Complications

Chapter 1

Annie Sullivan sat at her usual table at her mothers restaurant, Sullivan's, as she ate the last of her breakfast. She opened the local newspaper to the sports section unconsciously scanning for any news surrounding major league player Tyler Townsend. Even three years after their disastrous split, it was a habit she couldn't seem to break. Couldn't, or didn't want to, Annie wasn't sure.

She could almost always count on some nugget of information on Ty- a glowing surmisation of his last game, updated pitching stats, his current stop on the road to a national title. Peggy, Serenity's resident newspaper editor, always had something to publish when it came to Ty, and the town couldn't seem to get enough. He was Serenity's very own hometown boy turned celebrity baseball star and they were proud to call him their own. Peggy had been careful to avoid any details outside of anything strictly baseball out of respect for Annie. Well, out of respect for Annie and fear of Dana Sue, that is. Annie's mother had stormed into Peggy's office with more than a few choice words after Peggy had published a series of nonstop stories covering Ty's infidelity, the unplanned pregnancy and the highly publicized custody battle for his son. Annie had barely survived the media storm that followed after everything had come to light.

Serenity's own, Ty Townsend, got groupie pregnant and hid it from the world.

Townsend's baby mama comes forward: Meet Dee-Dee Mitchell.

Townsend had "No Idea" he had a son.

Dee-Dee Mitchell gives exclusive statement on "secret relationship" with Townsend.

Townsend fights for custody of infant son.

Full custody of son awarded to The Braves' Tyler Townsend.

Mitchell speaks on giving up baby.

And worst of all:

FOUND: Townsend's hometown sweetheart and long term girlfriend! Blindsided and broken-hearted by discovery of Baby Townsend, who is Annie Sullivan?

Although she had been in her last year of college when the news broke, everyone in town had the decency not to discuss it in front of Annie when she came home to visit and eventually moved back to work at The Corner Spa.

She kept hoping that one of these days she wouldn't feel the need to check up on him, or when she did see his name in print, it wouldn't hurt. So far, though, neither had happened. Undoubtedly, the pain lessened as time went on and Annie started moving on, but the dull ache in her heart remained to some degree.

Seeing as it was only mid-April and the season had just started, she wasn't expecting much. Instead, her jaw dropped at the headline at the top of the page: Star Braves Pitcher Ty Townsend on Injured Reserve. The article went on to report that after pitching just three games, the baseball sensation from Serenity would be out indefinitely following surgery two weeks ago for a potentially career-ending injury to his shoulder. He'd be doing rehab, possibly for months. Annie read on assuming to find that he would be doing rehab in Atlanta with the team doctors, but she found something entirely different instead.

Yes, he would be attending rehab, and he'd be doing it right here in town.

He was, in fact, already here. He arrived last week.

Annie sat in breathless shock for a moment before the anger began to set in. He's been here for a week. If Ty was back in town, there's no doubt he would be staying with his mother Maddie and her husband Cal. And if Maddie knew he was home, there wasn't a doubt in Annie's mind that her mother knew, too.

Annie clenched the paper in her fist and barreled through the doors to the restaurant kitchen, only to be intercepted by Sullivan's sous-chef Erik Whitney.
Taken aback by her demeanor, Erik stopped her before she had the chance to dash right past him.