Page 1 of Playing with My Heart

Chapter One

TRAVIS

“You’re doing great, Hailey. Keep going. That’s it, just a little more.” My eyes flicked up to my patient’s face. Sweat beaded across her brow and her lips were pinched together so tight the skin around them had turned white. Hands gripping the bars on either side of her, she slowly inched forward, one foot at a time. My assistant, Kara followed along behind with her hands out, ready to catch her if she started to fall.

“You’re doing it, baby. You’re almost to the end.” Hailey’s husband, Matt, walked alongside recording her progress with his phone, and his voice cracked with emotion.

Hailey reached the end of the bars and lifted her head. She looked exhausted, but she was smiling from ear to ear. “I did it.” Her voice was a mixture of elation and disbelief.

I beamed back at her. “You sure did.”

Matt grabbed her in a fierce embrace as the room erupted in cheers. Everyone working there knew about the terrible caraccident that had left the young woman’s body twisted and broken. After six months in the hospital and countless surgeries, the doctors had warned her that she may never gain full mobility of her legs, but Hailey was a fighter, and she refused to give up.

The first time I’d met her, I’d asked her the same question I asked all new patients. What outcome do you hope to achieve through physical therapy? She’d looked me dead in the eye and said, “Oh, it’s more than a hope. I’m here because I am going to walk again.”

I was still grinning as Matt began kissing the tears that were streaming down Hailey’s cheeks but turned away when they began whispering words too low for the rest of us to hear. They’d more than earned their right to a private moment. Matt had come with her to every appointment, a constant support to his wife through months of grueling exercises which had tested the limits of her endurance and often left her in tears from pain and exhaustion. But all her hard work had finally paid off as evidenced by the victory she’d just claimed.

I began jotting down notes in my tablet while Kara grabbed Hailey’s wheelchair. When she was settled in, I turned to face her. “How are you feeling?”

Hailey’s smile remained bright despite the weariness in her eyes. “Like I can do anything.”

“You can.” Matt squeezed her shoulder as he gazed down at her adoringly.

“I agree. Your determination and drive are what’s gotten you to this point and we’re going to need that fighting spirit as we continue. Today was a definite victory, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to take it easy on you now. I’m not stopping until you’re able to walk out of those doors on your own,” I said, hitching my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the parking lot.

She raised her chin, a stubborn glint in her eyes. “I don’t want easy. I want whatever gets me back to living my life the way I was before the accident.”

“That’s what I like to hear. I’ll see you on Monday then.”

“Thanks, Travis.” We grinned at each other for a moment before a yawn overtook her.

“Let’s get you home so you can rest.” Hailey nodded tiredly at her husband’s suggestion.

Matt shook my hand, thanking me for everything before taking hold of his wife’s wheelchair and pushing her outside. I watched them through the window as Matt helped her into the car then knelt beside her. He brushed a loose tendril of hair behind her ear then leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled away, he said something that made her laugh. I winced as an unusual ache settled in my chest.

“Are you okay?” Startled at the voice beside me, I looked over to see Justin, my front desk manager, staring at me with a look of concern.

I followed his gaze, surprised to see I’d been rubbing my chest with my hand. I let my arm drop. “Yeah, just a bit of heartburn, I guess.”

He nodded his understanding. “I’ve got antacids in my desk drawer if you need some.”

I glanced back at the window in time to see Matt and Hailey driving away. Shaking off the peculiar feeling, I shifted my focus back on my office manager. Justin was the face of my business. He was the first person clients saw when they came in for therapy and the last person they saw before they left. I couldn’t think of anyone better suited for the job. Not only was he friendly and polite, but he kept the office running smoothly and efficiently.

He was also cute as hell, but I made it a rule to never dip my pen in the company ink, so to speak. If I’d met him anywhereelse, I’m sure I would have already tried to sleep with him, but the fact that he worked for me put him strictly in the “off limits” zone.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks though. What’s next on the schedule?”

“Nothing. Your last appointment needed to be rescheduled, so that’s it. You’re free.”

I peered at my watch. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d finished work before dark. A couple of months ago, I’d signed an exclusive contract with the Chicago Cubs to be their team PT. The move was huge for my business, officially putting us on the map as the number one physical therapy clinic in the city, but it had left my team stretched thin which was why I’d recently hired a new physical therapist to help carry the caseload. “Well, in that case, I guess I’ll head into my office and catch up on some paperwo?—”

“Don’t even think about it!” Justin said, shaking his head at me. Grabbing my arm, he steered me down the hallway as he continued. “You’ve been working your butt off for months now. You finally get a chance to leave early and I’m not going to let you waste it stuck in an office. We’ll finish cleaning up here. You go out, have some fun. Call your friends and see what they’re up to or heck, go to bed early if that’s what you want to do. Just enjoy your weekend.”

“But I have stuff?—”

“And all that stuff will still be here Monday. Plus, the new PT you hired starts then, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” I answered reluctantly. Parker Reyes was from a small town outside of Cincinnati but was in the process of moving to Chicago. His resume had proven him more than qualified for the job, but it was in speaking with him during a phone interview that I’d really been impressed. He was intelligent and well spoken, his passion for his work bleeding through over thephone. Instinct told me he’d be a good fit for our team. I just hoped my instinct was right.

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