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“ F uck,” Ian muttered under his breath. “Little girl, we didn’t mean to upset you.”

She glanced up as she felt someone touch her leg. Jack gave her a worried look. “You need to learn to lean on people. To ask for help.”

“It’s not very easy. I’m used to doing everything myself.”

“Please try,” Jack said to her.

“I will.” There was no way she could deny him when he looked this upset. Not with what Ian had just told her about his mother.

“Good,” Ian told her as there was a knock on the door. “Fucker doesn’t have to knock.” He got to his feet and stormed off.

Jack went to move away and she quickly grabbed his hand, wincing in pain at the movement.

“Careful,” Jack warned.

“I’m sorry, Jack. Really. I should have told you it started hurting the other day. And in the days since. But I just kept going on autopilot. I guess I’m used to blocking pain.”

“You shouldn’t do that,” he snapped.

“I’ll try not to. I really will try to let you guys help. All right?”

He nodded. But she got the feeling that he still hadn’t fully forgiven her. And she wasn’t sure how to make that up to him. Or show him that she was truly sorry.

Well . . . she had one idea. But that would take a level of trust and vulnerability she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

“Right. What happened?” Jameson asked as he walked into the room. He sounded professional, but there was a strange intensity in his eyes that she didn’t understand.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” she said as she sat up.

“Lie back!” Ian ordered as Jack gently pressed her down with his hand on her shoulder.

She huffed out a sigh while Jameson eyed the two men curiously.

“It’s her hip,” Ian told him.

“An old injury from a car accident that’s flaring up,” Jack added.

“Her pain level was an eight earlier. She nearly collapsed. She said it’s six now, but I don’t think we should believe her.”

“Definitely don’t believe her,” Jack said. “She’s been in pain for days and never told us.”

“Hey! I feel so attacked,” she protested.

Jameson raised his eyebrows. “All right. How about the two of you clear out so I can examine my patient.”

“Not happening,” Ian said.

“We’re not leaving,” Jack added.

Jameson crossed his arms over his chest. “You will if I say you have to.”

“We’re her guardians,” Ian said.

Jameson sighed. “You’re her guards, but that doesn’t take away her right to privacy. Out.”

Both of them glared back.

Wow. Jameson was even more gorgeous like this. In Protective-Doctor-Mode.

“We need to be here,” Ian insisted. “We’re the ones taking care of her.”

“Either leave, you assholes, or I’m calling an ambulance to take her to the hospital.”

Whoa. Okay. Things were getting out of hand. These guys were friends. Did they even remember that?

Jameson and Ian were practically nose-to-nose, and Jack was doing nothing to separate them.

“I don’t mind if they stay,” she said.

Wait. Why had she said that? Probably because she didn’t want any more tension between the three of them.

And she wanted this over and done with.

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Jameson asked. “Don’t let them bully you into it.”

“I’m sure.”

“Then the two of you sit over there and shut up.” Jameson pointed to the far wall.

They both went. Huh.

“Oh, wise one, give me your magical powers,” she said.

Jameson blinked down at her. Then he turned to look at Jack and Ian. “Did she hit her head?”

Ian rolled his eyes. “Of course she didn’t. I caught her.”

“That’s just Maggie being Maggie.”

“That’s me. Maggie.” She blew out a breath. Why was she feeling nervous?

Because the sexy doctor is going to touch you.

This was like that romance novel she’d just been reading. Well, there hadn’t been two other sexy men in the room in that book.

But imagine if there had been . . .

Yep. She was self-combusting.

“Okay, sweetheart. Can you tell me about this injury? When did it happen? What happened?” Jameson asked.

Great. She really didn’t want to talk about that.

“Do I have to?” she asked.

“Um. Yes.”

And now he was looking at her like she was a crazy person.

Way to go, Maggie.

“I need to know what is going on,” he added gently. “Again, if you want them to leave at any time, say the word.”

Ian glared at Jameson. But Jack just stared at her.

“All right. I was the passenger in a car accident five years ago. I shattered my hip. And my Olympic dreams.”

“What?” Jameson asked.

“I was meant to compete in the Olympics the following year. I couldn’t do that after the accident, though.”

And she hadn’t been able to skate since. Every time she tried to get on the ice, she had a panic attack.

Which hurt almost more than the physical pain of the accident. It was like losing a limb.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Pain filled his face.

“You and my family, both.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She shook her head. She’d already said too much.

“All right, tell me about the injury to your hip.”

“Um, what’s to tell? I shattered it. Had to get it bolted back together. Yeah. So that happened.”

Jameson stared down at her for a moment. “That would have been very painful. And a long recovery. Not to mention upsetting.”

Yeah. To say the least.

“I was in the hospital for three weeks, in a wheelchair with lots and lots of physical therapy.”

It had been painful. But made worse by the fact that she’d known her career was over.

And that her family blamed her for it.

She’d grown depressed and had withdrawn into herself. If it hadn’t been for Indie and Uncle Willy, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. She owed them everything.

“And since then?” Jameson asked. “It’s obviously still giving you problems.”

“I’ve learned how to manage any problems. Usually, by trying to prevent them. I do yoga most days. I try not to spend all day on my feet. Not to push too hard. When it starts to hurt, I usually take a rest. Heat and rest work well.”

“What about painkillers?”

“I try to avoid them. I don’t want to become reliant on them.”

“I understand that. But there’s no shame in taking some over-the-counter painkillers when it’s this sore.” He searched through his bag. “See? Just paracetamol. Jack, can you get some water?”

“Sure.”

“So what happened this time? Did you strain your hip?”

“The pain has been building over a few days.” Maggie tried to sit up when Jack returned with the water. Ian immediately moved over and sat behind her, pulling her so she lay back against him. Jameson gave her the pills and she put them in her mouth. But when she went to grab the glass of water, Jack brushed her hand away and held the glass up to her mouth.

“You’re doing so well,” Ian said. “Drink that all down.”

“I guess the stress of the last few days hasn’t helped,” Jameson said as Jack moved away. “And there’s been little time for yoga. Or taking care of yourself.”

She glanced away at the light scolding note in his voice.

“Hey, look at me.” Jameson waited until she turned her face back to him. “I know that there has been a lot going on. But that’s even more reason to take care of yourself. Because you getting sick or hurt isn’t going to help anyone.”

Right. Great.

Now the really sexy doctor was telling her off.

She sniffled. It was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“What the fuck, Jameson?” Ian snarled.

“Why did you say that to her?” Jack snapped. “You upset her!”

Jameson’s mouth dropped open. Then he closed it with a scowl. “And this is why the two of you shouldn’t be in here.”

“Why? So you can make her cry without an audience?” Ian asked.

“Guys,” she said. “Chill out. I’m fine. I just . . . I don’t like being a disappointment.”

She heard someone suck in a breath. Then, there was the sound of a thud. She quickly glanced back to find Jameson rubbing his arm.

“Did one of you hit him? Bad guards. Bad,” she scolded.

Okay. She was losing it.

Jameson cleared his throat. Then, to her surprise, he crouched down beside her. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like a disappointment. You could never be that, all right?”

“Sure.” Unfortunately, he had no idea how much of a disappointment she already was.

Jameson’s gaze narrowed. “I mean it. You are not a disappointment.”

Her eyes widened in surprise at his stern tone. Yikes. She expected this from Ian. Not Jameson.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“What?” she asked.

“Say you’re not a disappointment.”

“Do you do this to all your patients?” she asked with a huff.

“The ones who call themselves a disappointment, I do. Although that’s only happened once.”

She blew out a breath. “I’m not a disappointment.”

“Good girl.”

Did he know what those words did to her?

Jameson leaned in closer. “Someone likes being a good girl.”

“Um. No. No idea what you mean.”

He grinned, but his smile quickly faded into a more professional look.

“Now, last I knew, I was the one with a medical degree, missy. So I’ll be the one that will do the diagnosing. Understand?”

She sighed, but nodded.

“Right. Are you all right with me pulling down your pants to get access to your hip?” he asked.

A blush filled her face which was silly, but she nodded. “Yes.”

She winced as she attempted to get her pants off.

“Stop,” Ian grumbled. “You’re hurting yourself.”

Yeah, but she had to get them down somehow. To her surprise, Ian slid out from behind her, before he carefully stood her up. He held her so she was several inches above the ground. Then, Jack kneeled and gently drew her yoga pants down to the tops of her knees.

“Can you . . . can you take them right off?” she asked, feeling her cheeks grow red with embarrassment. “It will be easier if I don’t have to keep pulling them on and off. I’ll need to find something else to wear.”

“I’ll get you something to wear,” Jack told her as he slowly removed the pants.

By the time they were done, she was feeling ridiculously exhausted.

They laid her back down and Jameson prodded and poked at her hip, which had her hissing in pain. Jack returned with a pair of track pants that definitely weren’t hers.

And Ziggy.

She took hold of him, blushing slightly. Jameson knew about Ziggy from the hospital the other night, but it felt different having him see her with him now in the light of day.

“Don’t be embarrassed. We’re here to take care of you,” Ian told her. “And you don’t need to worry about anyone else’s feelings or what they might think of you.”

Right. Easier said than done.

“You need your zebra,” Jameson said. “What was his name again?”

“Ziggy.” She rubbed her face with the zebra. “Uncle Willy gave him to me when I was five. He’s getting a bit worn, but I love him.”

“I’m sure he loves you too.” Jameson smiled at her and she smiled back. “All right, Shortcake. I think you’ve been on your leg a bit too much. You haven’t been listening to your body when it’s told you to slow down and now you’re at the point where you need to stop or you’re going to do some permanent damage.”

She sucked in a breath and glanced at Jack who was staring down at Jameson intently. There were no smiles. No jokes. Ian moved next to Jack and looked just as serious.

Maybe she should have kicked them out of the room. Because she had a feeling that whatever Jameson told her that she needed to do would be taken very seriously.

“You need to put a heating pad on your hip and get some rest. And I mean that. You don’t look like you’re getting much sleep. And frankly, I’m worried about you. You’re too stressed, and it looks like you’ve lost weight.”

Monkeyballs.

That was like waving a red flag in front of Ian’s face. She glanced up at him. Yep, he looked ready to explode.

“I can’t just lie in bed all day.”

“You can get up to go to the bathroom, but that’s it.”

Marvelous.

“I have to look after Uncle Willy!”

All three men gave her matching frowns. Whoa. That was intense.

“You’ll do what Jameson says,” Ian barked.

Jack nodded.

Great. No one was on her side.

Really not cool. Maggie needed to find a man who always agreed with her.

“You hired the night nurse, right? To take care of William?” Jameson asked Ian.

Ian nodded.

She wasn’t used to this. To having people help her. That’s not the way her life worked. She did everything herself.

This was weird and a bit scary.

“We’ll make sure she doesn’t weight-bear on that leg,” Ian said. “How long should she stay off it?”

“At least twenty-four hours. Then she can try moving a tad, but you should ascertain her pain levels. If they increase, you need to call me or get her to the hospital. There’s some swelling so alternate cold and heat. An ice pack. Then, a warm bath. Don’t sleep on that side, sleep on your back or other side. Painkillers every six hours to keep on top of the pain.”

“I think some yoga will help. I could try that now.”

“No,” all three men said.

Sheesh. Did they rehearse that?

Because it seemed that way.

“I’ll be careful. Yoga and stretching is good for me.”

“Yes, once that swelling has gone down and you’re not experiencing sharp shooting pains,” Jameson told her.

Monkeyballs. She knew she should have downplayed her pain levels.

“I’m telling you right now, Shortcake, that if you don’t follow my instructions, I will move in here to keep a closer eye on you.” Jameson gave her a firm look.

Why did that sound so threatening?

And why did her body tighten in anticipation?

“Maybe you should anyway,” Jack said. “We’ve got two patients now. We could use the help.”

Jameson frowned. “You do. William could become . . . easily confused and upset.”

Bollocks.

Did he want her to tell Jack and Ian about Uncle Willy?

Should she?

“I have a shift starting in a few hours, but I’ll return tonight to check on them both. And we need to have a chat, Maggie. Alone.”

He gave her another pointed look.

She didn’t think that sounded like a good idea.

Ian frowned. “Is there something more we need to know?”

“Just worried about William getting confused about where he is and who you are,” Jameson said smoothly. “I might as well check on him while I’m here. Has he shown any signs of confusion?”

“No, he’s just tired and sore,” she told him.

“That’s good. I’ll be back.”

Once Jameson was gone, Ian kneeled down next to where she lay on the couch. She attempted to push herself up so she was sitting. He frowned, but helped her up.

“Let’s get you into these,” Jack said, holding up a pair of gray trackpants. “They’re mine. We will have to roll them over at the top, but I figure they’re loose and will be comfortable.”

Oh Lord.

She was going to wear his pants? Again, Ian held her up while Jack got her dressed.

“It would probably be easier to lie her down and dress her,” Ian suggested.

“Next time,” Jack said.

Umm. There wouldn’t be a next time. Right?

Jameson came back down. “Okay, William is doing really well. Sore and sleepy, but that’s to be expected. I’ll come back after my shift to check on everyone.”

She wanted to tell him that wasn’t necessary. But Ian and Jack nodded before she could say anything.

It seemed she was going to be taken care of.

Whether she liked it or not.