One Kiss in Tokyo... (10 page)

Avery glanced over at Jay. ‘Let's hope so. The next few hours will be crucial.' He straightened up. ‘Is his mother here yet? I'll need to speak to her.'

Katsuko pulled back her hand. ‘I'll go and check.' She stepped back and hurried down the corridor.

* * *

Avery stared at his arm for a few seconds. He could almost feel her imprinted on his skin. There was a distinct feeling of unease. It had only been a few short days but he'd made a real connection with Katsuko and he wasn't quite sure what to do next.

The initial harmless flirting had quickly turned into something else. Every relationship he'd ever been involved in had been cool on his part. He'd been happy for the companionship. Enjoyed the friendships and physical connection. But the emotional connection? On his part, it had never really been there.

But Katsuko felt different. He wanted to be around her. He wanted to know so much about her. It would be easier if she weren't the General's daughter. It would be
so
much easier if she weren't the Major General's daughter.

But no matter how much he was feeling the first real pull at his heartstrings, the little twist inside was still there. Japan? He hardly knew anything about it. He wasn't even entirely sure how long this assignment would last. Apparently his sick colleague had requested this posting to Okatu. It was likely that once he'd made a full recovery he'd want to pick this assignment up again.

Part of those thoughts felt like relief. He wouldn't want to settle down. He wouldn't want to put down roots anywhere. He wouldn't be in the difficult position of having that kind of a conversation with a woman because he always had a get-out clause.

It didn't matter that he'd known lots of fellow colleagues who had found love, married and happily combined their family lives with working in the air force. Sure, it was difficult. Sure, there were sacrifices to make.

The whole thing had just never computed for him because of his example of family life back home. He'd loved the freedom of the air force. It gave him a safe haven. It had become his family. Could he even contemplate something else?

A dark hand appeared on his arm. Frank. ‘Avery? Jay's mother has arrived. I've put her in the relatives' room. Katsuko is with her.'

‘Thanks very much. You'll keep an eye on him while I'm gone?'

Frank gave him a resolute nod.

The relatives' room was bland. It didn't matter how hard the staff tried to make it warm and friendly, it was always a place where difficult news was delivered, and it seemed to have that atmosphere around it permanently.

As soon as he walked in, Jay's mother jumped to her feet. ‘Where is he? Where is Jay? Why can't I see him?'

Katsuko had her lips pressed together and Avery could sense the tension in her body.

He reached out and touched the woman. She had the broadest Texan accent he'd ever heard. It was such a surprise. In the last few days he'd become accustomed to the quieter tones of Japanese voices or Japanese accents when colleagues were speaking in English to him.

‘You can see Jay, but I need to make a few things clear.' He spoke calmly and honestly. ‘Where is Jay's dad?'

The colour faded from the woman's face. ‘Why?'

Avery shook his head. ‘Jay's sick. I think he might have meningitis. The next few hours are crucial. It would be best if his dad could be here too.'

Jay's mum took a little step backwards. ‘He's...a pilot. He's flying to Kadena Air Base, then onto Okinawa. He won't be home until tomorrow.'

Katsuko looked at him. ‘Do you want me to deal with that?'

Avery nodded. He didn't know what she'd do—he was just sure that as the General's daughter she could sort whatever she needed to.

She turned to Jay's mother. ‘Can you give me your husband's name and rank?'

‘Captain Rizalino Lim.'

Something flashed across Katsuko's face for the briefest of seconds before she disappeared out of the door.

Avery wasn't sure but the name sounded Filipino. The mother was distinctly American. A huge percentage of US Air Force families were from different nationalities. Had Katsuko just had a flash of familiarity with this family?

* * *

The call to her father took moments. His secretary answered straight away. ‘It's Katsuko. There's a medical issue. A parent is required to be located. We have a teenager with a suspected diagnosis of meningitis. He's being treated but the next few hours are crucial.'

‘Details?'

‘Pilot. Captain Rizalino Lim. He's flying to Kadena, then Okinawa today.'

‘I'll find the details while I put you through to the General.'

Katsuko could almost hear her fingers fly across the keyboard. Her father had always been great when families had medical emergencies on the base. He would do everything he could to find the relative and get them back to their family. On occasion, it couldn't happen. But nine times out of ten her father would make sure it did.

‘Something wrong?'

She smiled. He was all business. She quickly explained. If she closed her eyes for a second she could picture him. With one hand he'd be playing with a pencil, making little notes on the pad in front of him. He'd be nodding his head slowly too.

There was a loud creaking noise. His door.

‘Ah, that's Leah with the details. Give me a second. Hmm...yes. Yes, that should be fine. Katsuko, tell Mrs Lim that arrangements are being made for her husband to be with her and Jay as soon as possible. Leah will also arrange for one of our welfare officers to come and wait with her until her husband arrives. Everything else okay?'

She was surprised. When she phoned him about air force business he didn't tend to talk about anything else. ‘Yes, why shouldn't it be?'

‘I haven't seen much of you these last few days.'

Her skin prickled a little. ‘Don, I'm twenty-five. I have a social life.'

‘Any kind of social life I should know about?'

Now her whole body prickled. Someone had told him—told him that she was spending time with Avery. There was nothing surer.

She looked instantly over her shoulder. If her father knew, there was no point pretending her colleagues hadn't noticed things too. She might as well have a neon sign flashing above her head.

She gave a silent shake of her head. Don would soon get around to asking her outright. She'd just need to figure out what kind of answer she was going to give him.

‘Nothing you should know, Don. Don't worry.'

She put down the phone and sucked in a deep breath. Her head didn't know what to do with this information. She spun around and saw Avery's outline behind the darkened window of the relatives' room.

Darn it. She even liked his reflection. And as for the unexpected feel and taste of his lips on hers the other night... She squeezed her eyes shut. Thinking about it pushed every other thought from her brain. Not something she could do at work—ever.

She straightened her shoulders and walked back down the corridor, entering the relatives' room and giving Mrs Lim a reassuring smile. ‘General Williams wants to assure you he's making arrangements to get your husband back to be with you both.' She held out her hand. ‘Will we take Mrs Lim along to sit with her son?'

He put a gentle arm around Mrs Lim and led her down towards the resus room. Mrs Lim put her hand up to her mouth when she saw Jay. Frank came over to join her and waited patiently while Avery explained what he could. ‘At this point we have to look at why Jay's having these symptoms. Meningitis is a likely cause and it's something that has to be treated straight away. Because of that we've got Jay on some intravenous antibiotics. We also have him on some other drugs for some of the other symptoms he's having. He's agitated, has been vomiting and has a high temperature. We need to monitor Jay very carefully for the next few hours. You're welcome to stay and sit with him.'

She turned around. ‘But he's had injections for meningitis. It can't be that.'

Avery nodded and pointed towards the computer. ‘We're lucky. I have access to Jay's medical records. He has had some vaccinations for Hib, a strain of meningitis, and Men C, another strain. But there are many different types of meningitis and we don't have vaccines for them all.'

‘So this is a different kind?'

Avery nodded. ‘We think so. We've taken some blood from him for testing—the results will show if there are bacteria in his blood. Unfortunately, the other test we need to do is called a lumbar puncture. We'd have to curl Jay on his side and put a needle into a specific part of his spine to collect some fluid. Jay is just too agitated to do that test.'

‘Will it matter?' Her eyes were wide.

He took a deep breath. ‘We might not be able to specify the exact type of meningitis, but we would still be able to identify it as a bacterial meningitis.'

‘Would his treatment change?'

Avery shook his head. ‘It would still be intravenous antibiotics. We just need to wait and see how he is over the next few hours.'

Frank came over to show Mrs Lim to a seat. He gave a nod to Avery and Katsuko. ‘I'll give you a shout if I need you.'

Katsuko gave Avery a little smile. Both of them could recognise the signs of being told unofficially to take a break. They were lucky. The ER had its own coffee room. Staff here frequently didn't have time to make it to the hospital canteen or other facilities.

Katsuko flicked the switch on the kettle and opened the huge tin that sat in the middle of the coffee table.

Avery looked over her shoulder and pulled something out. ‘What are these things? I see them everywhere.'

She gave a laugh as she spooned some coffee into the mugs. ‘I think you'd call them...' she pointed to the first packet ‘...chocolate pretzel sticks, and those ones...' she pointed to the other ‘...are strawberry rice cakes.'

Avery was still staring at the pictures on the packaging.

She poured some water into the cups. ‘They are two of most popular snacks in Japan. Think of it as an initiation of fire.'

He pulled open the first packet and sagged down onto a chair as Katsuko tipped some milk into the mugs, stirred the coffee and brought them over. She hesitated for a second, then sat down next to him. There wasn't much point in worrying if someone saw them sitting together.

Avery settled back, letting his shoulder come into contact with hers. ‘Okay, introduce me to your strange snacks. I wanted potato chips and a candy bar.'

She raised her eyebrows. ‘What? No apples or bananas?'

‘Usually yes. But today? After that diagnosis? Definitely something sweet and nasty.'

She handed him the chocolate pretzel sticks. He took a few and started eating. After a few minutes he smiled, picking up his coffee and relaxing a little. ‘Hey, these are actually okay. I could get used to these.'

‘You'll have to. There isn't much else in the tin.'

He turned his head towards her. ‘So, you're off in a few days. Where are we going?'

She was trying so hard to appear like the coolest woman on the planet as she felt all the blood starting to rush to her cheeks and ruin her disguise.

And, for some strange reason,
What makes you think we're going anywhere?
turned into, ‘Where do you want to go?' She wasn't entirely sure how that had happened.

What had happened to the walls she'd wanted to build around herself earlier? The fact she didn't really want to give her colleagues anything to talk about? It seemed a few hours in the company of Avery Flynn made her go against all the things she'd planned in her head.

He gave a little nod. ‘You took me to the busiest place on the planet the last time. This time I'd like to go somewhere a little quieter.'

Uh-oh. Those pale green eyes were staring at her. And there was a definite twinkle in them. She didn't want her brain to start imagining what he was hinting at. If that was what he'd done in the busiest place on the planet, what could he do somewhere quieter?

She gave a little nod. ‘Tokyo is huge. I'm sure I can find us somewhere more scenic to go.'

He grinned. ‘And definitely quieter?'

There he went again, teasing her. She could play him at his own game.

‘I have the perfect place in mind.'

CHAPTER SIX

H
E
'
D
TOLD
K
ATSUKO
he would pick her up at home but she'd suggested they meet in the base coffee shop. Part of him was relieved and part of him was a little put out. Was she trying to hide him from her father? And did he really want to be under the General's interrogating gaze anyway?

He blinked as she walked in. Katsuko was wearing a bright red dress patterned with dark flowers. He'd never seen her in a dress before—he'd never even seen her in a casual skirt before and he was surprised by how much it suited her. The dress was decorated with black flowers that matched her sharp dark hair.

She had a red leather bag slung across her body, black shoes with a cork sole and bright red lipstick.

She shot him a smile and joined him in the queue. ‘What are you having?'

You.
On this base that response would probably get him jail time.

‘Just a cappuccino. You're looking gorgeous. I feel distinctly underdressed.' He tugged at his polo shirt.

She waved her hand with a smile that made him curious. ‘You don't need to worry.' She nodded to the cashier. ‘I'll have a skinny latte to go.' While they waited for their drinks he tried to tease out of her what their plans were for the day.

‘I heard Jay is out of ICU and on the road to recovery.'

‘Yeah, I went up to see him last night. He was tetchy. I think people forget that even though antibiotics fight off meningitis, the recovery process can be slow. At least he's a teenager. He can tell us how he feels. Think of all the poor babies and toddlers who can't put into words how they feel for the next few months.'

He'd noticed something else. The whole time he'd been around Jay's mother she'd seemed quite rigid. But as soon as her husband had appeared she'd just crumpled. It was like she had been holding herself together until he'd been there to catch her. Their devotion to each other and their son had shone through. Their relief at having each other there had been almost palpable. It was a connection that he'd never seen between his parents—or their future partners. Another reminder of how little his family actually functioned.

She was looking at him a little strangely. ‘What?'

She shrugged. ‘You're quite sentimental. I didn't take you for that.'

He gave her a crafty look. ‘I have lots of hidden qualities. You just have to find them.' He waved his hand. ‘Anyway, you didn't tell me what to bring. Should I change?'

This time she laughed. ‘Believe me, you don't need to change. You'll be fine just as you are.' She leaned forward to pick up their coffees. ‘At least I think you are.'

‘What does that mean?'

She shot him a cheeky wink. ‘All will be revealed. Let's go.'

They headed to the subway and Katsuko bought them tickets to a station he'd never heard of. The gleam in her eye was unmistakeable.

It felt like payback. He'd hinted at something the other day. And he was still waiting for a response. She was hard to read. At work, it seemed like she only focused on the job. That was good. But it meant that there was only the occasional glimpse of what lay beneath the surface. She hadn't objected when he'd suggested they see each other again. In fact, she'd responded almost immediately. But what was normal for Katsuko? He had no idea.

The subway wasn't quite as busy as it had been the last time and he sat down next to her. ‘Tell me about your assignments.'

‘Why do you want to know about them?'

She shrugged. ‘Because you've been on lots of overseas assignments. I've only ever gone to Georgia to complete my nurse training.'

‘I spent some time in Georgia. It's a pity we missed each other.' Did she even realise how gorgeous she looked today?

‘Where else have you been?'

He settled back into the seat. ‘Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Afghanistan, Germany and Italy.'

‘What was your favourite?'

‘They all had something good. I probably learned the most in Afghanistan. It's a combat zone—nothing else compares to that. You never know what is going to happen next. Florida had fantastic surf and weather. Texas was good for me as doctor. I got to shadow one of the doctors at NASA for a few weeks and learn a little about the qualifications I'd need to go into that field.'

Her smile was broad. ‘That sounds fabulous. Will you do it?'

‘I might. Competition is tough. I'd need to go back to Dayton, Ohio, and study aerospace medicine for a couple of years.' He gave her a nudge. ‘Fancy being a nurse out there?'

She gave a little sigh and stared off into space. ‘A world of possibilities. I'm just not sure. I love being in Japan, but I'm a member of the US Air Force. I think it might be good for me to try someplace else.'

‘Because of your grandmother?'

‘Yes. And no. I'd hate to leave and something happen to her. I'm all the family she's got left—even if she doesn't want me. But sometimes I wonder just how long I should wait.'

‘What does the General say?'

She bit her lip. It took her a few moments to answer. ‘We don't really talk about it much. Apparently he was a bit of a bear for the few months I was away in Georgia—even though he's never said anything about it to me. We've never really discussed the fact that I should probably be based somewhere else. A few other colleagues have been and gone in the space of time that I've been here.' She rubbed her hands on her thighs. ‘I kind of wonder if he feels like me?'

‘What do you mean?'

‘He's practically put his life on hold to raise me. Don's a good-looking guy. And he's fun. I'm quite sure there are a whole host of women out there that he could have made a connection with and didn't.'

It was instant. He could tell there was something else. ‘So why didn't he?'

She shook her head and lowered her gaze, so he reached over and put his hand on hers. ‘Why do
you
think he didn't?'

‘Sometimes I wonder if he was a little in love with my mother. He's never said anything that led me to believe that, but he talks about her with real respect and affection.'

‘And how does he talk about your dad?'

She gave a little smile. ‘Much the same.' The subway trundled to a stop and she looked up. ‘It's the next station.' Her fingers reached up and twiddled with her hair. ‘Then maybe the women that he's met didn't want to be lumbered with someone else's child.'

Avery shook his head. ‘Please tell me you don't actually think that?'

Her brown eyes met his. ‘Why not? There are lots of women in this life who wouldn't want to take on someone else's child. What if the love of Don's life came along and he let her slip through his fingers because of me?' There was a little wobble in her voice. He was struggling with this—probably because he could see her emotions bubbling underneath the surface.

‘You're an adult, Katsuko. Not a child. Let me put it this way. Do you honestly think Don would have a serious relationship with the kind of woman who would make him choose between you and her? He doesn't strike me as that kind of guy.'

She gave a sad kind of smile. ‘Probably not. I just hate to think that I'm the reason he's stayed all these years and now I'm thinking about leaving.'

He grabbed her hand as the subway pulled into the next station. ‘All kids grow up and leave home. You've just left it a little later than normal.'

They exited the subway and she led him up a flight of steps. This part of Tokyo wasn't quite as built up. It was lighter, with areas of green around them. The station was part way up a mountain that gave a good view over the city.

‘Where on earth are we?'

‘It's all part of my master plan. Have you heard of a
sento
?'

‘A what?'

She held out her hands. ‘They're all around here. A
sento
is a bathhouse.'

He looked stunned. ‘A bathhouse?'

‘Yes. The other alternative is an
onsen
, which is built around a hot spring. There is a whole variety around here. Some are completely modern, some more traditionally built.'

She could see him look around the area. Some of the buildings were sleek, rising out of the mountainside and sheeted in glass. Others were constructed from wood, painted white, with their large, dark, gently curved roofs being the most visually impressive component. She pointed to the one straight in front of them. ‘This one is my favourite. It's a super-
sento
.'

Avery stopped walking. ‘So, what actually happens in a super-
sento
?'

She was trying very hard not to grin. Avery had hinted about getting her alone. He had no idea what he was about to get into.

She smiled sweetly. ‘It's a traditional bathhouse.' She gave him a wink. ‘And it's communal.' She walked swiftly ahead.

‘What?' Avery's voice shouted after her. Then his footsteps pounded along and he pulled at her shoulder. ‘What did you just say?'

She'd reached the door of the
sento
and pulled it open. ‘Bathhouses in Japan are communal.'

He paused at the door, his mouth hanging open. ‘But I didn't bring my swimmers.'

‘Who says you need swimmers?' She couldn't help but laugh—he looked rooted to the spot. She pulled out her bag and paid at Reception. It only took a few seconds for Avery to appear at her shoulder.

From the expression on his face he'd collected his thoughts in a whole different direction. His smile reached from one side of his face to the other. Everything was going perfectly to plan.

She pointed off to the right and handed him a key. ‘You go that way—I go to the left. Take off your clothes in the changing room. There will be pyjamas or a loose kimono inside for you to change into. Leave all your other things in the locker, then head inside.'

He was still smiling. ‘I'll see you inside, then.' He walked towards the door—no, he swaggered towards the door and Katsuko almost burst out laughing.

The receptionist was smiling at her broadly. She'd seen it all before.

The next hour or so would be interesting.

* * *

Avery just about flung his clothes into the locker and pulled on the pyjamas. They were thin and light—almost like a pair of surgical scrubs. He moved outside and looked up. It was a bright corridor, sealed off from the outside world but clearly outdoors. Ahead was another door.

He couldn't stop smiling. He pushed the door open and stopped walking promptly.

The room was filled with naked men and steam. Lots of steam. An assistant gestured for him to take off his clothes. He paused, he couldn't help it. Avery had never been embarrassed by his body and it was apparent that every single man in this room felt the same way. He was a doctor—there was nothing he hadn't seen before. Men of all shapes and sizes stood in front of him. Most of them were chatting to each other as if they were fully clothed. Nakedness didn't seem to be an issue.

Avery pulled off his pyjamas and sat on the stool that the smiling assistant pointed to—it was obvious he was used to visitors. Two seconds later he was hit by a warm shower spray and handed what looked like a kind of loofah.

He gave a nod and scrubbed at his skin while the warm shower buzzed over him. When he was finished the assistant gestured for him to walk further on. Ahead, was the biggest array of large tubs he'd ever seen. Some were empty, some had a few men in them, and others were busy. To the side were rooms with a range of glass doors that looked like saunas.

He stuck his toe in the nearest tub and pulled it out sharply. The water was near scalding. The doctor in him wanted to tell everyone not to go near it. But a few seconds later a man who resembled a sumo wrestler stepped into the tub with no trepidation whatsoever.

For a minute Avery forgot all about his nakedness. Any second now the guy would have a heart attack in water at that temperature. Instead, the man spread his arms out around the side of the tub and leaned back, as if it was his favourite place in the world.

Avery gave his head a little shake and moved forward. He dipped his toe in a variety of tubs. They ranged from scalding to very hot to hot. The next tub had only one man in it and the water temperature was warm and pleasant. The man gave him a gracious nod that made Avery feel it was impossible to walk away.

He gave a nod too and climbed in. The water was soothing. It instantly relaxed his tense muscles. He kept glancing around. First of all, at the other tub where he kept expecting the large man to faint, then around the whole bathing area.

It took him a few seconds to realise that Katsuko was nowhere in sight. In fact, no women were anywhere in sight.

The man in his tub nodded towards him again. ‘Visitor?'

Avery smiled. He really did need to learn some Japanese. ‘Yes.'

The man smiled politely. ‘Okatu base?'

Avery laughed and nodded. He might as well have a sign on his forehead that said he was American.

‘Pilot?'

He shook his head. ‘No, doctor.'

‘Ah. Doctor. Good.' He gave him a thoughtful glance and pointed to the tub. ‘First time?'

Yes, it seemed he did have a sign on his head.

‘It is, yes.'

The man pointed further down the bathhouse. ‘Try bath with tea.'

‘Tea?'

He gave a knowing nod. ‘Yes.'

Avery was surprised. He'd never heard of a bath with tea. When Katsuko had told him not to bring anything she hadn't been joking. Towels were everywhere. Along with soap, shampoo, moisturising lotion and cotton swabs. But no one actually used these products in the water. They only used them in the showers.

He rested his head back for a moment and closed his eyes. Katsuko had surprised him. When she'd brought him into a bathhouse and hinted they'd be naked his mind had naturally gone into overdrive—just as she'd intended.