Just a Sore Throat
When Nathan looked up, he knew something was definitely
wrong with the gambler. Ezra’s jaw and
neck were puffy and swollen, making it look like he had been on the losing end
of a knockdown-drag out last night, just without the bruising.
“Hey, Ez,” Nathan called to the slow moving Southerner. “Ain’t feeling any better, are ya?” Ezra had been complaining of a sore throat
for two days now, but every time Nathan tried to examine him, he would back off
saying it was just a sore throat, and he was probably getting a cold.
“Unfortunately not, Mr. Jackson,” Ezra’s voice was strained
and sounded extremely painful.
“Come on,” Nathan stood and waved for Ezra to precede him
out the door. When it looked like Ezra
was going to protest, he reminded him, “Chris said you was
to let me check it out if it wasn’t better this mornin’. Well, it ain’t so come on.”
Sighing, Ezra acquiesced and walked quietly and carefully
beside the healer to his rooms.
Concerned at the way his friend was walking, he said,
“What’s wrong, Ez? You
hurt ya’ leg or something?”
“No, Mr. Jackson, that would be preferable to this,” Ezra
said, grimacing in pain with each step.
Nathan’s worry grew as he tried to think of what could be
causing the pain. When he figured it out
later, he knew Ezra was going to be hearing about this for a long time to
come. Giving Ezra a draught to combat
the pain and send him to sleep, Nathan made his way back to the saloon to tell
Chris what was up with their resident gambler.
<<<~7~>>><<<~7~>>>
“Nathan, what’s wrong with Ezra? Ms Potter said she saw him
going up to your room with you hours ago,” Buck asked.
Finding the rest of the seven at their usual table, Nathan
joined them and took a glass of whiskey.
Downing it in what shot, he answered, “He’s got the mumps. He should be up and out of bed in a few days,
but he ain’t going to be able to ride for two weeks.”
“Two weeks? Why’s
that?” Buck asked, confused.
“When a man has the mumps, it does things to his body. It hurts just to walk, never mind ride.”
Nathan hoped Buck would let it go, but it was not to be.
“Like what?” Buck persisted.
Leaning over, Nathan whispered in Buck’s ear. JD watched in fascination as Buck paled and
dropped his hand into his lap.
When Nathan sat back, Buck mumbled a quiet, “Oh,” before
leaving. Nathan poured himself another
drink and downed it, before pushing back his chair and declaring he needed to
go check on a few patients in town before dinnertime.
When they had left, JD piped up, “What was they talkin’
about, Chris?”
Chris cast a glance over at Josiah, who decided to bail him
out. “Let’s just say, JD, that if Buck
ever gets the mumps, he’s going to be a mite lonely and very bored during his
recovery.”
