Festus took one look at his friend and boss Marshal Matthew Dillon and knew that something was wrong, Matt's face was ashen; he groaned and started to get up from his cot only to sit back down. His vision clouded over the only time that had happened Matt recalled was up in Elkader when he'd tracked down Billy Poe for murder. Billy it turned out had been mistakenly accused and had helped him when three men, Canby, Wells and Dano, had sent the town drunk to lure him to an alley where they'd clubbed him to the ground and stabbed the drunk to death.
"Are you alright, Matthew?" Festus asked, Matt had never been one for hiding the truth from his closest friends but just how did you tell them that you couldn't see a damn thing.
"What's the time, Festus?" Matt asked.
"Four o'clock, still dark out; you ain't said if you be alright."
"I've got a bad headache; it's making my vision blurred. Can you get Doc here?"
"Sure thang, Matthew," Festus left; he was really worried now he could sense the panic in Matt's voice and he'd never heard of a headache causing a man's vision to be blurred. Festus knocked at the door of Doc's office, Doc opened up, he took one look at the worry showing in Festus's eyes and knew something was wrong.
"What is it, Festus?"
"It's Matthew, he done got me worried, says he's got one of them bad head pains and it's making his vision blurred," Doc got some headache powders, sleeping powders and his case, he followed Festus back to Matt's office.
"Festus, get me a glass of water and then you make up some coffee," Festus fetched the water and started in on the coffee. Doc poured the correct proportion of the powders into the water, he handed the glass to Matt. "Drink it, all of it, Matt; you've been overworking just lately," Matt complied with the instruction just wanting the pain to go away and that worried Doc, Matt was usually stubborn about taking any kind of medication. "Festus, help Matt get his boots off and then hide them. Matt, you're going to remain in that bed today, I'll come back tonight to see if you're any better," Festus did as he was told, worried at the lack of resistance. Matt lay down and Festus pulled the covers up fretting over Matt like a mother hen.
Miss Kitty came in wondering why Matt hadn't come for his morning coffee, Festus signalled her to stay quiet. Kitty looked at Matt he looked to be in pain even sleeping as he was. "Want a dab o' coffee, Miss Kitty?" Festus asked, Kitty nodded; Festus handed her a mug of coffee.
"Is Matt alright?"
"He woke with a bad head pain, his vision's blurred too. Doc's give him powders for his head and to help him sleep, said he'll come tonight to check on him," Kitty finished her coffee and said she'd come in the evening to see him.
Newly entered a short while later; "I just saw Miss Kitty going up to see Doc, she said that Matt was ill, I can put the deputy's badge on to help out if you want," Burke came in with a telegraph.
"Telegraph for the Marshal."
"Burke, will you keep your voice down, he's sleeping and I don't want you a waking him up; just put it on the desk, Matthew will get to it directly," Burke looked at Matt lying there facing the door, his face pale against the sheet.
"Matt doesn't look too good."
"He's okay, just over tired after this last week tracking that killer, then taking him up to Kansas City and the roundup on top o' that," Burke nodded remembering the rowdiness of the drovers especially the one who'd struck one of Miss Kitty's girls, Matt had hit him so hard that he fell through the doors and told him to get out of Dodge.
Kitty was sitting with Doc in the Long Branch both supping beers. "Doc, what's wrong, you look worried, is it Matt?" Doc rubbed his upper lip a sure sign that he was worried.
"Do you remember Billy Poe?"
"Yes, I remember Matt was really subdued when he brought Billy back."
"Matt came to see me that night. The three men he brought in with Billy they attacked him, one of them clubbed him over the head, when he regained consciousness he had blurred vision it cleared when one of the three roped him and pulled him off his feet and he banged his head."
"You're worried that Matt's suffering the same thing," Doc nodded. "Oh, Curly, we'll cross that bridge when we have to," Doc nodded but he knew that Matt would hate being totally dependent on others no matter how close a friend they were.