Newly O'Brien left the jail house and crossed the street to check in on both Doc and Festus. He slowly climbed the stairs up passed the general store to the little landing at the top. He gripped the doorknob and entered the doctor's office. Festus remained as he was, unconscious on the examination table at the centre of the room. Only the rumpled quilt was left where the doctor was sleeping.
O'Brien checked the woodstove and placed another small log onto the fire before leaving to find out where the doctor had gone.
Newly left the office, closing the door quietly behind as he made his way down to the landing. He decided to check in with the building's owner in the store. The young deputy opened the door and stepped into the warm room, "Mister Jonas?" he smiled.
"Oh, hi Newly. What can I do for you?" Jonas returned the smile as he sorted through a box of items on the service counter.
"Have you seen Doc?" O'Brien asked while he walked further into the store.
Jonas shook his head no, "I haven't seen him since earlier today," the store owner shrugged. "Is something wrong?" he then questioned with concern; stopping what he was doing.
"I don't think so," Newly noted. "Maybe he's over at the Long Branch," he suggested as he turned and left he store after thanking Jonas on his way out. Jonas shrugged and went back to work.
O'Brien walked across the alley over to the saloon, which was reasonably busy for the time of day. It appeared that most people had finally found some time to get a drink rather than shoveling out from the wintery blast they had just received. Newly wove his way through the crowd, expecting to find the doctor with the saloon owner, "You look lost," Kitty noted the look on Newly's face from the end of the bar.
"I was looking for Doc," Newly said looking around the room.
Kitty shrugged, "I haven't seen him all day," she stated. "Is everything all right?"
"I hope so. I let him in his office, asleep," Newly replied.
"Maybe he went for something to eat," Kitty suggested. "I hardly had any of the stew I made, so I bet he's half starved having spent the whole day without much to eat and then having to look after Festus," she added.
"I'll check Delmonico's," Newly smiled and left the establishment. Surely, he thought, Doc had to be at the restaurant. Again the young deputy crossed the street and enterer the room, and again the doctor was no where in sight. Newly frowned and left the restaurant; standing on the boardwalk staring across the street at the staircase that led up to the doctor's office. O'Brien drew a deep breath and crossed the street and decided to have another look in the office, perhaps the doctor moved himself to the bed in the back room. Newly was certain that is what happened as he again climbed the steps and entered the office.
Quietly, the deputy moved to the back bedroom and peered through the doorway; they bed remained untouched. Newly frowned and turned back to the office. This time he noticed that the doctor's black leather medical bag was missing. O'Brien walked to the chair where it bag normally sat and looked around.
While he was in the office, he checked Festus and noted that there was no change in the hill man's condition.
Then something hit him; it was a faint yet familiar smell that he had encountered. He sniffed the air a little more and tried to remember what the odor was, and where he had experienced it before. It finally dawned on Newly, "The buffalo hunters," he eyes were wide. "Doc?!" he said aloud to himself as he scurried out the door and down the stairs, this time almost running Jonas over and almost knocking him into a bushel basket of turnips.
"Newly? What in thunder is wrong?" Jonas shouted as the steadied himself and watched the young deputy charge across the alley toward the saloon. The store owner then wondered if everything was all right.
O'Brien burst through the saloon doors, "The buffalo hunters have Doc," he huffed as he reached the bar. Kitty and Sam exchanged looks. "You better go with Newly, Sam," Kitty urged.
Sam nodded and picked up the shotgun from behind the bar, as well as his hat and coat; somehow he managed to juggle the gun while putting on his coat and hat, without setting the firearm down.
The two men quickly left the saloon to find Doc. They didn't say it out loud; they both hoped and prayed that the doctor was all right. Both Newly and Sam knew all to well what kind of men buffalo hunters tended to be and gentle was not in their make-up; if they wanted something, they took it.
Newly and Sam reached the boardinghouse and entered the door. Several other men inside, seated in the sitting room, exchanged looks as they watched the two men walk down the hall to the end room. The door was closed and there was no sound from within. Newly glanced at the bar keep, "What do you think?" he whispered.
Sam shrugged, "Try knocking," he then offered.
O'Brien pursed his lips, and then rapped lightly on the rough wooden door. Again there was no sound from within the room. Newly rapper harder on the door, this time someone moved in the room and the click of the door latch could be heard through the door. The two men in the hall braced themselves.
Morrison jerked open the door, and his physical size practically filled the doorway, "What the hell do you want?" he snapped at the two men loudly.
"We're here for Doc," Newly said as he stepped forward to get a glimpse of the doctor in the room.
"He's busy right now," Morrison positioned himself purposely in front of the young deputy, but Newly saw the doctor across the room who looked to be sleeping, as he was sprawled on the chair with his coat draped over him. "Doc?" O'Brien called to his friend, but the doctor didn't move.
Morrison looked over his shoulder, "He appears to be sleeping, just like what we was doing," he looked back at Newly and Sam. Newly was quickly growing exasperated at the situation and he sensed that there was something wrong with Doc, "Get out our way," O'Brien finally pulled his gun and jammed it into Morrison's gut. Sam brought the shotgun up and held it chest-high at the buffalo hunters.
Morrison's bushy eyebrows knit together, "You just might pay for this," he glared at the two men, and then slowly stepped aside. Patty appeared to be unconscious on the bed, Kirkland lay in another chair, clearly in a drunken stupor, but Doc however, hadn't moved a muscle, despite Morrison's loudness.
Newly had Sam keep his gun on the buffalo hunter while he went to wake the doctor, "Doc?" he said as he nudged the physician, but he still didn't move, "Doc?" he called again, this time the doctor's eyes slowly fluttered open. Slowly the doctor drew his right hand down over his face, to try and clear his heard.
"Are you all right?" Newly asked as he studied the doctor.
Doc didn't say anything as he got to his feet and pulled on his coat then picked up his medical bag, "Let's leave here," he motioned to the doorway. Morrison kept his eyes on the men as they left, he growled as they passed him. Newly was puzzled at the doctor's actions and lack of an answer; quietly they followed the doctor and left the boarding house.
Once on the street, Doc rubbed his chin feeling the whiskers, once again, "They are some of the nastiest people I have ever encountered," he growled as he frowned looking back at the boardinghouse.
"Doc, did they hurt you?" Sam asked as they walked down the street.
Doc shook his head no, "I want a drink and a hot meal," he grunted and pushed forward. Newly and Sam looked at each other and both figured in due time the doctor would tell them what happened.