Prologue

Weddings are milestones. They come in all different shapes, colors, and sizes. Some are serious while others are ridiculous. Most are the happiest of occasions, while others can be sad or even tragic. Good, bad, or ugly—weddings are memorable.

Linc’s wedding was, most definitely, unforgettable. It was the single, common event that would tie four specific lives together in a most memorable fashion.

Lincoln Addington was a genius. At 28 years old, he had Ph.D.’s in Mathematics (which he received when he was 19), Computer Science, and he just finished a third in Biomedical Engineering. His dream was to combine these disciplines to create advanced computer modeling programs for medical diagnosis and research. He wanted to make a difference in this world.

Linc had some characteristics often seen in those blessed with an IQ that’s ‘off-the-chart.’ He was painfully shy and awkward in social encounters. And if there was a female of the species nearby, he was a basket case. Linc was not strikingly handsome, but not bad looking either. He was 6’3” tall and had a slender frame, so he had suffered nicknames like “String-Bean” or “Stick.” His thick, nearly black hair was always poorly trimmed and looked uncombed—almost in a constant state of “bed-head.” And someone needed to help him decide to shave. The sparse facial hair he seemed to cherish distracted from his appearance, almost giving him a homeless look.

Throughout his school years, Linc kept being advanced by skipping grades so he was always surrounded by much older kids. The result? He was often bullied. When he was 11 years old, his family had him learn martial arts so he could protect himself. Several notable encounters with unfortunate bullies made him a hero to his fellow geeks, and he became their unofficial leader. While learning his new defense skills, he also developed a strong frame. So even though he looked and acted like a weakling, he was anything but.