Why wasn’t he listening? He could be so logical but about this he was a freaking rock she battered her head against. “That’s what I am trying to tell you. I don’t think she has to lose it all, but she’s afraid.”

His hands found his hips and he loomed over her. “Yes, she’s afraid of you. She thinks you’re trying to get rid of her, and after hearing the way you talked to her, I have to question every damn thing I know about you.”

How to explain this to him? “Physical therapy can be a difficult process. Have you ever known someone who went through it? You said your partner got shot once. Did you ever go to one of his therapy sessions?”

He shook his head. “It’s different. He was a cop. He could handle it.”

“Noelle can handle it, too. Do you know what I would have done to anyone but a family member who refused to do the work? I would have told them they could find me when they got serious about healing and I would have walked away.”

“Well, I wish like hell you would have done that here because the one thing she doesn’t need is more negativity.”

“No, she needs to believe she can do this, and you are not helping her. You are holding her back by coddling her.” The minute the words were out of her mouth she knew they were a mistake. “Armie, I know you’re trying . . .”

He cut her off. “No, please tell me what you think. I’m not a good enough father? How the hell would you know? You never had a father. You can’t possibly know how to raise a child because you never had a parent.”

Wow. She took a deep breath because the cruelty of those words had kicked her in the gut. She’d talked about her childhood because she loved him and wanted him to know everything about her. Not so he could throw it back in her face, weaponizing the words to win a battle she hadn’t even thought to fight.

She had to keep it together or she would end up crying, and she wasn’t going to do that. She was going to keep this professional. “My lack of parental love has nothing to do with my medical knowledge. All of the studies show if I don’t get her on her feet soon, she’ll never walk. I do not understand why you want to keep her in that chair except that you’re afraid and you feel guilty and you’re indulging her. You got to do that when she was young because you were the dad. I bet your wife was the disciplinarian. Well, she’s gone and sometimes you have to be tough. Noelle is smart and strong, but she’s also sheltered.”