by BK Harrell
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Prologue
Chapter 1
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Table of Contents
A Heart Reborn
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
From the Author
About the Author
From the Beginning…
The Infertile Heart
Prologue
Chapter 1
A Heart in Remission
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Books by BK Harrell
A Heart Reborn
The Doctors of Atlanta, Book Three
BK Harrell
Copyright BK Harrell, February, 2018
Names, characters, and incidents in this book are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Printed on acid-free paper All rights reserved.
Edited by: Kim Christensen Byrd & Erin H Harrell
Dedication
To Landon
Though you may not fully understand that your love and support help get me through the rough times of writing. You are the apple of your mother’s and my eye. I hope that all your dreams come true.
Also, to the real Sarah Buckley. You are a beautiful person inside and out and were truly an inspiration to write about.
Acknowledgements
The list of acknowledgements and thank yous seems to grow with each book. I am humbled to have all these people working tirelessly in my corner and helping me produce such wonderful works of literature.
First and foremost, my heartfelt love and gratitude to my dear wife Erin Harrell. She has proofread and helped edit more pages than she ever thought she would in a life time. Major kudos to her also for making a major life transition and losing a lot of weight. You are truly an inspiration to me and those around you.
Second, this book release and the cover would not have been possible without the wonderful help of my multi-talented PA Kim Christensen Byrd. This is her second book cover design and it is just wow.
Third, I want to thank my awesome book formatter Meredith Bond. She works great under pressure and produces a wonderful product.
Fourth, I want to thank my writing posse who have helped support me when my writer’s block was in full force or when I needed a shoulder to cry on because the storyline kept getting too convoluted. Thank you to Christina Tetreault, Kathleen Brooks, Maggie Adams, Jennifer Probst, AD Herrick, and Joy Eileen.
Finally, the book keeping. This acknowledges that all major league baseball teams including the Atlanta Braves are property of the owners and Major League Baseball. Any representation of current or past players is purely coincidental. The World Series, MVP, All-Star game and all associated awards and hardware are strictly property of Major League Baseball.
Prologue
October 17th, 2014
Sarah loved her life as an attending physician. Everything she had worked for had finally come to fruition. As the attending on call and in charge of the general OB/GYN residents, Sarah took her responsibilities seriously, especially the teaching of the new residents and medical students. Tonight, should have been an easy night, but as with everything related to babies, you could just never tell, and the full moon wasn’t helping.
As Sarah stood at the charge nurse desk, filling out paperwork from her fifth delivery of the night she smiled. Five new lives and five ecstatic families. Her motivation for wanting this job was simple. She loved the look of joy on the new parents faces as they held their bundle of joy for the first time. While she handled most of the deliveries when she was on call, Lincoln and a few of the more senior providers tended to handle the VIP patients and their deliveries, and tonight was no exception. Sarah looked up to see Dr. Lincoln Montgomery stride into the labor and delivery area of the hospital. He looked tired and a little haggard, but she knew it was from the lack of sleep since his wife, Nicole, was overdue and not making life easy on him.
“Good evening, Lincoln. What brings you in tonight?”
“Hey, Sarah. Rhett Akers wife went into labor, and he’s one of my VIPs and well between us, future employees. I needed to come in and do the delivery. They’re so excited about their first baby.”
Sarah smiled outwardly, but groaned inwardly. Rhett was an all-star catcher for the Braves, but most importantly, he was best friends with one Harrison Cooper. The one man she had tried to avoid for ten years, and had been pretty successful up to this point. However, she felt like tonight her luck was going to run out. “Well, boss. Good luck with that.”
“Thanks, you don’t like the Akers?”
“No. I think they’re wonderful. His wife’s awesome. No matter what, she always has a smile on her face and is so complimentary towards the staff. She actually gives the wives and girlfriends a good name. I just wish they were all like that.”
“So, what’s got you twitchy? Before you say anything, I can see through you so I know it’s something.”
“I…hell, Lincoln I’ve been trying to avoid his best friend for ten years, also another future employee of yours, and I’ve been pretty successful. His best friend is Harrison’s father, only he doesn’t know that he’s his father.”
“Well, shit. That sounds…complicated. Just out of curiosity, why doesn’t he know that he is the father?”
“I was told he was already a baby daddy when we were dating, I left him and never spoke to him again. I didn’t find out I was pregnant until after graduation, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of leaving a trail of baby mommas all over the place.”
Lincoln studied her carefully before speaking. “This is just friendly advice, but keeping a secret like that can come back to haunt you in the end. However, you’re an adult, and I respect your wishes and right to privacy. Just know that if you need anything we’re all here for you.”
Before Sarah could thank him, she heard Lincoln’s phone ring. As she stood there waiting for him to finish the call, she noticed that his face went white. She didn’t know what the other side of the conversation was, but she was pretty sure it was Nicole telling him that she had gone into labor.
Finally, Lincoln disconnected the call and looke
d at Sarah. “So, I need a favor. Nicole’s gone into labor. Marcie is bringing everyone here, but I’ll be tied up with delivering Landon. I’m so sorry to put this on you, and if you aren’t comfortable with it, I can call one of the other attendings, but I really need you to handle the deliver for the Akers.”
Sarah took a deep breath and thought about her options. She felt that she had become the consummate professional and there was no need to inconvenience any of her colleagues. Anyway, it wasn’t like Harrison was going to be in the delivery room with them. “No problem, Lincoln. I already know Mrs. Akers and it should be a smooth delivery. I’d be happy to do this for you, so that you can go bring your own bundle of joy into the world. Just remember when you have a girl, she gets named after me.” Sarah said with a laugh.
A little while later, Lincoln took Sarah into see the Akers and explain the situation. They were both very happy to have her do the delivery, but as she was about to leave the room, Rhett gently took her arm and led her over to the side of the room.
“I know you, don’t I? I can’t place it, but I know we have met before and not at the doctor’s office.”
Sarah’s face blanched as she looked into the piercing green eyes of the all-star catcher. She could either lie and try to live with it or tell him the truth and deal with the consequences. After everything she had been through, the one thing that Dr. Cole Ryan had taught her and had stuck with her the most was to love yourself and embrace who you are. Finally, she looked at Rhett and said, “Yes, we knew each other, many years ago when we were at Georgia together.”
Suddenly a look of recognition took over Rhett’s face. “Shit, I mean shoot. Sorry I’m trying to quit the cussing thing with the baby coming and all, but I work around ballplayers all day and they sort of use cuss words as a normal part of their vocabulary. What I meant to say was, you were Harrison’s girlfriend. You’re the one…” Before he could finish his statement, his wife Alexa started screaming as another contraction began to wrack her body.
Sarah went to the bedside and checked the monitors. Everything seemed to be progressing normally. She called the anesthesiologists on call to get the epidural started. Once she was confident that everything was as it should be, she left the room to do her follow-ups on the patients she’d already delivered, but as she walked away, something was niggling at her brain. He had said ‘I was the one who…’ and never got to finish. I was the one who what? Broke his heart, turned him gay. Sarah laughed at that last thought. What did I do? Because he sure as hell broke me and left me with a hole in my heart. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she proceeded to make her rounds and check in with her residents.
After rounds, she went back to check on Mrs. Akers and found that she was progressing nicely already dilated to 10 cm and at a +2 station. She knew it wouldn’t be long, so she had the staff rearrange the bed and get the Akers ready to welcome their daughter into the world. After twenty-five minutes of pushing, crying, and screaming, the Akers welcomed a very healthy girl into the world at 8lbs 7oz and 20 inches long. She smiled as she watched Rhett cut the cord and then placed the baby on Mrs. Akers stomach.
Harrison Cooper had never been so nervous in his entire life, and it wasn’t even his baby. At thirty-one he’d never had to deal with a pregnant female, well not one of his doing. He paced the waiting room looking around at his teammates who were still in town. At least the hospital was nice enough to have a VIP waiting room so they wouldn’t be bombarded with autograph requests and whatnot. Harrison didn’t mind signing autographs and loved the kids at the baseball stadium because he remembered what is was like when he was a kid, but this was not about him or the guys surrounding him. This was solely about Rhett and his baby.
As Harrison paced the room, his mind took an unhealthy journey back in time. He wondered if he would ever find someone who didn’t just want him for his fame and fortune. Sarah was the only one he’d ever been with who cared about him as a person. He’d spent too much time over the last ten years wondering what went wrong with them. For the life of him, he could never figure it out. They’d been so happy, and then one night she slapped him, ran out the door, and never spoke to him again. She was still the last thing he thought about before he went to sleep, and the first thing he thought of when he awoke, but still he wondered what could’ve been. Would they have a child, or hell ten children? Well, not ten children, but would there be a little boy that looked like him, or a little girl that took after her mother. She was the reason he had screwed his way through the minor leagues and every away game they went to, but still none of them could erase her memory. He loved women, but he had a die-hard rule, no brunettes and no doctors.
As he tried to shake off the melancholy mood he was in, he heard it. The voice of an angel or devil depending on the mood he was in. The voice he dreamt of, and had spent ten years looking for. Could his luck be changing? Could karma finally be swinging in his direction? Harrison was unaware that his feet were moving him towards the voice, but in a matter of a few steps, he stood before her. The one he desired, dreamed of and hated. She had matured into her body. She had the curves of a woman, not the girl he had known, but nonetheless she was right there in front of him. All he had to do was reach out and touch her.
Sarah was speaking to her nurse when she felt her body’s temperature spike and a warm feeling suffuse her entire body. She knew what it was and who it was. God, she’d dreaded this day for ten years, and now, it was time to pay the piper for all the things she’d done. That rich deep voice raised goosebumps on her flesh.
Harrison stood in front of her and valiantly restrained his hands from reaching out to touch her to make sure she wasn’t an apparition and that she was really standing right there. Finally finding his voice, he softly said, “Sarah.”
Sarah didn’t know what to do or say as he spoke her name. All her thoughts went back to her son and the fact that he didn’t know he was a father to her child. All the anger surfaced again at what he’d done to her. Unable to stop herself, she raised her hand and slapped him before muttering “Asshole” and running away.
Chapter One
Sarah ran to the doctor’s lounge and collapsed into the first chair that she could find. Covering her eyes with her hands she sobbed uncontrollably. She cried for what she lost, for what could have been, and most of all for her son who was growing up without a father. Sarah had no idea how long she sat there crying, but was startled by the gentle touch on her shoulder. She looked up to see a concerned Lincoln staring down at her.
“So, I heard that the delivery went well. Thank you by the way, but apparently, I missed a hell of an after party. Normally, I’m not big on workplace violence, but I heard it was quite the slap. I’m guessing you ran into Harrison.”
“I’m so sorry, Lincoln. I don’t know what came over me. Well, I do, it was years of pent up anger and sadness. Ok, I promise it won’t happen again. How…how did you find out?”
Lincoln raised his brow at her. “Really, you know I have eyes and ears everywhere. Anyway, Yolanda came and found me to tell me you were really upset.”
“Oh God. What about Nicole, is she okay? I mean I pulled you away from your child being born.”
“Nicole is fine. Just Braxton-Hicks contractions. We’re going to monitor her for a few hours and if nothing progresses, we’ll send her home. So, I have some time on my hands. Why don’t you tell me about this not so happy love story? Hell, everybody knows my story, but you Sarah are still a mystery and I’d like to know more.”
Sarah sat there contemplating what to tell Lincoln, but the reality was she had never told anyone the whole story, not even her mother. Sarah paused reliving the past before she began to tell Lincoln her story. “Well, if you’re sure you want to hear it, it goes like this…
Ten Years Ago…
University of Georgia
Sarah Buckley was late for her first day of class in her last semester. Why had she put this class off for so long? A simple graduation requirement was all
she had left, but public speaking was never her forte. Sarah juggled her messenger bag, coffee and pocketbook as she tried to make a silent entry into the classroom. Unfortunately, just as she closed the door and turned around her foot caught on a chair propelling her forward and into the lap of undoubtedly the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Unfortunately, even though he saved her from a face plant, her coffee couldn’t defy the laws of gravity and it spilled all over her handsome savior.
Somehow still holding onto her, he managed to jump out of his seat and avoid most of the coffee. Sarah turned fifty shades of red as all eyes in the class turned to her. Even though Sarah was extremely smart, she was painfully shy in social settings. She found herself often shrinking into the background, so she could watch people and observe without having to participate. It mollified her to be the center of attention, and right now that was exactly where she was. Sarah was blushing from the tips of her French manicured toes to the top of her head. She wanted nothing more than to break free from this gorgeous stranger and bolt from the room, but at the same time she was intoxicated by his clean woodsy scent. With all eyes on her, she finally broke away and slinked into the only open empty desk which happened to be right beside her Mr. Muscles.
As class went on, Sarah tried to pay attention to the teaching assistant who droned on and on about the syllabus and the required speeches each person would give. Sarah was unnerved by the amount of time she would have to stand in front of these strangers and give a speech. Put her in front of a microscope or even dealing with the patients, as she had as a volunteer, and she was great, but speaking in a public forum like this scared her to death. Her savior must have noticed her discomfort as he reached over and gave her shoulder a re-assuring squeeze. Sarah felt a bolt of electricity shoot through her at his touch, and was momentarily stunned by the warm feeling she got all over her body, especially between her virgin thighs. Never had she felt like this from a simple touch. Sarah found it difficult to concentrate for the remainder of class as she continuously caught sideways glances of this man.