Page 11 of Deathtoll
She began to feel her way around the damage, and, little by little, Dan relaxed under her hands again.
He had scars that were two feet long, some from the original injury and some from repeated surgeries. His file said he had pins in his bones. Burn marks ran up the side of his leg, his skin bunched up and rough.
“Let me know if anything I do hurts.” Kate worked every muscle, smoothed out every knot.
“Is this what you always wanted to do?” he asked, maybe because he was interested, or maybe because he wanted distraction.
“Pretty much.” She was always happy to talk about her work. “Kind of. I started with traumatized horses before moving on to people.”
“You’re a horse doctor?” Dan gave a weak laugh, relaxing some more.
“That’s what got me into it. Then I went for special training with a man who was one of the original practitioners of this type of therapy, and for a long time, I worked with abused children.” Children who’d been victims of physical or sexual abuse who were scared to death of human touch. “I did rehabilitative work. The ability to accept physical affection is important for mental development, for healing.”
“That had to be hard,” Dan said. “I mean, to see kids suffer. I don’t know if I could do it. I’d get angry. Might be tempted to track down the bastard…” He fell silent.
“Thinking about how the kids got hurt was difficult. But watching them recover, if I did my job right, was immensely rewarding.”
And she did do her work right, because it meant way more to her than just a job.
“And now you have patients here who can’t stand being touched,” Dan closed his eyes. “Couple of guys don’t even like if anyone’s sitting next to them in the cafeteria. I’m not that bad, at least. You can help everyone?”
“For the most part, yes. PTSD is a difficult thing. Luckily, I know what I’m doing. I trained in various therapeutic methods. I can usually find something that works. And the other therapists are even better than I am.” Kate finished untangling a particularly stubborn knot of muscles. “You’re in good hands.”
“This place is lucky to have you.”
“Thanks. But it’s the other way around, Dan. I’m lucky to have this place.”
When she finished with the leg, she had him turn around and worked on the same muscles from the front. “What will you do when you go home from here? Any big plans?”
“College. Maybe.” He kept his eyes closed. “After high school, I thought about a nursing degree but then talked myself out of it. Joined the Navy instead. It’s a family thing. My daddy, my granddaddy.” He opened his eyes. “Then I was lying on that deck after the accident, losing blood fast. I wasn’t sure I’d live. I was sure I’d never walk again. There was a doctor at the Navy hospital, Dr. Bankole. He put me together. Right off, he told me I was going to be fine; I was too young to spend the rest of my life lazing around in a wheelchair. And then he made sure I didn’t.” Dan paused. “If I can, I thought I’d try premed. I always liked biology. Chemistry too. Science in general. You think I’m too old?”
Kate laughed. “I’m older than you, and if you start talking about age as an obstacle, you’re going to push me right into a midlife crisis. We’re young, beautiful, and we kick ass. We can do whatever we damn well want.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They talked more about med school, while she mentally mapped all the trouble spots and began outlining his treatment plan.
“One of the guys said he goes to the sauna before he comes for treatment. To relax his muscles?” Dan brought up when they finished.
“You could try that if you’d like. It might help. Do you know where the saunas are?”
He shook his head.
“In the pool complex. It should be empty right now. After you get dressed, I’ll walk you over and show you.” She covered him with the sheet, up to his chin. “Feel free to stay for a few more minutes and relax.”
At her desk, she wrote up her notes for their next session. By the time she finished, he was coming out of the treatment room with a smile.
“I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what good any of this would do. My sisters get massages. Spa days.” He shrugged. “I never thought that stuff was for guys. But you made me a new man.”
When he walked through her office—shamelessly showing off—his limp was barely there.
And that was why she loved her job, Kate thought as she stepped from behind her desk and clapped.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. She had fifteen minutes before her next patient. The pool complex was at the very back of the facility, but she could make it there and back.
“Let’s go and see about that sauna, then.”
Chapter Four
