The Essence of Change: Book Two of the Victors Series

By Mary Carroll

A Process of Change is the sequel to A Reunion of the Heart, and is the second book of The Victors Series: A Trilogy of Triumph. It answers the questions posed in Book One about Andrew, the patriarch of the Peters family. He has been keeping some pretty big secrets from his family and friends, and that is taking a toll on him. Now it's all coming out at once and there is nothing he can do to stop it. How will the rest of the close knit group respond when they learn everything he has been hiding? What will the impact be on each of their lives as they move forward?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728362281

Mary Carroll

Since childhood, Mary Carroll has written poems, songs and short stories. The Victors Series is her first foray into writing fiction novels. Her style reads easily in a conversational tone, capturing the reader's attention right away. Readers will find both wit and drama in a compelling combination that maintains interest from one delightful chapter to the next. Mary Carroll is originally from Nashville, Tennessee but currently lives in Virginia. She was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in the early 2000s, so she identifies closely with the daily health struggles of her characters. She's employed full time, but always makes time for her love of writing. When she takes a break from her manuscripts, Mary Carroll loves to sing and is a fan of watching stock car racing and professional football. Her favorite way to spend time is with friends, family, her amazing boyfriend Chad, and the world's most adorable Pomeranian, Angel.

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© 2020 Mary Carroll. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  05/18/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-6229-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-6228-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020909080

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

For My

Family and Friends

~~~

Thank You All

For Your Support

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Chapter 1

Doctor Michaels hurried down from the fifth floor of Brentwood Heights Medical Center to meet the ambulance arriving at the emergency room. He had known for quite some time that this day was coming, but why did it have to be today?

Nick and Emily Peterson renewed their wedding vows mere hours ago. It was an intimate Valentine’s Day ceremony in the living room of their own lovely home. Afterward, they were enjoying a delightful reception with family and friends at the nearby country club when Andrew Peters suddenly collapsed. He had even missed the opportunity to enjoy the traditional wedding dance with his daughter. The kind doctor had planned to be there for the festivities himself, but was summoned to the hospital at the last minute, so he wasn’t present when Andrew succumbed to the weakness that had loomed over him all day.

For the past several months, Doctor Michaels spent so much time with these good people that he felt as much like one of the family now as he did their physician. He knew today’s sudden revelation of Andrew’s well-kept secret was going to be another devastating blow for these folks who had already endured more than their fair share of suffering.

A few years ago, Nick lost his own parents, Stanley and Sarah Peterson, in a tragic car accident only months before he and Emily were shocked by the unexpected death of their newborn daughter, Sarah Beth. Emily’s parents, Andrew and Meagan Peters, had been a second family for Nick, and helped the young couple get through both tragedies. As if those events had not been hard enough, not long after that Emily suffered a terrible accident, resulting in a head injury that left her with partial amnesia. This last blow threatened to finally tear the family apart, but they courageously survived it all. To end up having the couple’s second wedding reception cut short by Andrew’s unexpected collapse was a dreadful injustice.

Doctor Michaels and Andrew Peters had kept their carefully guarded secret about the patriarch’s health for nearly a year. They knew the rest of the family strongly suspected something was wrong, but they managed to keep the truth concealed. Until now.

~~~

The new bride paced within the pale green walls of the hospital waiting room in her long ivory satin and lace wedding gown. She wasn’t really a new bride, but since she had no memories from the first ceremony, she felt like one all the same. She kept fiddling with her hair, as she often did when she was nervous. Since her brain surgery last summer, her hair had grown back a deeper, redder shade, and more curly than the straight brown locks she sported before her accident. Everyone said it suited her fiery new personality that emerged since then. Her handsome, tuxedo-clad groom tried to keep up with her restless strides while comforting her at the same time. She wasn’t making it easy for him, but he continued to put forth the effort.

Emily, your dad is going to be fine. We just have to…

"We have to what, Nick?" She interrupted as she stopped pacing long enough to stare into her husband’s handsome face. He saw the mixture of desperation and fear in her green eyes. He had seen that look too many times before, and once again, it tore at his heart. He ran his fingers through his thick brown hair and sighed aloud. I finally quit smoking last year, but I sure could use a cigarette right now!

Emily was ambling around the room again, and Nick realized there really wasn’t anything he could say or do to ease their concerns at the moment, no more than there had been in the previous dire circumstances. All he could do was be there with her and for her, as he always tried to be. He knew her well enough that he could have said aloud what was going through her mind at that moment.

Just a few months ago, they were all walking the floor in this same waiting area worrying about me. How is it possible that we’re here again now, when things were going so well, stressing out about Dad? Where is Doctor Michaels? What’s taking so long? Why was Mom the only one allowed to go into the ER with him? Once again, we’re stuck in this hospital searching for answers to a dilemma we didn’t ask for or expect. Where is the fairness? Haven’t we all been through more than an acceptable amount of grief already? I may not remember much about the last five years, but with all I’ve been told, I’m pretty sure we’ve met our quota of hardships, and then some!

Finally surrendering to her husband’s comforting embrace, she sat back down beside him on one of the firm chairs. Emily laid her head back on Nick’s shoulder and glanced across the room at her best friend. Julie had been sitting there all along, but in her anxiety, Emily temporarily overlooked her friend’s presence. The two exchanged the subdued glance of life-long friends, the kind of understanding look that required no words. Each woman attempted a smile for the benefit of the other as they shared the same thought. Waiting rooms should be more comfortable for those who have to do the waiting.

~~~

Julie Paige was not having a very good day herself. She had barely been able to drag her weary body out of bed that morning. Getting herself ready and making it to the house in time to be maid of honor again had nearly been her undoing.

When Emily and Nick were gone to the race in Florida last week Julie finally called Doctor Michaels’ office and had an appointment. She still had not told anyone except her immediate family about the surprising test results she just received. She hadn’t wanted to ruin this special time in her best friend’s life. After all, she was apparently infected years ago and didn’t know it. She’d been having these symptoms for months, so what difference would it make if she waited a little longer to tell everyone else? The damage was already done. It wasn’t as if they could do anything to help her.

Julie made it through the ceremony, but it had been quite a challenge. Her experience as a fashion model had trained her well to stand for long periods of time, but it was becoming more and more difficult for her to do so these days. Once all the wedding photos had been taken today and she finally made it to the reception, she welcomed the chance to sit down, but she didn’t get to take advantage of the break for very long.

Julie had been thrilled to see her best friend remarry Nick and was enjoying the festivities after the ceremony when everything came to a screeching halt. She couldn’t imagine why Andrew, who was like a second father to her, had collapsed.

When she and Emily were growing up they thought their dads were nothing short of superheroes. She had always admired Andrew Peters almost as much as her own father. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the many Saturday afternoons they coerced one father or the other to take them on shopping trips to the mall.

It was a different time then. They could let us wander around on our own without fear for our safety. I wonder what they did for hours while we were being mall rats? It’s funny… I never even thought about that before.

As the girls had grown into their late teens, Julie became serious about pursuing a modeling career. Andrew had been the one to support her dreams when her own dad lovingly encouraged her to be more practical.

Now she was back in this waiting room watching Nick try to console her dear friend, and all of them had nothing but anxiety and questions. Andrew had always been such a strong, healthy man. What was happening to him now? Julie kept telling herself it was probably nothing. He just got overheated or something… it was a reaction to all of the excitement of the wedding. She wasn’t at all convinced of that, but she kept telling herself anyway. If only she could allow herself to believe it.

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Chapter 2

Andrew Peters, you better tell me what you’ve been hiding from me, and tell me right now! Meagan was understandably upset with her husband. She turned to gaze out the window to give herself a moment to calm down. Meagan had known deep inside for quite some time that something wasn’t right, but every time she questioned him about it, he had used his customary charm and avoided the issue.

Sweetheart, the doctor will be here soon, and he will… Andrew tried to respond vaguely as usual, but his wife wasn’t having it. Not this time. He was a captive audience in a hospital bed now, and she wanted information to come from him, not the doctor. As she turned from the window with fire in her eyes, her elegant pale pink mother of the bride gown swished around her ankles like a love-starved kitten. She moved to his bedside and Andrew could see she meant business.

"I want to hear it from you, Andrew. I’ve asked you so many times, and you’ve lied to me over and over again, haven’t you? Her voice cracked as she choked back tears. How long have you known that something was wrong? Why weren’t you honest with me? And what is it that you—that we—are dealing with anyway?" Meagan finally lost her composure and began to cry, tears smearing her perfectly applied make-up.

The patient became the comforter as Andrew reached for his wife’s trembling hand. She was so beautiful, and so dear to him. It broke his heart to see her so upset. He loved her very much, and all he wanted to do was protect her. Maybe he shouldn’t have kept the status of his health a secret from her, but he hadn’t thought of it as lying to her. Obviously she saw it that way though, so now she was doubly hurt: she knew her husband was ill, and she was angry that he wasn’t honest with her about it from the beginning.

The door opened to the tiny room in the emergency ward and Doctor Michaels came in, followed closely by the newlyweds. The space wasn’t intended for more than two people to occupy it at once, but somehow all five of them managed to crowd in there. This was a moment the physician had been dreading ever since he first gave Andrew the diagnosis several months ago. Now he had to tell the rest of the family. He only wanted to have to say it once, which was why he brought Emily and Nick in to be present as he discussed the details. He gave Andrew what he hoped was a reassuring glance, and asked the couple to squeeze in next