September 26, 1900

Tombstone. 

This morning I waved to Joe and Angel in front of the courthouse. Joe said he was doing better today than yesterday and I asked him what happened. 

“Sitting outside my office in Ghenna when a ranger took a pot shot at me; it will be dealt with.” 

“That’s what you get for moving to Ghenna. Which ranger was it?” 

“I moved there as folks filled my coffins with bubbles and the undertakers and ruined my work,” Joe looked at me. “The folks here don’t respect my work, I move else where.” 

“And now rangers are shootin’ at ya. What is this place coming to?” I nodded to him. 

“Well sure I wont be the first or the last,” he shrugged. 

“Still don’t make it right.” 

“Nope, don’t matter does it if ya live in Ghenna now does it.” 

I looked over at Angel rubbing her eyes as we talked and asked, “Little sleep there, Ang?” 

“Vas juzt up early.. I lozt a bet to Ansar.. now i ave to peal hiz potatoez for a veek.. ven I voke up vas a good hundred bags of zem in mine living room.” 

“Do I wanna know what the bet was?” I chuckled. 

“That sounds a pretty strange relationship,” Joe commented. 

“Vas a drinking contezxt,” she told me. 

“Of course it was,” I nodded. 

“Vell Ansar haz hiz potaoez and he lovez zem so vho am I to get betveen him and that?” 

“This is true,” I chuckled. 

“Never will understand drinking contests,” Joe said. 

“Do you drink?” Frank asked, coming up behind us. 

“Morning Dr. Butcher,” Angel greeted him. 

“Dr. Butcher?” I chuckled and raised an eyebrow. 

“If you don’t drink. That’s why you will never understand them. I think it is a nickname Trin,” Frank said. 

“Whether I do or not is none of ya business. I said I don’t understand drinking contests, not drinking there is a difference,” Joe looked down. 

“Vas for the fun of it,” Angel shrugged. 

“Yep drink loads of alcohol and regurgitate it all back up when ya have had too much… sounds like fun,” Joe shook his head. 

“Vell takes a lot of that for me to get to zat point,” Angel said. 

“Well true. If your normally a weak drinker and get drunk off the smallest of drink. Then I would see why you don’t compete. Of course thats completely hypothetical and is only a guess. There could be a thousand reasons why,” Frank went on. 

“Okay Angel, I gotta ask... Why ‘Butcher’?” I looked at her. 

“I am inquisitive too, yes why The Butcher?” Frank looked at her. 

“What is the point in competing in drinking?” Joe looked at Frank. “It proves nothing, and by the sound of your name, last advice should take is from ya. Sounds like your more into slaughter than treatment.” 

“He took a bullet out of mine shoulder after giving me snake skin oil and vas juzt it, you ave no idea miz Trin ow much zat hurt.. spcally vhy I vanted to vomit...so hez dr butcher,” Angel glared at Frank. 

“Ah yes, the snake oil,” I laughed. 

“My real name if Dr. Frank M Devil,” Frank said. 

“So looks like the standard of doctoring has gone down since I retired then,” Joe smirked at Angel. 

“I would think Dr Devil would also be a formative title,” Frank grinned. 

“Vould much rather had seen Joe,” Angel said. 

“Yes,” Joe nodded. “Devil a person with certain characteristics and by the sounds of it, in your case, incompetence. But then that’s hypothetical of course.” 

“Getting a bullet in your rear hasn’t. But thats also hypothetical, not saying your going to get shoot. It just hasn’t changed,” Frank smiled. 

I chuckled, listening to the men argue. “There in a mood today, eh Ang? Joe, which ranger shot ya?” I asked him again. 

“Not all all heading over the border for two weeks, so the bodies can pile high for all I am concerned,” Joe said, looking almost cheerful. “Shift or Soft or something is his name.” 

“Spin?” I guessed, looking at Joe. 

He said he was gonna report himself,” Joe laughed. “Yeah, that’s the one.” 

I rolled my eyes and Angel shook her head. “Ugh, Spin…” 

“Snake oil it welcomed in the perfection on medicine. I research every piece, every bottle, every last ingredient to the last drop. Works better then anything I found,” Frank stated proudly. 

“Ang you might want to train that deputy of yours a bit more this weekend,” I chuckled. 

“Am not training him anymore, Trin,” she looked over at me. 

“I had to walk him through an arrest yesterday. He didn’t even search the guy for weapons, just took his gun off him,” I told her. 

Joe looked at Angel and said, “As I said, let Rikki deal with it if she wants to.” He looked at Frank and said, “Snake Oil is poppycock.” 

“I’ve trained him he refuzes to pay mind so I’m not traning lez he comez to me for help,” Angel muttered. 

“And then he claimed that he saw some lock pick but didn’t search him for it. I found it and gave it to him as evidence,” I went on. “I have no problem helping with arrests as long as they write their reports correctly.” 

“He don’t listen to me. I ave valked him through all of zat,” Angel said. 

“I have no doubt you did. I sent Adrian a wire about it.” 

“Hell ya be using leeches next. What’s happening is medicine regressing in this county,” Joe shook his head and looked at us.“Ya think they can actually write? Ya lucky of they can walk and talk.” 

“Snake oil is the future my friend. if it was poppycock as you say. They why prey tell to they sell it in the doctors office. Use it in every operation. Heck I am sure its been used on you and you never even knew. Just in another bottle with a deferent name,” Frank went on. 

“Frank you should talk to Thomas about that business he was doin’. Find out what happened to the man who ran that company,” I smirked a bit. 

“Remind me to doe and not be treated by you then. I was a doctor here for years,” Joe chuckled. 

“I not saying its a cure all. But it cures. I’m not stupid,” Frank said. 

“The company owner got hanged ’cause his clients got upset with him about the waste of time it was. Thomas stopped sellin’ it real quick,” I told him. 

“Ah no wonder you don’t do it any more. You couldn’t stand progress,” Frank said. 

“What the hell are they teaching them these days?” Joe shook his head. “Oh I liked progress. Unfortunately this town is too backward to appreciate some of my more radical procedures.” 

“Creating patients ain’t progress, Joe,” I teased him. 

“Indeed,” he smirked. “Well ya got to cut them up to work out how they work.” 

“Well Natalie and I are headed to Louisiana for the weekend,” I told them. “Reckon I should get home and start packin’.” 

“Although that new x-ray machine might help, but this place ain’t ready for that,” Joe said. 

“X-ray machine? That like a new fangled saw?” Frank asked. 

“Alvright miz Trin you both ave fun,” Angel smiled at me. 

“Oh I’m sure we will!” I nodded. 

“And me to see my Mexican friends and prepare for the day of the dead,” Joe nodded. 

“I need me a new one. Last man broke my saw on his leg bone,” Frank said. 

“See ya’ll Monday!” I waved and looked at Joe. “You take care of yourself, Joe. Have a good trip.”