A Shepherd in France Ch. 01

When they both came down from their peaks Ben pulled himself out and they made their way back to the washroom to clean up. He suggested she use more bag balm to treat the shaved area again.

"We should get dressed and meet the others for breakfast." he said.

Lucy bit her lip and looked at him. "My clothes are in Megan's room."

He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly and felt her melt against him. When he pulled back he handed her his bathrobe. "Bring it back when you are done."

She smiled at him and put the oversized gown on and cinched the belt tight. She picked up her underwear and dress and put her shoes on. She looked back at him and he smiled at her. She wore a special smile of her own as she slipped from his room.

Chapter 4

Rachel jolted up to a seated position from a sound sleep. Her mind cast around for the reason for waking her so abruptly. She saw it was morning. Beautiful sunlight was pouring through the sheer drapes. Tina's bed was empty.

Then she heard it. Someone was throwing up in the washroom. Tina obviously. She'd better make sure she was ok.

Rachel threw off her covers and slid out of her wonderfully comfy bed. She was definitely feeling spoiled so far on this trip. Luxury accommodations, spa treatments, delicious gourmet foods, dance clubs and best of all, all expenses paid.

As if that wasn't great enough, she got to kiss Ben! Twice!

God! He was a great kisser!

She'd replayed those kisses over and over in her head last night. Sure, she would have loved to have tasted his mouth and felt his tongue taste hers but these were good night kisses and slipping him the tongue would have been a mistake. She and Sophia had spent some time texting the twins to find out how they'd managed to overcome Ben's resistance and the short answer was patience. Take it slow and override his memories of their youth with new images of their current state. Sophia and she had launched a plan to get Ben to see them as potential bed mates. The good night kiss was just the first salvo in that battle.

She knocked gently on the bathroom door. "Tina, are you OK?"

There was a flush then she heard the sink. A few seconds later the door opened and Tina was there looking a little pale, which considering her normally light skin tone was a little shocking.

"Seriously, are you OK?" Rachel asked.

Tina nodded then went back to bed. Rachel followed her and felt her forehead once she was under the covers. She didn't feel warm but her mom would be a better judge. She pulled on her dressing gown and headed over to her mother's door. She knocked and a few seconds later her mother opened it. Of course she was already dressed and ready for the day. Sophia walked up behind her. She was also dressed. Morning people. Ugh.

"Good morning sweet pea," Catherine greeted her middle child.

"Morning mom. Can you come take a look at Tina? She was throwing up this morning." Rachel said.

"Morning sickness?" Sophia quipped.

Catherine scowled at her eldest. "Don't even joke! I told you Ben was sterile. He's still a little sensitive about that." She glanced to see if Ben was within earshot.

She followed Rachel back to her room and walked over to the side of Tina's bed. The woman's eyes were closed and she was breathing softly so she was asleep. Catherine gently felt her forehead and didn't detect a fever. She moved back to the room's entranceway and gestured for her daughters to follow.

"Did you see what Tina had for dinner last night?" she asked.

Sophia answered. "She had the same pasta dish I had and I feel fine!"

"She was feeling a little under the weather before dinner." Rachel offered.

"Was she throwing up during the night?" the mother asked.

Sophia snorted. "You're asking the wrong girl. Rachel would sleep through an earthquake!"

Rachel just stuck out her tongue at her sister but shrugged to her mom.

"Well... let's let her sleep for now. Go have your shower and get dressed. I'm going to go speak with Gabriella. Maybe we can get a doctor in."

Catherine and Sophia walked over to Gabriella's room and knocked. Moments later Miriam opened the door, all smiles. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Miriam! Is Gabriella up?" Catherine asked with a grin.

"Very amusing, Cat." Gabriella said as she approached the door. She was also ready to head downstairs for breakfast.

"Tina's sick. Throwing up but no fever. We don't think it was from dinner last night as Sophia ate the same dish and Tina was not feeling well before dinner. I think we should call in a doctor." Cat said to bring her friend up to speed.

Gabriella immediately turned around and picked up the phone. She spoke to the front desk and asked for them to arrange a doctor to come in. She was assured they would send one up within the hour.

"Ok, a doctor will be coming soon. Less than an hour they said." Gabriella informed the group. She turned to her daughter. "I'm sure it's nothing so let's not mention this to Ben until the doctor confirms that, alright." Miriam nodded, pleased to be included in an adult situation for once.

There was a knock on the door. Cat opened it and saw Ben was standing there smiling.

"Ready for breakfast?" he asked.

"Not everyone yet. Why don't you head down and get your breakfast with those who are ready. Can you take Daniel down? I know he's famished."

"Sure! See you down there." Ben said. Miriam rushed to his side and grabbed his hand and Sophia put her arm through his other arm. Catherine eyed her daughter suspiciously as the door closed.

Catherine looked over at Gabriella and raised her eyebrow. "With Ben's memory loss events I'd rather not subject him to strong emotional impacts. No sense in worrying Ben just yet." Gabriella said with a frown. Her friend nodded.

She followed Catherine over to Tina's room. Their keys opened all of the rooms as did Ben's. She'd given Tina's room number for the doctor so they went inside. Rachel was just finishing up in the washroom. She walked out and looked over at her sleeping roommate.

"We've called for a doctor to check on her just in case. Can you check on Megan and head down to breakfast with Ben and the rest? No mention of the doctor to Ben yet, OK?" Catherine said. The two mothers got comfortable for the wait.

Rachel nodded, left her room and she knocked on Megan's door. Her sister opened it.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Rachel asked.

"Lucy is just about done. I loaned her some clothes as everything she has needs a wash." Megan replied.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Why didn't you give Ben a kiss on the lips last night?" Rachel asked her sister.

"I- I just don't feel that way about Ben. I mean, I think he's gorgeous and I like to tease him and hear the stories about him but when I saw you two making plans for him I realized I didn't want that. I really like him but I don't want him that way. I don't want to change what we have. You know?" Megan said, trying to explain her feelings.

"Yeah, I get it. I can respect that."

Lucy came out of the washroom wearing Megan's cute little red shorts and a dark blue top which was never meant to hide tits as large as Lucy's. Rachel snorted and smiled.

"Well we're going shopping for clothes so Lucy can get a brand new wardrobe with shirts that fit her... generous bust." Megan responded to her sister's snort while pouting enviously at Lucy.

They both saw how gingerly the woman was walking then they saw the glow on her face. Simultaneously their eyes widened and they dropped their jaws.

"YOU HAD SEX WITH BEN!" Rachel gasped. "Out with it! We want details!" The sisters gathered close.

"Tina's orders are to be discreet. So, sorry!" Lucy said with an impish smile.

The sisters groaned and Lucy shrugged but her smile stayed in place.

They left the room and passed the doctor stepping off the elevator as they headed down to the restaurant serving breakfast.

Gabriella answered the knock on the door and let the doctor in.

"Bonjour. Je suis docteur Paquin. Où est mon patient?" the slight, older gentleman asked. She led him over to the bed.

"This is Tina Lee. She doesn't speak French. She was feeling unwell yesterday and this morning she was throwing up." Gabriella said. She moved back as the doctor examined Tina. She heard Tina quietly answering the doctor's questions. After a few minutes of this he turned back to them.

"Would it be possible for one of you to pick up an item for Tina in the pharmacy across the street?" he asked.

"Certainly, doctor. What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"A home pregnancy test. Any brand will do." he said with a smile.

Gabriella and Catherine rocked back and stared at the doctor, then Tina who had turned her face away from them.

"Did I say something wrong?" the man said, his smile falling from his face.

Gabriella was first to recover. "No, I'm sorry. I'll be right back." She nodded at Catherine to stay with Tina.

Ben had finished his breakfast and was just enjoying the ambiance of the restaurant and the happy chatter of his group around him. Miriam was glowing with happiness and even Daniel was acting his age, meaning like a kid for once. It was good to see him laughing and teasing his sister.

Sophia was looking very pretty in a yellow sun dress and smiled at his appreciation. Rachel was wearing a sheer white blouse over a sky blue skirt and he caught the outline of her bra under the fabric before he turned away embarrassed at himself for looking. Megan was more casually dressed with a red button down blouse over blue short shorts which showed off her legs. Again he pulled his eyes away only to settle them on Lucy's tits which were trying to escape from her shirt. She caught him staring and he blushed as she pulled her shoulders back slightly for his enjoyment. He could see the impression of the small nipple rings against the fabric and he began to respond. She had a coy smile on her face as Ben pushed back from the table. He turned to Sophia.

"It looks like I'll have time to pick up something before we go. I'll meet you back here in a minute." Ben nodded to the others and stood awkwardly due to his reaction to Lucy's display. Her grin went up a few notches.

As he made his way out of the lobby he wondered what was taking Gabriella, Catherine and Tina. He'd check on them when he returned from the pharmacy.

The sky was blue and the air was cool but he fully expected it to get much warmer. He'd dressed in light clothes as he expected to be carrying quite a few bags today. He made his way into the pharmacy and grabbed a basket. He headed straight for the aisle where the condoms were. He found the lube and dropped a few boxes of the individual packs as well as a jar of the stuff. Then he headed over to the aisle for shaving stuff. He needed to get Lucy a pack of fresh disposable razors, special shaving gel like his, and something to prevent skin irritation.

They had the special gels on the bottom shelf so he had to squat down. He heard the door chime then the distinct sound of Gabriella's voice as she spoke to the cashier by the door. He didn't quite catch what she said but the tone of her voice set off his nerves. He slowly walked to the front of the store as she rushed back into the aisles, grabbed something and rushed back to the cashier. Ben was just about to the front and saw what she placed on the counter. His mind blanked momentarily and when he returned she was gone.

He paid for his items and took the bag in his hand as he rushed back to the hotel. He wasn't sure why he was rushing but there was an urgency he couldn't deny. He went straight to the elevators and up to their floor. He knocked on Gabriella's door and waited but she didn't answer. Then he knocked on Catherine's door but she didn't respond. He turned and stiffly walked over to Tina's door. There was a roaring in his ears as he heard voices inside. He stood there unmoving. Minutes passed then he used his key to open the door and step inside. He saw Gabriella and Catherine looking at him with surprise and worry on their faces.

There was a strange man in the room with his back to him. Ben took in a doctor's bag on the bed. The man turned and there was Tina looking dazed and pale holding a pregnancy test in her hand.

"Ce est le père?" At Ben's blank look he spoke again. "Are you the father?"

Ben was crashing into the elevator slapping at the ground floor button. There were shrill voices behind him but he couldn't make out what they were saying over the roaring in his head. There could have been crying but his confusion was keeping him from comprehending the sounds. The doors finally opened and Ben surged out of the elevator and raced through the lobby and out into the street. He didn't know why he was running. All he knew was that something horribly painful was behind him and he had to keep out in front of it.

Megan saw Ben run through the lobby and glanced at Sophia. She held up her phone and set off after Ben in a sprint. She spotted him running down the street to the right in the direction of the Seine. She raced after him, keeping him in sight but not so close as he saw her. Then she spotted the woman in front of her who also seemed to be running after Ben.

She saw him stop at a corner and look in all directions. She and the woman both ducked for cover when his head turned in their direction. That confirmed for Megan that the woman was chasing Ben. She looked out again and saw Ben turn left and she and the woman rushed forward. Megan made sure the woman didn't see her as she turned the corner then ducked around the corner to see Ben far ahead and the woman picking up her pace to keep up. Megan also ran faster and soon she saw Ben reach the walkway next to the lovely river. He seemed to be leaning over a trash receptacle... oh. He was being sick. Maybe he had what Tina had? She began to really worry.

Gabriella pushed out of the elevator with Catherine and saw Sophia standing in the lobby.

"Did you see Ben?" she gasped.

"Yeah, he ran right through the lobby and outside." Before Gabriella could move to give chase Sophia put a hand on her arm. "You'll never catch him at this point. He was moving too fast." Gabriella looked like she was going to collapse so Sophia took her shoulders and looked in her eyes. "Don't worry, Megan went after him and she has her cell. She's the only one of us who could keep up with him and she'll keep him in sight."

Gabriella looked up hopefully and hugged Sophia. The rest of the group exited the restaurant and Gabriella indicated they needed to go upstairs. "Come on. Everyone brush their teeth so we can be ready to go when Ben gets back." she said. They headed to the elevator.

Megan watched Ben walk along the sidewalk next to the Seine. He looked from side to side occasionally like he was lost and she suddenly realized he was. She increased her pace until she was up to the woman following him.

"Why are you following Ben?" she barked and the woman spun to look at her.

"Who are you to ask me that?" the woman growled back.

"I'm Ben's friend, who watched you following him all the way from the hotel." Megan growled back.

"Oh, you are one of his bitches. Piss off little girl. I'm working here." the woman sneered and looked away.

"If you are working the street I guess that makes you a whore." Megan snapped.

The tall brunette spun to look at her with rage in her eyes. She slapped Megan's cheek, hard enough to daze her and knock her onto her butt.

"HEY!"

She spun to see her quarry running towards her so she turned and ran. It wasn't time to confront Kirion, yet.

Megan sat on the sidewalk holding her cheek and rolling her jaw side to side as Ben arrived. He knelt down to see if she was ok just as her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She picked up the phone and saw it was from Sophia. She replied all was good.

"Are you ok?" Ben asked turning her face to see the bruise coming up on Megan's cheek. He pulled out his phone and took a picture of the bruise. Then he noticed he had texts. From Gabriella. Why did he suddenly feel so nervous?

"Ben? Ben!" Megan was calling his name.

"Huh? What?" he said.

"Let's sit down on this bench and catch our breath for a bit ok?" she asked. He looked around and saw nothing familiar.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"A couple of miles from the hotel." she responded as they sat. "Just close your eyes and breathe. Relax."

He immediately did as he was told and she blinked. He must be in a suggestible state. "Can you hear my voice clearly, Ben?"

"Yes."

"The sun feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

"We should just rest here for a bit and relax. Can we do that?"

"Sure."

Megan began to text furiously.

Gabriella and Catherine were in Tina's room and she was crying inconsolably on her bed. The doctor was sitting on the end of her bed as Gabriella asked him to stay when Tina had said the baby was Ben's. She knew Ben was sterile so she needed the doctor to explain this to Tina so maybe they could get the truth from the woman. She and Catherine were stunned. While Ben had no reason to expect fidelity from any of them the last person they thought would find another partner was Tina. The doctor estimated she was likely six weeks along and from what Catherine had said, their flight over was the first time Ben had been able to have sex with anyone since his hospital stay.

"Tina, you need to tell us the truth. Ben is sterile. He hasn't had sex until this trip. It can't be his."

Tina rolled over angrily and glared at Gabriella. "I have not had sex with ANYONE but BEN!"

"He was on medication for weeks after the stabbing. Barely conscious most of the time. He couldn't have had sex with you!" Catherine pushed.

Tina's face looked stricken and they thought she was going to confess the name of her other lover.

"I had sex with Ben when he was sleeping." she whispered, her face flushing with shame.

"What?" Gabriella was confused. How was that even possible? Catherine just sat looking at Tina with her jaw open.

"The drugs made him sleep but he would become so hard and I was so desperate to be with him. He had died. I was so scared I'd never be with him again. So I climbed on him and was careful not to press on his chest. But I had sex with him every day for weeks like this. Sometimes... twice a day." She looked down. "I feel bad for doing this while he was sleeping but I needed him so much! Needed to be with him." Her shame was plain to see on her face.

"But... but Ben is sterile. He said he had a low sperm count to start with and then he was shot and the doctor said the bullet cut his cords." Gabriella mumbled.

The doctor perked up. "Has he been tested?"

All of the ladies looked at him. "What?" Gabriella asked.

"Has he been to a fertility clinic to be tested? I believe your doctor was full of shit. You are all so excited about guns! Take your man to a fertility clinic to have him tested. Tell the clinic he has a low count so they check very carefully. The doctor probably did not check sufficiently. A low sperm count doesn't mean you can't get pregnant. It just means it can be exceptionally difficult to get pregnant. Taking steps as Ms. Lee did may have increased her odds just enough. Once the child is born a paternity test will prove who the father is." He smiled at the stunned women. "If that is everything I must be on my way. Good luck to you all." With that he gathered his bag and left.

The room was silent except for the occasional sniff from Tina.

"Ben's going to be a father." Gabriella finally said. Tina's face burst into a smile as she heard her friend confirming her belief in her. Gabriella held open her arms and Tina was in them instantly. Catherine threw her arms around both her friends and they all cried tears of joy together.

Once they got control of themselves again Gabriella smiled at Tina. "We have to get Ben to take that test. He needs to believe it too. Whatever happened to him in his past has done some damage to his mind. He needs to see that psychiatrist we all hate so she can help him heal. Shocks like this need to be delivered gently. Not from him bursting into the room."