Shaundra Yoshida's opened her eyes wide, and she sat up in the bed. A pain grabbed in her arm. She looked down to find an IV attached to some long tubing running to a monitor. I'm in a hospital. Why? The last thing she remembered was... She drew a blank. Why couldn't she remember?
The door to the room opened, and a Japanese nurse stepped inside. "Oh! You're awake."
"Where am I?" Shaundra asked trying to get her bearings.
"In a hospital in Tokyo."
Tokyo. Why am I in Tokyo? "What am I doing here?"
The nurse walked over to her and began taking her vitals.
"Don't you remember?"
Shaundra shook her head. "No, not really. I seem to remember being in another hospital room a long time ago and then there was this loud noise and lots of water."
"The earthquake," the nurse said loosening the blood pressure cuff on her arm.
"Earthquake? What earthquake?"
"There was an earthquake in the Miyagi Prefecture about four months ago. It happened while you were in another hospital there having a procedure done. There was also a tsunami, and thousands of people died."
Shaundra looked at the nurse. "Did that hospital get destroyed?"
The nurse nodded. "Yes. An anesthesiologist saved your life. He got you out of the hospital and carried you to safety."
Some of it came back to her...the rising water, the panic in the hospital and in the streets. Shaundra shuddered remembering a man talking calmly to her as he carried her.
"Did he survive?"
"Yes, thankfully. He's now stationed at a hospital in Osaka."
"So how did I get here?" She knew she must have sounded like quite an idiot asking so many questions.
"The two of you were rescued and flown here to Tokyo. He was released, and you've been here every since. "
Damn, this is going to be one hell of a hospital bill. "What's today's date?"
"June twenty-ninth," the nurse answered. "Your vitals are fine and the doctor should be in any minute to talk to you."
"Thank you," Shaundra said.
The nurse left, and Shaundra continued to look around, noting the changes in her body. She was far from emaciated, which meant they had been feeding her intravenously from one of the many tubes attached to her.
The door opened again and a Japanese doctor entered.
Hope he speaks English because I won't understand a word he says.
"I'm so glad that you have finally awakened. My name is Doctor Obayashi."
Shaundra nodded politely. "Nice to meet you."
"I can't believe it. You look so healthy. I can't believe you've been in a coma for months." He examined her thoroughly, and then he sat down in a chair across from her bed and began thumbing through her file. "Your procedure went through smoothly. We were able to complete it once you were brought here. You are in excellent shape and can be released in a couple of days if you don't run a fever during the night."
"Is it safe to say that there won't be any other problems?"
Some things had come back to her now including the reason for the procedure.
"Yes, you're past the danger point but you're going to need a lot of rest and relaxation for a couple of months. You've been through a very traumatic time." He chuckled. "The male doctors and orderlies around here are going to very disappointed that you are leaving."
Shaundra looked at him oddly. "Why?"
"You have become quite a celebrity around here. Most of them were on call when you were brought it. They have dubbed you their sleeping princess. They've taken turns staying with you and making sure you were undisturbed in slumber. They think it is a miracle that you have survived the earthquake."
"So, there are no complications?"
"None as far as I can see. You'll need to stay off our feet as much as possible and follow a no-salt diet."
"I understand, and I can go home tomorrow?"
"Yes, I don't see any reason why we should keep you. Do you need me to notify someone to come for you?" he asked.
"Funny, we couldn't find anything on you except your name when you were brought in. We've put ads in the newspaper and searched every data bank but nothing came up on an African American female by the name of Shaundra Yoshida."
Shaundra shrugged. It surprised her too since she was registered as being married to a Japanese citizen.
"Do you need me to notify someone to come for you?"
It was June, which meant Aomori's China tour was over. "I don't really know anyone in Tokyo." She wondered if Harper Kehoe was in town. "But I'll find someone." She supposed she could stay at his place in Tokyo for a couple of days.
The doctor left, and Shaundra reached for the phone on the bedside table and dialed Harper. He answered.
"Hello, Harper Kehoe speaking."
"Hello, Harper, this is Shaundra."
"Oh, my God," he shouted. "Where are you?"
"In a hospital in Tokyo."
"Oh, thank God. I was so worried. I thought..."
"Yes, I know. Where are you?"
"In Tokyo."
"I need a ride and a place to stay for a few days."
"Sure what hospital are you at?"
Shaundra looked around. "Tokyo General Hospital. At least that is what is on the telephone. Do you have something to write with so you can copy down this number?"
"Yes," he said. "What is it?"
Shaundra read the telephone number to him.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes," she said. "As far as I can tell. Apparently I've been in a coma for three months and I just learned that I survived an earthquake and a tsunami."
"Everyone has been so worried."
"Ich?" Shaundra asked.
"He's in bad shape. He left China to come back and search for you after you disappeared. Then he learned about the earthquake and the tsunami. He hasn't said too much, you know how he is."
Boy did she remember. "I can't see him just yet," she said remembering why she had left him in the first place.
"Listen, I'm coming over now."
"Hurry" Shaundra said, hoping it was visiting hours. "I miss you."
"I miss you too lovely lady. I'm on my way."
"Don't tell anyone where you're going. Just come alone."
"Is there anything that you need? Some clothes probably.
But that can wait until after I see you. I'll be there shortly darling." Harper hung up.
Shaundra hung up the phone. She wanted so desperately to call her husband Ichiro, to hear his voice and to tell him that she was okay.
Another nurse came in and removed the tubes from her.
"You need to get out of that bed and see if you can use the toilet on your own."
Shaundra nodded. She pushed aside the covers and swung her legs over to the side of the bed.
"Easy now." The nurse came around to help her.
Pain shot through her legs. "Ouch, my legs hurt."
"That's because you haven't used them in a while and you've gained some weight."
No, she had gained a lot of weight. What have they been feeding me? She made it to the bathroom. All her plumbing functioned. Good. Shaundra washed herself up and the nurse helped her into a clean gown, and then she helped her into a chair while one of the hospital orderlies came in the change the bed. The man looked at her, smiled, and then blushed.
Shit. Some things never changed.
"I'm expecting a visitor," she told the nurse after the orderly left. "My boss. He's on his way."
"Then I better get you a comb. It has grown a lot since you've arrived." She left the room for a moment and came back with some personal toiletries and helped Shaundra tackle her hair. It had grown thick and long like it was when she was younger, and she wondered if Harper would recognize her since she'd changed so much.
A few minutes later a male dietician arrived. He too smiled at her sheepishly. "This is healthy for you," he said in broken English. "No salt."
Shaundra grimaced and then smiled at him. The man walked out of the room like he was floating on air. Crazy.
Maybe she should ask the doctor what was inside of her that made men act like that toward her.
Someone knocked at her door a few minutes after she finished eating and a well-dressed white man entered carrying a vase of flowers. He stopped when he saw her.
"Shaundra, oh my God, it is you." He put the vase on the bedside table and went to her, hugging her tightly. He kissed her on the head and then released her. "Let me look at you."
He stepped back and stared. "You are so beautiful."
Shaundra sneered. "I'm fat." Harper looked good. In fact, he always did.
"No, the weight looks good on you. And look at all that hair. Satoshi will be all over you." Satoshi was the piano man in the Korean pop group, Aomori, and one of her husband Ichiro's closest friends.
Shaundra started to cry.
"Oh, don't do that again. When did you develop hormones?" He walked over and sat down in a chair across from her bed.
Shaundra smiled weakly, wiping her eyes. "Apparently over the last four months since the last time I saw you. How is Satoshi?"
"As messed up if not more than Ichiro. You've really done a number on those guys."
The dietician came back into the room, looked over at Harper and then at her, and then smiled. He blushed and then left the room with her tray of dirty dishes.
Shaundra shook her head and Harper chuckled. "I see its still happening."
Shaundra nodded. "What about the others?"
"Yori and Amaya have moved out of the farmhouse into their own home."
"Good. I'm glad that their lives have gone on." She paused. "How did the tour turn out?"
"Much better than we expected. Kenshin stepped in for Ichiro after Ichiro returned back to Japan, and Mr. Niigata and I are about to open another company in China."
"Good. I'm glad that everything has turned out well for everyone."
"For some of us. When are you going to see your husband?"
Shaundra shrugged. "I guess I'll have to do it before the divorce."
Harper looked at her oddly. "You're still plan to go through with that?"
Shaundra nodded. "More so now. He needs a young wife.
It was wrong from the beginning. He'll get over me."
"And what about you?" Harper asked. "What are you plans?"
"I need somewhere to stay temporarily since I can't fly just yet and will be on bed rest for a couple of months, but then I plan to go back home to the United States."
"Where do you want to go? I have a couple of places here in Tokyo as well as Osaka."
"Not Osaka. I think I need to stay in Tokyo for a while to be close to my doctor, but afterward I going back to New York."
Harper took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "This is Harper Kehoe. I need you to do something for me," he said to whoever he spoke to on the other line. "I'm going to need..." He read off a long list. "And I need it ASAP." He hung up a few minutes later. "Everything will be ready, including clothes."
"But you don't know my size," Shaundra protested.
Harper smiled. "Give me credit will you. Haven't I dressed you before?"
Shaundra smirked remembering. "No thongs. I don't think I can squeeze my butt into them."
He smiled at her wickedly. "I bet you could. That behind is just a little a little bigger but still stellar."
"Only you would think that."
"I speak the truth. And you're going to love this condo. It has a sunken tub and a private beach and all the quiet you need to recuperate."
"I'm going to be glad to get out of this hospital but the bed rest is going to suck. I feel the need to write."
"You'll have a laptop, paper, and plenty of pens at your disposal."
"And I'm on a salt-free diet."
Harper laughed. "You've always been on a salt-free diet but you always manage to forget that."
"Not this time," she assured him. "I'll be good. I don't have any other choice. I've escaped death three times now, and I'm not going to test my luck."
Harper grew serious. "Do you remember anything about the earthquake?"
"No," Shaundra replied. "Not much."
"How did you manage to escape?"
"A nurse told me that an anesthesiologist carried me out of the hospital. I need to find out who he is so I can thank him.
He's working in a hospital in Osaka."
"I'll find him," Harper replied. "But I think I need to tell you that Ichiro filed a missing person report on you a couple of months ago. That's how he knew that you were in Miyagi."
Shaundra grimaced. "Does he know why I was there?" She already knew an African American woman walking around Japan would draw some attention.
Harper shook his head. "I don't think so. But you know it won't be long before he finds you."
"I know," Shaundra said with a sigh. "I just need a little more time to prepare. I'm in no position right now to fight with him if he won't sign the divorce papers."
"I hope you reconsider."
Shaundra sighed again. "I'll think about it. I just don't want to be a burden to anyone."
"Do you want me to call your kids?"
She bet her four kids and her mother were worried to death about her. "I'll do it once I'm out of here. I don't want them flying all the way to Japan."
Harper rose and walked over to the bed and kissed her.
"When are you going to stop worrying about others? They are your family."
Shaundra clung to him. If she hadn't been so rash, he might be her husband now. "I'm so tired of fighting, Harper. I just want my normal life back."
He released her gently. "You know things are going to change in a couple of days. You have to be prepared to talk to detectives, the news media, and all the people in your life who have been wondering if you were dead or alive these last few months."
"I know. I'll end the drama soon. They won't find me for at least a couple of days."
"I need to get out of here so you can rest. I'll find out from the nurse what time they're releasing you tomorrow and the name of that anesthesiologist. And I'll come back to get you."
"Thanks," Shaundra said. "I don't know what I would do without you."
"You'd probably be the bride of some rich prince. Every man who has ever met you has fallen in love with you."
"It must be the cologne," she joked.
"But you don't wear cologne."
"Yes, I know but cougars have their own special scent."
He kissed her on the forehead and left.
Shaundra reclined in the bed, reached for the remote, and turned on the television, needing to find out what was happening in the world since she'd been asleep.
Satoshi Hayashi pored over the reports from the detectives he'd hired to find Shaundra. Everything they had brought him so far was useless. All he knew was that she was spotted in Miyagi Prefecture months ago. Everything pointed to the fact that she could have been killed by the earthquake or the tsunami, but deep down inside he didn't feel that she was dead.
They have always had this special bond. He knew when Shaundra was tired or feeling frisky. He could sense her presence anywhere in the farmhouse when she was home, and he even knew something was wrong with her just before he and Takumijo Yamazaki had found her unconscious in her bedroom a couple a months ago after she and Ichiro had a terrible argument. She wasn't dead, but she wasn't where he could put his finger on her either.
"What are you doing?"
Satoshi look up to find his bandmate and fearless leader Yori Morika standing in the doorway watching him.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have a home of your own now?" Yori and his wife Amaya had moved out of the farmhouse after Aomori returned from China. He pushed the stack of papers aside.
Yori continued into the room and over to the desk. He picked up one of the reports and read it. "Why are you torturing yourself?" He handed Satoshi back the report.
"Because I refuse to accept the fact that she's gone. Why are you so calm?"
"Because I have accepted the fact and made peace."
Satoshi sighed. "I wish it was that easy for me. What the hell was she doing in Miyagi? How did she get there?"
"These things we may never know," Yori replied. "We can't even be sure she was there. She is not the only African American female in Japan."
"Even if that is so, even if a mistake has been made, then where is she? People just don't disappear."
Yori nodded. "Yes, they do." He sat down at the table.
"Every day."
"Not Shaundra. I think she left on her own and for reasons unknown to us. Was she sick? Was she dying and didn't want us to know?"
Yori shook his head. "It is possible she left just because all of this had become too much for her. Or maybe some other man caught her fancy and she took off to be with him."
Satoshi frowned at him. "Dude, that's mean, even for you."
Yori shrugged. "But it could be true. Men gravitate to her like flies to a piece of meat. Maybe she found one younger than Ichiro."
"I don't believe that. She loved him."
"She loved me too, but she left me for Ichiro."
"When are you going to get over that? You were the one less than honest about your feelings for her. And I was stupid too. I should have spoken up. Then I wouldn't be sitting here going insane with worry."
"Okay, let's say for argument sake that she's still alive.
How did she manage to leave? Harper couldn't find any proof that she left Japan by plane or boat, so that only means that she left Osaka in a car. Who did she know in Osaka who could have arranged for her to leave here?"
"The only person I can think of is Harper, but didn't he hire an investigator to search for her too?"
"So he says," Yori replied. "What if he was lying? He was the last person to see her. What if he did something to her or helped her leave?"
Satoshi thought about it. "You're right. "He loves her just as much as we do, and he'd do anything for her. The bastard."
"So I think you need to start there. If he made any kind of preparations for her, there will surely be a paper trail."
Satoshi agreed. "I hope you're right. I'd rather know she's with him than dead."
"Where's Tak?" Yori asked, suddenly changing the subject.
He did that often when things got too hurtful to him. He could say what he wanted; he missed the hell out of Shaundra. "He went out."
"Clubbing?"
Satoshi nodded. "You know him. He can't stand sitting around idle."
"We need to think about recording a new CD. The China tour was great but we need to make some new plans."
Satoshi agreed. He'd been working on some new tunes in- between worrying and training Kenshin, who decided he now liked being an idol.
"What about Ichiro?" Yori asked.
"I think he's in his room. He doesn't come out much unless he's going out to check on the restaurant." Ichiro owned a restaurant in Tokyo, one in Osaka, and had just started building on one in Kyoto.
"I wish he would get some professional help," Yori said.
"He can't go on like this. He's closed himself off more now than ever."
"He's lost his wife," Satoshi reminded him. "The only true love he's ever had. He needs time to deal."
"No, it's more than that," Yori said. "It's like he's given up on life."
"She was his life, no matter what you or I think. The sun and the moon revolved around Shaundra. They were even considering adopting a baby."
"What?" Yori asked.
"He told me that they were thinking about adopting a baby. Takumijo gave him the idea."
"And Shaundra agreed to this?"
"I don't know," Satoshi replied.
"Shaundra liked her freedom. She didn't want to be tied down," Yori said.
"You seem to know an awful lot about her," Satoshi said looking at him curiously.
Yori sighed. "Regardless of what you think, I loved her. We could talk about things I could never talk about with Amaya."
"Then why did you back away?"
"I don't know. I guess I got scared, plus I was already engaged to Amaya. It would have messed up so many lives."
"You are a fool," Satoshi said.
"Yes, I know, but I'm rational. She was Ich's wife. In the end, she made the decision."
Satoshi picked up the telephone.
"Who are you calling?"
"My investigator." The phone rang and a man answered.
"Hello, this is Satoshi Hayashi. I need you to look into something for me."
"Yes, Mr. Hayashi," the man said.
"Find out everything you can on a Harper Kehoe. I need to know about any activity on his credit cards back to the end of February until now here in Asia and get back to me."
"Yes, Mr. Hayashi."
Satoshi hung up. "If Harper has any secrets, this investigator will find them. Having an ambassador for a father does have its advantages," Satoshi said to Yori.
Yori smirked. "Remind me never to piss you off." He rose and headed toward the door. "What happens if you find out that she's alive and he's been hiding her all this time?"
Satoshi smirked menacing. "I don't know, but I will assure you that revenge will be sweet."
"I better check on Ich." Yori said. "I know he'll just love seeing me."
Yori knocked on the door.
"Yes," a voice said from the other side.
A yes was just as good as a come in. Yori turned the knob and entered Ichiro's room. The bedroom was immaculate, the bed made, floors and furniture were polished, and there was no sign of Ichiro which meant he was in Shaundra's office. He passed through the bedroom and entered the adjoining room.
He found his beautiful maknae seated at his wife's desk with a cup of sake in one hand and the bottle in front of him on the desk. He looked up when he sensed Yori's presence.
"What are you doing here?"
Yori smirked. Some things never changed. "I've come to check on you. Satoshi said he hasn't seen you in a while."
Ichiro raised the cup to his mouth and sipped the rice liquor and then lowered the cup. "I've been around," he replied.
His appearance was appalling. Ichiro's hair wasn't combed, his clothes were disheveled, and he looked like he hadn't shaved in weeks.
"Why don't you come down and visit with me and Satoshi.
We're brainstorming ideas for our next CD."
"I'm not in the mood," Ichiro said. "I'd be more of a hindrance than a help."
Yori sighed. It was the liquor speaking. "You can't just close yourself up in this room. You need to be around others who care about you."
Ichiro raised his eyes. The blue pupils looked dim and lifeless. "You mean you?"
"Regardless of what we've been through in the past we are still family."
Ichiro just sighed and took another sip of his drink. "Sure we are. Let me put it this way. I can't concentrate on writing songs any more. All my energy is taken up trying to find..."
He paused.
"I understand," Yori said. "But if you change your mind please come down."
"I won't," Ichiro said dismissing him.
Yori turned to leave but halted. "If it means anything to you, I miss her too. But not the way you do. She was my friend and my world is a little better because she was in it."
He stepped out of the office, walked back through the bedroom, and stepped out into the hallway. He heard the porcelain cup shatter against a wall as he closed the door.
Yori sighed. An intervention was definitely in order whether Ichiro agreed or not.
Satoshi waited for him in the foyer. "How is he?"
"Not at his best," Yori replied. "He's sitting in Shaundra's office drinking sake."
"Drunk?"
"Pretty much so and in need of grooming. I don't think I've ever seen him so bad. He cared about his appearance ever since he reached puberty. He hasn't even combed his hair."
Satoshi looked startled. "But it gets tangled if he doesn't comb and brush it."
"And he looks as though he's slept in his clothes."
"Baby has hit rock bottom," Satoshi said with a sigh.
Yori nodded. "We have to do something...get him out of the house."
"Clubbing?" Satoshi asked.
"Maybe. He needs to get out and get some fresh air. He needs to get his wife out of his head for a couple of hours."
Satoshi agreed. "I'll speak with him tomorrow, and I'll throw him in the shower and dress him if I have too."
"And comb his hair," Yori ordered.
"It will be my pleasure."
Yori shook his head. "I know it will be."
Satoshi ignored his comment. "I'll get Tak and Kenny to go out with us. We haven't all been out since..."
"Don't remind me," Yori said. "No women this time. Just us guys like we used to."
"I hope I can get Takumijo to go. He's been busy making that drama since Osamu moved back here."
Osamu Nakaumura was Takumijo's best friend, a famous Japanese actor and he had been trying for years to get Takumijo to give up singing and make a feature-length movie. So far Takumijo hadn't agreed to anything but to join him occasionally in a drama.
"Maybe we should invite him too."
Satoshi frowned. "You can't be serious."
"I most certainly am. We've gone clubbing with Yi-jun before and he's your best friend. I fail to see the difference."
"Oh, there's a big difference," Satoshi said in the defense of his childhood friend who at the moment was in the United States filming a movie. They're publicist, Cristal Gentry, was there with him for moral support. "Okay, invite him too. This isn't about Osamu. It's about Ichiro." He paused. "You think we need to tell Ich about Harper?"
Yori shook his head. "Not just yet. Let's not build up his hopes. We'll tell him when we get some credible evidence."
Yori headed to the front door.
"Where are you going?"
"Home to my wife," he said. "I told her I was just coming over here to check on you guys. She's cooking dinner."
Satoshi grimaced. "She can cook?"
Yori shrugged. "Surprised me too. She also keeps house and washes windows."
"Amaya?"
Yori nodded. "She tries her best to make me happy."
"I'm glad," Satoshi said. "At least one of us is content."
"Now if I can only get her to cut those apron strings with her parents my life would be complete." He left the house.
Satoshi's phone rang just as he headed toward the den.
"Hello."
"Hello, Mr. Hayashi. This is Tanaka."
"Yes, Mr. Tanaka." It was one of the investigators he hired.
"I think I might have found something."
Satoshi hurried into the den closing the door behind him.
"What is it?"
"I think she's alive," the investigator said.
Satoshi's heart flipped in his chest. "What?"
"She was in a hospital during the time of the earthquake and tsunami but she was saved by an anesthesiologist and then taken to Tokyo. Her trail ends there momentarily but get this, the anesthesiologist is working in Osaka."
"Where?" Satoshi asked excitedly. He reached for a pen and pad on the desk.
"Osaka General Hospital. His name is Keiichi Wantanabe."
Satoshi copied the information down. The Osaka General Hospital is the place Shaundra was hospitalized months ago.
"And you said this guy saved her?"
"Yes. My contacts tell me that he literally shielded her on the operating table with his own body and then unhooked her and carried her out of the place to somewhere safe as the wave came in. He stayed with her and cared for her until they were both rescued. That's all I've been able to uncover at the moment."
It was more than he expected in such a short period of time. "Thank you," Satoshi told him. "Please keep up the good work." They disconnected the phone call and Satoshi looked down at the sheet of paper. Shaundra had surgery?
And some man risked his life to save her? And he is now working just minutes away. Satoshi looked at his watch. It was late. He wondered if this Keiichi Wantanabe was on call.
He picked up the phone again and got the operator to find a number for the hospital. She connected him. "Hello, my name is Satoshi Hayashi. Is this the anesthesia section?"
"Yes," someone on the other line said.
"I'm trying to find a Keiichi Wantanabe."
"I'm sorry; he's not on call tonight."
He heard some papers rustling.
"He's due in for surgery tomorrow."
"Does he have any off time? I'm a friend of his and I just got to town and I wanted to surprise him."
"He has a couple of surgeries scheduled tomorrow but he usually breaks for lunch around noon. We're located on the third floor."
"Thank you," Satoshi said and hung up. He leaned back in the chair. Tomorrow's lunch should be interesting.
