Page 72 of Wandering Souls

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.”

A tiny woman followed Colt into the room, wearing her brown hair in a tight bun and bright red lipstick. She smiled and her face it up like a Christmas tree. Blue eyes sparkled as she appraised Abi.

“Abi, this is Danielle Fletcher. She’s a physio with a special interest in injuries like yours.”

Dressed in black slacks and a navy-blue shirt, the small woman stepped forward and held out a hand. Abi shook it, noting the firm grip. She also didn’t miss the way Colt admired the woman out of the corner of his eye.

“Hi, Abi.” She turned to Colt and gave him a push toward the door. “Out you go. It’s just us girls now.”

Colt chuckled and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. If you need anything, Abi, I’m around here somewhere.” He took hold of the door handle and gave Danielle a cheeky look. “As for you, let me know when you’re done.”

She waved a hand toward him and laughed, watching him disappear as the door closed. “Well,” she sighed, setting her hands on her hips, “Colt tells me you’re in some pain.”

Abi nodded as Danielle toed off her shoes and rolled up her sleeves. The highly muscled forearms were a surprise. “Some days it’s worse than others.”

“He said you have X-rays?”

Abi pointed to the large envelope by the chair where she’d folded her clothes. “I doubt there’s much you can do.”

Danielle narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” She bent to retrieve the envelope and slid the images out. Holding them up to the light, she studied them for a long moment. “You were Army?”

“Still am.”

“You and my brothers.” She shook her head, swapping the images to inspect the second one. “Stubborn as all hell, too, I imagine. Especially being a woman.” She glanced at Abi, a matter-of-fact tone confident in her assessment. “Don’t you try to deny it, either. I made it through basic training but knew, straight away, it wasn’t for me. I don’t take orders so well. At least you’re tall. Trying being a pip-squeak.”

Abi bit her lip to stop from laughing.

“Hmmm.” Danielle placed the images back in the envelope before coming to stand beside her. “Can we ditch the paper robe?”

The words were music to Abi’s ears. She removed the scratchy garment and sat in her bra and panties. Danielle’s gaze instantly zeroed in on the scar on her ribs. “Any issues with that?”

Abi shook her head.

“Obviously you’re worried about the two pieces close to the femoral artery. Let me guess, every surgeon has told you they’re too tricky to remove?”

Abi almost wondered why she was even here, since the woman knew mostly everything. “Correct.”

Danielle frowned. “I can’t promise you they won’t move, but I can work on the muscles to relieve some of the scar tissue build up and restore most of your function. Are you willing to try?”

“I am, but what do I do if they move? If they damage the artery, I could be in real trouble.”

“True.” She nodded. “And internal bleeding is a real possibility, but what’s the long-term goal here, Abi? Full functionality? Do you want to leap over the medical hurdles they’re going to put in your way, because you know they will, right?”

Abi took a deep breath and sighed. “Yes, to all of that. The Army is all I know.”

Danielle smiled sympathetically. “Okay. I can work with that.”

“You’re not going to lecture me?”

Danielle motioned for her to turn and lie down. “I’m sure others already have, honey. No, I’m here to do what I can to fix your leg, not pontificate over what I think you should or shouldn’t do. It’s your life. I’m sure you know what you want from it.”

Abi almost groaned. She couldn’t be further from the truth if she tried. Hell, she could take a lesson from the confidence exuded by the tiny physio but she wasn’t about to invite criticism of her choices, either.

“I do have to warn you, you might be a little sore after this. Be sure to ice your thigh and if necessary, take some paracetamol and get some rest. No vigorous activity for the rest of today, okay?”

Abi thought about Ray and felt her cheeks heat. The other woman simply chuckled.

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