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K
elly rued the rash words the moment they were out. They seemed to hang in the air between them for endless seconds, and her pulse did a panicky jig at the sharpened glint of speculation in his eyes. With slow deliberation he shook his head, as if he was mocking her or himself.
'You are very young,' he said flatly. 'But you're obviously qualified or you wouldn't be here.'
'Don't worry!' she shot back. 'You'll get the treatment you need.' And deserve, Kelly added privately. 'Can you manage to get up on the table by yourself?'
His face stiffened at her taunt. 'I'll manage,' he asserted grimly.
But it obviously pained him to walk. He moved his left leg stiffly, cautiously, and when he finally settled himself on the table he breathed a sigh of relief. Quite clearly he had favoured one leg for years. It was not so powerfully muscled as the other.
'You'd better tell me the whole story, so I don't get anything wrong,' Kelly said matter-of-factly.
'My left side was smashed from the waist down. The bones didn't knit properly. There's a lot of pain in the joints. The problem area just now is between hip and thigh.'
Kelly grimaced to herself. She didn't like feeling any sympathy for the enemy, but she could not bring herself to completely ignore his suffering. She had to do something about it.
'I'll start with the ultrasound,' she decided.
He nodded.
Delicately she moved his underwear away from the joint and spread oil over his taut flesh. The touch of him was oddly disturbing. Repugnant, she told herself, but knew she was shading the truth. His body was that of a superb athlete and, despite his disablement, he was in sleek condition. Her touch seemed to disturb him, too. She could feel his flesh flinching under her hand.
'Is that hurting?'
'No,' he growled.
'How did you get smashed up?' she asked, covering her unease with ordinary curiosity.
'That's irrelevant,' he answered curtly.
Kelly tried to repress her irritation over his rudeness. She turned away, using unnecessary vigour in wiping the oil from her hand with tissues before plugging in the ultrasound and switching it on. The small machine was shaped much like a Philips electric razor and about the same size. She began to move it over the joint and muscles.
'If you feel any heat, tell me,' she instructed.
'Get on with it,' he growled impatiently.
Kelly threw him a venomous look. Fortunately his eyes were closed. His whole face had a closed, tight look. Kelly decided to give him ten minutes with the ultrasound.
She couldn't remember ever seeing a more… interesting male body.
He made no sound.
She worked on in silence until the automatic timer clicked off. Then, having wiped the oil from his skin with a few tissues, she fixed the suction cups on to his body: two red, two blue. 'I'm going to switch the interferential on now. Tell me when the pins and needles start.'
'Give it to me full blast.'
You'll get it full blast, Kelly silently promised him… after she had finished the job. She turned the dials.
He made no sound.
She saw the muscles around his hip joint start to contract. 'That's far enough,' she said.
He grunted.
Ten minutes would be long enough for the first treatment, she thought. It would probably also be the last… from her!
It seemed to be only justice that some defect had been inflicted on him. Something to cut his superiority down!
