He's the Man (The Alexanders 3)

He had no intention of going anywhere for a while. At least not until she screamed his name a couple of times.

* * * * *

THE NEXT DAY, Penny patted Matt on the shoulder after they finished a set of exercises. “You’ve made some amazing progress over the past two months. It won’t be long now before you don’t need me anymore.”

He’d regained full range of motion in his shoulder, and they were now working to increase his strength and flexibility through the use of light weights. Although she knew it hurt his male ego to use the small, brightly colored dumbbells instead of the large weights he’d probably been pumping before, he’d been a good sport through it all. He’d even allowed her to take pictures for the website and had posed comically with the small weights as if he was struggling to lift them.

It wasn’t that often she got to see Matt in such a playful mood. It was a heady thing to realize she’d had something to do with that. There were many known scientific benefits to having great sex. Less stress, lower blood pressure, and better sleep were just a few of the more obvious benefits.

It was also a phenomenal mood booster. She’d caught herself humming in the shower that morning, and nothing Charles had said to her today had pissed her off. She simply didn’t care.

“Not that I haven’t enjoyed this, but I’m anxious to see how much progress I’ve made. Is it safe for me to do a mock fitness test just to see how I’d do?”

“It should be fine. Do you want to use the gym?”

At his nod, she gathered her clipboard and led him down the hall to the gym.

“I’ll start with the sit-ups. Last time I barely passed this part because my shoulder was aching so badly I couldn’t concentrate.” He sat on one of the thick blue mats and then interlocked his fingers behind his head. He started slowly, lowering and raising his torso carefully.

“How do you feel?” Penny asked.

“Good. I think I can do more than enough to pass.”

“No pain?”

“None. It’s strange to be able to do this without trying to hide how much it’s hurting me.” He increased his pace and then stopped a few minutes later. “I can do more than fifty sit-ups and I’m barely winded. This is encouraging. You were right that I needed to give my upper body a rest for a little while. I must have been overtraining because I feel stronger than ever now.”

He lay back until he rested on the mat. Then he turned over and got in push-up position. Penny sprang forward, instinctively ready to assist if he needed it. But it seemed like her help was unnecessary because he lowered himself smoothly before coming back up.

He’s doing it, she thought. Up and down, he pumped out push-ups to a beat no one else could hear.

He was healed.

Penny felt a pang behind her heart, but she pushed it aside. Her goal with her patients had always been to get them back to where they’d been before. Helping a patient rewind time so they could do the same things they used to was always her ultimate endgame. It shouldn’t be any different for Matt just because she cared for him. Despite how hard it would be for her to see him go, his goal was to qualify for the Special Forces. It was his dream and she wanted to help him achieve it.

It appeared she already had. Until he suddenly stopped moving.

“Matt? Are you okay?” Penny moved closer and then sprang forward when his arms gave out and he collapsed to the mat below him.

“I can’t do anymore.”

“It’s okay. You did quite a few. I’m sure with enough time you’ll be able to build on what you’ve done.”

“You don’t understand. I o

nly have a certain amount of time to qualify.” He sat back on his heels. “I was so sure that this was the miracle I needed. I thought that if I worked hard and did everything you said that I’d be strong enough. But I’m not. I’m still not.”

He hung his head. Penny’s heart ached at the devastated look on his face.

“I’m not going to pass like this.” He stood and scrubbed his hands through his hair. “It was all for nothing.”

He walked out of the gym without giving her a backward glance.

* * * * *

THAT NIGHT, PENNY arrived at Matt’s house and pulled into the drive. She’d waited for him in the gym for ten minutes before she realized he wasn’t coming back. It was hard to know how to handle the situation. He probably wanted space, but she wanted him to know she was there if he needed to talk.

His whole existence the past few months had been focused on one goal: passing the Army fitness test. Penny had always been confident that he would get there eventually. However, she hadn’t known he was under time constraints. She could help him get better, but there was only so much healing the body could do at one time. After he’d walked out, she’d gone back and reviewed his medical file again, looking for something, anything, she might have missed that could have helped him heal faster. There was nothing.