I am glad that everyone seemed to enjoy the new story. If it wasn't clear Steve's life is playing on the movie screen, a version of his life flashing in front of his eyes. Don't worry some familiar faces will appear in the next couple of chapters.

Happy reading

Present time

Opening his eyes Steve looked around trying to focus his blurry vision. Taking a deep gulp of air he managed to roll over so that he was not breathing in grimy water. As his muscles contracted in pain he fought to stay awake, to call out for help. Unable to do either he slid back into the darkness.

1982

Steve glanced up from his books as a girl walked past him attempting to carry an oversized armload of books. He watched as she almost toppled backwards from the weight.

"Here let me get those for you." He said easing some of her burden.

She smiled in relief. Steve stared in wonder, feeling as if the sun had just come out on a bleak day.

"My name's Steve." He said introducing himself once his tongue had become unglued.

"Laura." She responded placing the books she still carried on the desk.

"Equine medicine." He read as he set down his stack of books. "Are you studying to be a vet?"

She shook her head. "I don't go to school here. My family breeds horses and I brought a bunch here for the Santa Anita racing season." She laughed as she looked at the huge stack of books. "In my spare time I try to read up on the business. Sometimes I go a little overboard."

Steve laughed along with her. "So where are you from?"

"Kentucky." She answered sitting down next to his workstation.

"What are you reading?" She asked taking a glimpse at the books he had spread out.

"Term paper." He groaned as he looked down at the books himself. "I have dual majors in business and economics." He admitted.

Raising her eyes she took in his broad shoulders and muscular arms. "Somehow you don't fit the appearance of someone that is a math nerd."

He shrugged embarrassed. "I like to work out a lot. Plus I don't know if I want to do this for a career."

"What else would you do?" She asked looking at him through her big blue eyes.

Steve looked around guilty. "Don't tell anyone, but I've been wrestling with friends on the weekends and I'm really enjoying it." He whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" She asked amused.

Steve rolled his shoulders as if relieving tension. "I just think a lot of people would disapprove of me doing something like that after racing through college for two degrees."

"But if wrestling makes you happy you need to do it." Laura reassured him, bestowing her with one of her beautiful smiles.

Steve smiled at her in return. "Now I know I like you." He looked at his watch. "I've got a class I need to get to. Are you going to be in town long?" He asked.

"For a couple of months. I'm thinking about setting up a small stable in town since we race here so much."

"In that case can I take you out to dinner this week?" He asked nervously watching the books he gathered instead of her.

Laura blushed. "I would like that."

1983

Steve stood at the end of the church dressed in a tuxedo. Nervously he looked down the aisle waiting for his beautiful bride to appear. Besides him stood his friends and cohorts in wrestling.

Soft lyrical music began playing. Steve felt a clenching in his gut as the doors opened and the first bridesmaid began the short walk. Once the three brightly gowned ladies had taken their positions the traditional wedding march began. Steve's breath caught in his throat at the sight of his soon to be wife.

A vision in white, her dark hair piled on top of her head she glided down the aisle as if she was floating. Coming to a stop beside the preacher she turned to her future husband with love shining in her eyes. The preacher began his marriage prayer.

"Dearly beloved….." Steve did not hear the rest of the words, his mind occupied on the vision before him.

His mind snapped back at the preacher's nudge. "The couple has prepared their own marriage vows." Steve took his cue. Grabbing her hands he looked deep into her eyes.

"Laura, from the first time I met you I was given friendship, loyalty and acceptance. Your acceptance most of all. You have encouraged me to follow my dreams, even though I've had to leave for periods at a time. I promise to always love you and to show you that love. I promise to protect you form anything that might hurt you. I promise to respect you no matter your choices. I am yours, forever and beyond. I love you, I cherish you.

Blinking back tears she started.

"Steve from the very beginning you have made me feel special. You lift me up when I can't reach. You hold me close when I'm frightened. You have always been there when I've needed you. I promise to love you and to show you that love. I promise to protect you and to respect you no matter your choices. I am yours, forever and beyond. I love you, I cherish you."

Dimly from far off Steve heard the words of the preacher. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

1984

Steve walked into his hotel room. His body ached and his left arm felt stiff. Sighing he flopped down on the hard and probably filthy bed the cheap hotel provided. Faintly he heard the ring of his cell phone, located in his bag across the room. Groaning he heaved his bruised body off the bed and attempted to navigate the small but crowded room. Cursing as he banged his knee on the dresser he retrieved his phone, noticing the number was from home.

"Hello?" He spoke into the phone, expecting the sweet voice of his wife.

"Steve" A worried male voice replied.

"Jim?" Steve asked identifying the stable foreman. "What's wrong?" He questioned worriedly, knowing something must be wrong if the usually stoic man was calling.

"Laura's sick. We had to rush her to the hospital."

"Why? What happened?" Steve asked feeling his heart seize. Pulse racing he got up to pace.

"I don't know." Jim confessed, his voice agonized. "She just doubled over, turned dead white and passed out. When the ambulance got here they said she barely had a blood pressure. The doctor's in with her now."

Steve looked frantically around the dingy hotel room. "I can be there in two hours. Tell her to hold on." He shouted into the phone. Grabbing his bag he rushed next door to alert his travel companions of his plans. Assured that they would fill the rest of the company in he spent the next two minutes searching for his keys.

"Damn" he cursed pulling them out of a hidden pocket and unlocking his car. Not taking the time to watch for traffic he peeled out of the parking lot, heading for the interstate.

One hour and fifty minutes later Steve pulled into the front entrance of the local hospital. Leaving his car running he ran into the revolving doors at full speed.

Coming to a stop at an intersection he looked wildly around unsure which way to go.

"Steve." A voice came from behind him. He whirled around to find the stable foreman behind him.

Jim held up his hand before the other man could pounce. "She's in surgery." He said looking years older than he really was.

"What the hell is wrong?" Steve demanded.

Jim rubbed his hands over his face. "They wouldn't tell me much except that she was bleeding inside and they had to stop it."

"Is she going to be okay?" The younger man asked in a tortured voice.

The foreman shrugged. "The doctor seemed optimistic."

"Who is it?"

"Dr. Pierson." Jim supplied leading him to the surgical waiting room.

"I don't know him." Steve informed him worriedly.

"I'm not surprised." The other man said drolly. "He's an OB doctor."

Steve stopped in his tracks. "OB?" he croaked.

The foreman held up his hands. "I don't know anything about it."

Minutes passed in the crowded waiting room. With every tick of the clock the fear curling in his belly became stronger causing cramping like pain.

"I can't stand this." He groaned getting up to pace.

Twenty minutes later the door to the OR opened and a tall distinguished doctor dressed in fresh scrubs stepped out. The doctor had a happy expression on his face and Steve felt his heart jump in hope.

"Peterson family." The young aid called.

Steve's shoulders slumped as he watched the relieved family jump up. "How much longer can they be in there?" He groaned. Jim squeezed him on the shoulder in silent sympathy.

"The longer they're in there the more that can go wrong." He grumbled hitting the arm of the chair with his fist.

"Mr. Borden?" A voice spoke up from behind him. Steve whirled around in surprise.

The female doctor looked up at the large man in front of him. "Hello, I am Dr. Pierson." She introduced herself.

"Laura." Steve demanded as he took in her wrinkled and sweat stained scrubs.

"She's doing okay." The petite lady assured him. "If you will come this way I will help you understand what happened." She said leading him into a small private room.

Once they were settled she looked him in the eyes. "I am going to assume that you didn't know that your wife was pregnant."

Steve stared at her in shock. "No I didn't know." He whispered.

She smiled softly. "That's normal. She wasn't very far along yet and might not have even known herself."

"So what went wrong?" Jim asked when Steve remained silent.

Not taking her eyes off of the tortured husband she answered the other man. "Sometimes the fertilized egg does not descend all the way to the uterus. It becomes lodged in the fallopian tube. As it grows the tube stretches until it can not stretch anymore and pops."

"So you're saying her tube exploded?" Steve asked in confusion.

"Yes, which caused internal bleeding. In order to stop the bleeding we had to surgically remove the tube." The doctor answered.

"So she's okay? Everything's good?"

The doctor hesitated before answering. "The point of eruption was very low and caused some damage to her uterus. We were forced to remove it." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry but she will never be able to have children."

"Have you told her yet?" Steve whispered in an anguished voice.

"No, but when she is told she will have to need a lot of support." The doctor instructed.

"Don't worry, she'll be okay. We both will." Steve said closing his eyes.

Three months later.

Steve walked outside to find his wife staring out over the ocean. He was concerned to see tears running down her face.

"Sweet heart what's wrong?" He asked folding her into his arms. "You're not crying about not having children are you?"

She shook her head. "Charlotte and her husband are dead, drive by shooting." She cried turning her face into his chest.

He frowned in concentration. "Isn't she your childhood friend? The one that moved to Boston?" He asked as he rubbed her back.

She nodded as she began to cry harder.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry."

"John." She whimpered.

"What?" He asked drawing back.

"John, their five year old son. He must be devastated." She supplied.

"Wasn't he our ring bearer? The one that just about destroyed our cake?" Steve asked dryly.

"I'm his godmother and now his guardian." She answered holding up some papers.