Skimmons: Athlete and A Doctor

Part 7

Jemma had made it across the therapy room without falling and felt like she might be on the verge of collapse.

"Come on, Dr.Simmons. You can do this, if you can get to me without falling I'll let you see the picture your sexy little lacrosse player just sent you. You caught a good one there."

Jemma has known for Dr.Echols six years, but she isn't sure that she's ever wanted to kill anyone more than she wants to kill him at that moment. She pushes up on the rail off to the side with all of her strength and can already feel her legs beginning to wobble and her abdominal muscles tremble.

"That's-not-fair" she grunts as she takes step after step.

"All's fair in love and war, Dr.Simmons and if physical therapy is anything, it's a war. Just take this one step at a time." Echols advised her as she gradually drew closer.

"Tell me about you and Ms.Skye." he requested, out of both curiosity and to keep Jemma breathing.

"She came into my ER unconscious. She'd gotten trampled during a game and had a mild concussion. The biggest moment from that first (deep breath) meeting was when (another shaky step where she nearly falls) I was cleaning the cut on her forehead and trying really hard not to be attracted to my patient when she woke up and her eyes opened. My fingers were in her hair and on her cheekbone and our eyes met. They're the literal warmest shade of brown and I just said hi and she said, hey and that's when I was a goner." Jemma was almost to the other side now.

"After that, and since I was the one who signed the nondisclosure form, Skye was always referred to me. It all went downhill from there." she collapsed onto the bench at the end of the railing and gulped down some water.

"Phone." Jemma ordered, holding out her hand. Skye had sent four or five texts while Jemma had been telling Dr.Echols their story, most of them complaining about the heat or how the photography people literally knew nothing about the sport she so loved. The last picture was of Skye and Bobbi in matching sundresses making funny faces into the camera.

"She's doing a photoshoot for her new sponsors before her big interview on ESPN."

"She's kind of a big deal, isn't she?" Echols asked.

"Yeah, she's really really good." Jemma said with a smile as her fellow doctor helped her into a wheelchair to wheel her over to a table for Range of Motion training.

"Does it worry you how often she gets hurt?" Dr. Echols asked, honestly very curious.

"I worry constantly, but I trust her and her teammates and coaches. They're good people. Even with all of my worrying, it was me who ended up in the hospital anyway." Jemma chuckled.

"And her fans? Do they make you worry?"

"I trust Skye. We have a good thing and she honestly loves me. Part of her being famous means that I have to share parts of her, but they'll never get to see all of what I've seen. Some things she only shows to me." Jemma felt reassured talking about all of these things that had all crossed her mind at some point, as Echols bent her legs this way and that.

"Like I said. You've got a great girl, Dr.Simmons." Dr. Echols said with a grin, happy to see his friend happy.

"Hey Jemma, you want to get out of here?" asked an amused voice from the doorway.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Jemma teased. "With you? Anywhere."

-----/////-----

"Aren't you supposed to be having your picture taken?" Jemma asked as Skye wheeled her out of the hospital.

"I am, but I decided to take an extra long water break." Skye said mischievously.