by Imari Jade
“Yes, that’s him.”
“Did you sleep with him?”
Damien pulled her closer to him when she didn’t answer. “Well?”
“No.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to take sloppy seconds to some old pop star.”
Tricia used her free hand to pop him. “Satoshi is not old. He’s just twenty-six. And I didn’t know him well enough to sleep with him.” She paused. “And who says I am going to sleep with you? Just because your ass is fine and I’m letting you hold my hand doesn’t mean I’ll be spreading for you tonight.”
Damien stopped, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. His tongue darted into her mouth and the world revolved on its axis.
“Please,” he pleaded against her lips.
Tricia crossed her ankles to fight off the pull of temptation. It was getting harder and harder to resist. “Just a swim,” she answered.
Damien smiled wickedly at her. “Okay.”
****
“Are you crazy?” Harper screamed at Shaundra through the speaker of her car phone while she drove through the farmhouse gates. The guards waved her in.
“No, I’m not.”
“You know you’re not supposed to be driving.”
“I just took a short ride. Where are you?”
“I’m on my way to see you. I’m bringing your new contract.”
Shaundra smirked. Harper could have emailed or faxed it to her. She drove past the farmhouse door and continued on to the parking lot behind the house. The nurse had left earlier, meaning she was alone for a while. Shaundra drove into her parking spot, grabbed her purse, and eased out the car while Harper continued to talk to her. A pain shot through her body. “Oh!”
“What’s wrong?”
Shaundra leaned against the car for support. “Nothing, just a pain.”
“What? What kind of pain?
“I think it might be a Braxton Hicks contraction.”
“You think? Is this the first one?” he asked hysterically.
“No, I’ve had a few since the other day.”
“And you’re still out driving?” Harper shouted.
Shaundra took the phone from her ear and let him rant. Sometimes men could be such nags. Another pain hit. This one nearly took her breath away. “Damn,” she shouted.
“Shaundra, are you okay?”
“Yes,” she gasped as she doubled over again. “Just another pain.”
“Don’t lie to me. You don’t sound all right.”
Shaundra bit her lip to keep from screaming and she didn’t think she could straighten up.
“Where are you? Are you still driving?”
“No. I just parked the car in the lot behind the farmhouse.”
“Damn,” Harper said. “We’re still about a mile away.”
The pain passed, allowing her to stand. “I’m okay. I’m going to go inside.”
“Don’t hang up,” Harper told her. “Talk to me.”
Shaundra took one step forward and another pain hit, knocking her to her knees. Water gushed out of her like piss. “Awe.” She groaned. “I think my water just broke.”
“What? You aren’t due for another two weeks.”
“Well, tell that to these two big-headed babies.” She screamed as another pain ran through her body like a lightning strike. “God damn it.”
“Step on it,” she heard Harper tell his driver.
She’d had babies before, but she’d never felt anything like this. Something had to be wrong. “I don’t feel too good,” she told Harper.
The world spun around her. Shaundra saw darkness, felt the earth move again, and then everything moved in slow motion. Another earthquake. “Harper!”
Her thoughts muddled and then clarity hit. She looked around. Had she imagined the earth shaking a few seconds ago? Her head throbbed and everything went dark again. Water and lots of it. She screamed. “Run.” The image passed. What was happening to her and why did she keep spacing out? Another pain. Shaundra screamed again. “Ichiro, where the fuck are you?” She fainted.
Chapter Four
Harper jumped out of the back of the car and hurried over to Shaundra. She lay on the ground right next to her car. “Damn,” he said, kneeling next to her. He reached for her hand, checking for a pulse. He found one…a weak one. “Damn.”
His driver got out of the car. “Is she alive?”
“Yes,” Harper said, lifting Shaundra into his arms. She weighed a ton. “Get a blanket out of the trunk and lay it on the back seat.” He wasn’t worried about messing up the seat. He wanted to make Shaundra as comfortable as possible.
The chauffer ran around to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and got a blanket.
Harper had thought about alerting the guards to go to Shaundra before he got there, but he didn’t trust them around her. He walked to the car and gently laid her on the back seat. He then went back, got her purse and her cell phone, and placed them near her. The driver got back behind the wheel and Harper climbed into the front seat. “Let’s get her to the hospital.”
“Which one?”
“Osaka General.”
The driver turned the car around and drove toward the gate. Harper looked into the back seat. Shaundra was still unconscious, but her eyes moved rapidly under the lids like she was having a bad dream. And she moved fitfully in her sleep.
The driver stopped the car at the guard shack and Harper rolled down the window as one of the guards approached. “Mrs. Yoshida is in labor and I’m taking her to the hospital.”
The guard looked into the back seat and then nodded.
“Don’t let anyone except Aomori, Masaaki, Mr. Niigata or Cristal Gentry past this gate. If the nurse returns, tell her I’ve taken Mrs. Yoshida to Osaka General.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Kehoe,” the guard replied.
Harper rolled the window back up. “Step on it,” he told the driver.
Shaundra cried out in pain.
Harper looked back at her. She clutched her stomach as it moved beneath her hand. He wasn’t an expert, but it appeared that the babies wanted out and they wanted out now.
The driver sped through the streets. Lucky for them there wasn’t much traffic in this part of Osaka.
“Ichiro,” Shaundra screamed. “Where are you?”
Harper frowned. Yes, where are you? Stupid idiot. How could you leave her like this?
“The water, Doctor Wantanabe. There’s so much of it.”
Oh, oh. She wasn’t dreaming of Ichiro anymore, but the tsunami. The psychiatrist had said this part of her memory might come back eventually.
“Run,” Shaundra said in her sleep. She grabbed her stomach again. “Help me. Save my babies.”
Harper shook his head. It must have been horrible for her. Wait. Shaundra just spoke in Japanese.
Shaundra continued to rant.
She’s saying something about the earthquake. When did she learn to speak Japanese so fluently?
Another contraction. Harper watched her stomach rise, fall, and then shake violently. Then Shaundra went still. He panicked and looked down at her chest. It moved. Harper breathed out a sigh of relief. She was still with them. Damn, why is something always happening to her? He had a good mind to kidnap her and take her back to New York before Aomori arrived. No, they would find her even if he took her to the end of the earth. Harper looked at his watch. The band’s plane was scheduled to land in an hour. He reached for his cell phone and tried to get Masaaki on the line. The phone rang and Masaaki finally answered.
“Hello? Masaaki speaking.”
“Masaaki? It’s me, Harper. Listen, don’t say my name aloud. Just listen. Shaundra is in labor.”
“What?”
“Shaundra is in labor and I’m taking her to the hospital. I found her unconscious in the parking lot behind the farmhouse. Don’t tell the others until the plane lands and they’re in the van. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Masaaki said. “I understand. Is it serious?”
Shaundra screamed in pain again.
“I understand,” Masaaki said. “See you shortly.” He disconnected the call.
Harper dialed Dae-Hyun.
“Hello?”
“This is Harper Kehoe. Mrs. Yoshida just went into labor.”
“I understand,” Dae-Hyun said. “The house is in order.” He paused. “Should I come to the hospital?”
“Not just yet,” Harper told him. “I’ll call you if I need you. Ichiro and the others will be landing in less than an hour.”
“Okay,” Dae-Hyun said. “Call me if you need me.”
Harper disconnected the call and then looked into the back seat again. Shaundra had passed out again.
“We’re almost there,” the driver told Harper.
****
The plane landed and Masaaki ushered everyone off and into the airport. After what seemed like an eternity, they made it through customs, got their luggage, and headed for the exit. Masaaki stopped. “Damn. Fan girls. Get security,” he shouted at their bodyguards.
Two of the guards ran toward the security office while the others stayed behind and guarded Aomori. Of all the rotten luck. How in the hell did they find out Aomori would be arriving today?
The guards came back with several security officers to control the crowd.
“We’re home,” Takumijo said as he grabbed Cristal’s luggage and turned her over to Satoshi. They had done this so often it was routine.
Satoshi grabbed Cristal’s hand and they walked quickly down the aisle. The fans tried to touch them, but Satoshi kept her close to him. The rest of their group followed while the security kept the young people back.
“Get the vans,” Masaaki shouted at Kenshin.
Kenshin pulled out his walkie-talkie and summoned the other drivers. They were there waiting when Aomori exited the building. There were hundreds of fans outside screaming their names and trying to touch them. Camera flashes went off in their faces. More security arrived to hold back the crowd.
“Yori, I love you,” someone screamed.
Yori waved and climbed into the van behind Satoshi and Cristal. Ichiro followed him in. Takumijo climbed in next and then Kenshin and Masaaki. The bodyguards got into the second van and both drivers peeled away from the curve and maneuvered their way out of the pickup area. Moments later, they drove out of the airport.
“Hand me your walkie-talkie,” Masaaki said to Kenshin.
Kenshin handed the machine over to Masaaki.
Masaaki pressed the button so he could speak to both drivers at the same time. “This is Masaaki. Drive us to the Osaka General Hospital. Mrs. Yoshida is in labor and en-route there.”
“What?” Satoshi asked. “Shaundra’s in labor?”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ichiro sit forward in his seat.
“Ten-four,” the two drivers said back.
Masaaki handed the walkie-talkie back to Kenshin and sat back in his seat.
“Yes,” Masaaki said to Satoshi. “Harper phoned while we were in the air. I heard Shaundra screaming in the background.”
Ichiro moved again.
Masaaki turned to him. “You cannot outrun this van, no matter how fast you are. Now, sit back. You’ll get to the hospital in time to greet your babies.”
Ichiro growled at him.
Masaaki ignored him. Ichiro didn’t frighten him. Six feet tall or not, he’d drop his ass if he tried anything.
“Oh, I’m so excited,” Cristal said. “We’re going to have babies.”
“Is Shaundra okay?” Yori asked.
Finally, someone with sense, Masaaki thought. But he could not tell him the truth. “Yes. Harper won’t let anything happen again.”
Ichiro moved again.
“Easy. Be thankful that he found her.”
Ichiro turned his head toward the window and sulked.
Masaaki raised an eyebrow. Maybe he’d have the doctor sedate Ichiro when they got to the hospital. For all their sakes, he hoped the babies were Ichiro’s.
“I think she’s having girls,” Cristal said.
“Why do you think that?” Satoshi asked.
“Odds are in her favor,” Cristal said. “Her last child was a girl. That means it’s possible she could have two more girls.”
Satoshi chuckled. “Did you pass Biology in high school?”
“Yes,” Cristal answered. “Barely,” she mumbled.
Takumijo and Satoshi laughed at her.
“A girl can dream, can’t she?” Cristal said in her defense. “We’re outnumbered by guys already. The Lord would not do this to us.”
Satoshi patted her hand. “I tell you what. If she has boys, I’ll make sure we’ll have girls.”
“What we?” Cristal asked, punching him. “You’re probably packing more boy baby DNA than any of these guys.”
Masaaki fought back a smile. He couldn’t wait for those two to realize they were in love with each other. Everyone else knew it, even Mr. Niigata. The man was already making plans for turning their offspring in a future pop group, along with Ichiro’s children.
“We’re ten minutes away from the hospital,” the driver said through the intercom.
“Okay, you guys. I want you on your best behavior at the hospital,” Masaaki told his brood. “No fighting, no hitting on the nurses, and no doing anything to cause Mr. Niigata embarrassment. And for Pete’s sake, do not stress out Shaundra.” Hopefully, she would live to deliver those babies.
****
Harper paced the floor of the waiting room along with other men awaiting the birth of babies. The orderlies had wheeled Shaundra into an examination room as soon as they parked the car and they were still working on her. She hadn’t regained consciousness yet, but she had stopped screaming. Harper looked at his watch. Where were Masaaki and the others? He hadn’t been this nervous since the birth of his own sons.
The doors to the waiting room opened and one of the interns walked over to him.
“Is she okay?” Harper asked in Japanese.
“She’s stable,” the intern said. “They’re about to take her into the delivery room.” He paused. “Are you the father?”
“No, I’m the father.”
Harper swung around. “Ichiro. Thank God you’re here. They’re about to take Shaundra into the delivery room and I’m getting too old for this type of stuff.”
The intern turned to Ichiro. “Are you Mr. Yoshida?”
Ichiro nodded.
“Your wife has been calling for you. Come on. You need to follow me.”
Harper heard feminine squeals of delight from outside the waiting room. Moments later, the rest of Aomori descended into the waiting room. The nurses in the waiting room squealed when they recognized them. The bodyguards quickly put an end to the foolishness.
Masaaki walked over to him while the others found some seats. “How is she?”
Harper shrugged. “They’re taking her into the delivery room. Ichiro is with her.”
“Do you think that is wise? The damn fool nearly bolted out of the van when I told him.”
“He is her husband,” Harper answered.
“You know what I mean. What if…?”
“They’re his babies,” Harper replied. “I never touched her.”
Masaaki looked at him like he didn’t believe him. “Never?”
“Never.”
Masaaki’s entire demeanor changed. “I hope you’re telling me the truth.”
“Let’s go get some tea,” Harper said. “She won’t be delivering in the next five minutes. Ichiro will be okay.”
****
Ichiro donned the blue scrubs and followed the intern into another waiting room for instructions. He looked around. Everything looked so scary. He’d never been in a delivery room before and didn’t
know what to expect. Hell, he’d forgotten everything he’d learned in Lamaze classes.
The intern returned. “Your wife is in the delivery room, Mr. Yoshida. The doctor is examining her now.”
“How is she?” Ichiro asked.
“She is still unconscious and in a lot a pain.”
“Can I see her?”
“As soon as the doctor finishes with the examination. He’s given her something to ease the pain, but it hasn’t kicked in yet.”
“Will it harm the babies?”
The intern shook his head. “No. They’ll just be a little groggy.”
The door to the room opened and a doctor entered. “Are you Mr. Yoshida?”
Ichiro nodded. “Yes, how is my wife?”
“She is in pain, but her blood pressure is stable. We have in a call to her regular obstetrician and the anesthesiologist is on the way down from his office.”
“Can I see her?”
The doctor nodded. “But only for a few minutes. Follow me.”
Ichiro followed the doctor out the room and down the hall to the delivery room. There were a lot of people in there. Nurses monitored machines and other machines beeped. It was all so frightening. He walked over to the delivery table. Shaundra lay upon it looking pale and helpless. A machine monitored her vitals and the babies’ heartbeats.
“Shaundra, baby, it’s me Ichiro. Can you hear me?”
She didn’t respond.
He reached out and touched her cheek. She felt hot.
Shaundra sat up with a start and grabbed him by the collar. “You did this to me.”
Some of the other nurses ran over to free him.
Shaundra lay back down and Ichiro stepped back to catch his breath.
One the nurses telephone the doctor. “The patient is awake and very angry. Please hurry.”
“What are you doing here?” Shaundra asked.
“Don’t be this way, Shaundra,” Ichiro pleaded.
“I don’t want you here.”
Ichiro saw one of the monitors come on and then Shaundra bit her bottom lip. She is having a contraction and trying not to scream.
“Take my hand,” he told her. “You can squeeze it until the pain goes away.”
