When Owen and Jared frowned in confusion, Simon explained. “Mr. Zhang is the owner. Hong-Wei wants to check on an injury on his hand.”
Jared shrugged. “I’m down for Chinese. Or are we going to have something from Wu’s secret Taiwanese menu?”
Hong-Wei gave Jared a look that said, Please, what do you take me for?
China Garden was busy when they arrived, but as soon as the waitstaff saw Hong-Wei, they spoke animatedly to him in Mandarin, magicking a table out of thin air as Mr. Zhang himself came out to expansively greet them. He bowed and said, “Welcome, welcome,” to Simon and the others, but he addressed Hong-Wei in their shared language, laughing, teasing, and from the looks of things, refusing to let Hong-Wei see his still-bandaged hand, assuring him he was fine.
“What’s going on, do you know?” Jared asked as the three of them sat but Hong-Wei remained standing, arguing.
Simon explained about the cut, the possible folk remedies, and Hong-Wei’s concerns.
Owen shook his head, hypnotized by their exchange. “Goddamn, but I want to know what they’re saying.”
Jared shrugged as he watched the argument like a tennis match. “I dunno. Seems clear to me. ‘Let me do this.’ ‘No, thank you, I’m fine.’ ‘No, let me do this.’ ‘You’re quite persistent, young man, but I don’t think so. Why don’t you sit and order with your friends? There’s a good boy.’”
Simon had to press his lips together to keep his laughter in.
Owen didn’t laugh, still mesmerized. “Obviously I was aware Jack knew another language, but it’s something else to hear him rattle it off like this. How dumb are we, anyway, Americans, only knowing one language? I mean, I’ve already forgotten my two years of high school Spanish. This guy could probably practice medicine in Mandarin and English both. Dammit. I’m never catching up to him.”
Jared raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, no. Not in the foreign language department, you’re not. I hate to break it to you, but he’d beat you in surgery as well.”
Owen was lost to his own world now. “And what is this with him having to pick a Western name? Why can’t he just be Hong-Wei? Why does he have to be Jack? Why are we so precious we can’t learn his given name?” He scowled at Hong-Wei’s back. “And why is Simon the only one who gets to use it, dammit?”
“Owen, what in the world are you carrying on about?”
They all turned as Kathryn came over to their table, her wife Rebecca close behind her. Relieved for the distraction from Owen’s diatribe, Simon smiled at them in welcome. “Hey, what are you guys doing here? I thought you had a full night in OB, Kathryn.”
Rebecca looped her arm through her wife’s elbow. “I stole her away on the promise I’d return her if anyone dilated past seven centimeters.”
Kathryn patted Rebecca’s shoulder as she raised an eyebrow at Owen. “Look at you, enjoying yourself as you leave me with a borrowed anesthetist all weekend long.”
Owen showed no shred of guilt. “I’ll relish every moment. I’ve spent, what, the last four weekends on call? And don’t tell me how long it’s been for you. It’s your choice to play Saint Kathryn of All the Babies. Why don’t you let the hotshot surgeon here handle some of your weekend cesareans?”
Kathryn sighed. “I will, eventually. He is the one working the craziest hours right now. I think the man is a machine.”
“Nah, just recently off residency.” Owen yawned, stretching. “He’ll get over himself.”
Rebecca glanced over her shoulder. “Honey, it’s so busy in here tonight. I worry if our table will be ready in time. Should we go somewhere else?”
Simon rose. “Hold on.” He crossed to where Hong-Wei stood locked in his polite battle with Zhang. “Excuse me,” he said, bowing awkwardly, yet feeling as if it would be worse if he didn’t do that much. Then he explained the situation with Kathryn to Hong-Wei as briefly as he could. “Do you think it would be possible to add two chairs to our table?”
Hong-Wei turned to Zhang and launched into Mandarin, gesturing at Kathryn, the table, and the direction of the hospital. Zhang stopped looking like the uncle who wasn’t having any of this youngster’s nonsense and more like the businessman who wanted to please his favorite customer, and seconds later there were two more chairs, glasses of water for everyone, and hot tea.
“My goodness, you’re the man to know.” Rebecca raised her eyebrows at Hong-Wei as she tucked her napkin into her lap. “Now, does this mean we get to eat your secret menu too I keep hearing about? The owner at my firm tried to order from it the other day, but he didn’t know what he was doing and ended up with a regular stir-fry.”
Hong-Wei blinked at her. “Goodness. It’s gone that far?”
“Of course it has. Why do you think it’s so crowded in here? Also, do you understand how many people are watching this table? I feel like a celebrity.” Rebecca fluffed her hair and winked at her wife.
Kathryn bopped Rebecca on the nose with her napkin and turned to Hong-Wei. “All right, secret menu man. What are we eating?”
Hong-Wei had them eat Taiwan-style hot pot, which meant there was a large pot in the center of the table on a butane burner making their soup bubble as they cooked their own meat and vegetables inside. They also had rice, Chinese pickles, and because Rebecca whispered a request to Hong-Wei for her wife, the traditional crab Rangoons, which Simon now wondered how traditionally Chinese they were at all.
“So how is this Taiwan-style instead of Chinese?” Kathryn asked as they sipped the soup at the end, their bellies full and sated.
“Slight difference of flavors. To be honest this isn’t much like my sister makes it. It’s more standard Chinese hot pot, which is fine.”
Owen popped a pickle into his mouth. “I need to meet this sister.”
Simon wanted to meet her too, though he didn’t say so, only glanced at Hong-Wei to make sure this comment didn’t gut him this time. He seemed okay, but he was definitely walling himself off.
Jared leaned on his elbow as he poked at the dregs of the pot. “Didn’t you say you lived with your grandparents and your parents? It’s interesting how you always miss your sister’s cooking, not any of theirs.”
Hong-Wei sipped his tea. “My mother was too busy working to cook, but even if she hadn’t been, it was never her strength. My grandmother’s cooking is exceptional, but it came with lectures. My sister’s cooking is the same as hers, and I had it the most since I lived with her, but….” There it was again, a flash of vulnerability, and then a wry smile. “Well. She lectures, I guess, but it’s different. Also my grandmother is getting a little old to cook the way she used to. Though don’t tell her that.”
Kathryn looked sad. “It must be difficult, to be so far away from them. You sound like you miss your sister in particular quite a bit. I didn’t realize you lived with her.”
Hong-Wei’s walls went up so fast Simon almost startled. “I lived with Sara, yes, during graduate school and my residency.” Vulnerability gone, now he wore his do not engage smile. “I miss my family of course, but I’m all right. Thank you for your concern. Should we wrap this up so you can get back to the hospital, Doctor?”
Their evening ended shortly after, and though Jared tried to convince Hong-Wei to come back to the house with them, he declined. Simon was sure it had something to do with discussing his family so much. Jared seemed to agree, bringing up the topic as the two of them settled in to watch TV while Owen argued with people on the internet.
“He’s sensitive about his family, isn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Simon hugged the giant bowl of popcorn, more out of a sense of comfort than because he thought he’d ever be able to eat again after their huge meal. Hong-Wei had a sister named Sara. Except he doubted that was her real name. Probably a Western name again. He wondered if he could ask what Sara’s Taiwanese name was or if that would be considered rude.
“Your doctor sure likes his secrets.” Jared took a handful of corn and nodded at the screen. “Now, what is this we
’re watching? I feel as if I’ve seen this already.”
“They Kiss Again.”
Jared shook his head. “Yeah, that was a dumb question. Let me rephrase. Have I watched this with you before?”
Simon resisted the urge to sigh. “Yes, but you never remember anything.”
“You’re right, but this really does seem familiar. Oh, hey, they’re in a hospital. Wait, is this a doctor-nurse romance?” He elbowed Simon with a grin.
Simon swatted him. “Stop. It’s my favorite show, all right? I love a lot of Asian dramas, but this one’s the best. This and It Started With a Kiss, the first installment in the series. I don’t expect you to remember either title for five minutes or for you to understand why I like this, but if you could sit here and pretend to care without mocking me, I’d appreciate it.”
“Don’t get upset, I’m not going to tease you. I was surprised, is all. I thought you were insisting you weren’t going to have anything to do with this, since it threatened your job.”
“I’m not having anything to do with it.” Except Jared was right, he’d skipped the first half of the series where the hero and heroine were in high school and went right to the part where they worked in a hospital together. There was definitely something subliminal at work. Simon sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I think he’s lost interest.”
Jared snorted. “No chance.”
“He hasn’t done anything but touch my damn elbow since—”
Jared raised interested eyebrows. “Since what?”
Simon fixed his gaze on the TV. “Like you said, it threatens my job, so I can’t do anything. So I’m sticking with Asian dramas.”
“You do know the no-dating policy is the number-one thing Owen argues with Andreas about, don’t you? Not only for you, so don’t give me that look. It’s for the principle of the thing. Also I think he simply likes arguing with the man.”
“I know Andreas is good for St. Ann’s, but he’s terrifying. I never feared losing my job until he showed up, and now every time he walks into a room I’m afraid it’s to hand me my notice.”
“Trust me, if it happens, a whole bunch of doctors will be down the man’s throat over it, and a certain surgeon will be at the front of the line.” Jared leaned over to murmur in Simon’s ear as he went for more popcorn. “He wants to do a lot more than touch your elbow.”
“Well, he’s not touching anything else.”
“Then you touch other stuff first.”
Simon’s body temperature rose several degrees, sending heat flooding from the tips of his hair to his toes. “I can’t do that.”
Jared laughed. “Okay, then signal you’re open to him touching first. And maybe don’t do it at work. Go over to see him. Put some K-pop on or one of your dramas, and bat your eyelashes. The rest should take care of itself.”
“I am not playing K-pop or Asian dramas for Hong-Wei.”
“Why in the world not? Of all the people you could share them with—”
“Oh my God, don’t. Just because he’s Asian doesn’t mean he automatically likes K-pop and cheesy dramas.”
“For crying out loud. Obviously. But he likes you, a lot, and so even if he doesn’t care for them, I bet he’d be willing to learn. I mean, do you think Owen and I know anything about this stuff because we enjoy it?”
“You don’t know anything. You forget everything I tell you, and what you do remember, you mock.”
“My point is we watch them with you because we enjoy you. And who knows, maybe he does like the same stuff as you. Just as a radical thought, since this stuff is from Asian cultures, and he is also from an Asian culture, there’s a shot he thinks they’re as cool as you do. Or not. Possibly he’ll fake it to get you into bed. Do you lose here?”
Simon had slumped so low into the bowl his face was practically planted in it. “I don’t want to mess up what we have going. I don’t want it to be awkward at work. Sometimes I wonder if Andreas is right. Maybe this is why he made the policy.”
“I’m going to tell Owen you said that.”
Simon yelped and practically tossed the popcorn into the air.
Chapter Six
HONG-WEI WAS in his office, trying to decide if he could dream up a decent excuse to take Simon to lunch or if he had to concede today was a wash, when Kathryn stuck her head through the door.
“There you are. This is your first time getting to see the show live, isn’t it? Come on, if we don’t hurry, you’re going to miss it.”
“Show?” Realization dawned, and Hong-Wei rose. “Is this the thing the three of them do when Kumpel dismisses a patient?”
“When Jared does, yes. Honestly, call people by their first names already.” She grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the hall. “We have to hurry. It’s already going to be hell to get a spot. But it’s just as well we’ll be in the back. I heard a rumor Simon is nervous about you seeing it.”
“Why doesn’t he want me to see them put on a show for Kumpel—Jared’s patient?”
Kathryn gave him a knowing look. “I don’t know, Jack, why might that be?”
Hong-Wei’s blood ran cold, and he glanced around. He thought he’d been careful, but if Kathryn was onto them….
She gentled and patted his hand. “Don’t worry. I only figured it out because I watched the two of you at dinner. You’re not like that at work. I mean, it’s clear the two of you are close, but it wasn’t until I saw you interact that night I put it all together.” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Be super careful in the future. This town loves gossip, and Andreas is as serious as a heart attack about this idiot policy of his. He fired one of my nurses last week for dating someone in records. They’ve been together for five years.”
Hong-Wei stopped short. “That’s inhuman.”
Kathryn nodded. “They were planning on getting married. Now they’re both out of jobs.”
“Would they have been safe if they were married?”
“Unclear. Becca says it would be some interesting waters, because if someone showed up to work married and then the administration made hay over it, what are they going to do about the other married work couples, fire them all? Which only underscores the foolishness of this policy, especially when we’re so understaffed. I went to Erin and pled my case, but I got nowhere.” She shook her head. “It makes no sense to me. I knew Erin when we were younger. He didn’t go to Copper Point High—his parents put him in a private school in Sault St. Marie—but we ended up in a lot of the same extracurriculars: church camps, sports, and country club activities. I saw him as a quiet but kind young man. Once you got him to open up, he laughed, and he cared about people. He was always so interested in learning about everything. Now he’s a corporate robot. It makes me think this isn’t his will at all, or Nick’s. This is someone on the hospital board pushing some sort of punishing agenda for their own sick purposes. Probably Erin’s dad.”
“Would the board be able to do that?”
“You haven’t lived in a small town before, have you?” They were at the cafeteria doors now, and she waved her hands excitedly, also shushing him at the same time. “Okay, we’re here. Remember, try not to let Simon see you. I’m so psyched. I think this is going to be a good one. Owen said they were practicing last night for like an hour.”
Hong-Wei followed her into the cafeteria, which was indeed packed with people, and none of them were eating food. All the chairs faced an area designated as a stage. Sitting before it was a girl who looked to be around ten years old, bouncing excitedly in her chair.
The cafeteria lights lowered, music started from somewhere near the front, and Simon, Owen, and Jared appeared from the swinging doors of the kitchen.
It took Hong-Wei a minute to comprehend what he was hearing. He understood the three of them were lip-synching and doing a dance number to pop music—it was cute, if you liked pop music, which he didn’t—but as he listened more closely he realized he didn’t understand the words being sung. It wasn’t English, but it was�
� something Asian, though not Mandarin. And now that he considered it, he thought he’d heard this song.
Oh God. Hong-Su had played this. This was Korean. This was… K-pop.
He covered his mouth and nose with his hand.
Kathryn, mistaking his reaction, elbowed his ribs and grinned. “I know, right? They’re kind of a mess, but they’re so cute. Okay, mostly Simon is cute. He can’t get enough of this stuff. He knows every artist, and he learns all the words.”
Yes. Hong-Wei could believe it. Sweet Jesus. Hong-Su could never hear of this.
Kathryn was practically a groupie at a concert, waving and cheering. “Look at them having so much fun, even Owen. I want to join them, but my knee would never forgive me. They watch the dances online and then practice them, or something—Simon learns the choreography, then teaches the others. Isn’t it great?”
It was cute, but it was also, aesthetically, godawful. The song itself was as banal and painful as the rest of the bubblegum garbage his sister had inflicted upon him when they’d lived together. Their dancing, however, was nothing like K-pop dancing, which he also knew about because Hong-Su forced him to watch it with her, convinced if he saw them moving, it would change his mind about the quality of their work. Simon wasn’t bad, but the other two were almost insulting.
Yet the room cheered them as if this was some sort of incredible thing. Good grief. What a nightmare.
When the atrocity ended, though, he clapped along, and when the people next to him remarked, “Aren’t they something?” Hong-Wei nodded and said, “Yes, they certainly are,” and he wasn’t lying, they were something all right. It was his intent to slip out before Simon found him, which he thought would be best for all parties, but despite her saying they shouldn’t be seen, Kathryn wouldn’t let him leave.
“Where are you going, silly? We have to go up and tell them what a good job they did.”
Part of him honestly wondered if Hong-Su hadn’t orchestrated this somehow to torture him. She would have loved every second of this, bad dancing and all. Except when Simon saw them approaching, it didn’t look like Hong-Wei was the one being tortured.
The Doctor's Secret (Copper Point Medical Book 1) Page 11