In Deep Kimchi (38 page)

* * * *

“She still hasn’t awakened,” Charlotte told Harper as he entered the hospital room baring two cups of coffee. Charlotte had volunteered to sit with Shaundra while her kids went home to rest and to change. The youngest daughter, Tricia, hadn’t left her mother’s side since she’d come home and learned of the explosion. “Every now and then I can see her eyes move under her lids like she’s dreaming.” She accepted the coffee from her boss.

“I have some good news. The police have taken someone into custody.”

“That’s great news,” Charlotte exclaimed. “Who is it?”

“You’re not going to believe this. It is one of Shaundra’s male fans. He’s like the president of her New York fan club.”

“Shaundra has male fans?”

“Apparently. He told them that he was upset because he saw that picture of her and Yori in the newspaper. He’s built some fantasy in his head that she was meant for him. The police found email messages on a laptop they confiscated from her home and there was even letters from him in her hand when they found her after the explosion. She must have just taken them out of the mailbox.”

“You think she knew about the emails? She did have a laptop with her.”

“Honey, Shaundra has been too busy with others things to even read her email.” He sighed. “Funny, we suspected that she might be in some type of danger when Yori and the others started getting threatening fan mail once the magazine cover was published. Shaundra kept making jokes about Aomori’s fan girls having a contract on her head. Who would have thought the threat would be this close to home.”

“Still doesn’t mean the fan girls won’t try anything. He just got to her first.”

“I’m way ahead of you. There are security posted on this floor and all around the hospital.”

“Speaking of Aomori. Are they as impressive in person as they are on that picture you gave me of them?”

“Shaundra seems to think so.” He paused. “By the way, they’re giving a concert here in New York next weekend.”

“I wonder if they know that she’s been injured?” Charlotte asked. Flowers and cards had been arriving from her fans, but nothing from Japan.

“Probably not. They were supposed to leave Japan yesterday. I don’t know if their plane has landed yet.”

The door to the room opened and Charlotte gasped. “I think they know.”

Harper turned and nodded. “It is them.”

Charlotte recognized the first one in the door as Aomori’s leader, Yori. She sighed. The magazine cover did not do him justice. He was tall, gorgeous and had a very concerned look on his face. Three other young men came in the door behind him. Oh, my, they were all over six feet tall and dressed in various states of hip, popular fashion. One of them wore a pair of shades and a baseball cap. She thought it was the youngest member, Ichiro, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Where is she?” Yori asked.

Harper and Charlotte moved so he could see her sleeping form on the bed. The one with the baseball cap rushed over, took one of Shaundra’s hands and held it gently.

“What happened?” Yori asked.

Harper relayed the story as the other two members approached the bed and began speaking to each other in Japanese. Charlotte sat down in one of the chairs to give them room and to recover from the sight of them.

“The police have arrested the president of one of Shaundra’s fan clubs.”

“One of her fans?” Yori asked. “Not one of ours?”

“No, it was some man who just got pissed off when he saw you and her on
Flowing’s
magazine cover. He has confessed to everything.”

Yori moved over to the bed and took Shaundra’s other hand while Satoshi and Takumijo moved to the foot of the bed.

“That is no reason to blow up someone’s house,” Takumijo said to Charlotte.

Charlotte blushed from the attention. She moved her eyes away to gaze over at the scene unfolding at Shaundra’s bedside. She knew about Shaundra's blossoming romance with Yori, but not with the one in the baseball cap, who was obviously trying to hide his identity. Satoshi walked over and watched the monitors that Shaundra was hooked up to, but Takumijo just stood there and looked at Shaundra with his shoulders slumped.

A nurse entered the room. “Oh, I didn’t know she had this much company. Some of you will have to leave while I check her vitals.” She moved over and grabbed the blood pressure machine.

Satoshi and Takumijo meandered over to the door. The nurse gave them more than just a passing glance.

“Come on,” Harper told Charlotte.

Charlotte rose from the chair. “What about those two?”

“It is going to be very hard to pry either of them from her side.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll explain it to you in the waiting area.”

Harper took her hand and led her out. His warm hand sent a jolt of adrenaline throughout her body.

The waiting area was filled with Japanese people, which she deduced had to be the rest of Aomori’s entourage and their security guards. Nurses giggled and glanced over at Takumijo and Satoshi who smiled at them, but continued to talk with two of the other men. Harper walked her over to them.

“Mr. Niigata and Mr. Fugimoto, this is my senior editor and Shaundra’s best friend, Charlotte Martin.”

The two men rose and bowed.

“It is nice to meet you,” the one named Fugimoto replied. “But I wished it could have been under better circumstances.”

“It is nice to meet you too.”

The elevator door opened and four African Americans got off and headed toward them.

“Who is that?” Satoshi asked.

“Those are Shaundra’s kids. I sent them home to rest, but apparently, they just didn’t listen.”

The two girls approached first. The youngest one, Tricia, eyed Satoshi and then Takumijo, obviously recognizing them.

Juanda, the eldest daughter, spoke up. “My name is Juanda Morrison and this is my sister Tricia.” She pointed to the boys. “Those are our brothers Clarence and Earl. You must be Aomori. No wonder my mother didn’t want to come home.”

Clarence and Earl waved, but they stayed off to the side talking to each other.

Takumijo towered over her. “Yes, we are Aomori. What do you mean by that statement?”

“Look at you. You’re tall, gorgeous and obviously virile. You must be Yori.”

Takumijo shook his head. “No, I’m Takumijo. Yori is at your mother’s bedside.”

Satoshi walked over to Tricia. “My name is Satoshi Hayashi. Your mother has told me so much about you.”

Tricia bowed to him. “Yes, I’m Tricia, but my mother failed to tell me about you.” She looked around. “One of you is missing.”

Satoshi nodded toward Shaundra’s room. “He’s at her bedside along with Yori.”

“Both of them?” Tricia asked.

The door opened and Yori came out. Harper introduced him to Shaundra’s children.

“Has there been any change?” Charlotte asked, not knowing what to make of the entire situation.

 
“Her blood pressure is still elevated,” Yori replied.

Juanda walked up to Harper. “She’s probably been eating too much salt in Japan and not taking her medication.”

“She’s on medication?” Harper asked.

“Yes,” Juanda replied. “You’re her boss. You drug her halfway around the world and didn’t ask if she had any health problems?”

“Never came up in the conversations,” Harper said in his own defense.

Yori rolled his eyes at Harper.

Charlotte saw it. Apparently, there was a bit of friction between the two men.

“You know what size underwear to buy her, but not the condition of her health?”

Everyone turned to stare at Harper. “I needed to order her clothes for the photo shoots. Anyway, you’re her lover and you didn’t know she had high blood pressure.” They all stopped fussing long enough to watch a doctor enter Shaundra’s room.

Charlotte felt her own pressure spike as Clarence and Earl walked over and sized Yori up. Shaundra’s sons were tall, but they had nothing on Yori, who towered over them.

“How old are you, dude?” Clarence asked.

Yori looked down at him. Yori was taller, but Clarence had more muscle. “Twenty-five. Why?”

“Shit, you’re younger than I am.”

“And taller,” Yori corrected.

“Does my mother know your real age?”

Yori nodded. “It has come up in conversation from time to time, but she does not have a problem with it.” He paused. “And to set the record straight, I am not Shaundra’s lover.”

Earl stepped around Yori, looking him over. “Juanda was trying to tell me that Mama was seeing someone in Japan, but I assumed it was him.” He pointed to Harper.

Harper shook his head. “No, Shaundra and I are just friends.”

Earl looked at Harper like he didn’t believe him. “None of my friends buy me underwear.”

Charlotte figured it was time to break up the conversation before it got out of hand. The testosterone flying in the air made her dizzy. “What good is it doing any of us, or her, which one of these guys she is dating? We should be praying for her recovery.” Knowing that Shaundra hadn’t given Harper the time of day pleased her immensely.

The door to Shaundra’s room opened and the doctor and the nurse exited. The nurse walked over to them while the doctor went into the room next to Shaundra’s.

“How is our mother?” Juanda asked.

“Her vitals are stable,” the nurse replied, still gazing at the three members of Aomori. “And she’s awake.”

“Can we see her?” Tricia asked.

“As soon as her fiancé comes out.”

Both sisters looked at each other. “What fiancé?” Juanda asked. “Is Donald here?”

“Who is Donald?” Takumijo asked.

“Shaundra’s ex-boyfriend,” Yori told him.

“His name isn’t Donald,” the nurse said, looking down at her clipboard. “His name is Ichiro Yoshida. He asked that all the medical bills be charged to him and he wants her to be moved to a more private room so she can rest.” She smiled. “He is so attentive. He hasn’t left her side since I walked into the room.”

“Who the hell is Ichiro?” Clarence asked as he gained control of the conversation.

Charlotte smirked. Shaundra had told her that her boys were overprotective.

The door to Shaundra’s room opened again and the young Japanese man exited, minus the baseball cap and sunglasses. There was a congregation of gasps from the females in the waiting room. Both Tricia and Juanda stood star-struck.

“That is Ichiro,” Satoshi announced. “Isn’t he something?”

“He sure is,” Charlotte replied breathlessly as the blue-eyed angel walked toward them. He was the loveliest man she’d ever laid eyes on. She rose from her chair and stood next to Harper.

“Stop staring,” Harper told her.

“Shaundra has awakened,” Ichiro announced.

Charlotte trembled at the sound of his voice. She could see why Shaundra had chosen him, but was pissed because her best friend hadn’t told her about their relationship. Maybe she was too embarrassed because he was so young. She looked him over. Pearly white skin, a perfect nose, beautiful blue eyes and full, pink lips. What beautiful babies the two of them would make if Shaundra was still fertile.