Gabe did too. He often had to get up close and personal with his patients, but not this personal. He slowly brought them both upright and forced himself to inhale.
"Are you okay?"
Paige's eyes popped open; wide and alarmed. Her head jerked in a nod. "Thanks for catching me. Falling would have hurt so bad."
A spark of attraction shot through Gabe at the intensity of her icy blue eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" When she nodded, he asked, "Do you feel steady?"
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Yes."
"Good. Then will you loosen the death grip you have on my shirt?" Gabe didn't have much hair on his chest but what little he had was firmly clenched in her fist.
"Sorry." She relaxed her hold on his shirt then patted his chest before pulling her hand away.
He waited for her to get her right crutch under her before removing his hand from her waist. Keeping a hand at her back, he bent to pick up her other crutch.
A surge of protectiveness tightened his chest as he watched her make her way into the room. The emotion surprised him. Only his mother and sister had ever evoked that feeling in him.
Gabe opted to leave the door open. There was no need for privacy since the gym was empty and leaving it open felt like a good safety measure, because he was very attracted to Paige.
He'd worked with plenty of pretty women over the years, and he had no problem staying professional. Paige felt different somehow. Maybe it was the distress in her eyes that spoke of emotional pain as well as physical.
He stayed close to her until she'd settled into a chair, then he opened his computer. "Your father sent me some informationconcerning your injuries, but I'd like to hear from you how you sustained them."
"I ran in front of a car.” The matter-of-fact way she said the words surprised him.
"Youranin front of a car?" Gabe's jaw dropped, and he felt his eyebrows hike up. He snapped his mouth closed. "Like you were out jogging and forgot to check both ways before crossing the street?"
"I wasn't jogging." Shadows flitted through Paige's eyes. She rubbed her right arm as though trying to ward off a chill. Her eyes bounced around the room, looking everywhere but at him. "I checked the traffic. I knew there were cars coming, but I decided to cross anyway."
“Why?” Again, Gabe struggled to hide his surprise.
"Are you always so nosy?" She lifted her chin, a defiant glint in her eyes.
He gave her a patient smile. "It's important for me to understand your mental and emotional state as we work together to heal your body."
She rolled her eyes. "If you're asking if I was suicidal, the answer is no."
"Glad to hear it." He continued to study her face, trying to figure out why she’d risked her life like that.
She let out a little huff. “It was a stupid thing to do. I know that.” Her eyes darted away again. “It’s just… I had received some upsetting news and wasn't thinking clearly, okay?"
There were things Paige wasn't telling him. Things that could affect her healing. He didn't blame her for not wanting to confide in him, but he couldn't help being concerned about her psychological wellbeing.
As though reading his thoughts, she said, "You don't need to worry about my mental state." She motioned over her shoulder toward the wall. "Emily Winters, our local psychologist, has already made a house call to check on me."
"House call? Dr. Young has even more sway in this town than I thought." He spoke the words under his breath, but she heard them.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her brow furrowed.
Warmth crept up Gabe's neck. "Nothing."
"Emily is family." Paige made a rolling motion with her hand. "She's married to my cousin, so that makes hermycousin, I guess."
He nodded in understanding, glad Paige was working with a psychologist. Ninety percent of healing the body was mental.
He glanced at the notes on his computer then back to her. "We're going to be working closely together for the next few months. It's important you understand I have your best interests at heart and trust me, even when I ask you to do hard things.” When she nodded, he continued. “Healing the body can sometimes trigger emotional trauma. I'm not a psychologist, but I am a good listener, if you ever need to talk something out." Then he gave a light-hearted smile. "PT can feel like torture if you can't relax and be yourself."
"I don't even know who that is anymore." Her shoulders drooped, and she shook her head as she stared at the floor in front of her.
