Chapter 26
Gabe's leg bounced as his eyes scanned Dr. Young's office. Other than his undergrad and medical school degrees, a family picture in which Paige was a teenager was the only decor on the walls.
He rolled his shoulders, willing himself to relax. If he acted nervous, Dr. Young would pick up on that and assume he was guilty of more than falling in love with a patient.
I am guilty of more.
It wouldn’t surprise him if word had already spread throughout the hospital complex—or worse yet, town—about the fiasco in the PT office this morning.
When he'd returned to the gym after Paige drove away, he'd been pelted with questions.
His response that everything was fine between him and Paige was yet another lie, but his expression must have been grim enough they hadn't hounded him for details.
He was hopeful if he presented his case to Dr. Stoker in the right manner, he wouldn't lose his job. But he didn't know Dr. Young well enough to know how he'd respond to Gabe dating a patient, who happened to be his daughter.
He still couldn't believe Paige had broken up with him. Sort of.
Maybe she was right. It would be so much easier to move forward with their relationship if they weren’t keeping secrets.
Regardless of the outcome of his talks with Dr. Young and Dr. Stoker, he planned to camp on Paige's doorstep after everything was out in the open. He’d make an even bigger nuisance of himself than Phillip had, until she took the ring back.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake he made with Harper. He loved Paige, and he refused to let her slip away.
"Gabe," Dr. Young's booming voice made Gabe jump. "My medical assistant just told me you wanted to speak to me. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." He held out his hand.
Gabe bolted to his feet and shook Dr. Young's hand. "No, sir. I haven't been waiting long." Despite being anxious to get this over with, Gabe wouldn't have minded waiting another hour.
"You can drop the ‘sir’. We're colleagues here. Call me James." Dr. Young motioned to the chair Gabe had been sitting in as he rounded his desk. "Have a seat."
Gabe dropped back into the padded chair, certain Dr. Young would change his mind about the first name thing after he learned why Gabe was here.
James rocked back in his chair. "I've heard good things about you."
"You have?" Gabe’s shoulders sagged in relief.
"Absolutely. Gladys Murdock swears you're the best thing to ever happen to this town. Travis seems to be making a great recovery, and Paige is doing well also. She keeps telling me how knowledgeable and skilled you are."
Gabe appreciated that Paige sang his praises at home, but he couldn't let himself be sidetracked by compliments. He sucked in a deep breath. "I really appreciate you taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to run the office here, but there’s something I need to confess."
James' jovial smile faded as his brows arched.
"I've let you down, sir." Calling Dr. Young by his first name in this situation didn't seem appropriate. Gabe was tempted to hang his head, but he maintained eye contact with the older man.
"How so?"
"I've behaved unethically in regard to one of my patients."
James' brows lowered into a single unit. His lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw taking on a hard edge. "Explain."
"I've fallen in love with…one of my patients." Gabe gripped the arms of the chair to keep from tugging at the collar of his shirt. "With your daughter, sir."
James' brows shot up, and his mouth dropped open for a split second before his lips pinched together again. He dropped his gaze to his clasped hands. "How did this come about?"
"Well, sir, I've been attracted to Paige from day one. Not just her looks. Her determination to get better, and her willingness to push through the pain and work hard impressed me. But the unethical part is that she's been pretending to be my girlfriend for the past month."
Probably best not to mention that he'd proposed to her last weekend, especially since she gave the ring back today.
"Pretending?" James' head came back up. A deep crease furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"My mother has pancreatic cancer and doesn't have long to live.
" Gabe took a deep breath, attempting to steel his emotions.
"Her biggest regret is that she never got to meet my spouse—or my sister’s.
On impulse, I lied to her and told her I was seeing someone in an attempt to make her final days happier.
" He held up a hand before James could say anything.
"I know, I should never have lied to her.
But I did. It made her extremely happy to hear that I had a girlfriend, so I felt the need to follow through and find someone to play the part. "
"I'm very sorry to hear about your mother, Gabe.
" James leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk, his hands still clasped.
"As a parent, I understand your mother's concerns for her children.
There is peace of mind that comes with knowing your children are in healthy, happy relationships.
" It almost looked like his lips turned up before he schooled his features.
"So, you asked Paige to pretend to be your girlfriend? "
"Not technically. Luke, my assistant, has a big mouth and made it known to some of my patients that I was looking for a fake girlfriend. Paige made it clear she wasn't interested. Then Phillip showed up, pressuring her to take him back."
James' brows dropped low again, and his clasped hands separated to curl into fists. "Let me guess…you stepped in to play the role of her fake boyfriend?"
"Yes, but not before she'd already volunteered to be my fake girlfriend.
" Gabe couldn't resist any longer; he tugged at the collar of his shirt.
Boy, was it hot in here. "I was still undecided whether I'd take her up on her offer when Phillip showed up at PT, making a scene.
I felt obligated to back her up at that point. "
"He showed up here?" James' brows shot up again as he tapped his desk with a finger.
"I believe it was the day after he first came to town. He kept insisting Paige give him a chance to prove he could be faithful."
Dr. Young snorted. "That snake doesn't have a faithful bone in his body."
"Comparing him to an octopus would be more apt, sir. Spineless and slimy. With tentacles spreading in too many directions."
Gabe considered telling Paige's father about the "offer" Phillip made her the last time he turned up on her doorstep but decided against it. Even though it might paint him in a better light, it would only anger James, and that wouldn't help his cause.
"True." A mask of serious professionalism slipped over the older man’s face. "You mentioned unethical behavior. What boundaries have been crossed?"
Gabe squirmed as he searched for the right words that wouldn't cost him his job or favor with the man he hoped would someday be his father-in-law.
Technically, he and Paige hadn't even dated, unless hanging out with his mom and sister could be considered dating.
But they had held hands and kissed multiple times, which were inappropriate behaviors for doctors to engage in with their patients.
Gabe opened his mouth to speak, but Dr. Young beat him to it. "You've obviously spent time together outside the office. I assume every time Paige told us she was hanging out with Angie, she was spending time with you?"
"Yes, sir. But we've always spent that time with my mom and sister. We've never even been on a real date. Although we have held hands and kis—"
James' hand shot up. "I don't need the details, unless you've crossed the line…by having sexual relations with my…with a patient." He pinned Gabe with a stare.
"No, sir. Of course not."
"Have you broken professional boundaries with Paige during her PT sessions?"
"No. Luke can vouch that nothing inappropriate has happened between me and Paige during PT."
He bit his tongue to keep from blurting out that he almost kissed Paige at the pool that one day. He felt the need for full disclosure, but he doubted Dr. Young wanted to hear how badly he'd wanted to kiss the water droplets from her lips.
"Good." Dr. Young slowly nodded.
“I’ll understand if you want me to step down from running the PT office here. I'm sure Dr. Stoker can recommend another therapist."
“Don't even think about leaving me high and dry with the physical therapy office. We need you too badly here for you to leave.” Dr. Young pointed a finger at Gabe. “Dr. Stoker said you’re the best Summit has to offer. I’m not interested in bringing in a sub-par therapist."
Gabe couldn’t hide his smile as he heaved a sigh of relief. "With this office being an extension of the one in Pasco, I feel obligated to inform Dr. Stoker of my involvement with Paige."
"That's your call." James waved a hand. "If he has concerns tell him to call me." Then he shook his head. “But I suppose it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to continue to work with Paige if you guys are seeing each other.”
“Paige has already scheduled PT at the office in Pasco.”
“By hiring you, I’d hoped to help her avoid having to make that trip multiple times a week.” Dr. Young grimaced and shrugged one shoulder. “But it’s probably for the best.”
Encouraged with how things had gone thus far, Gabe slowly nodded, sucking up the courage to ask for Paige’s hand in marriage. The older man beat him to the punch.
"So, I guess this is the part where I ask: What are your intentions concerning my daughter?" Dr. Young pinned Gabe again with another piercing, blue-eyed stare.
"I love her, sir." Gabe's gaze dropped to the front of the desk for a moment.
"I told her a few weeks ago that I couldn't make her any promises because I need to devote all the time I can to my mother for as long as she's with us, but the truth is…
I can't bear to face losing my mom without Paige by my side. I want to marry her."