SHELTER

     Sawanni's elbow was set, and he had to start exercising it almost immediately, so that the joint would remain useful. The captain and his men could not reveal that they abandoned their duty and returned to the city, but one of the doctors from the military hospital was Sawanni's friend and came to see him at the small farm, where we stayed. Amur, Dular and I could go and check on the General as often as we wished, though. 

     General Yokoyama was in a coma.The man's injuries were very serious, and the doctors didn't have anything hopeful to tell. 

     We came to visit the General the next day and the next, but his condition didn't change. 

     Sawanni, who relied on his relationship with General Yokoyama, felt it was a huge setback. My sons and I tried to reassure him, that everything could change any day, and the General could still recover.

     Four days later, as we approached the room, where the General and his son, Aishi, stayed, we saw a group of doctors crowd around the bed. The General was awake, but we were told to let him gain some strength, before he could receive any visitors.

     Another week passed. Sawanni discretely contacted a few other officials in the command center, but couldn't tell, if he could trust them enough to approach them freely. We stayed in touch with Aishi, and, as soon as his father recovered enough, he told us to come to the hospital.

     As we showed up in the General's room, his eyes opened wide to see Sawanni in a "borrowed" doctor's robe and with

a stethoscope around his neck. Aishi already told his dad, how we rescued them from a bear, but he didn't know that one of us was working under his father and was supposed to be deep in the Taiga at the moment, "cleansing" the area for some purpose or another. Still, the General trusted the captain  and now turned his attention to Dular and myself.

     He thanked us, sincerely, but with a few words. Aishi, probably, told him how the bear seemed to have calmed down after encountering Dular, so Yokoyama's eyes kept returning to my son. Dular went to the bed and took the General's hand in his own. 

     We had to leave soon after that. It was another week or so before the General was well enough to come and see us at the farm. 

     

To Be Continued

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