Shaking Off the Dust (6 page)

Five minutes before four, my clothes arrived in her arms and I cheered. I went into the bathroom to change and as I came out, Tom appeared in front of me. He scared the life out of me…almost, and I screeched.

Shimodo, who’d just arrived, came bursting through the door to do battle with whatever had caused me to scream. He rushed across the room catching me to him, saying, “What is it?”

I saw Tom reach over and touch him, and he noticed Vicki in the chair.

“I tripped on my way out of the bathroom. I’m quite clumsy you know.” I was still pulled against his chest. “I’m not sure why I screamed. I must be jumpy.”

He smelled like fresh soap, with some spicy scent that I liked, so I took another deep breath. His soft black hair stood on end in the style every teenager in town tries to attain with a pound of gel.

Vicki took this all in with a knowing arch of her brow. I stepped out of his arms to sit on the end of the bed and gazed around my suddenly crowded room.

My afternoon nurse came into the room. “Are you all right? I thought I heard a scream.”

“I’m fine, although embarrassed.”

She nodded and left. She must have had better things to do.

“Takeshi, this is Vicki Barrett. Vicki, this is Dr. Takeshi Shimodo.” It was odd using his first name. Did kissing qualify as first-name basis? I thought he would answer yes, but I still didn’t know how I felt about it.

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Tom teased, full of good humor. He’d gone to sit on the window counter. I frowned at him and hoped Vicki didn’t notice.

“Very pleased to meet you, Dr. Shimodo,” Vicki replied in her most pleasant voice.

“A pleasure to meet you again, Vicki. Please call me Takeshi.” He leaned against the wall. “I see you are feeling better, Hannah.”

“Yes, much better.”

“And what has the doctor said about your immediate plans?” Tom let his head pass through the window,

looking down on the grounds.

“Has Dr. Shultz returned this afternoon?” Shimodo asked.

“No,” I answered them both. “I expect to see him anytime. I think he’ll let me leave today.”

My eyes were riveted on Tom’s head and torso leaning outside. The view must not have been impressive, because he popped inside again and grinned at me. “I’m going to hang out at the nurses’

station to review your chart. If Shultz is here, he’s probably got it now.” He walked through the closed door.

“You know, Hannah, watching the door won’t bring the doctor any faster.” Vicki leaned back in the chair and surveyed the room.

I shrugged. “A girl can dream.”

“I was planning to hang out until he got here. That way I can drive you home if they let you go.” She was ignoring Shimodo.

My eyes darted from Vicki to Shimodo. He’d gotten some sleep. There was something boyish about his face.

“That won’t be necessary, Vicki. We’ve already discussed it and I’ll be escorting Hannah home.”

Shimodo used that coaxing voice doctors employ when they are telling a patient what to do. I couldn’t decide if it was for my benefit or hers.

Vicki turned to me. “Tell me, Dr. Shimodo, have you known Hannah long?”

“Takeshi, please call me Takeshi. Not a long time, no.”

“How long?” she asked.

“Why that’s none of your business, Vicki. Now behave.” I glared.

She stared at Shimodo, who smiled back at her. I suppose he had a lot of women look him over on a regular basis.

“I guess I might as well go home. Hannah, we’ll have a long talk very soon. Call me.” Vicki started to gather up her purse.

“I’ll be on my cell phone for a while.” I used as bland a voice as I could muster.

“You little devil.” She bent down to buss my cheek.

When the door had closed behind her, Shimodo moved to sit in the chair. “So why did you scream?”

“A ghost appeared in my face as I came out the bathroom. Tom’s cheerful today. I didn’t know he did cheerful.” I scooted back on the bed using the bedrail button to put it in a sitting position.

“You don’t know him at all, do you?”

“I told you that all along,” I reminded him. “Did you think we were actually a couple?”

“It was the only thing that made sense to me, short of believing in ghosts.”

“So you thought I was mad as a hatter?”

He smiled boyishly. “You had been electrocuted the day before and I knew you’d been under Tom’s care for a subdural hematoma a couple of years ago. Brain injury can have significant side effects.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I scratched my head. “I have to admit, I thought I was going crazy too.”

“You seem to have a good sense of humor for being under so much stress.”

“You either laugh or cry. I choose to laugh whenever I can.”

A long silence ensued as I worked hard not to stare at him. I’d never dwelt on the concept of men being attractive. They are handsome, but I discovered that when they are attractive, you are powerless not to gaze at them. I tried to figure out what there was about his facial structure that made him so captivating.

Was it the delicate, but definitely masculine line of his cheek and jaw, or the thick black lashes of his eyes, or his full, wide mouth that was in a half-smile as he calmly looked back at me? My, wasn’t I being rude? I averted my gaze.

I was saved from my bad manners by a knock at the door as Dr. Shultz arrived. He walked in, taking in Shimodo, and nodded. I made introductions referring to Dr. Shimodo as a friend. He could take that any way he wanted. The cardiologist asked me permission to discuss my case in front of Shimodo. I said that was okay.

“Your echo is normal. We’ve treated your electrolytes and they are back to the low side of normal. I’ll want you to supplement for a few weeks. You’ll be on beta blockers now to keep your heart rate controlled.” He kept trying to place Shimodo. His eyes lit up as he remembered where he’d seen him.

“You’re not the Dr. Shimodo who’s doing research on alternate neural pathways after brain injury, are you? I read one of your papers in the AMA journal a few months ago.”

“Yes,” Shimodo acknowledged. “About Miss Campbell, do you think the SVT was secondary to the shock she received a few days ago?”

“It is the most likely cause. For now, I would prescribe a continuation of the meds and some rest. No stimulants and I’d prefer you not be alone for a few days, at least until we are sure the medications are working. If that’s not possible, someone needs to check on you at regular intervals. I want to see you in my office in a week, no work until then.”

“She’ll be well taken care of, Dr. Shultz. I assume this means she can be released from the hospital?”

Shimodo inquired politely.

“Yes, I’ll see to it right away. It was very nice meeting you, Dr. Shimodo.” He left the room.

“Very good.” Shimodo smiled. “I’ll run you home where you can pack a bag. Then we’ll head back to Tom’s.”

We waited around for another hour before all the proper papers were signed. I was taken down to the

front of the hospital by wheelchair. A sleek red Corvette was parked under the canopy. Shimodo leaned against it wearing sunglasses and a black leather jacket. He looked more like a fashion model than a research neurologist. I could hear the transport tech suck in her breath as he came up to greet us.

“Your car awaits.” He helped me from the wheelchair.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re just a big kid, Shimodo.”

He smiled perfect white teeth at me. “Only lately.” He tucked me into the front seat. “It’s a little cold this evening for the top down. October is one of my favorite months in this area, so many colors.”

“He never needed fancy cars to attract women.” Tom had followed me out with the wheelchair. “The fairer sex has chased him relentlessly over the years, the rumors of his prowess legendary. He goes to Asia every year and I think he finds the women there to his liking.” Tom watched my face for some clue that I understood what he was telling me. When I ignored him, he marched to the car. “There are only two seats, where am I supposed to sit, on the trunk? What was he thinking bringing this car?”

His comments were intriguing. Was he warning me, or was he jealous? “Stop bitching, Tom.” I repeated his complaints about the car to Shimodo before I gave directions to my house.

Lucky for us all, the drive was only five minutes. Unfortunately Tom whined the entire time. When we came to a full stop, I jumped out of the car and as far from Tom as I could get.

I entered the house, turning on the lights. Shimodo stood just inside the door. He was waiting to be formally asked inside.

“Please, come on in and get comfortable. I’ll put on some gumbo. It can heat up while we talk.” I headed to the kitchen and he followed me. “Seriously though, as much as I appreciate the offer, I think I’ll be staying here tonight. I can come by tomorrow so we can talk about what we need to do to help Tom.”

“You’ve been outvoted, three to one, if you include Dr. Shultz.” Tom patted my cheek. “Be a good girl and pack your bag.”

I stamped my foot and Shimodo approached in curiosity. I glared. “Tom is fighting for your side.”

“Of course. He is an intelligent man who only has your concerns at heart.”

“You are full of shite, Shimodo! FOS.”

I put the leftover gumbo in a pot and the rice in the microwave. “I’m going to be in my room, packing an overnight bag. Keep an eye on the gumbo, would you?”

“I’m at your command.” Shimodo gave a courtly bow.

“I wish,” I muttered when I got to my room. I sat down on the bed trying to think about what I should pack. Like most single women, I didn’t wear pajamas. I wore gym pants or leggings and an oversized tee shirt. I had one pair of jams for trips out of town and one amazing negligee that I hadn’t worn in ten years. I’d bring the tee shirt, gym pants and the pajamas. Decision made, I stood to pull out my suitcase from the closet. I tugged hard, but it seemed determined to defeat my efforts.

“Need a hand?” Tom offered.

“I’m afraid you giving me a hand is more like getting the cold shoulder.”

Tom disappeared and within a few seconds, I heard a quiet knock on my bedroom door. “Hannah, do you need something?” Shimodo came into the room.

“If you could help me get my luggage, it would be a great. How’d you know?”

“Tom.” He reached up, easily getting the suitcase down.

“So you must have a code signal for me.” I took the suitcase from him, setting it on my bed. “What is it?”

“Now that would be telling a secret. Can I do anything else?”

“How’s the gumbo coming along?”

“It’s ready when you are.” He took in my rumpled bed and slowly surveyed my bedroom. I have an artist friend who does charcoal nudes. I was the proud owner of a large male nude sitting on a stool facing away from the viewer and a small female nude facing forward in flagrant display. I always felt the bedroom was the proper atmosphere to display them. He stepped closer and examined the charcoals, the dark walnut furniture and pale green coverlet on the bed, and that smile was on his face again.

I laughed at him. “Go set the table. I’ll only be a few more moments.”

He gave a bow as he left the room. He was too cute for words. Doctor and lab rat, I had to remember.

He cares about your welfare because you can communicate with his friend and possibly help his research. That’s all you mean to him, even Tom warned you off. I kept that in mind through the entire evening. As we ate our gumbo dinner. While we cleaned my kitchen. When we drove back to Tom’s.

Especially during our Scrabble game, sipping herbal tea.

The guest room, with mahogany furniture and plush white carpet, was exquisite. I tossed and turned for almost an hour. It was close to midnight and I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep. Both Tom and Shimodo decided we’d begin tomorrow trying to figure out how we were going to help Tom. I was all for that. I’d learned to almost like Tom when he wasn’t being a pain in the ass. I definitely liked his friend, but it was a temporary situation, one that couldn’t last. I’d do what I could and get back to my routine, uncomplicated life.

Wide awake and restless, I put my bra back on and headed to the first floor. I’d seen bookcases, maybe I could find something to read. I was sure anything Tom had would put me to sleep.

I padded barefoot through the downstairs. I entered the library to find Shimodo sitting in an oversized leather wing chair having a drink of some kind. Tom sat on a small settee with the dogs at his feet. They came running up to me.

“Hello,” I greeted them both.

Shimodo stood, offering his chair.

“No thanks, I’ll sit with Tom. He’ll need to scoot over a little. I don’t want him touching me.” I watched

him move towards the other end. He stuck out his tongue.

“I never thought you’d be so playful, Tom. Have you always been that way or has being dead given you a sense of humor?”

“What’s he doing?” Shimodo asked.

“He stuck out his tongue at me when I asked him to move.”

“Are you comfortable in your room?” Shimodo held up a decanter. “It’s brandy. Would you like some?”

“No. The room is fine. I thought I’d hunt for a book, something dull enough to put me to sleep. Speaking of which, Tom, where have you been going when we are snoozing?”

“I go everywhere I can, but mostly I go to the hangar where they are reconstructing the airplane. It’s fascinating. They work around the clock.”

I repeated that to Shimodo.

“I can’t sleep and obviously you two are awake. We might as well start to chart our next move to help Tom.”

“I’m game.” Tom rubbed his hands together like he was plotting world domination.

“Hannah”—Shimodo used that coaxing voice—“I’d really like to see you get a good night’s rest. You just got out of the hospital and it was your second visit as an inpatient in the last two days.”

“I know, but I can’t sleep. I promise I’ll sleep a full eight hours when I do go to bed. Besides, it’s now two to one. Tom agrees with me this time around.”

“Hey, don’t make me the bad guy in this. He’ll be mad at me.”

I snorted at him. “Tom’s afraid you’ll hold it against him that he’s on my side.”