Doc walked into the Longbranch and went over to the back table where Matt was sitting with Kitty and Festus. The old man sighed wearily as he sat down and the marshal asked, "Rough day?"
Doc shook his head. "This town needs another doctor. First it was the Colliers in one direction, then Mrs Carver ten miles in the other direction. I got back to the office and Burke was waiting with a toothache and when I got done with him Hank wanted some liniment for his aches and pains and after I gave him some Ma showed up with a head cold! I'm just worn out."
Kitty smiled. "Would a drink help?"
Doc smiled back. "It certainly would."
Kitty beckoned to Sam. The bartender brought a glass and Kitty poured a drink for Doc, then freshened Matt's drink and her own. She started to top up Festus' glass but the deputy shook his head. "Much obliged, Miss Kitty, but I don't b'lieve I want no more."
Doc scowled. "Since when do you turn down free drinks?"
Festus made a vague gesture at his stomach. "I got me a pain right here."
The old man grunted. "Probably gas."
"Sure does feel bad. Don't you got nothin' you can give me?"
"I can give you some advice," Doc said crankily. "Go home and go to bed. Oh, and you might try not stuffing yourself every time you sit down to a meal. The way you eat I'm surprised your stomach hasn't dropped clean out of your body."
"Why, you ornery old scutter, I don't eat no more'n what it takes to keep body'n soul together!"
Doc ran his hand over his face. "That would be true if you were an elephant. If you're still not feeling well in the morning come and see me. Right now I'm just too tired to deal with your hypochondria."
"Hypo what?"
"Go home!" snapped the old man.
"All right!" Festus got to his feet, glaring. "Matthew, Miss Kitty, I'll be seein' you tomorrow. And you...you blamed old grumphead, I ain't gonna bother with you for a month of Sundays!"
He turned on his heel and left, Doc yelling, "Good! I could use a rest from your whining!"
Matt and Kitty exchanged a glance and she said, "Doc, maybe you should go home yourself and get some sleep."
The old man finished his drink and stood up. "You're right, Kitty. I'm just too tired to see straight." He looked wistfully at the doors and said quietly, "Don't repeat this, but I might have been a little hard on Festus."
Kitty smiled. "Don't worry about it, Doc. He'll be waiting at your office tomorrow morning just like he always does and you can buy him a big breakfast to make up for it."