IX - Help

The following morning Kamon was in his office before the sun had risen. It was an early hour for all else; there were no Council members at work, no staff members roaming the halls. But for Kamon, this was normal. He did not deliberately arise from sleep early, he simply required little of it.

He worked quickly through his stack of mail. Noxia, his secretary, had arranged it well. Letters to be signed were on top; he dispatched them at a furious pace.

Next was a sampling of the mail, some complimentary, some critical, some from people just in desperate need of help. He focused on those needing help. He wrote quick notes to his aides, what to do, how to help the authors of the letters.

He should have returned home -- to his property, his trees. But to do what? To physically stand in the path of those who would destroy them? That would be a temporary solution, but he needed something more, something permanent. And the permanent solution lay in the hands of the Delphi. He had tried to talk to her. The temporary standoff was helpful, he had to admit that, but it seemed unlikely he would be having any fruitful discussions with her anytime soon.

Jasmine. A welcome diversion. An intriguing woman. Someone enjoyable to think about. Intelligent, conversant, pleasant.......attractive. He would be at the Capitol Circle today. He was not going to miss her speech.

A couple of hours passed. The morning sun was splashing through the window. The building was beginning to come to life. Aides were arriving. A thought came to Kamon. Of course, he thought. A job for Elbe!

Elbe was one of Kamon's legislative aides. He had worked in the Capitol (the most common reference for the Capitol Building) for the past five years. Most of that time had been spent on Councilwoman Tektite's staff. Working for her had been a disheartening experience for the young man. Councilwoman Tektite was an overbearing woman who thought very little of the abilities of a man. She was rude, inconsiderate, and never seemed to appreciate anything he did. When Elbe did do the extraordinary, she assumed he must have had help -- lots of it.

When a position opened up on Councilman Kamon's staff, Elbe jumped at the chance. The word inside the Capitol was that while Councilman Kamon expected the best from everyone in his office, he also was fair and considerate. He took a genuine interest in his aides. If any of them needed help, either personally or professionally, he would be there. Once on Councilman Kamon's staff, Elbe soon found that all the stories were true. He was delighted.

Kamon soon learned that he had picked up an excellent staffer in Elbe. The young man was hard working, industrious, and loyal. And when it came to computers, Elbe was practically a genius. It was not hard for Kamon to imagine how difficult it must have been for Elbe -- a male -- to acquire so much knowledge about computers. Elbe was nothing short of remarkable. Kamon could not remember a request for information that Elbe had not been able to fill. If the young man just wouldn't be so formal all the time........

Kamon heard Elbe arrive. The Councilman seldom closed the door to his private office. He spoke through the open doorway. "Elbe? Would you come in here please?"

Elbe walked eagerly into Kamon's office. He was happy with his job and it showed. "Yes, Councilman?"

"Close the door, would you, please?" Kamon requested.

Elbe's brow furrowed. Private meetings were unusual for the Councilman. This must be really important! The small wisp of a man was nervous. What could it be about?

"Elbe, I want you to find out everything you can about a woman named Jasmine. Who she is, where she comes from, that sort of thing. I can't give you much to go on. Her manner of dress is rather unusual, if that's any help. Those long flowing body garments like they wear in Kefar," he said, demonstrating with some hand motions. "Are you familiar with that?"

"Yes, sir," Elbe nodded, concentrating intently.

"Good," Kamon said. "She is also described as someone who 'preaches peace'. That rather unusual job description should give you a pretty good lead, I would think. She is supposed to be speaking in the Circle today at noon." Then a bit guiltily, Kamon added, "Uh -- don't spend too much time on this, okay Elbe? It's...not exactly official business."

"Yes, Councilman. I'll get right on it," he responded eagerly. He turned to leave. Elbe was anxious to start the task. There was something particularly endearing about the Councilman's nervousness concerning the subject. It made Elbe feel privileged to know that the Councilman would trust him with what was obviously a personal matter. And the Councilman from Sparrow Hawk made very few personal requests of his staff.

"Elbe?" Kamon stopped him before he could make it out the office door.

The young man turned to face Kamon again. "Yes, Councilman?"

"Don't call me Councilman. Call me Kamon."

"Yes, sir."

"And not 'sir', either."

"Yes, sir."

The two ended most of their conversations with an exchange similar to this one. Kamon disdained the use of titles, while Elbe could not break free of a lifetime of training.

Kamon tried to resume working, but he was distracted. Misgivings. He began to drum his fingers on the desk top.

It wasn't really right to be checking up on the woman. Not to mention the fact that he was using his Council office for a purely private matter.

His fingers drummed on the desk faster.

Still, all he really wanted was to learn more about her. It wasn't like he was checking out her background to learn if she met his personal standards. He really did not care exactly what Elbe found out about her. He just wanted to know something about her......anything at all. He wasn't good in social settings. This would be quicker, easier.....This was also silly. Jasmine probably did not even care who he was.

Then why had she asked him to the Circle? 'That you care.' What had she meant by that? How could she even form an opinion about him based on her reading of the Council Journal? A person could fall asleep reading that!

What had she been doing in the Zone? Why had she been there? How had she gotten there?

The fingers stopped and then resumed their drumming on the desk.

Elbe was out there right now spending his time on this. What if every Councilwoman did this? A person could really abuse her office. But he really wasn't using his office for personal gain. This had nothing to do with money. It was simply......important to him! It seemed important, anyway.

Elbe would come up with something pretty quick. He always did. It wouldn't take long. He just wanted to know about one person. Was that such a bad thing? If those tabloids found out about this, it would certainly seem a lot less harmless in print; he was sure of that.

The fingers stopped drumming.

Better inform Elbe right now that he was not to let another living soul know about this. No one!

Kamon scrawled a hasty message on his note pad, tore off the piece of paper, then rose from his chair and made a beeline for Elbe's desk.

The morning wore on. Kamon continued working in his office. He took three calls from the press concerning Chief Councilwoman Mavox Pro's troubles. He declined thirty others. The media had soon learned that he was the only Council member in his office, and the calls came pouring in. A reaction from Mavox Pro's chief antagonist. 'What did he think? Was he pleased? How would the power structure in the Council be affected if she were forced from office? Why had he voted for the two-week delay?......'

One lone call came in concerning another matter. 'Had he met with the Delphi at the Domus yesterday?' Kamon thought about it for a moment, then took the call. 'What was the purpose of the meeting? What had they discussed? Did he know that a male Council member had never set foot inside the Domus before?' It was a story lurking beneath the surface. Unusual events. At any other time, other callers would have been asking the same questions. But the capitol city was obsessed with the troubles of the Chief Councilwoman. Kamon was evasive, almost uninformative, but he did not deny that the meeting had taken place. The fact that he would not divulge the details of the meeting made it interesting...and mysterious. The reporter finally hung up, eager to check with other sources. She had a great story in the making, but she needed more facts, then confirmation. That could take a while.

It was an hour before noon. Kamon decided to have a quick lunch in the Zone, then head over to the Circle. He stopped by Noxia's desk to tell her that he would be out of the building for most of the afternoon, perhaps all of it.

He stepped into Casio's office to see if his friend wanted to join him for lunch. Casio wasn't in.

Kamon headed for the elevator, passing by his own office once more as he did so.

".....But I must see Councilman Kamon," he heard a man pleading.

"I'm sorry, sir," Noxia answered, "but the Councilman has gone to lunch and he may not return at all this afternoon. Surely, someone else here can help you."

"No," the man implored. "Only Councilman Kamon can help me!"

Kamon stopped. The man sounded desperate. The Councilman glanced at the clock at the end of the hallway. He had time. If he had to, he could pick up a quick sandwich on the street.

Kamon stepped back into his office. "May I help you? I was on my way to the elevator when I overheard."

A thin man with an owlish face turned to face Kamon. His clothes were clean, but they contained many patches. It looked like he hadn't bought anything new in a long time.

"Yes! Oh yes! I'm so glad I found you! Please. You must help me! I have been told that you are the only person who can help me!"

A few minutes. Kamon could give the man that much time. He seemed quite distressed. "Why don't you step into my office? You can sit down and tell me what the problem is. Perhaps I can help, but I can't promise anything."

"Oh thank you! Thank you! I know you will be able to help me. I was told you could help!" The man was fairly gushing with gratitude.

In his personal office, Kamon slid into his chair and motioned for the man to sit down as well. "Why don't you start by telling me your name and where you're from."

"Yes, of course. My name is Acceptus and I live in the northwest part of the city."

The slum area, Kamon thought. It was a tough place in which to survive. Racked by poverty, a refuge for illegal drug merchants -- mostly because they knew law enforcement agents were too scared to enter the area -- it was a blight upon the city. It was an embarrassment to the entire country. It was on the doorstep of the capitol of the most powerful and richest state on the planet, yet it seemed that no one was willing or able to do something about it.

"My problem concerns my mother," Acceptus went on. "She is old and frail with many health problems. Her kidneys are so bad that she needs dialysis treatment three times a week. We did not have the money for these treatments, so we were forced to place her in one of the government approved elder care facilities. As you probably know, Councilman, a person has to be a resident of one of these facilities in order to be eligible for free health care."

"Yes," Kamon nodded. "I am familiar with the regulations. I am head of the Health Subcommittee in the Council. However, it is my personal opinion that in many cases the patient would be more comfortable living at home and going to a health facility only as needed to receive treatments. Such an approach would also save money without sacrificing quality health care."

"Yes," Acceptus agreed. "Yes it would. But my problem is more immediate, Councilman. You see, my mother is a resident of an elder care facility named Sanitas Manor. She does receive the dialysis treatments that she needs, yet I still feel that her health is deteriorating. She no longer knows me. I do not know exactly what is happening to her there, and the doctors are not giving me any answers. I am afraid something is very wrong. Please, you must help her!"

"I know quite a bit about health care," Kamon said, "but I'm not a doctor. They may be doing everything they can for your mother at the facility, but I know how doctors can be. Perhaps they're just not communicating with you very well."

"No," Acceptus disagreed. "It is more than that. I am a poor man; I am not well educated, I know that. But I do know when something is wrong and something is wrong at Sanitas Manor."

Acceptus was staunch in his conviction, Kamon could see that. "Then what is it you wish of me?"

"Come with me to Sanitas Manor."

"To do what?"

"To help my mother," Acceptus answered. "To fix what is wrong."

Kamon repressed a smile. Neither knew the cause of the problem, yet Acceptus apparently believed that by simply taking the Councilman there, the problem would somehow get fixed. "Acceptus, I don't usually handle something like this personally. My staff would look into it. Besides, Councilwoman Andaria is your elected representative. It might be better if you checked with her office first. She, or someone on her staff, might even know the administrators at Sanitas Manor. Her office might be far more help than I could ever be."

Acceptus leaned forward in his chair and placed his hands on Kamon's desk. "Please," he pleaded. "You can help me."

Kamon was moved by the emotion of the man. He hesitated, then said, "Very well. I'll have someone make some calls this afternoon, find out what's going on. If we're unable to resolve the situation, then I will personally go with you to Sanitas Manor tomorrow."

Acceptus hesitated, then expressed his thought. "I saw my mother just before coming to see you. She is not well. What if tomorrow is too late?"

It was a sobering question. Acceptus was laying the guilt on Kamon's doorstep. The councilman could have only one answer. "We'll go now."

Kamon would be late for Jasmine's speech in the Capital Circle; he might miss it entirely. It was natural for him to think of this -- and to be disappointed. But by simply listening to Acceptus he had assumed responsibility in the matter. Kamon did not shirk responsibility.

Kamon and Acceptus left the Capitol Building together and headed for the subway. They waited a few minutes for a train to come by, then stepped into a car and were whisked away to the northwest part of Positron. After numerous stops along the way, they got off and emerged into the warm sunlight, walking the last few blocks to the elder care facility.

Sanitas Manor was a nondescript, one-story building, badly in need of paint and upkeep. Acceptus scurried ahead of the Councilman and opened the door for him.

"Where is your mother's room?" Kamon asked as he stepped inside.

Acceptus pointed to his left. "At the end of that hall, Councilman. But don't you think we should stop at the front desk first? Tell them who you are?"

"I didn't come to see someone at the front desk." Kamon was already briskly striding down the hall. "I came to see your mother.

And please, Acceptus, don't call me Councilman; call me Kamon."

The interior of the building was no better maintained than the outside. If anything, it was worse. Paint was peeling from the walls; the floors were filthy. A musty, foul odor filled the air. Kamon's first impression of the facility was not a good one.

The pair stepped into a room indicated by Acceptus. Kamon found it to be somewhat cleaner than the rest of the facility. It was quite small with no window. It seemed more like a closet. Indeed it may have been one at a previous time. There was a small bed with a lamp next to it. A practically ancient dialysis machine resting on a stand had been squeezed into the small space.

Shoved up against the bed was a wheelchair. Acceptus' mother sat in it -- bound in the chair actually, possibly so she would not fall out. The woman did not acknowledge their arrival. She simply sat quietly in the gloom, her head down.

"Do they tie your mother in this chair often, Acceptus?"

"They didn't until recently. Now that she's like this, they do it all the time. Look at her, Councilman! She stares but she does not see us!"

Kamon reached for the lamp by the bed and pulled it near him as he crouched down on his haunches. He turned the lamp on and looked carefully into the woman's eyes. "Has your mother demonstrated any signs of dementia that you've noticed?"

"No," Acceptus answered. "None at all."

Kamon positioned the lamp so its light shined directly into the woman's eyes. "When did this start -- staring straight ahead, not acknowledging you, I mean?"

"A couple of weeks ago."

Kamon placed his right fingers on the elderly woman's forehead and pulled up her left eyelid with his thumb; he peered carefully into the eye; he then did the same with the right eye.

The councilman possessed a considerable amount of medical knowledge. While attending the upper academy, one of his faculty advisers had once told him that he need take no medical courses since, "a man will never need such knowledge", as she had put it. Kamon proceeded to enroll in a wide variety of medical courses during the years he spent at the upper academy and, as usual, he was the top student in all his classes.

Upon election to the Council, Kamon was appointed to the Health Subcommittee and due to his expertise, he quickly became its chairwoman. As a result, he was very current on all matters related to the field of medicine and health care.

"I think your mother may be on some sort of medication," Kamon finally announced, rising to his full height. "You're sure you noticed no signs of dementia prior to a couple of weeks ago? The onset of dementia is usually not a sudden thing -- a few unusual acts here and there at first. The cumulative effect of these causes you to take note. Perhaps recently, you haven't been able to come see your mother as often as you normally would......" Kamon's voice trailed off. He was making a tactful suggestion; questioning.

"No!" Acceptus was adamant. "I come to see my mother every day! She must be like this because of that medicine they put her on!"

"I didn't say for sure she was on any medication," Kamon pointed out. "I said it looked like it." Kamon was ready to explore other avenues. "I'm going to find a doctor in this place and ask her about your mother. You stay here with her. Okay?"

"Yes, I will --- and thank you," Acceptus gushed.

"I haven't done anything, yet," Kamon said soberly, still taking in every detail around him even as he spoke. Kamon stopped in the doorway as he was leaving the room. "Acceptus, is this place always so filthy?"

"Yes, it is always like this. I have tried to keep my mother's room clean, though. I clean it every day I come to visit her." Kamon absorbed the information without comment. "What is your mother's name?"

"Marabonna."

Kamon nodded and walked out into the hallway in search of a doctor. He stopped at the front desk. A diminutive man sat reading a book.

"I'd like to speak to the doctor on duty," Kamon said.

The man did not look up. "None on duty."

"Why not?"

"Because there isn't."

"There should be."

The attendant finally looked up from his book. "And you would know?" he asked sarcastically.

Kamon nodded. "Yes. I would."

"Huh!" The man grunted a laugh. "What? Are you an expert on the law or something?"

"Enough to know that you're supposed to have a doctor on duty all the time."

"Well, there is no doctor on duty." The man turned his eyes back to his book. "Why don't you go tell your Councilwoman, if you don't like it?"

"That'll happen," Kamon said. "You can bet on it."

The attendant looked at Kamon again. The certainty in the big man's voice puzzled him.

Kamon continued. "So who is on duty? You must have a nurse, at least."

The attendant pointed. "Across the hall in that room." He was finally eying Kamon with some interest, but the councilman moved away without another word before the attendant could place the vaguely familiar face.

The door was ajar. Kamon knocked, then stepped into the room. He found a woman dressed in a white uniform seated in a leather chair. Her feet were propped up on a desk. She was reading a magazine.

"Excuse me," Kamon said. "I was looking for a nurse."

"I'm on break," was her answer.

Kamon eyed her name badge -- Comingo. "Nurse Comingo?"

"I'm on break," she repeated with some irritation.

Kamon ignored her wish. "The woman named Marabonna in room fifty two appears to be on some sort of medication. I'd like you to look in her file and tell me what that might be."

"I'll look it up after I'm off break." Nurse Comingo was really irritated by this man's impudence. "Now would you leave please?!"

"Look it up now." Kamon's voice was calm, but it was also cold and serious.

Nurse Comingo considered the man standing before her. He was big....as big as any man she had ever seen. And his voice commanded attention. He was certainly a bold man. She rose from her chair. "Okay. I'll look now." She stepped to a green file cabinet. The drawer groaned as she pulled it open. "They sure didn't teach you any manners in school. You're lucky I don't have you thrown out of here. I've never had a man talk to me like you did......" A thought flashed through her mind. Her head turned quickly to Kamon. She studied him for a second or two. "You look familiar..."

"Marabonna's file," Kamon reminded her. "I need it."

"I think I've seen your picture in the paper...or on TV...." It suddenly came to her. "Are you Councilman Kamon?!"

"Yes. Now could I see the file?"

Nurse Comingo quickly pulled a manilla folder out of the drawer. She was suddenly more responsive. "Yes sir, Councilman!"

Kamon took the folder that was handed to him and began looking through it. His brow furrowed. "It says here that she's on amninoviate, 500 mg a day. That's a high dosage." Kamon looked at Nurse Comingo. "Amninoviate is a very strong sedative. It's usually reserved for people suffering from severe forms of schizophrenia." Kamon resumed flipping through the file, scanning the pages. He began to shake his head as he spoke. "I don't see anything in here about schizophrenia; I don't see anything about dementia; in fact, there's no mention of ill health except for her failing kidneys. For that she is receiving dialysis treatments three times a week." Kamon closed the file and looked at Nurse Comingo. "Why is this woman on amninoviate? There's no apparent need for it. Amninoviate can have some very harmful side effects. That's why it's used in only the most extreme of cases. You're a nurse. Surely, you must know this."

"I don't prescribe the medicine," Nurse Comingo answered. "I simply administer it."

"You're here to notice things," Kamon countered in a harsh tone. "You're not a robot! Have you seen Marabonna lately?"

"I saw her yesterday."

"And what did you think of her condition?" Kamon demanded.

"I -- well -- she -- she seemed pretty quiet." Nurse Comingo was clearly on the defensive.

"Well, of course she did!" Kamon snapped. "She's on 500 mg of amninoviate a day with no apparent need for it! You could kill her! Do you realize that?!"

Nurse Comingo opened her mouth, almost nodded her head, and shrugged her shoulders, but in the end, she said nothing.

"I want her off the amninoviate," Kamon demanded in a more calm voice. "Immediately."

"I can't do that without authorization," the nurse protested.

"Who can authorize it?"

"Dr. Inhabilis."

"Where's she?"

"I don't know for sure. She took a few days off."

"Then which doctor can authorize a change in medication while she's gone?"

Nurse Comingo was uneasy. She hesitated. "Um, there isn't another one."

"What?!' Kamon was incredulous. "That's in violation of code!"

Nurse Comingo shifted uneasily from one leg to the other. She had nothing to say.

Kamon thought for a moment. "How many dialysis machines do you have in this building?"

"Three. Why?"

Kamon hesitated just an instant before responding. "Because I'm going to take one of them. I'll get you a replacement, by tomorrow at the latest."

"You can't do that," Nurse Comingo said. But Kamon was already leaving the room. She ran after him. "You can't just take equipment. I'll have to tell someone or I'll get in trouble."

Kamon was taking long strides down the hall while the nurse trotted beside him. "Tell anybody you want," Kamon told her, "but I'm taking a dialysis unit."

"But why?!"

"Because I'm taking Marabonna out of here."

"You can't do that either!"

"Yes I can."

Nurse Comingo stopped. There was no doubt, no hesitation in the councilman's voice nor in his manner. She decided she better tell the administrator of Sanitas Manor --- and quickly. She turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Kamon returned to Marabonna's room.

"What did you find out?" Acceptus asked.

"We're taking your mother out of here," Kamon answered soberly. "Go call a cab."

"How can we just take her?"

"We're doing it. Now go call a cab." Kamon hoisted the dialysis to his broad right shoulder.

"What are you going to do with that?" Acceptus asked.

"I'm taking it with us. Your mother needs it. Now, go get the cab and make it quick!" The last command was an order. Acceptus scurried away.

With the dialysis machine resting easily on his shoulder, Kamon proceeded to push Marabonna's wheelchair out into the hallway. The pair soon reached the front lobby. Once there, a short woman with red hair rushed up to block their path. Nurse Comingo was with her.

"Councilman!" the red-haired woman beamed in the most ingratiating of tones. "It's such an honor that you've chosen to visit our facility!" She inclined her head in the direction of the nurse. "Nurse Comingo told me you were here. My name is Covin Mckee; I'm the manager of Sanitas Manor. You should have stopped at my office when you arrived. I could have shown you around."

"I've seen plenty," was the councilman's terse reply.

"Oh, I must admit we're not at our best today," Covin explained quickly. "But you see, we have several key members of our staff who are ill. It's quite an inconvenience, but we're doing the best we can. We're a poor, small facility. We've fallen behind a little, but we'll catch up in no time."

"I could point out a number of violations of code with just a cursory inspection," Kamon said, "not the least of which is that you have no doctor on duty."

"Our normal doctor was called away on an emergency," Covin replied. "It would never, ever happen under normal circumstances."

Kamon cast a glance at Nurse Comingo. "I was told your doctor was on vacation."

"A death in the family!" Covin stated with great seriousness. "We gave her vacation time. What else could we do?!"

Kamon simply looked at Covin for a moment in silence. Then he spoke. "You seem to have an answer for everything. That's good. You'll need lots of answers. I plan on making sure that a health care inspector is sent over here tomorrow."

"Surely that isn't necessary," Covin said. "I've been most forthright with you, Councilman. Couldn't you show us some consideration in return?"

"The health and well-being of people are at stake," Kamon responded. "You can plan on an inspection tomorrow."

Acceptus arrived in the lobby. "I called a cab, Councilman. There should be one out at the curb any minute."

"Acceptus," Covin said, "you're not really going to take your mother out of here, are you? You can't. She's not well."

Acceptus was genuinely humble. "Councilman Kamon thinks it would be best."

Covin looked at Kamon. "Well, if you do take her, Councilman, we won't be responsible for her health. It will be on your shoulders."

"That's fine," Kamon answered.

"And the dialysis unit," Covin said, "you can't take that with you. It's our property."

"As I told Nurse Comingo, I'll get you a replacement by tomorrow, but we are leaving with it."

"Why, Councilman," Covin pointed out with considerable satisfaction, "that would be theft -- a violation of the law."

"And I'll have you charged with reckless endangerment," Kamon countered. "Go ahead, Covin. Bring any charge you like. I'll take you on in court any time!" He looked away. "Let's go Acceptus."

Covin had nothing more to say. She simply watched as the councilman wheeled Marabonna out the front door, the dialysis machine still resting on his broad shoulder. During the entire conversation, there had never been no indication that he considered the unit to be a burden. Remarkable; truly remarkable. She shook free of these thoughts. It was time to get busy. A health care inspector would be coming. She was very sure of that.

The ride to Acceptus' home did not take long. Once there, Kamon removed the wheelchair from the trunk of the cab and placed Marabonna in it. Acceptus happily wheeled his mother into his home. Kamon followed with the dialysis unit.

The exterior of the house was in need of minor repairs, but the interior was clean, although sparsely furnished. Kamon set the dialysis machine down on what looked to be a sturdy table. "Acceptus, is this okay here?"

"Yes, it is. But what am I to do with it? I don't know how to use it."

"Her next treatment isn't due until tomorrow," Kamon answered. "I'll send someone here to do it."

"Why thank you, Councilman!" Acceptus still clung to use of the title. "It is so kind of you!"

"That's alright." Kamon cast his eyes about the small house again. "Acceptus, would you like me to put your mother in that big green chair. I think she might be more comfortable sitting in it instead of this wheelchair."

"Oh, yes!" Acceptus nodded eagerly. "Would you please?"

The Councilman crouched, lifted Marabonna out of her wheelchair, then carried the light figure over to the green stuffed chair. He gently placed her in it. As Kamon released the woman and began to pull away, a gnarled hand weakly grasped one of his fingers. Kamon looked at Marabonna in puzzlement. She appeared to be trying to say something. Up until this moment she had seemed totally oblivious to everything that was occurring around her.

Kamon leaned in close to her face, placing his left ear immediately in front of her lips. Marabonna's weak voice rasped as she tried to form two words. It was all she could manage, but the councilman had heard.

Kamon leaned back on his haunches. A smile of satisfaction crossed his face. "You're very welcome."

The councilman rose to his full height. "I'll be going now, Acceptus."

"My mother spoke to you, didn't she?!"

"Yes, she did."

Acceptus looked at his mother, then back at Kamon. "My mother thanked you. I know she did. My mother is like that; she never forgets to say thank you. I am surprised but extremely grateful that she was able to realize what just happened to her. We will never forget you, Councilman."

Kamon had grown tired of asking not to be called 'Councilman' by Acceptus. He nodded a silent 'you're welcome', then walked out the door.

Kamon squinted in the bright sunlight and glanced at his watch. If he hurried, he might be able to catch the end of Jasmine's speech in the Capitol Circle. He suddenly broke into a mad sprint. Scores of people cringed nervously as the man with the towering frame thundered through their midst. They saw him disappear down into the shadows of the subway system. Surely, he was chasing someone. It most certainly could not be the other way around.

END OF CHAPTER