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My stomach fluttered. He had been flirting, too, hadn’t he? He’d definitely given me a once-over. Not that I hadn’t done the same. He’d worn jeans that clung to his lean legs and a baggy hoodie that hid the firmness of his chest and stomach, but my fingers tingled as if they could remember for me.

He had looked a little tired and worn down this morning, but somehow, it didn’t make him any less gorgeous. Pretty sure he could roll around in the dirt and I’d still drool over him.

“Aw, look at that blush,” Carrie teased. “So cute.”

“All right, enough distractions,” I said quickly. “One more breath, then we’ll move on to ankle pumps and slides.”

She gave a grievous little moan, but honestly, this was the easy stuff. She had no idea what she was in for before she could go home.

She inhaled and held it for a count of four. Then slowly exhaled.

“Good. As your belly falls back toward your spine, you should feel a natural lift in your pelvic floor. That’s why we do this.”

“I guess,” she muttered.

“Okay, ankle pumps!” I shifted the cushion to straighten and lower Carrie’s legs. She winced. Pain was unavoidable at this stage, but I’d do my best not to strain her body until it could handle it.

Carrie didn’t need much direction for this. We’d been doing ankle pumps since day one. But now that she was sitting up more, we could add to the intensity.

She flexed her ankles, pointing her toes up, then flexed them down. I watched as she repeated the motion several times.

“Go ahead and do some circles for me, too. Let’s keep these joints nice and loose. We want to prevent long-term tightness in your Achilles.”

We went through a range of low-impact exercises, moving on to heel slides. I gently pushed Carrie toward her limits, asking her to do more than in our last session.

When we finished up, her forehead was clammy with sweat, despite her barely moving, and she was exhausted.

“Guess it’ll be a while before I’m jogging around the block, huh?” she said glumly.

“It’s a process. You’re doing the work, and it’ll be worth it in the end. I promise. I know it may be a little frustrating now, but if we rush it, we’ll only set back your recovery.”

She sighed. “I know that logically. I just want my life back.”

“You’re going to get there,” I assured her. “You’re going to walk and run and keep up with that little girl of yours. By next year, this will all seem like a distant memory, okay? Just a little bump in the road of your life.”

She smiled. “You sound like Piper. Maybe you should have gone into counseling.”

Piper held one-on-one sessions and support groups for our patients as they worked through the emotional toll injury and recovery took on them. She was absolutely as important as I was around here—maybe more so—because patients with hope, motivation, and optimism recovered better than those who were angry and frustrated.

We wrapped up our session, and Les returned to help Carrie transfer from the table to a wheelchair. She wasn’t up to walking yet, but we’d get there.

My stomach growled as I headed back to my office. Dakota was on the phone, tapping away at my computer, looking like a busy executive. My office chair had been pushed aside so she could sit directly in front of my laptop. I plopped down and waited while she wrapped up her call.

“…such a good cause. There’s regular business that could come your way, and think of the PR.” She drew a breath, as if to speak, then fell silent. “Sure. No, I understand. The timing is just not optional. Uh-huh. Oh, yes, anyone you can recommend would be fabulous. Sure, we can work with a Granville company. No problem.”

She grabbed a Post-It note and scribbled down Scott Construction and a number. “Thank you so much.”

She hung up the phone. “Ugh. Grabel’s is going on my shit list. If we never have to work with them again, it’ll be too soon!”

“Don’t hold back,” I teased. “Tell me how you really feel.”

She blew her bangs out of her face. “They bailed last minute. Every other contractor has been booked solid.” She tapped the note. “This is my last chance or we’ll have to extend the Mendezes’ stay in that transitional apartment, and I know how badly they want to go home.”

“Of course you do,” I said softly.

Dakota knew what the Mendezes and other families were going through. She’d experienced it herself. There were so many big life changes after this kind of injury that it was absolutely overwhelming at first.

My sister worked tirelessly to make the transition easier on them. I loved how huge her heart was. Some people might grow jaded and bitter after what happened, but not Dakota.