Matt, Kitty and Newly waited patiently in the outer office while Doc
examined Festus. After what seemed a long time, he emerged, his eyes a
study in sadness. He looked up at the expectant faces. How was he going to
tell them the truth? Adams walked toward them until he was standing within
a few feet. He looked each of them in the eye before he spoke softly.
"I wish I could tell the three of you that he was improving, or that I thought there was a chance he might."
Matt spoke up, "It's that bad, Doc?"
Adams stepped over to his side table, playing with the instruments upon it as he spoke, "I'm afraid that it is, Matt. His pupils are fixed and dilated, his reflexes are down to nothing." He turned toward them, he had to just say it, "I've never seen a man in his condition recover."
Kitty walked over to him, grasping his lapels with her hands, her voice full of emotion, "There must be something you can try, Doc, please...."
He looked into her eyes, and gently stroked her face with his hand, "No one's more sorry about it than I am honey, but I can't lie to you. There's nothing I can do to relieve the pressure that's built up in his head from the fall he took down the stairs. Festus isn't going to come out of this, and we have to face up to it."
She covered her face with her hands, and Matt put his arms around her from behind, then turned her into him. Newly stood still, dumbstruck by the news. Matt looked at Doc, unsure of what to say, but knowing that he had to say something.
"Are you sure, Doc? I mean absolutely sure?"
Adams raised his voice in anger, "Damnit Matt, don't you think if there was something I could do that I would do it? I'd give anything to save him, but it's simply beyond modern medicine. Maybe someday there will be a way to cure brain injuries of this type, but it doesn't exist now."
Dillon's voice was soft, he hadn't meant to sound so accusing, "I'm sorry, Doc... I didn't mean it that way."
Adams let out a long sigh of air, trying to calm himself down. "I know, I know you didn't. We're all a little emotional, I guess."
Kitty wiped her tears, walked over to Doc and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, "I know you did everything you could and then some.... it's not as if doctors can poke holes in people's heads like an egg before it's boiled."
A strange look came over Doc's face, as though remembering something from long ago.
Matt's voice was gentle, "Doc? What is it?"
"Well, it's a long shot, that's what. But when I was back East last year, I met a physician who'd written a theoretical paper about a procedure that involves drilling holes in the skull to relieve the pressure of fluid built up around the brain from an injury. It'd be an awful risk though, it was just a theory...hasn't ever been tried."
"But if there's a chance.... oh Doc, can you do it?"
Adams looked at Kitty, "I can try."
Newly stepped forward, "What can we do to help?"
"Well Newly, I tell you, if you and Kitty can stay and assist me, that would be a fine idea." Then he looked up at Matt, "Did you have any luck this afternoon?" "No, 'fraid not. The only person in town with any news for me was Ed Sheridan over at the telegraph office, but that was just to let me know that there'd been a robbery next county over. The Gentry boys were identified, but they got away, although one of them was shot up pretty bad."
Matt put his hat on, and walked to the door, then he looked back at Adams.
"Do your best, Doc."
"You know I will. And Matt, I found one thing missing from my drug supplies: laudanum."
"Pain killer?"
"Yep, an entire bottle of it."
"Good to know, thanks Doc."
Dillon opened the door and walked out. Newly walked over to the pile of clothes, boots, spurs and hat in a chair near the table, right where Doc had tossed them the night before. As Kitty and Doc prepared the table for surgery, Newly began to neatly arrange Haggen's belongings. He knew it wouldn't help Festus, but it made him feel slightly better. A frown began to cloud his face. Kitty noticed that Newly had stopped moving and was staring at the clothes.
"Newly? Something wrong?"
"No, something's missing."
Doc piped up, "What do you mean?"
"Festus is never without his gun. Did you put it somewhere for safe keeping?"
"No, he didn't have it when I found him."
"He's never without it." Newly headed to the door, "I'll be back.I need to tell the Marshal about this..."
"I wish I could tell the three of you that he was improving, or that I thought there was a chance he might."
Matt spoke up, "It's that bad, Doc?"
Adams stepped over to his side table, playing with the instruments upon it as he spoke, "I'm afraid that it is, Matt. His pupils are fixed and dilated, his reflexes are down to nothing." He turned toward them, he had to just say it, "I've never seen a man in his condition recover."
Kitty walked over to him, grasping his lapels with her hands, her voice full of emotion, "There must be something you can try, Doc, please...."
He looked into her eyes, and gently stroked her face with his hand, "No one's more sorry about it than I am honey, but I can't lie to you. There's nothing I can do to relieve the pressure that's built up in his head from the fall he took down the stairs. Festus isn't going to come out of this, and we have to face up to it."
She covered her face with her hands, and Matt put his arms around her from behind, then turned her into him. Newly stood still, dumbstruck by the news. Matt looked at Doc, unsure of what to say, but knowing that he had to say something.
"Are you sure, Doc? I mean absolutely sure?"
Adams raised his voice in anger, "Damnit Matt, don't you think if there was something I could do that I would do it? I'd give anything to save him, but it's simply beyond modern medicine. Maybe someday there will be a way to cure brain injuries of this type, but it doesn't exist now."
Dillon's voice was soft, he hadn't meant to sound so accusing, "I'm sorry, Doc... I didn't mean it that way."
Adams let out a long sigh of air, trying to calm himself down. "I know, I know you didn't. We're all a little emotional, I guess."
Kitty wiped her tears, walked over to Doc and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, "I know you did everything you could and then some.... it's not as if doctors can poke holes in people's heads like an egg before it's boiled."
A strange look came over Doc's face, as though remembering something from long ago.
Matt's voice was gentle, "Doc? What is it?"
"Well, it's a long shot, that's what. But when I was back East last year, I met a physician who'd written a theoretical paper about a procedure that involves drilling holes in the skull to relieve the pressure of fluid built up around the brain from an injury. It'd be an awful risk though, it was just a theory...hasn't ever been tried."
"But if there's a chance.... oh Doc, can you do it?"
Adams looked at Kitty, "I can try."
Newly stepped forward, "What can we do to help?"
"Well Newly, I tell you, if you and Kitty can stay and assist me, that would be a fine idea." Then he looked up at Matt, "Did you have any luck this afternoon?" "No, 'fraid not. The only person in town with any news for me was Ed Sheridan over at the telegraph office, but that was just to let me know that there'd been a robbery next county over. The Gentry boys were identified, but they got away, although one of them was shot up pretty bad."
Matt put his hat on, and walked to the door, then he looked back at Adams.
"Do your best, Doc."
"You know I will. And Matt, I found one thing missing from my drug supplies: laudanum."
"Pain killer?"
"Yep, an entire bottle of it."
"Good to know, thanks Doc."
Dillon opened the door and walked out. Newly walked over to the pile of clothes, boots, spurs and hat in a chair near the table, right where Doc had tossed them the night before. As Kitty and Doc prepared the table for surgery, Newly began to neatly arrange Haggen's belongings. He knew it wouldn't help Festus, but it made him feel slightly better. A frown began to cloud his face. Kitty noticed that Newly had stopped moving and was staring at the clothes.
"Newly? Something wrong?"
"No, something's missing."
Doc piped up, "What do you mean?"
"Festus is never without his gun. Did you put it somewhere for safe keeping?"
"No, he didn't have it when I found him."
"He's never without it." Newly headed to the door, "I'll be back.I need to tell the Marshal about this..."