“There must be some mistake. Kwon. K-w-o-n. First name Jiyong.”

“I’m well aware of the name, miss, the receptionist repeated herself condescendingly.

“But as I’ve already told you, Mr. Kwon has been released from this hospital.”

Skyler shifted her heavy flight bag from one shoulder to the other.

“This mad is paraplegic. Don’t tell me he walked out of here.”

“I can’t discuss a patient’s condition with you. You are not related to him.”

“Then get someone down here who can. Immediately,” Skyler sternly retorted.

The receptionist did but not immediately. It was almost an hour before the summoned doctor approached her where she sat in the lobby like a small volcano about to erupt.

“Ms. Song?”

Skyler tossed down the magazine she’d practically memorized during her wait.

“Yes. Who are you?”

“Dr. Choi Seunghyun but people here call me Dr. TOP.”

“You’re kidding right?”

“’Fraid not. I’m sorry you were kept waiting for so long,” he replied grinning engagingly at his attempt to joke but Skyler didn’t say anything to let him off the hook. His grin faltered and he immediately turned serious.

“If you’ll come with me?”

He tried to take her suitcase but she wouldn’t let him. She lugged it and her shoulder bag into the elevator and remained ungraciously silent during the ride up to the sixth floor. Once seated in his office, she accepted his offer of a cold drink and nodded her thanks to the secretary who brought it to her. After one sip to quench her thirst, she made her demand.

“Is Kwon Jiyong still in this hospital?”

“No, he isn’t.”

Skyler cursed under her breath.

“Then someone got his signals crossed. I was hired to be his personal therapist. I just flew across several time zones and the whole freaking ocean for nothing.”

“We couldn’t reach you in time, for which I apologize. Yesterday morning, Mr. Kwon demanded to be released. We had no recourse,” he raised his hands in a helpless motion.

“He’s retreated to his vacation house on Maui. He stated that he wanted some peace and quiet to recuperate.”

“What was his condition when he left?”

“Very poor. He’s still flaccid,” Dr Choi let out a deep heavy sigh.

“I begged him to wait until we knew more. He said he knew enough, said he was resigned to being a bedridden paraplegic the rest of his life and insisted that he be transferred home.”

“Ms. Song,”

“Please, you can call me Skyler or Sky for short.”

“Okay. Sky, I’m far more concerned about his mental state than I am about the diaschisis which I firmly believe is temporary.”

“The spine wasn’t severed?”

“No. Just traumatized drastically but I believe when all the swelling goes down and he begins physical therapy, he’ll gradually have sensation restored.”

“Having sensation restored is a long way from climbing mountains or racing cars. That’s probably what Jiyong-shi’s thinking too.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Dr. Choi replied with vexation.

“He wanted absolute guarantees from us and from the specialist he had brought over from Korea and Japan, that he would eventually be as he was before.”

“None of us could give him unqualified answers. Often it’s anybody’s guess how these spinal injuries will heal and how ambulatory the patient will eventually be.”

“Well, whether he could feel it or not, I would love to give Mr. Kwon a swift kick in the for wasting my time.”

Dr. Choi scratched his cheek absently.

“I spoke to your brother, Mr. Song. She suggested and I concur, that you should follow Mr. Kwon to Mau and begin therapy at once.”

“Oh he did, didn’t he? Well, the next time you speak to my brother, give him this message for me.”

The message caused the cheek Dr. Choi was scratching to turn beet red.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, Dr. Choi TOP, I’m going to find the hotel with the hottest shower and the firmest bed in the islands and crawl into both. Not necessarily in that order.”

“Please, Sky,” he immediately popped out of his chair and gestured imploringly for her to return to hers. More out of weariness than obedience, Skyler sat back down.

“If you will up to your credentials, this patient desperately needs you.”

“And sharks need food. That doesn’t mean I’m going to volunteer myself as dinner,” she sarcastically retorted.

“It won’t be that bad.”

She gave him a scornful glance. He looked away first.

“Granted,” he said, squirming uncomfortably under her level brown gaze.

“Mr. Kwon is accustomed to having his own way. He can be difficult. But I’m certain you can handle him.”

“I know how difficult he can be, Dr. Choi. He is my sae-eonni’s younger brother.”

“Then all the more you should reconsider to go to Maui. Do it for your sae-eonni if not for his benefit.”

“Okay okay!” she exclaimed so suddenly that the doctor jumped.

“Right now I’d sell my soul for a bath. So which way’s Maui and how do I get there from here?”

Sparing no expense, she itemized the equipment she wanted to take with her. While Dr. Choi was making arrangements for it and a private plane to fly her to the other island, Skyler hailed a cab outside the hospital and went on a whirlwind-shopping spree. She used the carte blanche expense account she’d been given to buy clothing more suitable to the climate.

By the time she alighted from the private plane on Maui, her slender figure was wrapped in a colorful sarong and she had a pair of Gisele Bundchen on her feet instead of boots. Using a wide-brimmed straw hat to shade her eyes, she searched for the rental car that she had been promised would be waiting for her.

Once behind the wheel, map in hand, she set out for the “great” Jiyong’s tropical retreat. The major highway soon narrowed to a minor one and eventually dwindled to a rutted dirt road that she cursed with each jolting lurch of the car. It wound it’s way up a mountainside that was so green that she couldn’t help but be impressed by the wealth of unfamiliar vegetation.

She was also stunned by the sprawling estate; one that she discovered at the end of the climbing, twisting road. She had expected her ‘beloved’ brother-in-law’s house to be nice but what laid before her surpassed her expectations.

A lava rock walkway led up to the mammoth front door made of frosted beveled glass. Hauling her luggage with her, she went toward it and pressed the button. Moments later, the door swung open. At first she thought no one was there but her eyes finally noticed a man whose smiling eyes were looking curiously at her.

“Who you?” the man asked with a hint of Korean accent.

“Little Bo Peep. I’ve lost my sheep. And also my marbles or I wouldn’t be here.”

He thought that was funny and dissolved into laughter thus making his small eyes even smaller.

“I take it that you are Skyler?”

“That’s me. What’s yours? You are Korean right?”

“Yeah, I’m Korean. I’m Kang Daesung but you can call me Daesung. I’m Mr. Kwon’s only staff here.”

“Anyway Dr. Choi called earlier saying that you are on your way here.”

With amazing strength, he took her suitcase from her and signaled her into a dazzling foyer floored in black and white marble squares.

Skyler turned towards Daesung and whispered to him, “Does Mr. Kwon know I’m coming?”

Daesung’s wide grin collapsed a little. Skyler had her answer.

“I didn’t think so. Where is he?”

Daesung’s small eyes swung up to the gallery above them.

“Up there?”

He nodded solemnly.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she muttered.

Mentally hiking up her belt, she mounted the sweeping staircase. Reaching the first door at the top, she paused and looked down questioningly at Daesung. He shook his head and with quick jabbing s of his index finger, pointed out another door. She went to it, silently inquired if she had the right one and got an affirmative bob of his head before he turned and scooted off toward another part of the house.

“Chicken,” she muttered under her breath.

Skyler’s firm knock on the door was met with a bellow.

“Go away!”

She knocked again.

“Go away, dammit. Are you deaf? I don’t want any juice.”

“I don’t want a Popsicle.”

“I don’t want a damn thing but to be left alone!”

Skyler swung the door wide.

“Tough look homie.”

Jiyong’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. Once he’d convinced himself that she wasn’t a nightmare, his head hit the pillow behind it with a defeated plop. He laughed humorlessly.

“God, I must have done some serious sinning to find myself in this hell,” he dramatically remarked.

“Hello to you too,” Skyler retorted drily.

The soles of her new sandals slapped against the glazed tile floor as she made her way towards the rented hospital bed. She didn’t stop until she was standing at the foot of it, where she allowed the quarrelsome patient to give her a once-over.

“Most women would have better taste than to dangle a salad bar from their ears,” he said while sneering with contempt.

Skyler shook her head, jangling the plastic fruit clusters she’d bough on one of Hawaii’s commercial drags that catered to tourists.

“I thought these earrings were kinda cute.”

“Oh, it is a great costume but Halloween’s already passed missy.”

By an act of will and out of respect toward her sae-eonnie, Skyler withheld a scalding comeback. Instead, she closed her eyes and counted to ten.

“Just as I thought. This was a real bad idea,” she mumbled to herself.