It was late, and the wind was blowing something fierce. Doc pushed himself
further into his lambskin coat, fighting off the urge to shiver. He
clutched the bag in his right hand tightly, and dug his left hand deeply
into his pocket as he walked down the deserted boardwalk of Dodge. Most
people had the good sense to be inside on a night like this, but Doc Adams
had been needed, and as always, he had to go. Mrs. Hansen had been in labor
for more than 20 hours by the time her husband had decided they needed his
help. And at the time, Doc hadn't thought it worth hitching his horse to
the buggy at the time; but ten hours later, and twenty degrees lower, he
was rethinking that ill-begotten decision.
No matter, he was almost home. There was not a soul on Front Street. All the establishments were closed, and there wasn't a lantern glowing from a single window; it was as if everyone had been taken away while he was working at the edge of town, and he was the only one left in Dodge. A shiver ran up his spine, the sudden sense of foreboding overtaking his logical mind. He knew it was probably just his overtired heart feeling the guilt from his earlier argument; he felt awful for the things he had said. If only the man didn't tug at every fiber of his being, by trying the last strands of his patience.
The feeling of uneasiness returned again, this time churning deep down in his belly. Doc picked up his pace; he knew it was ridiculous, but somehow, on a night like this one, the sooner he was inside, the better. He took the last two blocks at a quickened pace, the wind whipping dirt up at him the whole way. He turned the corner by the stairs outside his second story office, and froze in mid-step: the door was wide open, swinging in the fury of the wind, and about three- quarters of the way down the staircase, lying at an awkward angle, was Festus.
***********
His heart leapt into his throat, and without regaining his conscious mind, his reflexes had him moving toward the downed man at a run. Doc set his bag down, and carefully placed two fingers by the large artery in the deputy's neck. He swallowed hard, his breath stopping in his throat because he felt nothing. And then there came a thready beat under his fingertips. He closed his eyes and let out the air he'd been holding, trying with all his might to keep the moisture stinging his eyes from falling. For a brief moment, Galen Adams wasn't a doctor with a patient, but a man with a friend. He recovered, and moving his hands with practiced ease, he felt for broken bones; left leg, three ribs, but as far as Doc could tell, that was it.
Until he realized that his right hand was covered in blood.
He forced himself to stay calm. Festus needed a doctor right now, not some hysterical old man. Doc gently ran his hands over the deputy's chest and abdomen, and found the puncture wound in the soft flesh of his belly, just to the right of center. He prayed that it had been a small knife that hadn't been able to reach any internal organs, but he wouldn't know the answer to that until he could get a better look at the wound. He placed a soft hand on the side of his friend's face, and it felt like a block of ice. Doc quickly removed his own coat, placing it over Festus, then he took off his suit jacket, and put that under the deputy's head so that it no longer rested painfully against the wooden stair.
He placed a gentle hand on the deputy's forehead, "Stay with me, Festus. I've got to go get help, but I'll be back. You just hang on..."
Doc stood, but the sudden cry of agony at his feet, brought him quickly back to his knees. Festus was coming around, and was obviously in a lot of pain. Doc carefully lifted the deputy's head into his lap.
"Easy now....take it easy." Adams soothingly stroked the man's forehead, his voice as soft as velvet, "I'm here."
Haggen's voice was barely audible, "D-doc.....hurts....so bad...."
"It's gonna be okay, Festus, but I have to go get help; I can't lift you on my own."
His teeth were gritted with pain, and chattering from cold, "P- please.....don't leave me....Doc...."
Galen Adams couldn't keep the tears from flooding his eyes. He looked up into the sky, squeezing them tightly shut, but the moisture poured out the sides and ran down his face anyway. He gave himself only a moment to feel the emotions of a friend, then he looked down into the fear-filled eyes staring up at him through a haze of misery. Doc held Festus close for a minute.
"You just hang on, and I'll be right back."
Festus couldn't muster any more words, instead he grabbed Doc's shirt with his hand, his eyes wide and pleading. Doc had never seen such fear in them, and he swallowed hard.
"Shhh....you just stay calm now...."
Gently Adams pried the hand on his shirt loose, and carefully lay Festus down. With one more look at the pale man, Doc Adams ran for the Long Branch. He needed Sam's brawn and Miss Kitty's calm assurance.
No matter, he was almost home. There was not a soul on Front Street. All the establishments were closed, and there wasn't a lantern glowing from a single window; it was as if everyone had been taken away while he was working at the edge of town, and he was the only one left in Dodge. A shiver ran up his spine, the sudden sense of foreboding overtaking his logical mind. He knew it was probably just his overtired heart feeling the guilt from his earlier argument; he felt awful for the things he had said. If only the man didn't tug at every fiber of his being, by trying the last strands of his patience.
The feeling of uneasiness returned again, this time churning deep down in his belly. Doc picked up his pace; he knew it was ridiculous, but somehow, on a night like this one, the sooner he was inside, the better. He took the last two blocks at a quickened pace, the wind whipping dirt up at him the whole way. He turned the corner by the stairs outside his second story office, and froze in mid-step: the door was wide open, swinging in the fury of the wind, and about three- quarters of the way down the staircase, lying at an awkward angle, was Festus.
***********
His heart leapt into his throat, and without regaining his conscious mind, his reflexes had him moving toward the downed man at a run. Doc set his bag down, and carefully placed two fingers by the large artery in the deputy's neck. He swallowed hard, his breath stopping in his throat because he felt nothing. And then there came a thready beat under his fingertips. He closed his eyes and let out the air he'd been holding, trying with all his might to keep the moisture stinging his eyes from falling. For a brief moment, Galen Adams wasn't a doctor with a patient, but a man with a friend. He recovered, and moving his hands with practiced ease, he felt for broken bones; left leg, three ribs, but as far as Doc could tell, that was it.
Until he realized that his right hand was covered in blood.
He forced himself to stay calm. Festus needed a doctor right now, not some hysterical old man. Doc gently ran his hands over the deputy's chest and abdomen, and found the puncture wound in the soft flesh of his belly, just to the right of center. He prayed that it had been a small knife that hadn't been able to reach any internal organs, but he wouldn't know the answer to that until he could get a better look at the wound. He placed a soft hand on the side of his friend's face, and it felt like a block of ice. Doc quickly removed his own coat, placing it over Festus, then he took off his suit jacket, and put that under the deputy's head so that it no longer rested painfully against the wooden stair.
He placed a gentle hand on the deputy's forehead, "Stay with me, Festus. I've got to go get help, but I'll be back. You just hang on..."
Doc stood, but the sudden cry of agony at his feet, brought him quickly back to his knees. Festus was coming around, and was obviously in a lot of pain. Doc carefully lifted the deputy's head into his lap.
"Easy now....take it easy." Adams soothingly stroked the man's forehead, his voice as soft as velvet, "I'm here."
Haggen's voice was barely audible, "D-doc.....hurts....so bad...."
"It's gonna be okay, Festus, but I have to go get help; I can't lift you on my own."
His teeth were gritted with pain, and chattering from cold, "P- please.....don't leave me....Doc...."
Galen Adams couldn't keep the tears from flooding his eyes. He looked up into the sky, squeezing them tightly shut, but the moisture poured out the sides and ran down his face anyway. He gave himself only a moment to feel the emotions of a friend, then he looked down into the fear-filled eyes staring up at him through a haze of misery. Doc held Festus close for a minute.
"You just hang on, and I'll be right back."
Festus couldn't muster any more words, instead he grabbed Doc's shirt with his hand, his eyes wide and pleading. Doc had never seen such fear in them, and he swallowed hard.
"Shhh....you just stay calm now...."
Gently Adams pried the hand on his shirt loose, and carefully lay Festus down. With one more look at the pale man, Doc Adams ran for the Long Branch. He needed Sam's brawn and Miss Kitty's calm assurance.