A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Snake bite

Doug and his sons work through the morning sorting cattle to be dewormed and apply pour on fly and other pest controls running them through the cattle shoot. As it nears lunch time Willie hears a rattling sound and turns to see his brother walking by a rattlesnake. For some reason Little Doug isn't paying attention. Willie yells "Doug watch your step!" By that time though Little Doug steps on the rattler and is bitten on his leg. "Shit man!" His father walks over pulling out his revolver and kills the rattler with one shot. Doug says "Willie clean up out here and set the cattle loose in the pasture." He nods and goes to work. Little Doug attempts to walk and Doug says "oh no buddy don't move you'll make it spread faster." Doug picks up his son and he can feel his boy's weight on his back. "God you weigh as much as my horse." Caroline walks outside and sees what's happening from a distance. She runs over and inside the Batson home. "Aunt Sasha! Uncle Doug is carrying Little Doug up to the house for some reason!" Sasha gasps and runs out of the office past Caroline and onto the porch. The entire time she's says "no no no no no, this isn't happening." Katya jogs out and meets Caroline in the kitchen. Sasha rushes out to meet Doug and he says "he was bit by a rattler, go call 911." She hurries inside and does just that and Doug sets his son down on the porch. Doug him self half collapses and then catches him self also sitting down next to his son panting. Doug looks at his son "how much you freaking weigh now?" Little Doug says "215 pounds." Doug watches his eyelids begin to drop and Little Doug grabs his stomach. He leans over and vomits off the front porch just as Ana and Michael come over to see what's happening. Doug says "Damn I wish Jack was here he always carried antivenom." Michael asks "Jack?" Doug says "you've met him before son, old friend of mine. Navy corpsman." Sweat pours off of the brim of Doug's black hat. Ana says "don't you think you boys ought to wear light colored hats out here?" Doug just shakes his head. Sasha comes back out "let me suck out the venom." Doug cuts his eyes at her "no you're not." Sasha is infuriated and blasts him "so you're going to let my baby die?!" Doug fires back "it won't do any good it's already in his system! He's throwing up!" Sasha goes to say something else but Doug points his finger "we are not having this argument now! Doug is under enough stress without us killing each other!" Sasha is taken aback and her eyes well up with tears. "I'm sorry." Little Doug slurs his speech "Ma, wat, water." Sasha hurries inside and brings him some water sitting next to him. He drinks it and settles down for a few minutes but soon vomits it back up splattering Doug's boots as he tries to aim away from his mother. Finally after fifteen agonoizing minutes an ambulance roars down the dirt driveway. Little Doug is loaded up and hauled off to the hospital in Savannah. Sasha finally let's loose and sobs "why does this have to happen to him?!" Doug hugs her and gives her his hankerchif that's a bit sweaty but she uses it anyway. Doug says "come on let's ride." Her and Doug get in his truck and head out while Caroline, Michael, Katya and Willie pile into Ana's car and they follow behind. Caroline looks at Willie "why are you riding with us? You stink like a middle school locker room." Katya laughs and Ana says "Caroline stop." Willie says "Dad's truck is full of crap in the back seat." Katya smirks "Willie you really should change deodorants, you've used that mess since 6th grade." Willie says "but I like it!" Katya says "Hanna dosen't." He says "really? How do you know?" Katya says "I can read other girls, I just know. Trust me, get what Daddy uses." Willie says "no that's for middle aged men." Katya facepalms "you are so stupid sometimes." Michael keeps quiet but smirks. He then thinks and says "hey didn't we leave someone at the house?" Katya says "Mom decided Harry should sleep in, I left him a note explaining what happened on the fridge." Caroline says "how did he sleep through all the commotion?" Katya shrugs "I have no idea how anyone could." Caroline makes a note to her self "experimental sleeping powder works well." Ana says "oh I noticed some of my herbal sleeping aids have been messed with. Who did it?" Caroline says "Easy, Michael." Michael says "I don't mess with that cabinet!" Ana sighs "well whoever did I don't want you in there again without me knowing, if you're having trouble sleeping don't hide it from me." They arrive at the hospital where Doug meets them outside. "Sasha's in the ER with him. Y'all wait in the lobby until they move him." Doug says "good luck watching this bunch Dragon Lady." He smirks and Ana says "I have it under control." He nods and he winks at Caroline "don't experiment with anything, or anyone." She hugs Willie "this is my test subject." Willie squirms out of her grip "leave me alone!" Ana sighs as they enter the building. Doug walks back into the ER which only allows two visitors at a time. Caroline watches Doug walking with a limp and she nudges her Mother. Ana says "he's always messing up his back. Sasha's scared he'll hurt him self badly one day. He's already had back surgery once before." Doug walks in behind the curtain and sits next to Sasha. Little Doug is calm now with the antivenom taking effect. Sasha says "they said he may need another dose." Doug nods and he scratches her back with his fingers. Doug says "I'm sorry I yelled at you." Sasha says "I'm sorry too." She hugs him and leans on him. Sasha says "I wish it was me in his place." Doug sighs "well I shot the little bastard rattler so he won't be an issue again." Doug says "have you ever been bitten?" Sasha says "actually no." Doug says "me neither." Sasha turns her head and gets up taking his hand "my poor baby." Little Doug sighs and makes a face at his Mother. Doug smirks "well he must feel a little better if you're embarrassing him." Sasha says "I don't care if you're 15 or 45 you're my baby and always will be." Little Doug says "Ok Mama that's enough." He sighs and Doug smirks "that's Mothers for you son." She kisses his head then sits back down next to Doug. Little Doug says "please tell me I don't have lipstick on my forehead." Doug laughs and Sasha says "are you ashamed of me?" Little Doug quickly says "no!" Doug grunts a bit and Sasha says "you threw out your back again didn't you?" Doug says "I'd break it if it means he lives." Sasha nods "then I'm not the least bit angry with you." Doug says "I'll have to get you to walk on it and pop it back in place." Sasha says "well you're not laying on this disgusting floor." Doug says "oh no I'd never." Doug says "I could go lay in the truck and get Katya to do it." Sasha shakes her head "no, she doesn't know how to yet. I will do it." Doug says "then teach her because you're not always available." Sasha says "I will." Little Doug says "my shoulders are killing me." Sasha says "I'm sorry I don't give massages to sons ashamed of me." He makes pleading eyes with her and she smirks "God you look like your Dad doing that." He says "I love you." She grins "I love you too." She gets up and starts on his shoulders. Doug says "alright I'm gonna go make Katya do something for this back." Sasha says "alright honey, I'll work it later on." He nods and thinks "yeah after 10 tonight." He hobbles back to the lobby. Sasha sighs "you men are all a mess. Always getting hurt." Little Doug says "I didn't even see the snake." Sasha says "well, now you know to always watch your step. Right?" He says "yes ma'am." His eyelids droop again and Sasha says "I think you need more antivenom. I'm going to find someone." She stops rubbing his shoulders and struts out through the curtains on her mission. He sighs and suddenly Caroline pops up "Boo!" He jumps and she laughs. Little Doug holds up the remote "I will call the nurses and have you thrown out." She takes the remote "nah, I don't think so." Little Doug says "why the pigtails? You look like you should be selling burgers." She facepalms and smiles, then looks up. "Alright I'll give you that one only because it made me laugh." Little Doug reaches for the remote but she holds it out of reach. He then says "Mama should have used this! She left to find somebody." Caroline shrugs "she's old-school."