True to his word, Doc headed back upstairs, changed into his night clothes and slid into bed with out another thought of Festus.
(Mean while in the stable)
Louie yawned and stretched his back as he made his way though the cold stable and into the tach room that he slept in next to Festus.
Lying down upon his bunk, he sighed and closed his eyes, but just as he was about to drift off, he was abruptly jarred awake by a hacking, raspy cough coming from the deputy in the bunk next to him.
Concerned for his friend, Louie dragged himself up out of bed and made his way in the dark to where the deputy slept. "You alright Festus?" He asked peering into his friends face.
Festus mumbled about it being to warm before he threw off his wool blanket and turned over, coughing again as he did so.
"It's freezing in here Festus," Louie warned coving the hill man back up. "You'd better keep this blanket on, that cough don't sound to good."
Festus wheezed as he struggled to take a deep breath, and Louie could feel the heat emanating from the fever that racked his body.
"Festus," Louie said slowly. "Yer burning up with fever."
When he didn't get a response from his friend, he really began to worry. "I'm going to get Doc," he said patting the deputy. "I'll be back as quick as I can."
Louie scrambled into his coat and headed out the stable into the cold and down the darkened street to the bottom of the stairs where Doc's office was located.
Bounding up the steps, he started banging on the door as he called out. "Doc, Doc, can ya hear me Doc!"
Doctor Galen Adams awoke with a snort. "What in tarnation!" He said stumbling out of bed. "Who's banging on my door at this hour of night!"
"It's Louie Doc, I need yer help!"
Doc swung open the door, looked Louie up and down for any signs of a wound. "You don't look hurt to me," he said grumbling. "What's the problem!"
"It's not me Doc, it's Festus! He's sick, really sick!"
"You woke me up because of Festus!" Doc hollered unconcerned about to shut the door. "Go back to bed Louie, tell Festus to come see me in the morning!"
"I can't Doc," Louie said stopping the old man from shutting the door. "He ain't talking to me, and he's got an awful cough!"
"What do you mean, he ain't talking to you?" Doc asked suddenly wide awake he turned and grabbed his coat.
Louie followed Doc out the door and down the stairs. "I mean I can't wake him up and he's burning with fever Doc!"
Doc hurried down the street and into the cold stable with Louie following.
Stepping into the tach room, he barked an order to Louie to turn up the lamp but before he even took a look at Festus, his trained medical ears immediately picked up on the raspy sound coming from the deputy.
"Louie," Doc said quietly placing a hand on Festus forehead. "Run and get Matt for me will you."
"Sure thing Doc," Louie replied looking at the ashen face of his friend. "What is it Doc?"
"Pneumonia Louie," Doc said raising Festus's head with a pillow. "Festus has pneumonia."