Chapter 2 #3
It was such a simple stretch, but it pulled at muscles she'd used very little over the past two months.
Everything the good-looking therapist with killer eyelashes had asked her to do so far—pelvic tilts, clamshells, using a pulley to lift her injured arm—had been easy.
Well, they used to be before her accident.
Now, even the slightest activity exhausted her.
"Breathe in when you come upright, then slowly let out all the air as you sink into the stretch. Just until it becomes uncomfortable. The point is not to cause more pain.” He stood nearby, making Paige self-conscious of her every move.
She was the only patient in the whole office, so she had his undivided attention. Even Luke had his head down in what looked like a large textbook.
Dr. Rivera—Just Gabe, Paige corrected herself—was a lot better looking than Agnes, the full-figured, middle-aged therapist she'd worked with at the rehab center.
Paige had repeatedly found herself distracted by the three long hairs sticking out of the mole on Agnes' chin.
Now, she found herself jealous of her therapist's eyelashes.
It should be illegal for men to have eyelashes that thick and long.
She couldn't believe how young Dr. Rivera was. He was probably older than he looked, which was late twenties, but he sure didn’t look it.
He also had a great sense of style. His charcoal gray slacks hugged his trim waist and muscular thighs in an attractive way.
And his light blue button-down shirt not only accentuated the muscles in his broad shoulders, it also provided a striking contrast to his dark hair.
His Star Wars socks sporting Yoda's face stood out from the business casual ensemble.
She couldn't help letting her gaze drift to his left hand. No ring.
Is he single? Or is he one of those men who doesn't bother to wear a ring?
Her thoughts turned to Phillip. Did he wear a ring now that he was married? Or did he have another woman on the side already?
Nope. Not going there.
She forced thoughts of Phillip from her mind.
When she finished her stretches with the yoga ball, Gabe guided her to a stationary bike. "Have you ridden a recumbent bike since your accident?"
"Yes, in the rehab center, but not until the last two weeks."
"How did it feel?"
"Painful. My muscles loosened up after a bit and it wasn't so bad, but I was sore and achy afterward."
"That's understandable, considering the kind of hardware you're sporting now and how much down time you've had.
" He motioned for her to start pedaling.
"Our bodies are meant to move, so when we restrict movement after injuries, it shuts down to an extent to protect itself from further damage.
" Gabe pressed buttons on the bike's console.
"It's time to wake your body up and remind it what it's supposed to be doing.
" He watched her pedal for a moment. "Nice and easy. Go as fast or as slow as you’re comfortable with. "
She relaxed a little when he walked away to talk to Luke.
She did her best to distract her mind from the uncomfortable twinges in her back by letting her eyes roam the room, noticing the inspirational quotes hanging on the walls.
She read the one closest to her. All things are difficult before they are easy.
Boy, isn't that the truth.
Until two months ago, life had never been truly difficult for Paige. But since waking up in the hospital, she had faced both physical and emotional challenges that often felt insurmountable.
She'd quickly decided being confined to a bed for weeks was a special kind of torture. Especially when she still experienced nerve pain, despite the narcotics they gave her. Drugs that did little to soothe the ache in her heart or keep her from thinking about Phillip's duplicity.
She took only over-the-counter pain relievers now, and her pain had settled into a dull ache, both in her heart and body, but no way would she open herself up to that kind of pain again.
It wasn’t worth it. She’d be the best aunt ever and spoil her nieces and nephew rotten, but she'd resigned herself to a life of being single.
When her five minutes on the bike were up, Paige was ready for a nap. However, Gabe motioned for her to follow him to another piece of equipment with a slanted, padded board, and Paige wanted to cry.
He stayed close as she crossed the room with the help of her crutches. Tension hunched his shoulders as though prepared to catch her again at any moment.
Warmth crept up her cheeks. She couldn't believe she caught her crutch on a stupid chair and practically threw herself at him.
The warmth grew to full-on heat at the memory of him having to ask her to let go of his shirt and the way she'd patted his chest before removing her hand.
The surprising sense of security she'd felt in his arms made her reluctant to let go.
Just Gabe is every bit as strong as he looks.
"Did they ever put you on a Total Gym in the rehabilitation center?"
"What?" Paige pulled her thoughts from the firmness of his chest.
"The Total Gym." He motioned to the contraption in front of them. "It's for squats."
"No. Because I was so limited in my mobility and weight bearing, my PT consisted mostly of aqua therapy after my incisions healed. That and things that would help me be able to dress and care for myself."
"Aquatic therapy is excellent for patients who can't bear full weight. Did you do well in the pool?"
"I liked it. Moving was easier and less painful, but if I stirred the water too much, I lost my balance."
"I can imagine." Gabe pinched his bottom lip as though deep in thought. "I can tell these exercises are still painful for you. Would you like to continue to do some aquatic therapy? I assume Providence has a city pool?"
"Yes, they have a nice one." Paige nodded. "Are you saying you want to work with me there instead of here?"
"Don't get your hopes up too fast." He pointed a finger at her.
"You need to do more exercises than we can do in the water, but if I'm able to make arrangements with the manager, we can do one of your three PT sessions each week at the pool.
" He took out his phone and made a note.
"Luke or I will call or text you when I have more details. "
"Okay."
Being the only patient in the office, she already felt self-conscious of the one-on-one attention. Working alone with him at the pool would be awkward, but she loved the idea of getting back in the water.
Gabe dropped his phone into his pocket and clapped his hands. "Time to do squats."
"Easy for you to say." Paige let sarcasm fill her voice. "You're not the one doing them."
He grinned at her. "We have the board slanted to a thirty-degree angle, so you won't be bearing full weight." He held his hands out. "Let me help you get settled on the Total Gym."
She surrendered one crutch at a time and took Gabe's hands to slowly lower herself onto the slanted board that wasn't as padded as she thought. The calluses on his strong hands proved he was as active outside the office as he was inside.
He tapped the metal plate at the end of the bench. "Place your feet here." He gave her a few more instructions, helping her get properly situated. "Good, now push up."
He released a strap above her head. "Okay, you're good to go. Bend your knees and sink down until they're at ninety degrees. If ninety feels too easy, squat a little lower."
She did as he instructed, again feeling the pull in her low back and the tightness in her right thigh.
"How does that feel?"
"It's tight, but it's doable."
"Good. Remember, we want to stretch your limits but not push them so far we cause more injury. Discomfort from tight muscles is okay, pain is not." He pushed buttons on a timer, making it beep repeatedly. "Let's go for five minutes."
Five minutes!
While Paige had lain in a hospital bed day after day, she'd dreamed of being able to get up and move.
She longed to go jogging or swing dancing.
She'd even visualized working up a sweat in Zumba class.
However, now that she was becoming more mobile, she longed to spend more time in her bed.
She had never been so exhausted in her life.
This time when Gabe walked away, he didn't talk to Luke but rather sat at a small portable desk and began typing on his laptop.
Luke lifted his head and scanned the room. "Hey Gabe, can we put on some music?" He nodded toward a shelf that held a portable speaker.
"Sure, but I get to pick the music." Gabe pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Come on, that's not fair."
"Get used to the disappointment. Because when it comes to choosing the music for the office, you won't ever be assigned that task."
Luke's chin jutted out. "Dr. Stoker let me pick. Once."
"Once. You blew it by playing that rap garbage."
"I won't play rap. I'll put on something else, I promise."
"You can't fool me." Gabe pointed at Luke now. "I've seen your playlists. Your second choice is always hard rock."
"It's better than the stuff that puts everyone to sleep."
The longer the debate went on, the more Paige recognized the teasing tone in the two men’s voices. They had obviously worked together before and had a good relationship. Despite giving him a hard time, Luke seemed to respect Dr. Rivera.
"How about we let Paige decide?" Gabe said.
She lifted her head. "Decide what?"
"What kind of music should we listen to?" Gabe gave her an expectant look.
Was this some kind of test? Gabe and Luke obviously preferred wildly different kinds of music which they were very vocal about. Depending on how she responded, would she make an enemy of one or the other?
"Please no country," Luke said under his breath.