drilling holes and screwing everything together. Suddenly he begins to feel dizzy so he immediately gets off the ladder. He makes a beeline for the house but he faints out in the yard. Katya comes outside and sees him "Daddy? Daddy!" She runs over to him and shakes him "Daddy!" She screams "Mama! Mama!" Sasha comes outside and gasps rushing over to him. "What happened?!" Katya says "I don't know I just found him!" Michael rushes outside as does Ana and Caroline. Michael, Katya and Sasha carry him inside putting him on the couch. Sasha turns a fan on him and Katya turns the A/C down to 65. He finally comes out of it and looks around "what the hell?" He goes to get up and Sasha says "no no no!" She pushes his legs back onto the couch "you need to cool off and relax." Doug's mom enters "does he need to go to the hospital?" Doug says "no I don't." Sasha says "why do you kill your self working?" Doug says "I want this place to do well." Sasha says "it can't do well when you end up laid up like this all the time!" Doug says "I don't end up like this all the time!" Katya says "Mama, maybe don't argue with him now?" Sasha sighs "you're right I'm sorry." Doug's mother says to Sasha "young woman I may be old but I can still whip you." Doug sighs out of embarrassment. "Mama please don't." Sasha just glares at her getting a mutual glare from her mother in law. Katya sighs "oh boy." Doug says "if y'all wanna scrap over me fine but go do it somewhere else." Sasha leaves going into he kitchen and Katya says "hey Granny." She looks "yes honey?" She asks "what was my Grandpa like?" She half smiles "very much like your Daddy here, a good and hard working man. He worked in the orange juice plants most of his life." She looks at her father "so that's why you still insist on buying Florida orange juice." Doug half smiles "of course, plus it's good for you." Sasha comes back and hands him a Gatorade. "Drink." He drinks some of it then sets in on the coffee table in front of the couch. Doug's mother stands up "come with me sweetheart let me show you something." Katya follows her to the bedroom she's been staying in and she pulls out a very old picture album "before we had all this social media we had actual picture albums." Katya half smiles even though she went through the album already last time they visited Florida. Back in the living room Doug sighs and Sasha says "I know you've survived a lot but you need to remember you still aren't invincible especially to mother nature." Doug says "I know." Doug shakes his head "Mama has no idea what you're capable of doing." Sasha smirks "I know. It's best she doesn't." She asks "what do you want for dinner?" Doug says "oh I'm not making you cook you've worked all day outside with me." Sasha says "pizza?" Doug smiles "perfect." Sasha calls in the order and opts to have them deliver it. After about 40 minutes the pizzas arrive. Sasha hauls them all in and the smell brings Katya into the kitchen "Pizza!' Sasha smiles "you and your father both can't get enough it seems." Ana brings over Michael and Caroline to join in and Doug says grace before they dig in. Most everyone eats a few slices except for Doug and his daughter devouring nearly two pizzas between them both. Caroline says "Fat Kat!" Katya steals a piece of pepperoni from Caroline's slice eating it quickly. The doorbell rings and Sasha gets up to go answer it. She opens the door finding retired General Garrison and Mrs. Garrison. He says "good afternoon Miss Sasha, my daughter and grandkids over here?" She says "they're in the kitchen, come on in." Caroline peeks around and then yells "Grandma and Grandpas here!" She runs and jumps in her grandpa's lap hugging him tight. She then wheels them both into the kitchen with her grandma following them. Ana says "hey there." She hugs him then her Mother. He smiles and says "Hey sweetie. I wanted to see how you all fared the storm." Doug says "good to see y'all." The General looks at his grandson "son what the hell happened to you?" Doug says "boys getting an early start in his career." The General says "yeah his Mama told me about his aspirations." Caroline says "an idiot grabbed my ass so he beat them down." The General nods "understandable." Caroline asks "can I play with your wheelchair?" Ana says "no Caroline!" Her Grandfather smirks "maybe later sweetheart. Here have this." He slips her a $20 bill making her grin. She gets up off of him and he looks at Michael "how about you wheel me to the front porch?" Michael says "sure thing." The General says "Doug you come too." Doug says "alright." He gets up and walks towards the front holding the door open for them. Michael senses his Grandfather will more than likely talk to him about becoming a Marine.