Racing Hearts

Chapter 2

When Sarah Reese had first met Connor Rhodes she felt as any med student would. He'd walked passed her and she would swoon. Never in a million years would she have predicted just how her life would have turned out.

As she laid in bed, her rambunctious trio next to her, she thought of just how lucky she'd been.

God, how had she come to be an awkward 20 year old to being married to the main cardiovascular surgeon in Chicago? Most importantly, how had she managed to have 3 toddlers and still be sane enough to function at work?

Mostly she owed it to Amy, her nanny. The girl was working two jobs and still managed to pick up the boys from daycare and spend the afternoon with them and Connor of course, who even though had spent 9 hours standing up in the OR, would get up in the middle of the night so she wouldn't have to.

That was her support system, but today Sarah had told Amy she would stay home so she didn't have to come over.

Yet, in the midst of having her boys and taking a day off, she did feel alone, wishing she had the courage to admit to Connor she wasn't really okay with Robert wanting a relationship with her. How could she? The man had walked away from her, of course, the divorce had been horrible and her mother had made her best, or tried to make her best effort to shield Sarah from all but she didn't understand how Robert had not had the guts to come and find her later on.

And then there was Connor, who had his share of family drama to deal with but was a very present father in his children's life. Nothing like the man who had mildly raised him.

Just as on cue, her phone buzzed and Connor's face appeared on the screen. "Hey, how'd surgery go?"

"Good, the little boy is in post op." He told her. "How are you?"

"I'm good, although this bed feels too big." She could picture his smile on the other line.

"I miss you too babe." He said. "I don't have a lot to do left so I'm just going to finish off some charts and I'll head home okay?"

"You don't have to do that. Isn't Ava going to take every opportunity to put you down?"

"Nah, she can be Dr. Latham's fellow for a little while. I don't mind."

"Connor, I know you, you do mind." She told him as she watched the boys with their bottles.

"Okay maybe only a little." He admitted shyly. "But still..."

"See? Finish your shift, I'll be fine." She said. "Really."

Connor sighed. "How are the boys?" He better change the subject to something more of a meeting ground before she would get even more defensive.

"Right now, we're through our third Lion Guard episode so it's off to a good start." He laughed. She loved to hear him laugh. "Here, I'll put you on speaker." Connor braced himself for the loudness of three toddlers. "Hey boys, it's daddy...You want to say hi?" It took them a minute to register her words, Connor thought because that show would just keep them occupied for hours at a time.

"Daddy!" One, two and three excited little voices began babbling to the best of their abilities. Connor's eyes lighted up at the bickering on the other line and Sarah trying to rescue her phone.

"Okay, I'm back... sorry." Sarah said exhaustedly. "So, yeah why in the world did we have 3 of these?"

"Get some rest Dr. Reese, I'll see you later. Love you." He laughed.

"Yeah, now that you railed them up on me." She huffed. "You better be here to put them to bed Connor Rhodes..."

"Of course I will..." He told her. "I always am, right?"