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.
Chapter Two
Harper opened the door to the condo, entered, and turned on the light. The fluorescent lighting lit up the room. "Come on in, darling."
Shaundra hesitated momentarily, nodded, and then slowly entered the condo. Harper had offered to carry her once they left the hospital but she declined. She had to start using her legs sooner or later. She blinked. The walls were awash in brilliant white and the contemporary furniture was black.
"I just had the place refurnished," Harper announced as he shut the door and carried her small piece of luggage in.
"There's two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a little study."
"It's very beautiful," Shaundra said walking over to the window and looking out at the seaside not too far away. It reminded her of that day in Kyoto when she and Ichiro went to see a piece of property where he wanted to open his seafood restaurant.
"The bedroom is this way," Harper said to her.
Shaundra turned to face him. "Fresh guy."
Harper chuckled. "That was the furthest thing from my mind. I thought you might like to rest."
Shaundra shook her head. "Rest is all I've been doing for months."
"But the doctor said..."
"And I fully intend to follow his instructions to the letter but right now I'd just like to sit down and talk with an old friend."
"Okay," Harper said. "Let me put your things away." He walked into one of the bedrooms and reappeared several minutes later. "Are you hungry?"
"A little," she said. "But I can fix something later."
"Nonsense," he said. "It's already prepared. All I have to do is heat it."
Shaundra followed him into the small kitchen and eyed the plates of food by the microwave. "Did you do all of this?"
"I wish I could take the credit for it but I had a friend prepare it." He removed the cover. "All salt-free."
"It looks delicious. His friend had prepared traditional Japanese cuisine...rice, soup and lots of vegetables.
Harper heated the food and sent her to the little black- and-white dinette set to sit down. Moments later the two of them sat across from each other catching up on the last few months.
"Of course everyone at both publishing companies is very worried. I heard that poor Jackson cries every time your name is mentioned."
Dear Jackson. "Has he found a permanent boyfriend yet?"
"He hadn't the last time I spoke to him. You know he likes variety."
Did she ever. No adorable gay man was safe around him.
"And poor Dorothy is inconsolable. She's offered to fly back here and help look for you."
"I'll make sure she's one of the first people I call."
"And that will be?" Harper asked. He stopped eating.
"Soon," Shaundra said, noncommittal. What was the rush?
She'd been missing four months already. What was one more week?
"The refrigerator is stocked with enough food for a week,"
he told her. "You do remember how to cook, don't you?"
"Don't think I've gone stupid just because I married a chef.
I can