Having missed the eleven o'clock curfew, Heyes rode slowly in the dark back to the line shack to sleep.
Heyes woke well after sunrise. He made some coffee but had not yet stocked the cabin with food. He pulled some money from their combined supply, finished his coffee, gave himself a quick shave and headed back to town.
"Where the hell have you been?" Dr. Heiser demanded when Heyes walked in to the office.
"What's wrong?" Heyes asked, alarmed by the tone of the doctor's voice.
"Fever, that's what's wrong."
"How bad?"
"Any fever's bad. Now get in there and keep them cold cloths on him. Wash him down with em. You're gonna be earning your keep today, Mr. Heyes."
Heyes hurried into the back room and pulled off his vest and rolled up his sleeves. Doc Heiser had a table set up near the bed with a large bowl of cold well water with some alcohol thrown in and a stack of clean rags and cloths.
Heyes approached the bed and looked at his partner who was currently in a deep and quiet sleep. Heyes touched Kid's forehead and knew the fever was high. Pulling down the sheet and blanket, Heyes saw that Dr. Heiser had already shed Kid of everything but his underwear. Heyes also observed the redness spreading out and away from the still bandaged but now seeping wound.
Kid's breathing was regular but shallow and looked to be requiring some effort on Kid's part. He dipped a cloth in the water and, beginning with Kid's forehead, began gently rubbing the cold, wet cloth over Kid who showed no awareness of Heyes' actions.
Dr. Heiser walked in to the room carrying a glass of cloudy water. "This will help get the fever down, but it's gonna take some time getting it in to him. Can you get his head and shoulders raised so I can pour a bit into his mouth?"
Heyes nodded and moved to the other side of the bed. Kid's head and shoulders were limp in his arms but he managed to raise Kid up some and Dr. Heiser poured a small amount of the water into Kid's mouth. While some of the water drooled out of the sides of his mouth, Kid was able to swallow by reflex and Dr. Heiser then poured a little more into Kid's mouth. The process took a good twenty minutes, but the glass did finally empty.
Heyes laid Kid back down on the bed and returned to wiping Kid down with the cold well water.
"It's wound fever alright," Dr. Heiser said after removing the bandage and examining the wound.. "That wound is draining pus. I'm gonna have to open it up again, get all that pus drained out. Then I'm gonna pack it with a half water, half alcohol soaked gauze cloth and leave it open overnight. Only way to rid him of the fever is to rid him of that infection."
"Doc, it appears to me that you find alcohol to be a pretty powerful medicine," Heyes remarked.
"That's because it is, if you know how and when to use it."
Heyes nodded. "If I had been here last night, I might have caught the fever before it took hold," he said feeling a bit guilty.
"Wouldn't have mattered, son. Like I said it's the infection causing that fever. You couldn't have rid him of the infection last night. There weren't no sign of it, remember."
Heyes nodded but the doctor's words didn't appease his guilt.
"I'm gonna get everything set up to operate again. When I'm ready, you'll come with me and I'll show you how hand washing should be done. When you get him back to that line shack, you wash just like I'm showing you. If we can get that infection taken care of and save that leg, I don't want to have to go through all this a second time."
Once Dr. Heiser had all his tools set up and he and Heyes had scrubbed their hands to the elbows with lye soap, the two set to work on Kid's infected leg.
Heyes' mouth pinched and he drew his head back at the smell of the pungent odor generated from the wound and the dressing Dr. Heiser had removed.
"You saturate a cloth in that alcohol water and washed that wound. When you're done, throw that cloth in that empty bowl. That the place for all the soiled soiled things to be dropped."
Heyes began washing the wound but still Kid didn't so much as stir.
"He sedated or unconscious?" Heyes asked.
"Likely a little of both," the doctor replied. "Now hold that leg steady. If he's gonna squirm, it'll be when I start cutting into the leg."
Heyes moved to the foot of the bed and grasped Kid's foot and ankle.
"Take your hand off the foot and moved up the leg a little. I ain't gonna cut you if that's what you thinking."
Again Heyes did as instructed. Once he had a grip that was satisfactory to the doctor, Dr. Heiser picked up a pair of fine scissors and began snipping away the stitches. When he was done, he tossed the scissors into the dry bowl of soiled items.
"So far, so good," Heyes said, thinking the worst might be over.
"That was the easy part," Dr. Heiser replied and reached for a scalpel. "This is where the squirming begins. You hold him down as tight as you can. You sit on that leg if you have to. You ready?"
Heyes could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he held fast to Kid's ankle and lower leg and nodded to the doctor.
The first incision sent Kid squirming and trying desperately to pull his leg free of it's physical bond and Heyes leaned in adding his upper body weight keep Kid from wrenching free. Dr. Heiser cut a full inch slit and watched thick, yellow pus begin to ooze from the wound.
"I'm gonna stop for a minute and let it seep out. Think maybe we should tie the leg to the bed frame. That'll help you hold him in place. Then we're gonna take a few minutes and wash wash again after handling the ties."
Heyes nodded. "Okay."
"Go look in that closet over there. You'll find some leather straps hanging on a peg. Bring two or three of em over here."
Heyes looked at Kid who was now panting rapidly, his eyes open but unfocused, his head rolling slowly from side to side.
"Doc, does he need something more for the pain?" Heyes asked as he made his way to the closet and retrieved the leather thongs.
"Don't think he'd drink it right now. He ain't alert enough to know what we're doing or why. He'd just try to fight us off and make things worse."
"I don't like seeing him hurting like that," Heyes argued.
"Then let's get on with this so we can get him settled."
Heyes returned to the foot of the bed and tied Kid's lower leg to the frame of the bed.
"Now, let's get washed up and get this over with."
Ten minutes later they were back to work. Heyes resumed his grip on Kid's leg but now had the added benefit of the physical restraint as well.
Dr. Heiser leaned over the now gaping wound and began pushing the two sides together as more thick yellow pus seeped out and Kid again tried to forcefully free his leg from the source of pain.
When the doctor was satisfied he had eked out as much pus as he could, he stood and dipped a small, thin piece of gauze cloth into the alcohol water.
"One more round of fighting and we should be done," Dr. Heiser said and waited for Heyes to give him a nod. Dr. Heiser then picked up a pair of tweezers and inched the saturated cloth into the wound as Kid arched and cried out in pain and Heyes struggled to pin the leg in place. Dr. Heiser then wrapped a bandage loosely around the wound to secure the gauze.
"Once he's settled a bit, I'll give him some more pain medicine. You wash up and then start bathing him in them cold cloths again."
Heyes nodded and reluctantly left the room to wash up.
Kid did eventually settle once again and Dr. Heiser was able to administer more of the pain medication which effectively put Kid back into a deep sleep. Heyes stood dutifully at the bedside and continued bathing Kid with the cool wet cloths.
By late afternoon Heyes felt like Kid looked and he settled into the chair beside the bed and quickly fell asleep. It was nearly eight in the evening when he woke again and saw Dr. Heiser examining the wound.
"What do you think?" Heyes asked.
"Well, more important is what I know, and I know the fever broke about two hours ago. Breaking that fast is a good sign that we got the infection under control."
"You gonna stitch him up again?"
Dr. Heiser shook his head. "What I'm gonna do is layer a couple of alcohol cloths over what's already there and let that sit overnight. We'll get him stitched up again in the morning."
"This town know what a good doctor it's got?" Heyes asked
Dr. Heiser smiled. "Some yes, some no, I suspect. Opinion always depends on the outcome. Anything before that don't seem to count."
"You don't mince words, do you Doc?"
"Mincing words ain't practical in my line of work."
"Well, regardless of the outcome, Doc, I know you've done as good a job as anyone could."
"I've got some stew and some coffee heating up, enough for all three of us if he wakes up. You stay here with him and I'll got get you and me some supper."
"Thanks," Heyes said and instinctively reached over and rested his hand on Kid' arm.
Dr. Heiser returned a few minutes later juggling two bowls of stew and two cups of coffee. Heyes quickly relieved him of half of the items he was carrying and the doctor settled in to an empty chair in the room.
"I think he's likely gonna be sleeping for quite a while, maybe even till morning. If you want to got out for a little while, I think your friend and me will be just fine."
"No, if he does wake up, I want him to know I'm here," Heyes explained.
"You know son, I think you might have what it takes to become a fine doctor."
"Me? A doctor? No," Heyes replied with a chuckle.
"Well, you don't shy away from the things a lot of people would be shying away from, and you put your heart and soul into the tasks I give you. You seem pretty level headed and intelligent."
"Well, it's kind of you to say those things but..."
"Doctoring ain't for everybody. Just giving you a little food for fodder."
Heyes smiled. "Well, I'll give it some thought, Doc."
"I could recommend you to a few doctors you could apprentice with."
"If I did decide to become a doctor, I'd want to apprentice with you. I've seen your skills and I like that no nonsense attitude of yours. It's just that...well Kid and me are a team. Whatever I do is gonna be something we both want and I can't see Kid wanting to settle down any one place for too long."
"He the adventuresome type is he?"
Heyes smiled. "I think we both are."
"Well, more's the pity."
"Heyes?" came a very weak and whispered voice.
Heyes set his bowl on the table and stood up next to the bed and watched tired blue eye flutter and open.
"I thought you was asleep for the night, Kid," Heyes said, brushing hair back off Kid's face.
"What happened?"
"Fever. Leg wound was infected. Doc took care of all that, though."
"Thirsty,"
Dr. Heiser got up and went for some water.
"You hungry?"
"No."
"You hurting?"
Kid paused for a moment to self assess. "No," he whispered and this time Heyes believed him.
"I think that infection set us back a day or two. I think you'll be staying here a little longer."
"I'm sorry I'm such a problem, Heyes."
Heyes smiled. "Kid, you're more of a problem when you ain't sick than when you are," Heyes joked but Kid was oblivious to the humor.
"I'm so tired."
"Well stay awake for some water and then you can go back to sleep."
"Kay."
Dr. Heiser returned with a glass of clear water and and together he and Heyes made sure Kid drank the entire glass in short small sips. As soon as Heyes lowered Kid's head back down on the pillow, Kid was once again asleep.
"You know Doc, maybe I will take you up on that offer."
"Which one?"
Heyes smiled. "I think I could use a beer."
.