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Nick opened his eyes. His head hurt. He had a pounding headache. He lay flat on his back, looking up at the roof of the cannery.
Someone bent over him, a Japanese man.
"Nick-san, are you all right?"
Nick sat up. The pounding in his head got worse. He closed his eyes.
"Got a headache."
Nick put his hand up to the back of his head. It came away wet, sticky with blood. He looked at his hand, trying to make sense of what he saw.
"You were shot. The bullet grazed your head. You are very lucky man, Nick."
"Who are you?"
"I am Kanamoto Fujita. I work for Director Yamamoto."
It was hard to think. Memory returned, the sound of the sword hissing through the air, the splash of blood in the moonlight as the gleaming steel sliced through Kobayashi's face. Then, darkness.
"Where's the sword?"
"Gone," Fujita said. "Nobuyasu took it. He got away."
"Son of a bitch," Nick said. "We have to find him."
He started to stand. A wave of dizziness knocked him back down. Somewhere, sirens were coming closer.
"You must not try to get up," Fujita said. "An ambulance is coming."
Sudden nausea made Nick feel sick.
"Yeah, okay. You have to find the sword."
"We will. Please, lie down."
Nick lay back and closed his eyes, fighting the nausea.
The next time he opened his eyes, he was in a hospital bed. Selena sat in a chair nearby. His mind felt clear.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey, yourself."
She got up and sat on the bed, leaned over him. She wore no makeup. Her face was tired with worry and stress.
"You're all right," she said. "You have a concussion. The bullet bounced right off that hard skull of yours, you dumb idiot."
She started to cry. He reached up and pulled her down to him.
"Hey. Hey, it's all right. I'm here, aren't I? It takes more than a bunch of tattooed gangsters to kill me."
"Damn it, Nick."
"Shh, shhh. I'm okay. It's okay."
She sat up and brushed tears away. "No, it's not okay."
Selena got up and walked past Yamamoto as he came into the room. Nick watched her go. Yamamoto looked at her, then turned to Nick.
"Is everything all right?"
He took the chair that Selena had been sitting in.
"She's upset," Nick said.
"Ah. Yes, I understand."
"That meeting wasn't supposed to go like that," Nick said. "Have you found Nobayasu?"
"No. He seems to have disappeared."
"Are you going to arrest him?"
Yamamoto looked uncomfortable.
"It isn't as simple as that. He is an important man. This is Japan, Nick. Things are always very complicated here."
"What do you mean? He's a crook. He was going to turn me over to Kobayashi to be killed."
"Yes, that's true. But as I said, it's complicated. Don't worry, we'll get him eventually. First we have to find him. By the way, Kobayashi is still alive. He will be badly disfigured, but he will live. You marked him for life. He's finished as obayun. The yakuza will fight among themselves for a while until a new leader emerges. Then things will go on as before."
"Not much changes, does it?"
"No. Some things always remain the same, even if the actors change. At least you no longer need concern yourself with these events. We will find Nobayasu. When we do, we will recover the sword."
"Sounds good to me. I'll be happy if I never see it again."
"I hope you will stay in Japan a little while longer. There are many wonderful things to do and see here. I would like you to have better memories of my country than what you have experienced so far."
"Thank you, Yamamoto-san. It depends on what Selena wants to do, but I think we'll go home. We have children."
"Ah, of course, children. Well."
Yamamoto rose.
"It has been interesting working with you, Nick. You are welcome back at any time."
Yamamoto bowed. Nick inclined his head from where he lay propped up in the bed.
"If Selena is out there, would you send her in?"
"Hai."
Yamamoto left the room. A moment later Selena came in and sat on the bed.
"Nick..."
"I know. You don't have to say anything. Yamamoto suggested we hang around for a while and see the sights. I told him we needed to get home to the kids."
She leaned over and kissed him.
"They don't want to let you out of here for another day," she said. "I argued with them but they won't budge. Something about their responsibility under Japanese law."
"Another day won't matter. Besides have you seen the nurses here?"
"Stop trying to pretend you're Lamont," Selena said.
Nick realized he didn't even know what time it was, or what day.
"What time is it anyway?"
"It's five in the morning. They brought you straight here."
Nick yawned. His headache was still there.
"I guess I could use a day of taking it easy. What are you going to do today?"
"I'm going to go back to the hotel and sleep. After that, I'm coming here."
"Sounds like a plan."
Selena looked at him.
"They told me you were shot in the head. I thought you were going to die. Or that maybe you'd be a vegetable. Drooling."
"A drooling vegetable? That's a hell of an image. I'm sorry you had to go through this."
"I love you, Nick."
He took her hand.
"I love you too."
An attractive nurse came into the room as Selena bent down to kiss him.
"You have to go," she said. "He has to rest."
"See," Nick said. "Nurses."
"Smart ass. I'll be back in a few hours," Selena said.