It had been rumored that the American president would be stopping in Odessa as a show of support to Ukrainian troops who had been defending the key trade city after nearly a month's bombardment wherein Russia had targeted several civilian complexes including a shopping mall and several condominiums.
He had fallen into a coma, he remembered only that he had attended to a man's tourniquet and that several hours later as he sat grieving news of the man's passing he could only see his face reaching out to offer his cigarettes, the man's face and then the white light and that was all until the nurse helped him come to nearly 3 days later at the hospital with six or seven others who'd been eventually been brought along behind them.
He ate like a wild animal. He drank wine in large gulps.
Better take it easy there mister, handing him a bundle of grapes… Little bits at a time will be better.
Did you make these pork dumplings? He asks. No, she says.
Delicious.
I did not make them but I will pass on a good word to the kitchen from our American heroes. Feeling better?
He sleeps another two or three hours, shedding them away as minutes and feeling again the surprise at being woken, as though the more natural thing would always be the sleeping.
He got down to the mess hall for the strong coffee and read through his orders for their next tour. He would be paragliding onto Gotland Island where three brigades were congealed to form another arms unit that was intended to snake back through to the fight at the front near Palanga, Lithuania.
Just before finishing the plate with a smear of biscuit someone approached. It was the Sergeant of the Czech troops who many called "Bull " who had led them in during the first tour. His English was also surprisingly poor.
It was clear he had been looking for him and was happy to catch him before leaving the mess hall.
In placing his hand and fixing his gaze for just a moment it became clear the man intended condolences, a shared grief. By now many in their numbers had figured out how many hours he had sat vigil with the poor man in the tourniquet. They recognized the distinction of his willingness to stay as long as he did given his injury.
You are good man, he said.
We will kill these sons of bitches.
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