I don't own anything.

A/N: Alright here's my new story. I hope you all like it.

Chapter One

Four years ago…

The low hum of the choir did little to change Taylor's feelings about her husband's death. No matter how much the preacher shouted out that Louis was in a better place, it didn't change her feelings on anything. She sat silently in the pew her eyes staring at the picture above his casket. It was one of the last pictures that Louis had taken before that faithful day when he was shot down in cold blood after protecting her from a group thugs that wanted to hurt her. Nearly two years ago she had met Louis after suffering one of the worst heart-aches she had ever experienced in her life. Louis had been the only man who could break through the wall she had constructed around her heart. He had been the only man who taught her it was okay to love again, and now he was gone. Shaking her head she trailed her left hand along her belly and glanced down at the small diamond ring that shone from her finger. Her protruding belly and ring finger were the only signs left of their love. As the preacher continued to talk, she wondered what she would tell their child. She wondered if she could even raise their child by herself. She looked up as the song ended and stood up along with her in-laws. As the preacher bowed his head and prayed for her husband's spirit she quickly added a small pray of her own, and that was that she would be able to raise their child to the best of her abilities, and that her Louis would be there to guide her and help make the right decisions.

Now…

The music was loud; however it had to be so it could be hear over the loud cheers and shouts of his teammates. Troy sat on the side of his jacuzzi looking over the ample bodies of the groupies that he had allowed to come back to his place after the playoff game that he and his team had just finished having. One girl swam over to him and stood up between his legs and smiled down at him. "Troy…why are you sitting over here, don't you want to get in." she said as she bent down and kissed his cheek, Troy smiled at the gesture but made no move to get in. She bent her head slightly and pouted at him "Come on…I'll make it worth you're while." Shaking his head he smiled at her and just chuckled.

"No, that's okay…I don't like to swim that much." He murmured as he stood up. As he walked away he heard the other girls in the jacuzzi, shouting at the girl that she had drove him away. Walking over to the pool side bar he sat down and grabbed a beer from the bartender.

"Man, no one knows how to throw a victory party better than you, Troy." A voice said from behind him, turning around on the stool Troy looked at his best friend Samuel Dawkins. Troy reached out and gave the large African American man dap and then took a sip of his beer.

"Thanks man…I just hope that we murder the Warriors next alright I want to get to the big stage this year." Samuel nodded his head and just laughed as his eyes followed the backside of a girl that just walked by.

"I know what you mean…hey you think coach is gonna be mad that you threw a party in the middle of a playoff run."

"Does it look like I care?" Troy said with a shake of his head. "Besides I am feeling a little stressed out a one point win isn't good for my nerves man, believe me." He said with a shake of his head.

"So you planning on getting some tail tonight."

"Shit man, what you think they are in my house." He said spreading his arms wide while motioning to the large mansion they were currently in. Samuel just shook his head and picked up a beer from the bartender and sipped it.

"I feel you…but you know I gotta get out of here. As you saw earlier my eyes are already starting to wander and I don't cheat on my wife." Troy nodded his head and sighed.

"I know, you must really love her man."

"I do…and that's why I can't stay man." Troy just nodded his head and hopped off the stool while looking Samuel up and down for a moment. "What." He asked as he sat his bottle down. Troy just shrugged and smiled.

"Nothing man…I was just trying to figure out when you became so straight laced. I mean back when we entered the league me and you used to give these groupies a run for the hills man, and now you're all married and you can't even hang with ya boy no more."

"I know and that's because I love my wife alright." Samuel said firmly. "I mean come on I know you've been in love before right." Troy paused at his question and then slowly shook his head as he took sip from his beer.

"Naw, man I've never been in love."

"Well then man I feel for you alright…look I gotta go see you tomorrow unless you have a hang over." Troy nodded now deep in thought as Samuel left. Troy sat down on the stool and dropped his head down into his arm. He sat there silently for a few minutes letting Samuel words go through his mind. With a sigh he pushed away from the bar, and headed over to the makeshift dance floor that was his patio. He pulled a girl up from a nearby table and starting dancing with her trying his best to push away the memories that were now plaguing his mind.

As the party calmed down, Troy found himself getting drunker and drunker as he sipped on beer after beer. All the groupies were gone now and the people he had hired for the night were cleaning up. Standing up on wobbly legs he walked over to two guys that were playing basketball on his outdoor court. "Yo, Troy you alright." One called out as they looked him, barely able to nod his head Troy continued to watch them leaning against the fence.

"I think it's time you guys left you." He slurred as he looked at them. Both men stepped back and looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Sure man we can leave you don't have to be so cold about." The taller one said, Troy just nodded his head and watched as they left. Once they were gone, Troy wandered inside his house with the bartender promising to lock up for him. Troy entered his bedroom and stood there for a moment as a voice came to head breaking his drunken stupor. "I thought you loved me, Troy…I thought we wanted to be together…and now after this, well I don't know if I can be with you ever. I love you so much, but you hurt me…you hurt me and I don't think I can ever get over that." Troy shook his head as the words came to his mind, with a groan he walked over to his bed and laid down determine to forget those memories at least for tonight.

The next morning…

Across town in a small London townhouse, Taylor groaned as her alarm clock went off for the third time. Reaching out blindly she slapped the snooze button again and rolled out of bed. Glancing at the time she realized that she had overslept a bit, Taylor quickly headed into the bathroom where she washed up and then headed downstairs in her pajamas and robe. As she entered the living room a small voice greeted her. "Hiya momma." She smiled and looked towards the sofa where her three year old daughter Joy was quietly sitting watching her Saturday morning cartoons.

"Hey sweetie, when did you wake up." She said as she walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"When the big hand was on the six."

"Oh my goodness…you woke up at six o'clock." She exclaimed playfully as she looked at her daughter. "I bet the sun wasn't even out yet was it." Joy looked up at her mother and shook her head.

"No it wasn't…It wasn't up at all. But I'm a big girl so the dark didn't scare me." She stated proudly. Taylor smiled at her daughter and kissed her forehead trying her best not to cry over the fact that for a moment she could almost see Louis in her daughter's face. Standing up Taylor stretched and looked towards the kitchen.

"Well mommy is going to cook breakfast what do you want to eat."

"Pancakes." Joy exclaimed in excitement, Taylor smiled and nodded her head.

"Pancakes it is then." She said as she headed out of the room, leaving her daughter to enjoy the rest of her Saturday morning cartoons. As she entered the kitchen her phone rang reaching out she picked it up and tucked it between her neck and shoulder. "Hello."

"Taylor hi it's me Carlos Ramos." Carlos was one of Taylor's coworkers down at Sacramento General, pulling out some pans from the cabinet she answered.

"Hey Carlos…you do know that it's my day off."

"I know I was just calling in and checking on you and Joy." He said with a chuckle, Taylor just smiled and shook her head.

"We're fine…and you know you should be sleeping especially if this is your break time." She stated knowingly, Carlos chuckled and shook his head.

"You know Julian said it was bad if you knew all my habits…but you know I can't sleep especially when I'm supposed to be on duty. What if I'm sleeping away and they need my help on a surgery."

"What if you don't get your sleep and you go to a surgery and mess up. You know the hospital doesn't like malpractice suits."

"You're right." He admitted with a sigh. "But you know me I just wanted to call and check up on you that's all." Taylor didn't say anything at first because she was to busy setting everything up.

"That's fine…you know I like talking to my friends…so how is Julian?"

"He's fine…but you know him and Denise are having problems especially since he is working such long hours. Did you know he was thinking about making his own hours, cause you know he loves Denise to death, he doesn't want their marriage to fail."

"Neither do I they're such a lovely couple." Taylor admitted. "So he's going to cut his hours."

"Yeah, just for scheduled surgeries only…you know the hospital will bend over backwards to keep him." Carlos said with a chuckle. "I mean besides myself Julian is the best surgeon they have."

"Don't we know it."

"So any new cases."

"None right now I'm doing administrative work until the next case comes, cause everyone else has a case."

"Well you know Julian and I like for you to work on our cases cause you're the best rehabilitation nurse that Sacramento General has, Tay. You have a very high success rate, and everyone knows it."

"Thanks…now you know I need to let you go so you can get the sleep you need." She said with a giggle. "I swear you fight sleep harder than my three year old daughter." Carlos chuckled at her words and sighed.

"You're probably right and I don't deny it one bit." He said through his laughter. "I'll see you on Monday right."

"I'll be there unless something happens this weekend but I hope nothing does, you know I like to spend my time with Joy."

"I do…I'll see you later, I'm going to get my nap in before I have to go back on shift." He said as he hung up, Taylor hung up and started cooking breakfast for herself and her daughter with a smile on her face she could already tell that this was going to be a good weekend.

Troy groaned as he walked into the Sacramento Kings workout an hour late, as soon as he entered the gym his coach came over to him. "Where the hell have you been, Bolton?" he yelled out as he looked up at the taller man. Troy yawned and waved his hand dismissively at his coach and shrugged his shoulders.

"I was on my way here."

"Oh really then why are you late, huh. You know what Troy I'm starting to think that this team and this organization isn't important enough to you." Troy rolled his eyes and looked at the older man.

"Last time I checked I was a grown man…who cares if I showed up an hour late for practice, what's going to happen. You and I both know there's no way we can lose the game so why don't you calm down. Geez, man you act like you've never won anything before in your life." The coach looked at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"That's it, Troy. I am tired of your attitude. I know you don't like to hear this but you aren't all that. In fact I'm going to bench you for tomorrow's game. I have to show you that there will be no disrespect on this team. Not towards me, the staff, and the rest of the team."

"Man you can't bench me…I'm the number one rated player in the league. Everyone and their mother will call you stupid if you show up at that game and you don't play me."

"Well then I guess you better cheer on your teammates, now dress out and start practicing." Troy chuckled and shook his head at his words. Looking over at his coach he narrowed his eyes.

"Man I don't get paid to sit on the bench during the playoffs."

"You'll do what I say." He shouted as he looked Troy. "You come in here like some stuck up movie star, and then you go off and just start talking all your trash and you expect me not to punish you. You're lucky I just said I was benching you for one game, cause everyone knows I should have done it more often and if I had maybe your attitude here would be much better."

"If you bench me I'm leaving out of here right now, and you can go out there and try to win without me." The coach looked at him and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked Troy right in the eye and smirked.

"You're benched, Troy. So you might as well-." Troy stepped back and headed towards the door.

"Forget this then man…I don't have to be here if I'm not going to play tomorrow." Troy shouted out angrily as he headed outside, the coach sighed and looked back at the rest of the players who had stopped to watch the exchange he made eye contact with Samuel who nodded and took off after his friend. Samuel rushed outside and called out Troy's name.

"Troy! Man why you leaving man, you know the coach is probably just going to bench you for the first quarter…he knows he needs you."

"He must not know it well man…look I'm leaving alright I don't have time for this." Samuel looked at him as he got into his jag, running over to the driver side down and looked inside at him.

"Come on man just calm down and come back inside." Samuel pleaded his best friend; Troy shook his head and looked at him.

"I gotta go man…I hope you guys win your game." Samuel stepped back as Troy pulled off and sped out of the practice gym's parking lot. Samuel sighed and placed his hands on his hips while dropping his head in defeat. Looking back at the road, he watched as Troy turned onto the main street and drove into the distance. With a sigh, he headed back inside to tell the group that Troy wasn't going to come back, at least for today.

He couldn't believe the nerve of his coach. After all he had done for his career, and the damn organization the asshole had the audacity to try and bench him during the biggest playoff series in his professional career. Troy leaned back in his car seat and rubbed a free hand over his chin. While still thinking about the betrayal he had just experienced. He was so engaged in his thoughts that he didn't see the two men sneaking up on the driver's side of his car. When he did realize someone was there his window had been smashed opened by the butt of a gun. He jumped back throwing up an arm to shield his face from the glass, however he didn't move fast enough as he scream out in pain as a piece of glass cut the side of his face. "Get out of the car, punk!" said one of the men as they reached out to grab Troy by his collar, getting out of the car Troy reacted quickly and hit the man in the gut. As the man bent over at the waist, Troy quickly swung again knocking the man onto his back. Focusing all his attention on the man in front of him, he forgot about the other man that was until he was smacked in the back of the head with the butt of the gun that the other man was holding. Troy fell to his knees as his vision blurred and then everything went dark.

A/N: Alright that's the first chapter of Broken…did you all like it. Should I continue? Please review and tell me.