Chapter 2
Gabe took a final look around the office that smelled like new carpet and vinyl furniture to make sure everything was ready for patients. He let out a sigh. It had been a busy two weeks. The gym wasn't as large as the one in Pasco, but it had all the latest and greatest equipment.
He opened his laptop and clicked on the email Dr. Young sent a few days ago. He'd been so busy getting the new office set up while still logging hours at the office in Pasco that he hadn't had time to look over Paige Young's medical information.
The more he read, the more he realized Paige was lucky to be alive.
She'd suffered internal bleeding with multiple pelvic and femoral fractures, in addition to wrecking her right shoulder.
The girl had more metal plates, rods, and screws in her body than the weight sets mounted to the wall.
Sympathy filled him for a patient he had yet to meet.
The door opened behind Gabe, and a rush of air swept through the room.
"Hey, Gabe. This is a change, huh?" Luke Morrell, one of the assistants from the Pasco office, set his backpack and helmet down behind the receptionist's desk in the corner and peeled off his leather bike jacket before turning on the computer.
"Tell me about it. I can't recall the last time I stood in an empty PT office.
" Gabe looked around again, feeling a sense of pride laced with a side of panic.
The emotions simultaneously took his breath away and made him want to throw up.
Could he really make this a profitable office?
"Did you complete all the training you were supposed to do? "
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I won't still have questions or find a way to screw things up. I'm a PT assistant, not a receptionist."
"Me either. But we get to do double duty for a while until we're busy enough to require our own receptionist."
"Come on. You know that's never going to happen." Luke tapped a few keys on the computer. "We have a total of six people on the schedule today."
That's three more than I expected.
"I know." Gabe shook his head. "Which means we are going to take very good care of them. At least you get paid whether we have patients or not."
Gabe had done a little finagling with Dr. Young to make sure he and Luke received salaries that compensated them for their time spent in the office and not merely the number of patients they treated each day.
And thankfully, Valerie, the receptionist down the hall at the chiropractor's office, was on hand in case they had computer problems.
"Yeah, man. Thanks for that." Luke's head bobbed. "Knowing I'm getting paid a dollar more an hour while I'm here, makes the drive from the Tri-Cities pass a lot quicker."
"The way you drive your bullet bike, you probably got here in half the time it took me."
Luke grinned. "Yeah, but it still takes me three times longer to get to work now than it used to."
It took Gabe four times longer, but he hoped the sacrifice would be worth it in the long run.
"Seriously, man, what am I supposed to do all day?" Luke waved his arms, motioning to the empty room.
Gabe pointed at the backpack behind the younger man. "Homework. You keep your nose to the grindstone, and you'll get your pick of PT schools next year."
He took his laptop to the consultation room at the back of the gym. He wasn't sure how mobile Paige was, but he wanted his hands free in case he needed to help her.
A petite middle-aged woman entered the office as he walked back out onto the gym floor.
She held the door open for a pretty young blond who walked slowly with the aid of crutches, favoring her left leg.
Shadows framed the young woman’s eyes, and despite feminine curves, her slender frame looked like it might blow over in a strong wind.
Knowing the effort Dr. Young went through to get this office up and running before his daughter came home from rehab, Gabe had anticipated working with a spoiled teenage girl, who expected everyone to cater to her.
He should have taken note of Paige's age in her file because he was completely unprepared for the beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, who looked to be in her mid-twenties.
"Are you sure you're okay from here?" the older woman asked. "I can stay if you want me to. I'm sure Mr. Harris won't mind filling in for me again in my meeting with the superintendent."
"I'll be fine, Mom. Thanks for the ride and your help this morning."
The older woman hovered as though reluctant to leave. "Call me when you're ready for a ride home. If I can't break away from school, I'll send Faith."
"Okay."
"I'll try to make it home to fix you lunch. If I can't, I'll have Faith do that too."
"Mom." Impatience filled the blonde's voice as she put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I'm a big girl. I can fix myself a sandwich."
"I just don't want you to overdo it." The older woman tucked a lock of damp hair behind her daughter's shoulder.
Judging by Paige’s grimace, she didn't appreciate her mother's hovering. Or maybe she was just tired of being coddled. Either way, she was more independent and less spoiled than Gabe expected.
He approached the women, eager to kick off his practice.
"Tell him that." The young woman motioned to Gabe. "He looks eager to torture me."
Her mother spun and faced him. "You must be the new physical therapist. James said you came highly recommended by Paul Stoker." She held out her hand. "I'm Hope Young, Paige's mother."
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Young. Yes, I'm the new therapist, Dr. Gabriel Rivera." He shook hands with Hope before turning to the younger woman. "You must be Paige."
"Last time I checked." She leaned on the left crutch and smiled as she shook his hand.
Behind the smile that showcased perfect white teeth, Gabe detected an air of exhaustion. It was only ten in the morning, but considering she was still on crutches, the effort it took to shower and dress—even in yoga pants and a t-shirt—must have been taxing.
Paige eyed him skeptically. "You don't look old enough to be a doctor."
"I don't feel it most days. Other days?" He shrugged. "Well…you know how it is when life runs you ragged."
"Yes, I do," she said without hesitation.
"I'm not your typical medical doctor, so I usually insist people call me just Gabe."
"Just Gabe, huh?" This time Paige's smile was big enough to expose a small dimple in her left cheek, but he still sensed reservation behind the emotion.
Considering all she'd been through since the accident, Gabe had a feeling this woman hadn't smiled much over the past few months. Hopefully, he could help her find a reason to smile again. A real smile. Not the exhausted, polite one he'd seen twice now.
I bet she's stunning when she really smiles.
Shaking that thought from his head, he motioned behind the receptionist's desk. "This is Luke, he'll be assisting with your exercises and scheduling your appointments."
Paige acknowledged Luke with a nod and another small upturn of her lips.
"I've got you all checked in, Ms. Young." Luke’s right eye twitched in an almost imperceptible wink as he grinned at Paige. The kid was an incorrigible flirt.
"Call me Paige, please." She gave her mother an apologetic look before grimacing. "I'm sure I'll turn into my mother soon enough, no need to rush it."
Hope gave a little chuckle. "I'll take that as my cue to leave. See you later, honey." She turned to Gabe. "How long do you think PT will take?"
"It's hard to say, but Paige has a lot of rehabilitating to do." Gabe made a face that was a mixture of a grimace and a smile. "Best guess? About two hours. Maybe a little longer."
Both women's eyes widened, and Paige's jaw dropped.
Hope stepped closer to him, lowering her brows and voice. "I assume you're aware of the full extent of her injuries?"
"I am."
"Don't you think two hours of physical therapy is kind of long considering all she's been through?"
"It is a long time. It'll feel like a lot longer than that to Paige, I’m sure. She’s got a lot of down time to make up for, and we’ll be working on multiple parts of the body. It’s important she get back full range of motion soon."
"But—"
"Mom. I'll be fine." Despite the determined lift of Paige's chin, she didn't look convinced.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Young, your daughter is stronger than you think. Stronger than even she realizes." He gave Paige an encouraging smile. "The therapists did multiple sessions of therapy with her each day at the rehab center, helping her work up to what she has to do now."
"You've got this, honey." Hope patted Paige's shoulder. "Give me a call when you're done."
Gabe motioned to the back of the gym after the door closed behind Hope. "If you'd like to follow me to the consultation room, we'll do an evaluation and set up a plan for your continued rehabilitation."
"Sure thing, Just Gabe." Her dimple stood out again when she smiled, but it still didn't reach her eyes.
Chuckling, he walked beside Paige as she slowly made her way across the room. "Are the crutches for stability or to avoid weight bearing?"
"Both. My pelvic fractures were unstable, so weight bearing was delayed by a few weeks. I'm only supposed to put about fifty percent of my weight on my left leg. Next week, I can bump it up to seventy-five percent."
"You've only been mobile for two weeks now?" Gabe ventured a guess. The last person he worked with that had pelvic fractures couldn't bear weight for eight weeks.
"Depends on your definition of mobile." She gave him another hint of a smile. "One therapist at the rehabilitation center thought if I could get myself into a wheelchair then I was considered mobile."
"With limited use of your right arm, I'm sure even that was difficult since you couldn't use it to propel the wheelchair."
"Yes." She let out a sigh. "It's been a long road. Most days I wonder if I'll ever get back to normal."
"It will take some time, but don't worry, you'll get there," he said with confidence.