Felicia looked the doctor up and down again, trying to decide whether or not she could take him. He'd said the words like they were an ultimatum. Like she could choose to stay here in some resort makeshift hospital or walk back onto the beach and die in the sand.
Well sorry, buddy, she was pretty sure that wasn't the case. After all, it's not like he was some world class surgeon. He was a glorified school nurse as far as she could tell, and she was hardly about to put her career on the line because of this one man.
No matter how good looking he was.
She pushed that thought aside. It had nothing to do with anything. Nothing at all.
It did not matter that he looked like Malibu, surfer ken with his thick head of blond hair and those killer blue eyes.
He probably surfed, too...
She shook her head, reminding herself to come back into the moment."You can't force me to stay, either."
"No, I can't."
"Right, well, sounds like that's settled, then." She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded firmly. "Do you have a wheelchair or something I can use to get around tonight?"
"I do. And I'll give it to you, but first I want to go over some important information with you."
She sighed. "Look, I'm not going to die."
"Maybe not, but..."
"Okay, okay. Let's just get this over with so I can go practice my speech."
He crossed the room and she tried not to stare at his perfect backside as he moved, did her best not to notice his powerful thighs, his lean waist...
"We have a lot of corporate retreats come and go, you know, and a lot of professionals are under a lot of stress to outperform nowadays. A little while ago, we devised this packet for helping those professionals try to find a balance in their lives and find the things that make them happy."
He handed her a glossy blue pamphlet and she flipped past the picture of a meditating frog to glance at the bullet-pointed list inside.
"Coloring," she read, then looked up at him. "Seriously?"
"Maybe people find that it helps them in much the same way as meditation does."
"Square breathing? What the hell is that?"
"So, in order to do that, you're going to breathe in a square. Breathe in for two, hold for two, breath out for two, hold for two. Then repeat until you find your calm again.”
"Okay, so you're telling someone that the thing to do when they're having trouble breathing is to...breathe? I can quote you on that?"
He offered her a half-smile. "It's really not as difficult as it may seem. Try a few of them tonight and see if they work out for you. You may be surprised."
"Thanks....I will." She lied. The very image of herself coloring made her want to burst out laughing. But then, the sooner she agreed to whatever it was he wanted, the sooner she'd be able to get back to her room and find a way to get on her boss's good side."
And after ruining tonight's main event, that was probably going to be a whole lot easier said than done right about now.
She pictured Frank's stormy curls all ruffled in anger and frowned. Nope, relaxing was definitely not on her agenda for a very long time.
"Felicia, I know it seems silly, but please take my advice. You have no idea how important it is to make sure you're on an even keel. It could change your whole life."
"Thanks, doc." She waved the pamphlet. "I'll take it under advisement."
He frowned for a moment, knitted his brow, then said, "Can I ask you a question?"
"I guess."
"You don't exactly seem like the coal walking type."
"You got me."
"So...why do it?"
"Why not?" She shrugged.
"Seriously. You put your safety on the line. Why?"
"This promotion is important." She said, but when he looked disappointed, she wasn't sure what else to add.
"All right, let me get you that wheelchair and some ointment for your burns."
"Thank you."
He left the room and she watched the door for a long moment, evaluating everything he'd said. Biting her bottom lip, she took another look at the pamphlet. Maybe she could try taking a bubble bath or something. If it was really so important. Maybe.
The door swung open again and he folded the wheelchair out for her before taking her ankle in hand and running something cool and slick over the pad of her foot. A chill ran up her spine and she bit back the urge to laugh.
"Ticklish?" he asked.
"Just a little."
"All right, we're almost done." He took her next foot and did the same, though this time she noticed how he was careful to avoid the more sensitive parts of her feet. When he was done, he wrapped her feet in gauze and then straightened. "Okay, we're going to make sure you're all better before you head home to...I'm sorry, I don't remember what your chart said."
"New York."
"New York," he repeated. "Now I'm going to lift you into your chair, okay?"
She opened her mouth to protest, but before she had the chance, his arm was tucked under her knees and around her waist, hoisting her into the air almost effortlessly. Another tingle ran down her spine and then an ache of awareness throbbed in her core just before he set her down again.
"Okay, Felicia Webb, be careful. And I hope I never see you again."
"Thanks," she smiled back at him, but couldn't bring herself to agree.
Three
- Jog in place
- Hum to yourself
- Try Yoga