Chapter Fourteen

Black Jack knew that he had to act fast. He left Shintaro there after applying some anesthesia, and raced back to his car to retrieve his suitcase full of medical supplies. Once that was done, he ran back.

Shintaro's face was an ashen gray color, and he was breathing very shakily. Black Jack set up the operation bubble around Shintaro's body and quickly disinfected before pulling on his white scrubs. Then he crouched next to Shintaro's body, and went to work.

Finally he put him completely under, and tried to pull out the bullet very carefully, but it was lodged too deep. He made a cut on Shintaro's chest and used the forceps to pull the skin back so he could get a better view.

One of Shintaro's arteries had been damaged by a bullet, and it was definitely a close call. Black Jack stitched up the artery and checked for further signs of damage before he began to carefully tweeze out the bullet and other pieces of shrapnel.

Then he sewed up his chest, and quickly checked his heart rate and blood pressure using other pieces of his equipment. Shintaro's condition didn't appear to be getting any worse. Black Jack sighed heavily and pulled off his bloody gloves and clothes, and slipped them into a plastic bag so that the blood wouldn't touch anything.

After that, the only things that he could do were to sit and wait. So he did. He felt the pistol now in his hands and turned it over and over multiple times. He could feel the picture of his family beneath his cloak, burning a hole in his chest. His shoulders shook with emotion, but he did not cry.

An hour passed and Shintaro eventually awoke, but he was in deep pain. His body twisted and contorted and he started to perspire. Black Jack quickly measured out an amount of morphine and injected it into his body.

Shintaro was able to relax then. His body settled down and he stared up at Black Jack with questioning eyes.

"…W-wh…o… are you?"

"I'm Black Jack," he answered, "and I'm a doctor. You've been shot, but I've repaired the damage that was done."

"Th…than…"

"The operation wasn't free you know," Black Jack said, crossing his arms and fixing one eye on the man. "Now, if you are well enough to continue speaking, why don't you and I discuss the terms of your payment?"

"Well I would have paid you with the two million yen that I was supposed to get from Daitaro… that… son of… a…"

"Save your energy. You can repay me and also get revenge on Daitaro," Black Jack said with a smug smile. "Aren't I a generous man?"

"Wh…at… do you want to know?"

"I want to know where he's going next and what he's doing," Black Jack responded sharply.

"…Daitaro is leaving the country. He's going to… meet up… with some other guys in… Hong Kong. He'll be going to Yakushime… that's where the boat will be…"

Damn, Black Jack thought angrily. This guy is having me run around all of Japan, and now into another country?

"What is he trying to do?"

"He says… his brother… told him to start… building an empire."

"An empire?" he repeated.

"Yes… it's ridiculous," Shintaro answered, his eyes rolling off to the other side of the room. "But he's serious, and when a man is as serious as Daitaro… it's rather frightening."

Black Jack set his jaw in a firm line. "You're absolutely sure that he is going to Yakushime?"

"Not… for sure," Shintaro admitted. "But I know that he is going to Hong Kong… he said that there was someone else down in Yakushime that he was considering to… stay with…"

Black Jack's eyes widened. Could it be the person that's really behind all of this?

"Doc…" Shintaro blinked a couple of times. "I… Am I going to be okay…?"

"Hopefully. I will make a stop at a hospital before I proceed on my way," Black Jack answered.

Shintaro nodded, and allowed Black Jack to pick him up and carry him. Black Jack weaved through the alleys so as not to raise any attention, and then sprinted when his car was in sight. He put Shintaro in the back of his vehicle and then climbed in and started to drive away.