The Shepherd's Crook Pt. 03

Grace noticed his gaze. "That's Ed, my boyfriend, and papa to our daughters. You have children, too?"

He nodded and pulled out his cell to show pictures of his kids. "Here is Christopher. He's Tina's son. I adopted him. Here are Karen and Penny. I adopted them when I brought them home from France after freeing them from the slavers. This is Sam, who I had with Tina, and Gretchen, who I had with Lucy."

Ben looked to Grace and saw her sweet smile but curiosity in her expression. His smile became self-conscious. "I have... a complex home life," he said awkwardly. Tatiana snorted, and he sent her an annoyed look.

Grace touched his arm and shook her head. "No need to explain. I'm in one of those myself."

It was Ben's turn to give a curious look, but Jerry was keen to keep the tour moving.

Ben welcomed Grace to the team and introduced her to the ladies with him before letting Jerry and Walter drag him away.

When they finished introducing him to the team and showing off the office, they finished off in a gorgeous meeting room at the back of the building. Ben was greatly impressed. "This space is wonderful, and the team seems so happy and comfortable in it--" His cell rang, and he glanced at it. It was Hannah, so he sent an apologetic look at the others. "Ah, sorry, I need to take this." They nodded, so he moved a few feet away to stand by one of the large windows. "Hannah?"

"Hi, Ben. Sorry to disturb you, but Dominic Sellini was just rushed to the hospital. He collapsed at home, and he's being prepared for emergency surgery. He asked me to get you to speak with him before he goes in."

"I'm coming," Ben said.

"Thanks. Be careful. Bye," Hannah said and hung up.

Ben looked at Jerry and Walter, and their smiles faded as they saw his worry. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to go. My friend, Dominic Sellini, was just rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He's asked to speak with me."

The men nodded and guided him back to the front of the building, where they shook hands before Ben rushed out to his truck. The moment the four of them were inside, the Sergeant got them headed back to the highway. She pushed the accelerator and drove them back to the city in excellent time. She pulled up to the hospital entrance so Ben, Liliya, and Tatiana could rush inside while she parked the truck.

Ben found Hannah, who guided him to the surgery prep room. The ladies had to wait outside, but he put on a mask, gloves, and a gown before they let him inside. He spotted Dominic on a gurney and rushed to his side. The man didn't look too good.

"Ah, you made it," the big man sighed.

"I came as quickly as I could," Ben said. "What happened?"

"I've had heart issues for a few years. I promised Sophia that I would retire if it got worse. It did."

Ben looked at him. "Your health comes first. Nothing else matters if you don't have that!"

"I really wanted my company to be part of your new Foundation, but that's not happening now. I wanted you to know I'm not leaving you without support. I took steps to find an alternate commercial developer. Louis Klein has been doing some amazing new developments with his company, the Klein Group. I've asked them to handle the design and construction of the Foundation buildings and habitats. Initially, they were just going to handle the international offices, but since I'm retiring, they'll be taking over the local one as well."

Ben stared at Dominic incredulously. "You did all that this morning?"

Dominic stifled his chuckle and shook his head. "No, I've been working with them for weeks."

Ben frowned. "You knew your health was deteriorating for that long, and only now you're stepping back?"

Dominic rolled his eyes. "I got this speech from Sophia."

"People who care for you tend to have a clearer view of priorities!" Ben asserted.

Dominic had to smile at that. "Thank you, Ben."

"You should be relaxing before your operation," Ben suggested.

The man nodded. "I wanted you to know my team is being absorbed into a construction company Klein uses. Jayden will keep his job."

"Stop thinking about business. We'll talk more after the operation." Ben spotted the nurses coming for Dominic, so he gave the man's hand a gentle squeeze before stepping back so they could wheel Dominic away.

He stepped outside and pulled off the gown, mask, and gloves before heading for the waiting room. He found Sophia with her son Marcus and his wife, Eva. He gave them all hugs.

"I spoke with Dominic. He told me about the steps he's taken to transition the work over to the Klein Group. I told him to stop talking business, and we'd talk after."

Sophia shook her head angrily, and tears began again.

Ben took her face between his hands and looked into her eyes. "They have top-notch surgeons here. They'll take good care of him, and we'll chew him out for this poor judgment about prioritizing his health when you get him home. He can recover with babies bouncing on his knee."

That brought smiles to Marcus and Eva's faces. "Speaking of the kids...." he asked.

Eva smiled at him gratefully. "Anthony and Julius are at school but will be coming home soon. We have a babysitter for Katrina and Jasmine. I should get back...." She looked to her husband, who nodded.

Ben looked at the Sergeant, who immediately nodded. "I'll give you a lift home," Evelyn said.

"Oh! You don't--"

Ben stopped her. "Please. It's no problem. I'm sticking around until Dominic gets out and is settled in the recovery room."

Sophia hugged Ben again as Marcus smiled gratefully at him.

Eva left with the Sergeant as everyone took seats, preparing for a long wait.

-=-

It was sometime after nine when Hannah walked into the waiting room. Ben's head was back against the wall as he was asleep. Sophia was also asleep, cuddled up against his side. Hannah's eyes caught Marcus', and she smiled at him and nodded. She saw him relax as he acknowledged she was delivering good news.

Tatiana, Liliya, and the Sergeant also relaxed, and Hannah gently woke Sophia. Ben's eyes opened immediately. He saw Hannah's smile.

"The surgeon will be in shortly to update you, but it went very smoothly, and Dominic is in the recovery room," the Administrator said.

"Are you stealing my thunder?"

Heads turned to the doorway, where a tall, slim dark-skinned beauty in hospital scrubs smiled back. Her straight black hair was woven into a braid, which reached the back of her knees.

"Not at all, Dr. Shyamalan! I was about to say how fortunate we were to have you here today!" Hannah said, then turned to Sophia and Ben. "She's the chief surgeon at Forestvale Memorial Hospital. Our chief surgeon, Dan Parker, is recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash, and Dr. Shyamalan has been graciously alternating between the two hospitals in the two cities."

"Thank you for saving my husband," Sophia said with a shaky voice.

"My Dad," Marcus added.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my friend, Dominic," Ben said.

The doctor tipped her head to them with a smile then she focused on Sophia. "Your husband needed six stents to be inserted into his blocked arteries. The operation, while long, went smoothly, and he was a very well-behaved patient. He gave us no trouble at all. He'll be kept under observation for twenty-four hours. Then he can go home. The hospital will give you information on what to watch for and what changes he'll need to undertake in his lifestyle to maintain this healthier state. They'll also schedule his follow-up appointments with his doctor."

"Thank you, doctor!" Sophia cried, and Marcus hugged his mom to help her calm down.

The surgeon paused as she looked at Ben with one raised brow. "Have I seen you on TV?"

Ben sighed. "Not intentionally."

"We can speak on that later, Mishka," Hannah said quietly, which earned her a curious glance from the surgeon. Her dark eyes went back to Ben as she struggled to recall.

Hannah looked at Sophia and Marcus. "If you come over tomorrow after the lunch hour, you can visit Dominic, and he'll be ready to be discharged after dinner. It's been an emotionally draining day, so you should head home and get some sleep."

Marcus nodded, and Sophia turned to hug Ben. Then she hugged Hannah before her son guided her out of the waiting room. Ben hugged Hannah and turned to leave as well.

"Wait, before you go, Tina told me you need to schedule a full medical," Hannah said to Ben.

Ben grimaced but nodded. "Yeah, it's an insurance requirement for setting up the Foundation since it will be a global charity organization."

They turned their heads to see Mishka was still there, watching them with keen interest.

"Is there anything else you needed, Mishka?" Hannah asked.

"No, I'm going to head home, but you indicated you'd speak to me about why Mr. Shepherd was on TV."

Ben frowned. "Take your pick: the Brass statues, rescuing women from White Slavers, my ex's interview on TV, the deaths outside the courthou--" Ben's voice failed him as his chest tightened from the emotional pain of recalling Gretchen's sacrifice once more. He turned away, struggling to get control over his emotions. It had been a long day.

Hannah placed her hand on Ben's arm and shook her head gently at Mishka, who had a distraught look on her face. She nodded and quietly left.

"She didn't mean anything by it, Ben," Hannah said gently.

"...I know. I must be overtired. I'm going to head home now. I'll send in the request form for the medical tests tomorrow, okay?" he asked.

"Sure, Ben. Tomorrow's fine."

Ben turned and kissed Hannah before he walked out of the waiting room. Evelyn, Liliya, and Tatiana followed, with the latter giving Hannah an unreadable look before she slipped out the door.

The Sergeant drove them home and parked in Ben's driveway, where they got out.

Ben walked around the car and accepted the keys from Evelyn. "Good night," he said to her and the others. Tatiana waved over her shoulder as she walked down the driveway. Liliya spared her a glance and then moved to join Ben.

"Rose was picked up by Lucy today," Liliya explained as she climbed the steps with Ben to the front door.

Tina opened it, and Ben smiled at her. "Dominic is good. He'll be home tomorrow."

"This is good news!" Tina said with a gentle smile. "Have you eaten?"

"I'm not really hungry. I think I'll just head off to bed," he replied.

Lucy came around the corner with Rose asleep in her arms. She smiled at Liliya and transferred the girl to her mother.

"Thank you," Liliya said quietly to Lucy and Tina.

"papa..."

Ben stopped as he heard Rose call to him. He smiled and turned back to accept a kiss from the sleepy girl on his cheek. He turned to give her a kiss and suddenly found his lips pressed against Liliya's. Her eyes widened as she squeaked gently in surprise.

Ben pulled back and saw Rose was grinning with delight.

"Sneaky girl!" Ben said and managed to catch her cheek for a kiss this time. He looked to Liliya as her daughter continued to giggle softly.

"Sorry," Ben said.

"No, it was nice. Good night, Ben," Liliya said with a sweet little smile of her own. Mother and child left, and Tina closed the door and locked up.

Ben rubbed his face with his hands.

"Did something happen at the hospital, Ben?" Tina asked.

"Nothing significant. It was a trying day. I'm tired, and I'm going to bed," he sighed and walked down the hall toward the bedrooms.

He stopped by Christopher's room and kissed the sleeping boy's forehead. He went to the next bedroom and kissed Sam and Gretchen before heading into his own bedroom. Lucy was already waiting for him, naked. She helped him undress then they prepared for bed. Tina arrived as they slipped into bed. She quickly got ready and slid under the sheets next to Ben.

"Did you get a report from Hannah?" he asked.

Tina was quiet for a moment. "As you said, it was a difficult day. We love you, Ben."

"I love you both, too," Ben said. "Let's get some sleep."

Even though he'd rested at the hospital while they waited, it didn't take long for the comfort of his bed and the soft warmth of the two women to ease his mind into slumber.

-=-

A soft knock against Hannah's door jamb caught her attention as she prepared to leave. She looked up and saw Dr. Shyamalan standing there with a concerned expression.

"Yes?" Hannah said.

"I just wanted to apologize for upsetting your friend. I must admit I didn't connect the dots when I first met him. I don't spend much time watching television or reading gossip magazines. My partner enjoys that, so I must have caught a glimpse from that," Mishka said sadly.

Hannah gestured to the chair before her desk, and the woman sat as Hannah sat in hers. "Ben is a very private person, so he's had difficulty with the amount of attention he's received in the media. Some of that attention came at times of great emotional pain."

"The deaths outside the courthouse. I looked that reference up. That was horrible, and to have it televised!" Mishka gasped.

"Ben hasn't healed from that yet. They'd only known Gretchen for a short time, but it was an intensely emotional experience for everyone. To have her die so suddenly, I'm not surprised he's still dealing with it." Hannah smiled gently. "He knows you didn't mean to cause him any pain. He doesn't hold grudges."

Mishka nodded and stood. "I should be heading home. Please pass along my apologies, just the same."

"I will. See you in a couple of days, and thank you again," Hannah replied and got a smile and a nod from the surgeon as she stepped out.

Hannah finished up and locked her office door. She wanted to go home and give her son's forehead a goodnight kiss.

-=-

Liliya tucked her daughter into her bed and kissed the sleeping child. She headed downstairs and saw the glow of a cigarette in the darkness of the deck off the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of wine and joined Tatiana outside. She sat on a chair across from her partner, far enough away to avoid the smoke.

"Is Rose all tucked away?" Tatiana's voice asked calmly from the shadows. "Did Papa give her kisses?"

Liliya heard the tension in the woman's voice and decided it wouldn't be wise to share that Ben had given her a kiss as well. Her lips tingled as she thought about it.

"He did."

Tatiana made a quiet sound, like a release of tension. "He is too free with his kisses. They bind people to him."

"And you know this how?" Liliya snapped as her temper suddenly flared at Tatiana's harsh judgment of Ben.

A moment of silence came from the dark. "Yes, he didn't kiss me, did he."

"You don't get kisses when you attempt to murder him," Liliya said as she rested her hand on the hilt of her knife.

More silence.

"Is true," Tatiana finally replied.

Liliya caught the gleam of a wine glass being lifted to Tatiana's lips.

"Do you hate Ben? The life he's made possible for us?" Liliya asked gently.

Tatiana made a choked-off noise, and Liliya couldn't tell what it meant. They were both quiet for a moment and sipped at their wine.

The brunette finally spoke. "I would love to hate him. I would love to love him. It is doing both that torments me. When I think of him, I am at war with myself. I want to drive a blade into him, but the thought of doing so makes me sick with dread. I cannot think of him when we work. He is simply the asset I must protect."

"You will continue to protect him?" Liliya pushed.

The ashes flared on Tatiana's cigarette as she took an angry drag, then she snuffed the embers against the ashtray as she blew the smoke up into the darkening sky.

"Are we not on his leash?" Tatiana spat. "What choice do I have? He said he would give us freedom, but we are trapped in this tedium instead."

"Ben said if you didn't want to stay, he wouldn't try to stop you, but he won't help you make that bad decision."

"Exactly. He won't give you what he owed you--"

"What makes you think I would give you the diamonds? I should help you make this bad decision when Ben won't? Maybe you planned on killing me for them?" Liliya asked calmly.

Tatiana was quiet for a moment. "I would not kill you. I will not make Rose an orphan."

Liliya felt strangely comforted by that notion. Still, there was an issue to resolve. "I told Ben I didn't want the diamonds. What he has given me holds more value--"

"To be babysitter? How is this better? We were once feared and respected!"

Liliya's temper flared again. "Respected?!? We were nothing but tools to our handlers and as easily discarded! A rabid dog is feared. How can you not see that? The Colonel manipulated us, set us against each other. He was evil!"

"We agree on that! But the Colonel was a strong man! He did not cry!" Tatiana snapped.

Liliya was stunned. Was this why Tatiana had such trouble with Ben? "Yet the man who cries beat you, barehanded against your blades," she said cautiously.

Tatiana surged to her feet and walked to the edge of the deck to stare off into the dark woods.

Liliya pushed forward. "Have you asked why he cries? He won't speak of it, but the others must know. Or are you afraid to know what a real man is?"

"I'm afraid of nothing!" Tatiana spat.

Liliya considered her partner. "I think this is not true." She waited for Tatiana to respond, but there was just silence. So... she would deliver one more truth tonight. "The Colonel cried when facing his death."

Liliya calmly looked up into the eyes of Tatiana, who leaned over her, blades in her hands. The blonde continued. "Ben faced his death many times that night and didn't flinch. Not once. Perhaps you need to reassess what it means to be a man."

Tatiana stormed back into the house, and Liliya heard her climbing the stairs to go to her room. She rested back on the chair and took another sip of her wine as she relaxed her grip on the handle of her own concealed blade. She needed a little quiet time to calm her nerves.

She knew she wasn't skilled enough to help her partner with her mental issues. She lost her temper with the woman too much. Tatiana pushed her buttons as much as she pushed back. Still, she needed to bring the woman's issues to the surface to give Ben early warning if Tatiana was becoming a threat to him or his loved ones.

It sometimes felt like she was dealing with a rabid dog, after all.

Chapter 19

Ben stayed home the following day and worked on the energy cell project. He was exhausting what he could do without working with the actual physical components. He asked the Sergeant to arrange access to a rental lab with all the necessary elements of the cell.

As promised, he sent the medical request form to Hannah, and she made an appointment for Ben on Friday morning.

After dinner, Hannah and Beth joined Ben for another group therapy session in his media room. They settled in, and Beth asked to speak first. She looked nervous.

"Beth, what's wrong?" Ben asked.

"This-this will be my last session with you guys," she finally managed.

Ben and Hannah glanced at each other in concern.

"What? Why?" Hannah gasped.

"I'm getting married!" Beth exclaimed.

They stared at the elated yet nervous expression on Beth's face. Neither knew what to say as this was the first time they'd heard Beth was seeing someone.

"What? Who?" Hannah managed.

Beth giggled nervously. "His name is Keith. Keith Waterman. He's Canadian and lives in Vancouver, B.C. We met at a Dentistry conference here last year--but he's not a dentist or involved in anything related to dentistry. He was just a guest at the hotel the conference was held at."

Ben smiled. "It's okay, Beth! Take a breath. Slow down and breathe."

She giggled again and took some deep breaths before continuing. "He's a Philosophy Professor at the University of B.C. in Vancouver. He was in town visiting family. We met at the bar in the hotel and clicked. He's so easy to talk to, and we danced until they shut down. He's a widower and has two kids the same ages as mine. I visited him and met them, his son and daughter. They're really sweet. He visited me. John and Jane like him too."