Doc Ch. 12

Mr. Wagner seemed like a reasonable type, so I tried a little dickering.

"I don't mean to insult you, but is that the best you can do? You do realize that some of my patients may need to rent a room for the night if it gets too late to return to their homes. There may be others that might be too sick or hurt to travel who will also need rooms. I don't think it is a great stretch to see that my seeing my patients here should be good for your business."

Mr. Wagner proved he was a good business man. He only took a few seconds to decide.

"I can see that, Doctor. Maybe I can go as low as three dollars a night or $30 a month."

"Well, seeing as I will probably only be here six or seven days a month I think I'll have to go with the three dollars a day for the first while. If things work out as good as I think they will, maybe later I'll be able to take it by the month. I'll just pay for tonight for now. We have to get back home to Hill City tomorrow, but we'll be back later this month, once I get my schedule set up."

I paid for one night. When we were finished with the paperwork, I enquired, "I'm going to be in town the rest of the day and probably part of tomorrow. I can see a few patients while I'm here. Is there anyway you could spread the word?"

"Sure, I can do that. I'll also tell Lou to let people in the restaurant know. She will make sure to spread the word."

I didn't have the heart to tell him Lou had already offered to spread the word to her customers.

I left my wives in the lobby, visiting with Mr. Wagner while Bear and I went back to the stables to retrieve my main medical kit. When we returned to the hotel, I went back by the front desk and picked up my key. Mr. Wagner directed us to our room, which I was pleased to discover was actually a corner suite of two rooms with its own outside entrance. I was so pleased with this room that I decided maybe I should take it on a permanent basis, as it would make a good medical office. Taking it on a monthly basis would ensure I got the same suite all the time.

When we entered the suite, we discovered a patient already waiting. As I observed him, I saw a man in his late 30s of medium height, wearing dark glasses. He sported a pair of Navy Colts tucked into a sash tied around his waist. He introduced himself, although I had already figured out who he most likely was.

"Hello doctor. I'm James Hickok, but most call me Wild Bill. I have something I need to talk to you about in private."

I looked at my wives, but they had already taken the hint and were in the process of disappearing into the other room, hustling Bear ahead of them.

When we were finally alone, I enquired, "Okay, Mr. Hickok, we're in private now. What can I do for you?"

"Doctor, what I have to say to you must be kept in the strictest confidence."

"That comes under the heading of patient-doctor confidentiality, Mr. Hickok. You have my word as a doctor and a gentleman that whatever you tell me will stay with me."

"Thank you, Doctor. That is very reassuring. It's my eyes – I seem to be losing my sight. If people, especially the wrong people, found out, I'd be a dead man! Now you understand why I am so concerned about confidentiality."

If I remembered my history right, Bill Hickok was going blind due to an untreated case of syphilis. I told him. "Yes, I do understand. Blindness can be caused by a lot of things. In order to determine what is causing yours, I need to give you a thorough examination. Let's start by getting some history."

"Alright. You're the doc. Ask your questions. I'll try to be as truthful as I can."

I started by asking Wild Bill about his health history, making notes of his answers. When I finished with the interview portion of the examination, I had him remove his clothing in order to perform the physical part of the examination.

After the physical exam, and from the answers to my questions, I was able to determine that the history books were right about the state of Wild Bill's health. It's always hard to be the bearer of bad news.

"I hate to tell you this Mr. Hickok, but you have syphilis, and it's in the final stages. It is causing the blindness and later may cause madness. There is no real cure for it at this time. I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do except to tell you to rest and relax. You should be especially careful with alcohol. If I could've gotten to you sooner I might have been able to treat it, but there's nothing that can be done at this late date."

"That's what the doctors down in Denver told me. I just needed to get a second opinion."

"I'm sorry that I'm the one that had to give you the bad news. If there's anything I can do, let me know. I should be here every few days once I get a schedule set up. I do need to ask you to do something though. Please make sure that everyone you know you had sexual contact with comes to see me. Syphilis is very contagious. We need to catch it before it spreads much farther."

Hickok looked relieved that I offered some palliative help at least.

"Thanks, Doc, if I need anything, I'll do that. As far as having any sexual contacts, I haven't had any since I was diagnosed a year ago. I was told before that there was no cure, but a person can never stop hoping. I just hoped that in the past year something might have changed and by now there might be something you could do to help. I found out that nothing has changed after all. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. How much do I owe you?"

"I'm not going to charge you anything because at this late date there's really nothing I can do for you."

"That's nonsense! Nothing in this world is free. Your time and your knowledge are worth something. Examining me as thoroughly as you did made much use of both today. You undervalue yourself if you don't charge for them. This is for the examination."

As he left my office, Wild Bill Hickok handed me two double eagles. I never saw him alive again.

I spent the rest of the day treating patients as they came into the office. There were no real emergencies, just simple burns, cuts, and bruises. My wives worked hard helping me with the treatments and collecting the patients' personal information for my files. I kept Bear busy running to the store for odds and ends I didn't have in my kit. For a first day, with no advance billing, we were quite busy. Word sure got around fast.

I think many people came in just to satisfy their curiosity. Regardless, it was still a profitable afternoon with almost $98 in receipts. All told, counting the $40 from Wild Bill, the $25 from the Oasis Saloon, the $98 from this afternoon's business, what was left of the $150 Grandpa gave me, my first months pay that Jack had paid me in advance, and the money I made in Hill City, we had just under $350. And that was after expenses – supplies for home, new cloths for my family, eating in restaurants and livery fees for the last two days. After the last patient left, I went to Mr. Wagner, the hotel owner.

"Sir, that corner suite was perfect for use as a doctor's office. With the two rooms we can have a private examination area and a waiting room. Because of that and the number of people who came in today, I've been forced to reconsider. I'll rent it monthly after all, if the offer is still open."

"Dr. Thomas, I thought you would like that suite. When we built the hotel, we designed that suite with a professional in mind. Yes, the offer is still open. If you like, I can arrange for our sign painter to make up something for over the outside door. Would you like to pay in advance or when you return?"

"Thanks, Mr. Wagner. I'll pay one month in advance for now. Thank you for looking after a sign for me. Please add it to next month's bill. And, thank you for the patient referral earlier. I don't think the gentleman would have known of me that quickly without your reference."

"You're welcome, Sir. I'm sure we'll have a long and mutually satisfactory association."

"Well, after a long day of toiling, I think I would be advised to allow the ladies to distract themselves with the local merchants. Thank you again. Good day, Mr. Wagner."

"Good day, Doctor."

Being a man of my word, I then escorted all three of my wives back to the general store to do a little shopping. I was going to treat them each to a new dress or something – whatever they wanted – for all their hard work today. Bear? Well Bear, he'd just get more sweets. No big deal. Yeah, right!

We never did buy anything, as they claimed they didn't need anything just yet, and poor Bear was informed in no uncertain terms he had had way more sweets already than was good for him. He must not spoil his supper. I think the storekeeper managed to slip him a small piece anyway. Both of them looked far too innocent when the ladies gave them the gimlet eye.

Still, the girls did seem to enjoy the shopping. Except for lapsing into Lakota as they discussed the merits of an item among themselves, they were indistinguishable from any other woman in any store anywhere. I guess in many ways some things never change, regardless of the time or period in history. Women have loved shopping since time immemorial. It is an immutable fact of life.

When they decided they'd had enough of oo-ing and ah-ing over fabrics, trinkets and gewgaws, we wandered back to the hotel restaurant for some supper. We ate a delicious meal prepared by Aunt Lou. Bear once again showed that he was truly mystical, as he seemed to be able to contain more food than his small body should reasonably hold.

After supper, we strolled around town for a while, marveling at all the construction. Deadwood was like a mushroom, almost popping into existence where a very short time ago there was only a canyon lined with dead trees.

When it stated to get late we returned to the hotel. Deadwood was still a rip-roaring mining town, and for ladies or children to be on the streets after dark was to invite trouble. I had already decided we would return to the ranch the next afternoon after seeing patients in the morning. That meant an early and long day ahead of us. We needed our rest.

We returned to our rooms at the Grand Central and locked ourselves in. We bedded Bear down on the settee in the front room. It may sound trite, but he was a tired little 'teddy bear' and was almost instantly asleep when his head touched the pillow. After he was tucked in, we moved to the main bedroom and pushed the two beds together. We ended an eventful and productive day with a little cuddling, some tender lovemaking and finally sleep.