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 inspirationalquotes 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.
