A Shepherd Afield Pt. 04

Be glanced at her as he waited for the credit card machine to accept his code.

"Drunk man with a big knife and a lousy aim."

Her eyes got wider. The machine beeped and she took it back. She handed him the receipt as raised voices sounded off in the back section. Ben spun and tore open the curtain to glare back.

The seated man was tugging on the handle of the bag the doctor had lifted down from the overhead bin and was yelling something at her. Ben stalked down the aisle and the man let go of the bag and shrank back into his seat.

The co-pilot lifted his hand and Ben stopped three seats away. He realized he was still topless and everyone was staring but he kept his eyes on the older man who was also shocked by the scars on Ben's chest.

"My book. In the seat pocket," Nezha said and the man who was sitting next to the window plucked it out and handed it past her attacker. She took the book with a nod and walked back towards Ben who began walking backwards towards the curtain. He stepped inside and moved aside to let Nezha by. The co-pilot was having a quiet word with the older man whose frightened eyes hadn't left Ben's.

Dr. Rahal walked towards the front of the plane with Ben following her. He picked up the wave of chatter as people watched them go by. People began to crane their heads and look back at him. He heard the phrase 'bronze man' more than a few times and just did his best to ignore it. When they got back to first class Julie was waiting for them and her mouth dropped open when she saw his shirt was off. Her eyes drank in the raw violence of his scarring and she was practically quivering with excitement.

"Julie, may I introduce Dr. Rahal. She's joining us..." he turned to the woman. "Are you going to Dubai or all the way to Melbourne?"

Nezha blinked as she thought about that. "My... my ticket is for Dubai but I'm going to have to get a ticket back to England the moment I land." She began to tremble as her adrenaline ran out.

"If you don't mind I'll let you take the window seat," Ben said gently and she nodded absently as she moved to the seat. Ben lifted her bag into the overhead bin and pulled a black t-shirt out of his duffle.

"What happened to your back?" Nadine blurted seeing the bandage. He looked back into the excited eyes of the three women.

Ben had already forgotten about the fork wound and thought she meant the scars. "I fell off my bicycle."

Confused and disappointed expressions crossed their faces as Ben tugged the shirt over his muscles and turned away to take his seat.

"Can I get you anything?" Julie said gently touching Ben's arm.

"I'd love some fruit juice and I think a cup of water for the doctor," Ben smiled back. Her eyes held his then she nodded distractedly and moved off to get his drinks.

Ben sat and looked over at the doctor. "Are you alright?" He noticed her hands were shaking a little.

"Yes... yes, I am now. Thank you for rescuing me. I- I didn't expect his response to be quite so... violent," she said with a shaky voice.

The co-pilot stopped by on his way back to the cockpit. "Thank you for your assistance back there and a special thanks for keeping your cool even after he stabbed you!"

Julie had returned and cried in dismay when she heard what the co-pilot said as she looked to Ben. Her hands shook causing her to spill orange juice on the carpet next to Ben's chair. The co-pilot glared at her and took the cups from her hands as she hurried away to get a damp rag.

The man handed the drinks to Ben.

"Is that guy back there going to be arrested when we arrive?" Ben asked.

The co-pilot stopped and looked at him uneasily. "Do you or Dr. Rahal wish to press charges?"

Ben looked at her and she shook her head.

"My chances for justice in this... situation are limited. My best avenue is to return to London," Nezha said.

Ben nodded. "I'm passing through and I have no desire to stay."

The co-pilot gave them both a relieved smile and a nod then made his way back to the cockpit.

Ben handed the water to Nezha and set the half cup of orange juice down. Julie rushed back and knelt down to wipe up the spill. He noticed her blouse had somehow opened a little more and he was being given a bird's eye view of her lovely cleavage and a very sexy lace bra. When he dragged his surprised eyes back up he saw the satisfied smile on her lips. She bit her lip and got back up to her feet. She spotted the cup of orange juice and leaned across him to take it back.

"I'll get you a fresh one," she said and walked away with a little extra wiggle in her step.

Ben blushed from her overt attention and his adolescent libido had certainly taken notice. His pants were becoming uncomfortably tight. He glanced over at Nezha.

"Do women always throw themselves at you?" the woman asked quietly.

He shook his head in embarrassment. "No... not... always." He looked down at his hands. "When they do it's usually not so aggressive."

"You don't take advantage of these offers?" she asked and his eyes flashed to hers.

"No! I'm not... interested in casual affairs," he finished.

"Why don't you just tell her?" Nezha asked.

Ben glanced in the direction of the little kitchen. "They usually give up without me having to hurt their feelings."

Nezha sat back and looked at Ben, watching him fidget. She'd just witnessed him shut down a hostile confrontation through sheer strength of will but here a flirting flight attendant had him flustered. She shook her head.

"If you don't mind me asking, why was the man back there trying to stick a fork into your eye?" Ben asked.

"I told Jasim I wasn't going to marry him," she remarked.

Ben's face showed his shock. "He's old enough to be your father!" As the words left his lips he heard the hypocrisy. Weren't some of the women he was with as far apart in age?

He looked at Nezha and estimated her age to be in the early thirties. The Arab beauty had thick, wavy black hair flowing over her shoulders. She had large, expressive dark eyes, a slim nose and her beautiful white teeth in her wide mouth had a slight overbite. She was pretty in the girl, or in this case, woman next door sense. Her intelligence flashed in her eyes as she leaned closer.

"My parents moved back to the UAE, settling in Dubai, from London about fifteen years ago and that man back there has taken good care of them in their retirement years. He came to London to find me and ask me to return with him to reconcile with my parents who are dying. As we are almost there he could not contain his excitement and just explained to me that they promised me to him as his bride. He did not like being told no."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents," Ben said and she nodded to him with a slight smile.

"We haven't spoken in years. Not since they tried to marry me off to a neighbor in London. If he hadn't said they were dying I wouldn't have let myself get talked into going to Dubai. I have no plans to get married. Ever." She looked at him waiting for him to object but he just smiled back. She relaxed. "My career keeps me very busy and I'm happy."

"Are you a General Practitioner or do you specialize?" he asked.

"I'm the senior physician at a clinic on the outskirts of London," she said. "We see a lot of trauma victims at the clinic, from broken limbs, to deep lacerations from a variety of sharp objects, and contusions from domestic violence. It's a pretty rough neighborhood. When I'm not doing that I'm dealing with chronic health issues of our senior patients."

"That sounds tough!" he said in surprise.

She smiled at him. "Yes, it can be." Her smile dropped away and she looked out the window. "I handle all of that and I'm almost blinded by a senior with a fork."

"Hey, I can personally say he was pretty dangerous with that fork!" Ben said to lighten her mood. She turned to smile at him and looked beyond.

Ben turned and saw another man in a uniform. Tall, lanky body with blonde hair greying at the temples, the man looked to be in his fifties and he was grinning at Ben.

"Hello, I'm Richard Hall. I'm your pilot today," he boomed with a thick Aussie accent like the co-pilot.

"Hello, Ben Shepherd," he said, restraining the impulse to ask why he wasn't in the cockpit flying the plane then. He shook the man's offered hand.

"I just wanted to personally thank you for defusing a potentially dangerous situation. It's great that no one got hurt!" the pilot grinned looking over at Nezha.

She leaned towards the pilot. "Mr. Shepherd was injured."

"Yeah, Jerry mentioned you got poked with a fork! What a thing to happen!" he replied shaking his head. Ben shrugged and the man's smile got wider as he saw Ben wasn't making a big deal of it. Less headache and paperwork for the flight crew.

"Well I just wanted to say thanks and meet the man of the hour. Imagine, Ben Shepherd on my plane!"

Ben gave him a slightly pained smile and nodded.

"Well... I'd better get back to it," he said and yet he didn't move.

Ben could see the man was gripping his cell phone through the fabric of his pants pocket. He wanted to take a picture. Ben sighed inwardly. He looked over at Nezha. "Excuse me a minute?" She nodded as he stood up. Ben gestured to the front galley and the pilot's eyes lit up. When they were in the front Julie looked at them curiously. Ben looked at the pilot and gestured to his pocket. "Would you like to get a picture?"

The man's grin widened and threatened to split his face. "Strewth? My Betty would die if she learned you were on my plane and I didn't get at least one!" He pulled his phone from his pocket and got the camera app running. He handed it to the smiling attendant and stepped up beside Ben throwing an arm around his back. Surprised, Ben put his arm behind the pilot's back and rested his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Smile!" she said and they did. She took a few and handed the phone back to the pilot. Then she pulled out her own phone and wiggled it between her fingers while she looked at Ben hopefully.

"Sure," he said.

Richard took the phone and Julie slipped in under Ben's arm. She pressed her body tight against his and smiled back at the camera. Her head barely reached his chest.

Ben was reacting to her hot body pressed against his side but he did his best to smile. The pilot took picture after picture as Julie posed for him.

"I think that's got it," Ben finally said and Richard grinned self-consciously as he handed the camera back to the woman whose hand was lingering on his ass.

"Would... would you like to see the cockpit? We don't normally do this but..." Richard said with a coy smile.

Ben was stuck. He wanted to get away from their attention and back to his seat as he needed to make sure that man didn't come after Nezha. However, the engineer in him was squealing like a little girl at the idea of seeing the inside of an actual cockpit in flight.

"Uh, I should keep an eye on Dr. Rahal-" he said hesitantly.

"I'll do that for you!" Julie said with a smile.

"Oh, uh, alright but just for a minute," Ben agreed.

Twenty minutes later he returned to his seat with a guilty smile for Nezha and Julie. The cockpit had been as fascinating as he'd thought it would be and Richard and Jerry were delighted to give him the tour. They took some more selfies with Ben as well which they promised would not be seen outside their specific circle of friends as they would be in the 'shitter' if the bosses found out.

Ben stood in the aisle and Julie got up from his seat and smiled up at his face.

"I've kept it warm for you," she said with a smile and she gently pressed her body against his as she moved past.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"Oh! I never got you that juice! I'll be right back!" she exclaimed softly.

Ben slipped into his chair and turned his burning face to Nezha who was smiling at him.

"She's determined," she said with a wry grin.

He nodded uncomfortably.

"She was telling me how exciting it is to have you on the flight. I have to admit I had no idea I'd been rescued by such a renowned hero," Nezha said watching his expression change. "You don't like being thought of that way?" she said in surprise.

He looked over and shook his head. "I don't. I don't want to be famous. I just do what I do because it needs to be done. All this fame crap is a nuisance."

"But it's true that you rescued those girls from the slave ring?" she asked.

He nodded. "But I was just in the wrong place at the right time. I didn't expect to be there but once I was... I took steps to free them," he finished quickly as he saw Julie returning with his juice.

"Would you care for anything stronger?" Julie asked, holding his eyes with hers.

"No, this is great thanks! I don't drink."

"Oh!" she exclaimed softly. Another passenger signalled her on the other side and she glanced over distractedly.

"Duty calls," Ben said with a smile. She flashed him a dazzling smile and rushed away.

"Not a drinker? That's nice to hear. Alcoholism is a problem in the neighborhood I work and live in. Getting away from that even for this brief time is a welcome break." Nezha said.

Ben nodded with a slightly pained frown. "Yeah, I spent a few years in that trap but with the help of my friends I got out. I haven't had a drink since."

"Those were good friends."

Ben smiled warmly as he thought of Gabriella and Catherine, his original saviors. "The absolute best."

Nezha was watching his eyes and saw the love there. "More than friends?"

He looked over but saw she wasn't trying to pry but was just curious so he nodded. "Just one of the reasons I don't do casual affairs."

He heard a squeak and turned his head to see Julie rushing back into the front galley. The glass of juice was sitting on the table before him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "She heard that, didn't she?"

The doctor could see the pain on his face. She'd caught the expression of surprise on the attendant's face so she was certain the woman had heard Ben quite plainly. "I believe so but it was something she needed to hear."

He nodded slowly then drank some of the juice. He sighed, closed his eyes, tilted the seat back a little and tried to get as comfortable as he could with the too low headrest.

Ben woke from the gentle touch on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Julie biting her lip nervously. He came awake immediately and glanced over at Nezha who was blinking the sleep from her eyes. He then looked back to see if the man was returning but the aisle was clear. He looked back at Julie.

"Sorry, we are landing and I need you to raise your seat," she said quietly.

He immediately relaxed. "Oh... sure." He sat forward and brought his seat up.

She smiled and moved on.

Nezha smiled at him. "You are traveling on to Melbourne?" she asked and he nodded. "What arrangements have you made for the layover?"

"Layover?" he blinked.

She looked at him in surprise. "The flight continues on tomorrow at 10AM. There is a twelve hour layover. You don't have a hotel room reservation?"

He scowled. "No, this is my first flight to Australia. It seems I really screwed up my ticket this time."

"Is there a problem?" Julie asked gently as she heard his comment on her way by.

"Ben did not prepare for the layover. He has no hotel room," Nezha explained.

"Oh! Finding one at the last minute could be a real problem but Rich and Larry would let you bunk with them! There will be a fold out couch in one of their rooms you can use."

Ben looked at Julie and saw her earnest expression. "I- I wouldn't want to intrude-" he began but she grinned and patted his shoulder as she moved away to make the call.

He looked over at Nezha. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. I would have probably slept in the airport until my flight."

"Not a comfortable night," she remarked with a grin.

"How about you? You said you're going to get a flight back to London immediately," he said curiously.

She frowned and nodded. "I'm going to go see my parents. To say goodbye."

It was Ben's turn to frown. "Are you going to be safe? You said that guy took care of your parents. If we're not going to put him in jail and it looks like the plane's crew doesn't want the headache, he's going to be out there too."

She hesitated and Ben frowned in concern. "Can I help?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You've done so much already!"

"No, I just did what was needed. How far from the airport is your parent's place?" he asked.

"A thirty minute taxi ride."

"It's settled then. I'll go with you... unless you don't want me to," he finished as he thought he might be intruding.

She smiled at him as she covered her hair with a scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Only her face was left exposed. "I would appreciate the company and yes, I would feel safer. Thank you." She rolled her sleeves down.

Ben watched her preparations curiously.

"The dress code for women in the UAE is not the same as it is in the UK or the USA," she said with a smile.

"Should I be dressed differently?" he asked.

She looked at him. "You might want to put on something a little looser. Showing off the body is frowned upon."

"Showing off? I'm not..." He sighed in frustration. "Finding clothes that fit me is a challenge."

She smiled as she tilted her head. "I think you would look very smart in a thobe. Very smart!"

"Thobe?"

"The garment Emirati wear in Dubai. With your coloring you would look very handsome in the white," she grinned.

"Yes, he would."

Ben turned his head to see Julie smiling at him.

"It's all set. The flight crew is staying at the Holiday Inn Express overnight. You can sleep on the pull out couch in Rich's room and come back to the airport with us tomorrow for the continuation of our flight," she explained with a smile.

"That's really generous! Thank you for arranging that!" Ben exclaimed.

"Just part of the above and beyond service we are renowned for!" she smiled happily.

"Uh, I'm going to accompany Nezha to visit her dying parents to make sure she's safe..." he turned to face her. "Where are you staying tonight?"

"I have friends from London who live here now. I'll give them a call when we land and stay with them after I see my parents," Nezha explained.

"Good, ok... so after I drop her off at her friends place I'll come back to the hotel. How do I find Rich's room?"

Julie nodded. "Just go to the reception and let them know who you are. They'll give you an extra key to the room. If you're late don't worry about it. The room will be ready."

"Wow, I have to say this is exceptionally nice of you guys!" Ben said and she soaked up the praise. She glanced down the aisle as the other attendants were signalling it was time to prepare.

"Make sure your seat belts are fastened. We'll be landing shortly." Julie moved back to the front galley to return to her station.

Nezha looked out the window at the lights below.

"Have you been here before?" Ben asked.

"No, I've spent my entire life in London. I was born there," she said wistfully.

Ben settled back and relaxed as the plane settled down smoothly on the runway. After a long time taxiing they finally stopped at the gate and they were able to disembark. He collected his carry on and got Nezha's for her. As they walked out through the front Ben looked but the cockpit door was closed. The captain and co-pilot were still inside so Ben couldn't thank them but he did thank Julie as he went by. She gave him a smile and a nod.

Once they were in the terminal they made their way through the processing with the other passengers and picked up their luggage. Nezha called her friends and from the smile on her face Ben assumed they were happy to hear from her.

"Mary said she and her husband Kamal will meet us at my parent's house," she said with fondness in her voice.