Life's Forever Changed: The Show Me Series, #0.5

By Anne Stone

After Alejandro Alvarez’s best friend dies of kidney disease while in high school, Alejandro vows to change his life. Determined to help others suffering from his friend’s illness, he rejects joining his father’s pediatrics practice and instead trains as a nephrologist and a transplant surgeon.   Fourteen years later, devotion to his career has rewarded him with a reputation as an excellent surgeon, but success has left him alone, with no family that he can call his own.

Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Tammy Johansen is on duty when an infant must undergo a life-saving transplant. Working closely with famed surgeon Dr. Alejandro Alvarez, she sees the sensitive, lonely man beneath his professional exterior and wonders can such a man be interested in someone like her?

As they battle to save the tiny patient, Alejandro struggles with the emptiness within himself until the lovely and compassionate nurse at his side catches his attention. In that moment, one look at Tammy forever changes his life.

Life’s Forever Changed is the Prequel to Anne Stone’s The Show Me series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anne Stone
• Release date: Oct 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9780997069181

Book preview

Life's Forever Changed

Life's Forever Changed

The Show Me Series: The Prequel

Anne Stone

Contents

Untitled

About Life’s Forever Changed...

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Epilogue

From the Author

Untitled

Sneak Peek: Life’s Second Chances

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Author’s Note

About the Author

Also by Anne Stone

Copyright © October 2017 by Judith A Seligstein Living Trust

---

First Edition.

All rights reserved.

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 written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Editing, Cover Design and Interior Format by

The Killion Group, Inc.

www.thekilliongroupinc.com

ISBN: 978-0-9970691-8-1

About Life’s Forever Changed...

Life’s Forever Changed

(The Show Me Series: The Prequel)

After Alejandro Alvarez’s best friend dies of kidney disease while in high school, Alejandro vows to change his life. Determined to help others suffering from his friend’s illness, he rejects joining his father’s pediatrics practice and instead trains as a nephrologist and a transplant surgeon. Fourteen years later, devotion to his career has rewarded him with a reputation as an excellent surgeon, but success has left him alone, with no family that he can call his own.

Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Tammy Johansen is on duty when an infant must undergo a life-saving transplant. Working closely with famed surgeon Dr. Alejandro Alvarez, she sees the sensitive, lonely man beneath his professional exterior and wonders can such a man be interested in someone like her?

As they battle to save the tiny patient, Alejandro struggles with the emptiness within himself until the lovely and compassionate nurse at his side catches his attention. In that moment, one look at Tammy forever changes his life.

Life’s Forever Changed is the Prequel to Anne Stone’s The Show Me series.

For news and updates from Anne Stone, subscribe to her newsletter here.

To Baba, there isn’t a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t think of you! To my sister, Isabel—thanks for being my sounding board. And as always, to you Dad. I wouldn’t be on this journey without your encouragement.

Prologue

It was a warm summer day in St. Louis—hotter than all get out, the last day before Alejandro left for the University of Wisconsin. He’d procrastinated all summer with this visit, but he needed to accomplish it before heading home for his going away party. It was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long, long time.

He made a left turn and entered the one place he had avoided for more than two years. The vivid green grass surprised him as he came to the fork in the road. After a long, hot summer, most everything was brown, but not here. The fresh growth made him feel a bit brighter as he made his journey. He wound his way through the various roads, all the while hoping he wouldn’t get lost. He’d been here only the one time, and he recalled that winter day in vivid detail. It had been bitter cold. He remembered walking into church for the funeral mass beside his mother and friends and then driving the lonely miles that led to him saying a final goodbye to his best friend. Today as he drove along, he shivered, recalling the bitter wind as it had whipped through the pin oak trees, rattling the last of the leaves that still hung on their branches as he rounded the bend that led to Jacob.

Jacob and he had become best friends in kindergarten and had experienced everything together from learning how to tie their shoes to the big day when they crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. They’d even held a joint Court of Honor when they received their Eagle Scout Awards. They were like two peas in a pod. Wherever Jacob was, Alejandro wasn’t far behind, and vice versa.

Alejandro slowed the car as he approached the section he’d committed to memory— section fifteen. He remembered the number because they were both fifteen when he’d lost his friend.

As he eased his car along, he searched for the marker that signified where Jacob lay. This was an older section to the cemetery and held intricately carved monuments made from granite. And then he saw the one that was shaped like the George Washington Memorial and was surrounded by four granite carved chairs. As soon as he saw that, he knew he wasn’t far.

Alejandro pulled to the side of the road and parked. He exited the car and took in his surroundings. It was peaceful as he breathed in the warm air. He strolled up the uneven stone steps laid into the hillside. Jacob’s grave overlooked the cemetery on one side and the Missouri River on the other.

It took him a few moments to discover the stone. Someone had recently left a bunch of flowers and they still retained a bit of freshness to them. He read Jacob’s name. Both the birthday and date of death were inscribed into Alejandro’s memory, days he’d never forget.

Jacob had been ill, and it took his doctors too long to diagnose his illness. By the time they discovered it, his kidneys were barely functioning. He’d been placed on dialysis that helped some, but in the end, he’d died before he could have a kidney transplant. And on that day, when Alejandro forever lost his friend, he made a solemn vow. Instead of following in his father’s footsteps into pediatric medicine, he made a decision that would forever change his life. Alejandro Alvarez would become a nephrologist and then focus on becoming a transplant surgeon. He wanted to save as many lives as he could because he wasn’t able to save Jacob’s.

Alejandro ran his hand along Jacob’s name. I’ve never forgotten you, my friend. You are always with me. As he spoke, a cardinal landed on the adjacent tombstone. It sat there listening to him as he spoke. I’m heading off to college tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll be back again. You remember how I was going to follow my dad into his practice? Well, I’m not. I’m going to help people that are afflicted with the same disease you had. If I can save just one life, I’ll be happy because I would do anything to have saved yours. I miss you more than words can say. We experienced all of our firsts together, and life hasn’t been the same without you in it. The bird squawked at him. He took one look at it and contemplated if Jacob was listening to him.

I’m going to make a difference, Jacob. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come by and see you, but I didn’t have it in me. I’ll always remember our times together, and I hope to see you on the other side.

Alejandro took one last look at the monument and turned back to his car. The squawking bird flew right in front of him, causing him to stop abruptly. The bird landed on a tree limb right beside his car. A sense of calm came over him as he took one last glance at the monument. Goodbye, my friend, he said as he opened his car door. The bird called out one last time as it circled his car and returned in the direction of Jacob’s grave.

Alejandro closed the car door. Life as he knew it was coming to an end, and he wasn’t going to look back. He’d miss his family tremendously. He knew he would no longer have the freedom to come and go as he pleased. Medical school was going to be tough, and it would now become his sole focus. He’d do anything in his power to make a difference and forever change people’s lives.

1

Fourteen Years Later…

It was just after two in the morning. For the first time in hours, Alejandro had been able to sit, if only for a few moments. Closing his eyes, he revisited his day. It began with the news that a heart had become available for a precious little boy, a six-month-old infant. He’d spent a good deal of his day in surgery and then spent hours monitoring Frederick in recovery.

He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced down at the hands on his watch. That’s when he noticed the date. Today would have been Jacob’s birthday. So much had changed in his life and yet much had remained the same. His career choices had altered somewhat over the years. He’d completed his studies in nephrology, then he’d become a transplant surgeon and never once looked back as it allowed him to use his skills in more ways than he’d ever dreamed possible. He knew his friend would be thrilled with all of his accomplishments; unfortunately, they ultimately resulted from Jacob’s death.

As he sat contemplating his life, Alejandro realized that the niggling feeling he’d carried with him lately had resurfaced. On top of missing his best friend, he acknowledged how lonely he felt. By now, he thought, both he and Jacob would have been married with children. Thinking of his parents and siblings, he knew he needed to take some time off and return to St. Louis. It had been quite a while since he’d seen his family. He missed them dearly, but mostly he missed his sister Gabriella. She was the youngest of his siblings, and while growing up, he’d always been there for her before he graduated high school. He’d left for college right before she turned eleven and hadn’t been home much since. He’d lost out on so much of her life. Medical school and then his residencies were his focus, and he’d barely given his family much thought until recently. He’d stayed in touch and traveled home, but not as often as he should have. Now he realized what the nagging feeling stemmed from. He’d been alone too long, and he needed to find someone to share his life with.

After watching baby Fredrick’s struggles during surgery, he’d finally come to the conclusion that he wanted—no, needed—someone in his life. Someone that he could go home to and share his day with. Share both his successes and failures. Someone that he could wrap in his arms, who would listen to him and understand his daily triumphs and the disappointments that affected him more than he even realized. The losses stayed with him and were never forgotten. Often times, he’d analyzed where he’d gone wrong, coming to the conclusion that nothing he’d done would have saved his patient.

He rubbed the back of his neck and thought of Frederick. He’d been surprised when he saw one of the nurses from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the hallway outside of Recovery. He’d worked with Tammy Johansen closely over the last several months. He knew she was a devoted nurse to her patients. He hadn’t spoken to her but did overhear her asking about Frederick. When the recovery nurse informed her of his condition, a bright smile broke out across her face, and then she moved on, presumably back to her unit.

As he sat in his office, he knew he needed to make changes in his life. He’d been going non-stop for months on end, and he needed to slow down before the long hours caught up with him. He was having a hard time rebounding after a long day. He should step away before he made a mistake. As soon as his schedule allowed, he decided, he’d take a few days off.

Alejandro had been up all night, outside of taking a brief break; he’d spent the majority of it in Recovery with Frederick. It had been touch and go, but the child seemed to be out of danger. As he entered the Pediatric ICU, he ran his hand along his forehead. Losing sight of where he was, he ran smack into Tammy, who was assigned to Frederick’s care. Sorry about that. He ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. It’s been quite a night. I think he has finally stabilized.

He was fully aware of Tammy’s concern about baby Frederick, especially after her visit to the Recovery Unit and wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t gone home herself. Thanks for staying. I’m sure it helped his parents, knowing you were here.

I couldn’t leave. She shook her head. That little guy’s been through so much since he was born. I was here that night, too, when he was rushed into the NICU. I was covering for a friend that had called in sick.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Alejandro tried to contain a yawn, but somehow it slipped out. I need a coffee. Care to join me? I’m buying.

That sounds really good right about now.

Alejandro was glad she accepted his invitation. She was single, and after his earlier thoughts of family, he decided he wanted to get to know her. What a better opportunity, especially with what they’d gone through in the last twenty-four hours.

While they waited for the elevator, she leaned against the wall as if it kept her upright. Maybe you should go home. You look really tired, he said.

"Nah, I’ll be fine. Give me that cup of coffee, and I’ll bounce right back. It’s not like I haven’t been down this road before. Sometimes