You need to go. We’ll call you if anything changes. As Andre exited the room, he ran into shaman Nikolai Semyonovich, who had somehow heard what had happened and come to the hospital.
She’s alive, the old man said, not as a question, but as a fact. Yes, Andre nodded. But unconscious.
And the baby? The doctors aren’t sure. The shaman thoughtfully shook his head. The wolf saved them from the earth, but not from the darkness.
She’s still wandering between worlds. What are you talking about? Andre frowned. Her spirit is searching for the way back, the shaman explained.
And the wolf can help. Sever. Andre remembered how the wolf had run so faithfully behind the car all the way to the hospital.
He’s here, waiting at the entrance. They won’t let him in. They must, Nikolai Semyonovich said firmly.
He is her anchor to the world of the living. Andre was no longer surprised. After all that had happened, his whole framework of reality, where there was no place for miracles or ancient beliefs, had crumbled.
I’ll talk to the doctor, he said. To Andre’s surprise, the young doctor did not object to the unusual request. After what you told me about the wolf, I’m willing to believe he has a special connection with the patient, he said.
But there are rules, sanitary standards. Please, Andre pleaded, was already lost so much time. What if he really can help? The doctor hesitated, then finally nodded.
All right, but only for a short time, and he needs to be sanitized. Andre ran outside. Sever sat under the bench by the entrance, waiting patiently.
When he saw Andre, the wolf stood up. Come, Andre said. They allowed it.
The hospital staff watched in amazement as Andre led a large wolf through the corridors. An older nurse crossed herself. Someone gasped.
But no one tried to stop them. Before entering the room, the doctor insisted that the wolf be disinfected, at least the paws and snout, he said. Sever stoically endured the procedure, only snorting in irritation when the nurse wiped his nose with an alcohol pad.
When the wolf was finally let into the room, he carefully approached the bed, sniffed Irina’s hanging hand, and whimpered quietly. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, he gently leapt onto the bed and lay next to the woman, resting his snout on her chest, right over her heart. Hey, you can’t, the nurse exclaimed.
Wait, let’s see, the doctor said, stopping her. Sever lay still, only his amber eyes open, fixed on Irina’s face. A few minutes passed.
No one dared break the silence. And then, Irina’s hand twitched, her fingers weakly clenched, and then slowly moved toward the wolf’s grey fur. The monitor showed her heartbeat quickening.
She’s responding, the doctor whispered. Unbelievable. Irina’s eyelashes fluttered.
Her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light. Then her gaze focused on the wolf lying next to her.
Sever. Her voice was hoarse, barely audible. Andrei rushed to his wife and grabbed her hand.
Irina, you came back. She gave a faint smile. Andrei.
What, what happened? He didn’t know where to begin. How could he explain those three impossible days? Later, said the doctor, approaching the bed. What matters now is that you’re conscious.
How do you feel? Irina paused, as if trying to grasp a dream. Strange. Like I’ve been asleep for a long time.
I saw dreams. Sever was there. He called me.
Andrei looked at the wolf with a new feeling. Gratitude. Awe.
The baby, Irina suddenly said, alarmed, placing her hand on her belly. The child is alive, the doctor reassured her. But we need more tests.
For now, you need rest. Everyone was asked to leave the room, even Sever. But the wolf didn’t budge, and not even the doctor dared disturb him.
Let him stay, the doctor finally said. It seems he really is helping. Irina fully regained consciousness a day later.
She was still very weak, but her first question was, the baby, is the baby still alive? The doctors had conducted more tests, and to their surprise, confirmed. The fetus has a steady heartbeat, stable, amazingly, it’s developing normally. That evening, alone with Andrei, Irina quietly asked.
What happened Andrei? I remember stoking the fire, lying down for a rest, then, darkness, and strange dreams. Andrei took her hand. Carbon monoxide, Ira.
You forgot to open the damper. When I came back, you… he choked on the word dead. They took you away, the paramedics said you were gone, and the baby too.
Irina listened, eyes wide. We buried you, Andrei said with difficulty. Then on the third day, Sever came to the grave, and started digging.
He heard me, Irina whispered. I knew it, I heard him, Andrei, howling over the grave. I was like, underwater.
I couldn’t move, but I heard him. He called me. You were lucky, said the doctor, entering the room.
What you experienced is known in medicine as a pseudo-death or lethargic sleep. Your vital functions slowed so much, that without equipment, signs of life were undetectable. From the gas? Andrei asked.
Likely a combination of poisoning and individual physiology, the doctor explained. Extremely rare, but documented. There were times people were buried with bells tied to their wrists, just in case.
And the child? Irina asked. How could he survive? That’s even more astounding, the doctor admitted. The fetus was extraordinarily resistant to hypoxia.
Possibly because during pregnancy, the fetus already lives in a low oxygen environment. He paused, then added. But the biggest mystery is your wolf.
How did he know you were alive? Medicine has no answer. Irina reached out and gently stroked Sever, lying by her side. Maybe not everything in this world can be explained by science.
A nurse peeked into the room. You have a visitor. A strange one.
We haven’t let him in, but he’s been sitting outside the entrance for three days. They say he’s a shaman from a nearby settlement. Nikolai Semyonovich? Andrei asked, surprised.
Please let him in. The old man entered, leaning on a carved staff. Upon seeing Irina sitting up, he smiled.
The soul has returned home. Good. He stepped closer and placed a small bundle on the nightstand.
This is for you and the child. Irina unwrapped the cloth and saw the wolf pendant, the very same talisman the shaman had once gifted her. She had thought it lost.