Life Changer
Book Two from the series Forever Friends
Novel by
Karleen Staible
Copyright © 2018 Karleen Staible
www.kssnovels.com
www.facebook.com/KSSNovels
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-1720702368
ISBN-10: 1720702365
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my friends and family who have encouraged me to pursue a writing career. Especially my mother and sister, who faithfully read all my work even in its roughest state. And a big thanks to my two friends Jeanne and Claire. They both pushed me, back in 2010, to start writing and encouraged me to finish my first book.
Then I found Margaret Diehl. She not only made corrections, but mentored me to open my mind to make the books much stronger and easier to read.
Of course, I couldn’t have accomplished my mission without the understanding of my husband and his tolerance when I go into “project mode.” He lovingly supports all that I do.
Chapter 1—New Haven, Massachusetts
New Haven was a small community due west of The Commons in the center of Boston. The area was hilly, with a few houses settled in the lush green hills, and plenty of trees for shade. The streets were narrow and winding, going to dead ends; you had to go a long way back to get out. Most of the large plots of land had been owned by the same family for decades, handed down from generation to generation.
As Boston’s population grew, more and more people were looking for new places to live. One of the landowners divided his land into smaller plots, and new houses popped up on the hillside. It was such a great success, more landowners sold their land to the developer, Samuel Streeter. The small community began to rapidly grow. Samuel worked with the local government officials to design a town center with shops, a large grocery store, and a park. The streets were quaint with lots of trees and flower boxes. The two anchor businesses were a hotel with a restaurant/bar and a medical center. The New Haven Boulevard circle drive brought the people into the town center, driving past the hospital, hotel, and into the shopping area.
New Haven Medical Center was at first a small, fully equipped hospital with emergency and a medical office building attached. The hospital was set up to be owned by the employees, and the board’s big plan was to establish a renowned neurological center for surgery, research, and rehabilitation.
Deborah (Debbie) Lee Pierce grew up with her mother outside of Boston, in Somerville. She had three older brothers who lived in Cambridge with her dad, a charming and successful IT businessman. Her mother and father had a nasty split when Debbie was seven. The divorce turned her world upside down. She hated seeing her mother always criticized by her dad for not being beautiful enough. He constantly told Debbie that with her looks, no man would ever want her for his wife. She knew she wasn’t as attractive as her dad and brothers—probably never would be. Her dad’s words were harsh and hurtful. But she thought her thick, honey-colored hair and brown eyes were pretty, and her hands were strong with nice-shaped nails. She could find other parts of herself that she approved of but never the whole package.
After the split, she occasionally saw her brothers when they came to visit their mother, but she never saw her dad—her decision.
As time went on, she grew bigger with broad, wide shoulders and hefty, strong thighs. The boys at school constantly teased her about her husky build. The football players told her she should be a fullback on the team. She learned to shut out the cruel words. The remarks from her father rang truer; she knew she was ugly.
The older she got, the less she wanted to be around boys, and due to her shyness, she didn’t communicate well with girls either—she had no friends.
She and her mother lived a slow-paced life in Somerville, rarely going into Boston. With her strong, athletic build, she did well on her school volleyball and hockey teams, after her advisor at school suggested she try team sports. Debbie enjoyed the competition, the challenges, and the feeling when they were victorious. There were a couple of girls on the team who were known to be gay. Both tried to win Debbie’s affection, but Debbie quickly turned them away—she was not gay. In fact, she decided, she didn’t like either boys or girls. She just wanted to be left alone.
Life would be easier without a partner to make demands, hurt her, complicate her choices.
Her grades were good, good enough that the high school counselor suggested she try to get college scholarships. She assumed Debbie wouldn’t be able to attend without financial assistance.
Her sophomore year in high school, Debbie dislocated her elbow, a painful and disabling injury. When she was taken to a sports medical center by her coach, Debbie was fascinated with the doctors, therapists, and equipment—that combination of precision, expertise, and compassion—and decided right then she wanted to be an occupational therapist.
With a scholastic scholarship, Debbie graduated from Boston College with: Nursing Degree (CNS); Master’s Degree, Neuroscience/Neurosurgical Nurse.
By the time she got to college, she knew she felt no sexual attraction to men, so she started experimenting with same-sex relationships. At first, she felt awkward and didn’t know how to read her feelings. Most of her encounters lasted only a date or two, ending when the other woman saw how uncertain Debbie was about her own sexuality. Then she met Micky—Michelle. Micky was a tall, outgoing blonde with a strong jaw and infectious smile. She was a couple of years older, and when Debbie needed some help with medical terms for her exams, Micky offered to help. One night after studying, the two women sat and talked until after two o’clock. Micky
