Reluctantly Doc entered the room; immediately the musty smell of the buffalo-hide coats and the body odour from the men hit him and he made a face. He glanced at the two men behind him, the whole time thinking how filthy they truly were. He drew his left hand across his moustache to slightly pinch his nose closed even for just a brief second. He felt like he was going to gag from the smell.
Kirkland shoved the doctor into the room, "Hurry it up," he snapped.
Doc's face read of disdain for the men who knowingly abandoned Festus and himself in the wilderness, "Why should I do anything for you?" he finally barked.
Morrison shook his head, "I've never met such a bunch of mule stubborn folks in all my life as I have in this hell-hole town," he said to no one in particular as he walked over to the bed where Patty lay in pain. He smiled at his friend, and then the smile faded quickly as he sharply looked up at the doctor. "If you don't help ol' Patty here, I'll be sure to finish what I started with that whiskered face deputy you have up in your office," he sneered.
Doc swallowed. He watched the buffalo hunters for a moment, and then stepped forward, pushing his way to the bed to look at the prone man, "Get out of my way," he growled at Morrison as he removed his winter coat, draping it across the end of the bed. The movement caused Patty to groan.
Doc rolled up his shirtsleeves, which were still stained with Festus' blood. He then placed his right hand on the Irishman's forehead. He shook his head, "I'm going to need both hot and cold water," he said looking at Kirkland that remained at the doorway.
Kirkland grunted and pushed himself off the doorjamb as he left the room to get a bucket of each cold and hot water.
The doctor began to peel back the blanket to look the hunter over, when Patty's eyes flashed open, "Who the divil are you?" his Irish accent thick as he grabbed Doc by the wrist to stop him further.
"I'm a doctor and your two buffoon friends practically dragged me over here to look at you," Doc snapped as he jerked his arm free. "Now what's your problem?"
"That other sawbones dug a bullet out of me back, but it feels like he left me a horseshoe in there," Patty stated as he rolled onto his side to expose the wound.
Doc pulled the metal case with his glasses out of his vest pocket and placed the spectacles on his face. Carefully he lifted the bandage that Newly had placed over the entry wound. The doctor shook his head at how red and puffy the area looked, "This might hurt a little," Doc said as he gently squeezed the flesh, causing some puss to squirt out.
Patty bellowed, "Saints preserve us!" he grabbed Doc hard by the upper arm, "Are you trying to kill me?" O'Shea's face was red and sweaty; his teeth clamped tightly together in pain. Even Doc made a face at the sight before he spoke, "I'm trying to save your life, now let go of me," Doc said firmly. Slowly Patty released his grip. Morrison had stepped closer, "No funny business, quack," he stated, causing Doc to glance over his shoulder, "Haven't you got something better to do?" the doctor asked.
Morrison balled up his right hand, "Keep it up and I'll break your skull wide open," he warned as he lifted his big right fist, ready to strike. The doctor flinched knowing full well that the buffalo hunter could and would hit him if he had the choice; luckily their friend need the doctor's assistance.
"All you do it go around bullying people," Doc huffed and went back to work, although conscious of the fact he came dangerously close to being beaten to within an inch of his life. He drew his lips tight and focused on the job at hand, still feeling quite threatened. Sometimes the doctor crossed the boundary with his words, but there would be no changing him now. Morrison snorted at the comment that the old physician made.
Eventually Kirkland returned with the buckets of water and placed them on the table. He was chewing some tobacco, "Let's get a drink," he suggested to Morrison.
"That would be better than watching this," Morrison made a face as Doc continued to squeeze puss from the wound. Patty continued to squirm, "Bring me a bottle! Oh, Jesus, Joseph and all the Saints, would you be stoppin' soon," O'Shea begged as Doc continued to work on his latest patient .
Doc quickly poured some of the cold water into a basin and dabbed a cloth in it, so that he could at least cool the hunter's forehead; Patty sighed slightly with relief. The doctor soaked another cloth in the hot water and washed around the wound, again his head, "I sure hope that this infection is only skin deep," he noted.
"And if it isn't?" Patty lifted the cloth on his forehead and looked at the doctor.
"Things could get a whole lot worse for you," Doc said as he took the cloth from the hunter and placed it back in the cold water and placed it again on O'Shea's forehead. The doctor then rummaged around in his black leather doctor's bag for some ointment to help fight the infection. The vial of salve was in a pouch at the bottom and once he found it, he dolloped some in and around the opening, again causing Patty to wriggle, "For the love of Mother Mary, would you be kind enough to stop that?" O'Shea gurgled.
"You'd be doing yourself a favour if you washed this shirt, and yourself," Doc urged. "You have to keep this area as clean as possible," he said as he placed a new gauze over the infected area and used the ties that Newly had made to hold the bandage in place.
"I'm not a one for bathing in the winter," Patty quipped.
"I can see that," Doc said as he washed his hands and began to pack up.
Your a lucky man, doctor. If I was able to, I'd make you swallow your teeth for that comment," Patty sneered.
"I only said it for your own good. I honestly don't care about you or your friends. But if you want to live, you'd heed what I just said," Doc said as he pulled his glasses off and placed them in the metal case. "Quickest way to get an infection is not to keep the wound clean," he stated with a tick of his head.
"You don't scare me," O'Shea snapped.
"It's your life. I just hope that I don't have to make anymore house calls, with your two thug friends," the doctor said as he pulled on his winter coat and snatched his black leather doctor's bag and pulled open the door, only to see Morrison and Kirkland in the doorway.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kirkland asked as he nudged Doc back into the room.
"I'm going back to my office and to check in on Festus," Doc huffed.
"Don't trust him!" Patty said from the bed. "That man would kill you as quick as he looked at you," O'Shea pointed at the doctor. "He said he wasn't coming back here to look at me," he gasped and fell back into the pillows.
"Is that a fact?" Kirkland asked as he pulled Doc close but his coat.
"I told him to keep the wound clean and that it would serve him good to have a bath and get a clean shirt," Doc stated as his eyes narrowed at the buffalo hunter.
"You town folks make me sick," Kirkland said as he shoved Doc right into Morrison.
"Me too," Morrison said as me smiled down at the doctor, hosing him by the shoulders.
Doc gulped.