Morrison shoved Doc through the open door into the room where Patty lay on the bed. The doctor wasn't sure if it was him imagination or whether it was fact that the room smelled even worse that it had earlier. Instantly he made a face as he glanced around before he placed this medical bag on the bed and pulled off his coat before he set to work on O'Shea.
The Irishman was flush and his face wet with sweat. Doc placed his hand on Patty's forehead and shook his own, "He's not doing well at all," he said as he then pulled his watch from his vest pocket and took the Irishman's wrist. The doctor frowned, "If he makes it, it will be a miracle," he stated as placed Patty's hand back down on the bed and placed his watch back into his vest.
"What do you mean by that?" Kirkland snarled as he stepped closer to the doctor with his hands balled up into tight fists.
Doc held his ground and didn't mice words, "He's a very sick man. The infection has gotten worse and it could very well be going throughout his body," he said firmly as pulled the metal spectacle case from his vest pocket and placed the glasses on his face; returning the case to the pocket.
Kirkland pointed his index finger into the doctor's face, "You fix him up so that we can leave here. And make it quick," he ordered.
Doc's eyes narrowed, "I just can't fix him just like that. He's not like a gun that needs a new trigger or spring or something. He's a man with a severe infection that could ultimately kill him," he snapped back, pushing Kirkland's hand out of his face.
Kirkland stepped closer to the doctor and look down at him, "Don't you think you'd better get to work on him then?" he said in a threatening manner. Again the doctor didn't back down; drawing his lips tight in anger. Slowly Doc brushed his hand across his moustache before he pushed passed the buffalo hunter, "Get out of my way," he snapped as he walked to his medical bag.
Patty stirred from all the talking in the room. He tried to push himself up into a sitting position, and found his empty bottle while doing so, "Me bottle is empty. I thought I asked you ta get me another one," he looked over at Morrison. The buffalo hunter shrugged, "Guess I forgot."
Doc shook his head in disgust but chose not to say a word as he placed the stethoscope in his ears to listen to the Irishman's heart, which was beating strong. Patty then realized that the doctor had returned, "Well, tis fine to see you again," he drunkenly grinned as he watched Doc move the drum of the stethoscope over his chest.
"Your friend's here seem to be worried about you," Doc said as he looked down at the red-haired man. "And they have cause to be," he added. "You're a sick man."
"I have felt some better, that is true," Patty stated as he again looked at the empty bottle he still had clutched in his hand.
Doc removed the stethoscope, placing it back in the bag. He rummaged around to find the ointment and a cloth, to clean the wound again.
Newly finished his rounds and decided to go see the doctor in his office and to find out how he made out with the hunter; surely, he was finished with the wounded man by now and had returned to his office. The young deputy climbed the stairs and entered the office. O'Brien's mouth dropped open, "Festus? What are you doing? You shouldn't be walking around! Yet!" he asked the hill man.
Haggen looked down at himself and up at O'Brien as he was standing near the wood stove with a cup in his hand, "I'm getting' a drink of water, what's it look like I'm doing? The service around here is terrible," he sputtered as he dipped the cup onto the bucket to get more water.
"Doc will have your head, if you don't get back on that table and rest," O'Brien pointed to the examination table at the centre of the room.
"Wall fiddlesticks!" the hill man's voice rose. "I've been layin' thar waiting fer Doc to come in and get me some water, for nearly an hour now," he stated as he walked back to the examination table. "Where is Doc, anyhow? I can't recollect the last time I saw him," he turned and looked at Newly.
Newly hesitated to answer, "The buffalo hunters wanted him to look at their friend," he finally said.
"Is that the one I shot?" Festus scrunched up his left eye as he held his side as he watched the young deputy.
Slowly Newly nodded, "That's the one," he said softly.
The hill man's eyes then narrowed, "I hope he suffers good and long fer what he and his mangy pole-cat friends done to ol' Doc and me," he growled as he slowly and carefully climbed back up onto the examination table. Festus eased himself back down and tucked his left arm behind his head after he pulled the sheet over himself. "You let me know right away if they hurt Doc in anyway," he warned Newly, "because if they touch one hair on his head, I'll get on them like an ugly on an ape," he stated as he closed his eyes to get more rest.
"Doc's all right for now and should be finished soon," Newly assured the hill man. "Now, you get some rest. I'll be back later with some food for you," he smiled at his friend as he prepared to leave the doctor's office.
"Some warm grub would surely be a welcome sight," Festus smiled and licked his lips as he drifted off to sleep again.
Doc pulled off his glasses, folded the arms and placed them in the metal case. He ticked his head, "That's all I can do for now," he said as he slid the metal case into his vest pocket before his swiped his moustache with this right hand. "He might just be lucky enough to pull through," he looked over at the two hunters that were sitting in the chairs across the room.
"Oh, Patty's got the luck of the Irish in him. You better hope he makes it," Morrison growled as he placed his hand on his knife handle.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Doc challenged the hunter.
"Just saying that things might get a little ugly around here if old Patty dies," Morrison stated.
"Is that a treat?" Doc snapped.
"You could take it that way," Morrison smiled. "But if you are thinking on telling that young deputy fellow what I just said, we'll deny it and know nothing about it," he stated. "You see, we do plan on leaving here, but with more than we came with," he added with a vicious smile.
"So it's true," Doc said under his breath as he gathered his coat.
"What was that doctor?" Kirkland asked as he stood up.
"Nothing," Doc said as he pulled his coat on and grabbed his medical bag from the foot of the bed.
"We'll be looking for you later, doctor," Kirkland smiled as he watch the doctor leave the room in a huff. Doc was never more happy to leave somewhere before in his life. He wondered if he took on the smell of the room as he sniffed at this coat sleeve to see if his coat smelled. He thought that maybe offensive smells had damaged his olfactory sense; this called for a drink, he thought as he ticked his head and left the boarding house.