In general, Preston was the first child of Hank and Judy Cole. Born in a small town in New Mexico. His child hood through age 6 was pretty standard. His father was a local small town doctor while his mom taught elementary classes in the small K thru 12 school. At about 6, is the time that his mother gives birth to his sister Caroline. She is normal until about age 5, making Preston about 11, when she dies. This sends his father into a spiraling down slide. He becomes distant, drinks, and blames himself for the death of his daughter, while Preston can't find anyway to interact with him in a normal manner. Preston mistakenly takes his fathers actions and outbursts as his father blaming him for the death of Caroline. At puberty, Preston rebels and begins to get into some trouble and his father leaves them. Preston now believes he is the reason for his father leaving too. His mother, a strong woman, nurtures Preston but he still feels a lot of guilt and responsibility for the situation that he finds himself in.

At 17, his girlfriend (Stacy) passes out at a party in the driveway. Some other party-goer accidental backs over her. While waiting for an ambulance, Preston feels the weight of inaction, he can't do anything to help her. He momentarily begins to blame himself once again... He should have been with her, watching out for her, but he wasn't. He stays with her in the time to come. It takes almost a year of excruciating physical therapy to get her back on her feet. The entire time he is helping Stacy and going to school too. Finally graduation rolls around and Stacy's maiden voyage is walking across the stage. Preston is hystatic, but realizes he must do something... he feels he must help others like he helped Stacy and failed to help Caroline. He don't know how to explain his calling to Stacy, so one day he just up and leaves for college.

He puts himself through college as a RN working odd jobs and such. His mother is at graduation, and to his surprise so is his father. Walking off the stage his mother is so proud and congratulatory, then his father walks up... drunk, "A nurse! Bah, nursing is for women folk! Real men practice medicine, not cleaning bed pans! Never did think you would amount to a hill o' beans!"
Preston Cole