Page 33 of The Long Walk Back

‘Yeah?’

‘I think you should put Cooper with Jamie. They respond to each other, it would still continue the work needed for both of them, and I don’t have to be in the room.’

‘You think they’d both go for that?’

Kate knew they would. ‘Yeah, I do. They push each other. They already spend time together out of session. I can’t get through to Jamie like Cooper can, and he’s patient with Jamie. It cools his temper. Both their tempers.’ She swallowed. ‘They’re going to be in each other’s lives, Trevor. Might as well use it to our advantage in therapy.’

He looked at her for a long moment. ‘I trust you to make the right decisions, Kate.’ He smiled. ‘Captain Cooper, eh?’ He laughed. ‘I never thought I’d see the day when that man was wrapped around someone’s little finger. I’ll make the arrangements.’

‘Thanks. I have a session with him tomorrow. I’ll let him know it’s our last. Thanks, Trevor.’

He waved her off. ‘You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?’ He was smiling when he said it.

‘I know,’ she grinned, heading out of the door. ‘But you love me anyway.’

19

Walking into the therapy suite the next morning, she noticed that Cooper hadn’t arrived yet, so she sat down at the table, looking through his file. She’d not gone to look for him the night before. They’d crossed paths when he came to Jamie’s room to play games, but she’d left them to it. Satisfying herself with a short touch of his fingers in hers, a chaste goodnight. They’d been reckless, and she needed to keep her professional life intact till the dust settled. She saw that he had just had a routine physical check-up, and even though it felt a little intrusive, it was her job. She needed to know these things, even though it made her feel a little snoopy. His medical records talked of his scarring from the injuries to his torso, his amputation and mental profile, all done through the army medic specialists. It seemed that he had told them of his phantom limb pain recently, and discussed the fact that it was improving by using techniques from his physio, named as her. She smiled, thinking of just how far he had come, both mentally and physically. She flipped the page and noticed that Cooper had requested another check, one for sexual health reasons. The blood froze in her veins. Sexual check-up? She was just about to read further when Cooper rode through the door, a large box resting on his lap.

‘Morning,’ she said hurriedly, dropping the file on the floor in her haste to get up. Cooper wheeled over to her, quick as a flash, setting the box on the table. A waft of breakfast smells filled the air, but Kate was too busy scrambling to her knees to notice. He came alongside her, helping her to pick up some papers.

‘Whoa, you okay?’ he asked gently, shuffling the documents into a small, neat pile. ‘Where’s the fire?’

‘No fire!’ she squeaked. She cleared her throat, aware that an explosion of colour had filled her cheeks. ‘Er… nothing’s wrong, I was just checking the paperwork was up to date.’

He looked at her, passing her the papers with a slight frown. ‘See something bad in there?’

She realised he was nervous. Was he embarrassed?

‘No, nothing bad,’ she said, in a falsely calm voice. ‘Why, is there something you need to tell me?’

She searched his face for answers, but he wasn’t looking her in the eye.

‘No, nothing I need to tell you.’ She nodded.

‘Coffee’s getting cold,’ he said, turning away to the table.

She picked up one of the cups, smiling when she realised he had got her favourite caramel coffee.

‘Thanks, I needed this today.’

Cooper shrugged at her, drinking from his own cup.

‘So,’ she said, suddenly anxious to fill the silence that seemed to fill the space between them once more. ‘Ready to practice with the leg again?’

He looked her straight in the eye. ‘I asked the doctor for a test.’

‘Oh,’ she said, wishing she could shrink down into her cup and drown herself in the hot beverage. ‘Why, were you worried about something?’

He frowned at her. ‘You read my file, don’t pretend you didn’t.’

‘I did,’ she retorted. ‘I am a doctor though, so I used my discretion. It has nothing to do with your leg, so it isn’t my business.’

He scowled then. ‘It isn’t, eh? Well, fine and dandy then, isn’t it. Let’s just get on with the session.’

Kate sighed inwardly. She had upset him now, and her questions about his request for some tests not only went unanswered, but they picked at her. She wanted to know so badly, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking now. And what if she didn’t want to know? If he couldn’t… perform, she knew it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for her. This, between them, wasn’t about sex. Not only that, anyway. She was pretty sure the man would be able to make her come with a touch of his hands on her body. Lust wasn’t the only thing that bound them together. It was all her and Neil had ever had, she knew now. It wasn’t everything, it wasn’t enough for a lifetime together. If this was even what this was. They hadn’t exactly named it. Still, it made her a little grumpy that their last solo session was marred by their cross words.

Slinging the clipboard onto the table, she walked over to the equipment area, flinging the rubber mats to the floor haphazardly.

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