? I think you’ve officially lost it.”
But then Lauren thought of his voice in the pizzeria: “ You know something, Red? I think we got a good thing going here.”
And she smiled, because regardless of what their friends said, she thought so too.
September 2011
“S o, how’s my favorite patient?”
Lauren glanced up from the magazine she was reading to see Adam wearing his trademark blue scrubs and boyish grin.
“You say that to all your patients,” she said with a smile as she stood and put the magazine on the small table.
“Hmm, I might,” Adam said, stepping to the side as he gestured for her to enter one of the exam rooms. “Health insurance companies don’t cover what they used to, and a man’s gotta make a living. But if it makes you feel any better, with you, I mean it.”
Lauren laughed and shook her head as she walked through the door of the exam room and sat on the table facing him.
“So,” he said, closing the door behind him as he approached her. “How are you feeling today?”
“Great,” she responded, and she meant it. In fact, she was floored at the difference only a few weeks of chiropractic adjustments had made. It made her realize how ridiculous she had been for not doing it sooner.
“Excellent,” he said, standing beside the table and holding her shoulder as he ran the palm of his other hand down the curve of her back. “Nice,” he said with a nod, pressing into the muscle on either side of her lower back with his thumbs. “This tender?”
“Not really. The right side is a little worse.”
He nodded as he stepped back and opened the door. “Okay then. Let’s go.”
“Go?”
He ran his hand through his tousled blond hair and smiled at her obvious anxiety.
“Where are we going?” Lauren asked hesitantly as she slid off the table.
“Out to the gym. The honeymoon’s over. I’m putting you to work today,” he said as he walked out of the room.
“Putting me to work?”
“Yep,” he said over his shoulder before continuing down the hall.
“I should probably warn you,” she said as she followed him, “I had a personal trainer once. He and I did not enjoy each other.”
“Well then there must have been something wrong with him. Who wouldn’t enjoy you?”
“Wow,” Lauren laughed. “Laying it on thick now.”
“Nonsense. This is part of your therapy,” he said. “People work out more effectively when they’re in a good mood. Something about endorphins. That’s just medical verity.”
“Well, I think we’re gonna need a lot more endorphins,” she said with a sigh as she came to a stop where Adam was standing next to a machine that looked like something used in medieval torture.
“Come on now,” he said with that impish smile of his. “You were an athlete. You can’t hate exercise this much.”
“That’s different. With gymnastics, I was doing something I loved and just happened to be getting exercise in the process. But just running in place on a hamster wheel, or sitting here staring aimlessly into space while I move parts of a machine? Are you really going to try to sell me on the fun of that?”
“I can hardly try now,” he said with amusement, folding his arms as he leaned against the machine. “You seem pretty set in your ways.”
“Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it? I have no problems doing something physical, as long as I’m deriving some sort of pleasure from it.”
The second the words left her mouth, she pressed her lips together in a hard line, and the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was his smile morphing into a wide grin.
“You know what I meant,” she said softly.
“I believe I do,” he laughed.
She covered her face with her hands. “Okay, just show me the damn exercises. They can’t be worse than this.”
He laughed then, a jovial contagious laugh that made her chuckle behind her hands, and she finally uncovered her face, fanning herself until she felt the warmth of her blush
But then Lauren thought of his voice in the pizzeria: “ You know something, Red? I think we got a good thing going here.”
And she smiled, because regardless of what their friends said, she thought so too.
September 2011
“S o, how’s my favorite patient?”
Lauren glanced up from the magazine she was reading to see Adam wearing his trademark blue scrubs and boyish grin.
“You say that to all your patients,” she said with a smile as she stood and put the magazine on the small table.
“Hmm, I might,” Adam said, stepping to the side as he gestured for her to enter one of the exam rooms. “Health insurance companies don’t cover what they used to, and a man’s gotta make a living. But if it makes you feel any better, with you, I mean it.”
Lauren laughed and shook her head as she walked through the door of the exam room and sat on the table facing him.
“So,” he said, closing the door behind him as he approached her. “How are you feeling today?”
“Great,” she responded, and she meant it. In fact, she was floored at the difference only a few weeks of chiropractic adjustments had made. It made her realize how ridiculous she had been for not doing it sooner.
“Excellent,” he said, standing beside the table and holding her shoulder as he ran the palm of his other hand down the curve of her back. “Nice,” he said with a nod, pressing into the muscle on either side of her lower back with his thumbs. “This tender?”
“Not really. The right side is a little worse.”
He nodded as he stepped back and opened the door. “Okay then. Let’s go.”
“Go?”
He ran his hand through his tousled blond hair and smiled at her obvious anxiety.
“Where are we going?” Lauren asked hesitantly as she slid off the table.
“Out to the gym. The honeymoon’s over. I’m putting you to work today,” he said as he walked out of the room.
“Putting me to work?”
“Yep,” he said over his shoulder before continuing down the hall.
“I should probably warn you,” she said as she followed him, “I had a personal trainer once. He and I did not enjoy each other.”
“Well then there must have been something wrong with him. Who wouldn’t enjoy you?”
“Wow,” Lauren laughed. “Laying it on thick now.”
“Nonsense. This is part of your therapy,” he said. “People work out more effectively when they’re in a good mood. Something about endorphins. That’s just medical verity.”
“Well, I think we’re gonna need a lot more endorphins,” she said with a sigh as she came to a stop where Adam was standing next to a machine that looked like something used in medieval torture.
“Come on now,” he said with that impish smile of his. “You were an athlete. You can’t hate exercise this much.”
“That’s different. With gymnastics, I was doing something I loved and just happened to be getting exercise in the process. But just running in place on a hamster wheel, or sitting here staring aimlessly into space while I move parts of a machine? Are you really going to try to sell me on the fun of that?”
“I can hardly try now,” he said with amusement, folding his arms as he leaned against the machine. “You seem pretty set in your ways.”
“Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it? I have no problems doing something physical, as long as I’m deriving some sort of pleasure from it.”
The second the words left her mouth, she pressed her lips together in a hard line, and the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was his smile morphing into a wide grin.
“You know what I meant,” she said softly.
“I believe I do,” he laughed.
She covered her face with her hands. “Okay, just show me the damn exercises. They can’t be worse than this.”
He laughed then, a jovial contagious laugh that made her chuckle behind her hands, and she finally uncovered her face, fanning herself until she felt the warmth of her blush
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