Passion Fruit - By Imari Jade Page 0,1

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