“Taylor!” Jamar rushed to her side.

She rolled around on the rubber flooring, clutching her ankle and writhing in pain.

“Shit! Where does it hurt? Do you think it’s broken?”

“I don’t know.” She grimaced. “I don’t think so.” She stretched out her hand to him, signaling for him to take it. “Here, help me up.”

He walked behind her and hooked his arms underneath hers. “Can you stand on your own?” he asked as he lifted her from the floor.

“I think so—” she said, but she cried out the moment she tried to do so. She would have slumped to the floor again if he hadn’t been there to catch her fall. “I guess that’s a no,” she gritted through clenched teeth.

“We need to get you to a hospital.”

“No!”

“Hey, is everything okay here?” It was the guy who’d checked them in at the start of their session. “I saw that fall you took. It looked pretty bad.”

“No worries. I’m fine,” Taylor told him.

“I’ve got her. Thanks,” Jamar said. He turned his attention back to her once the attendant left. “What do you mean no? You need to get an X-ray. Your ankle’s probably broken.”

“It’s not broken. And I don’t need to go to a hospital. I just need some ice.” She pointed to a padded bench. “Help me over there.”

He held her upright as she limped toward the bench, emitting a tiny yelp with every step she took. She was one of the toughest people he’d ever met; for her to openly show such discomfort meant she was in excruciating pain.

“This is ridiculous. Let me take you to the ER, Taylor.”

“Okay, I know this concept may be a little hard for you to grasp as a super-rich football player, but it costs money to go to the hospital. And, yes, I have Obamacare, but the deductible is sky-high. I’m not wasting money on an ER visit just so some doctor can tell me to put an ice pack on my ankle and pop a couple of Aleve!”

Jamar closed his eyes. Damn, but she was stubborn. “I’ll pay the bill. The only reason you hurt yourself is because I goaded you.”

“You have a point,” she groused. “This is your fault.”

“And I take full responsibility. Now let me make up for it by taking you to the hospital.” He went to stroke her ankle, but she flinched before he could touch it.

“I guess I should say yes since I’m about to burst into tears from the pain.”

Jamar cursed under his breath. “Do you think you can get in my SUV, or should I call for an ambulance?”