As his feet pounded along the quiet, rural lane, Neil felt at peace for the first time in days. Work might be full-on crazy and his personal life at an all-time low following his divorce the previous year, but the beauty of Mother Nature somehow managed to disperse all other thoughts. Right now, at six o'clock on this picture-perfect English summer's morning, all was right with the world. Just him, his running shoes, the occasional wild deer and hundreds of acres of swaying wheat fields. Magnificent.
Although it was seriously early, the sun had already graced the sky for several hours. But still Neil felt as though he could be the only human being on the planet. There was literally nobody else around on this deserted footpath, and that was just the way he liked it. With one exception. Normally by now he would have expected to see a very attractive, young blonde runner. She was one of the few people he met when taking his daily exercise and the sight of her was always a highlight. Not that they'd ever chatted of course. That would be weird, considering they were nothing but passing acquaintances, always running in opposite directions. But they saw each other with enough regularity to warrant a raised hand and a small smile.
That situation was all set to change, however, for when Neil entered a small deciduous woodland, alive with bird song, he noticed an unexpected object at the base of a huge oak tree. Picking up his pace, as Neil approached, he discovered that the object was in fact the blonde he'd previously so admired. Slumped on the floor, apparently having fallen over one of the protruding tree roots, she was clearly trying her best to hold her emotions together.
'You okay?' Neil asked, as he slid to a halt beside her and knelt upon the floor. He silently acknowledged it was a stupid question, given their scenario, but at least his words acted as an ice breaker.
'I think I've fucked my ankle,' she admitted, through gritted teeth.
'Would you like me to take a look? I am a doctor,' he added as an afterthought.
'Are you really a doctor?' she demanded, looking at him in disbelief.
'Yes,' Neil chuckled. 'Or at least that's what my patients tell me. I could be winging it for all you know, but really, what choice do you have given the circumstances?' However, rather than letting him off the hook, the girl continued to gaze at him questioningly, albeit with a teasing twinkle in her eye.
'Hang on, I might even have some proof somewhere,' Neil added. Thrusting his hand inside his pocket, he pulled out a leather wallet and extracted his driving licence. He double-checked that it stated Doctor Neil Cooper, before handing it over.
'This doesn't confirm you're a medical doctor at all,' she replied, having squinted at the card for a short while. 'You could be a doctor of anything.'
'You're a tough crowd. Do you know that?'
'Seriously,' she giggled. 'You could have a PhD in Geography for all I know! And that's no fucking help to me!'
Neil chuckled, loving her sense of humour. Being brave in the face of pain; he could relate to that.
'Well, right now I'm all you've got. So what's it going to be?'
'Fine,' she huffed theatrically.
'Fine,' he confirmed, their eyes locking for several seconds longer than was strictly necessary. 'I'm going to start by removing your trainer and sock.'
'Okay,' she agreed. As he did just that, she suddenly became flustered. It felt very intimate to be undressed by a handsome stranger. 'I'm Becca, by the way.'
'Nice to meet you, Becca. I'm Neil Cooper...Doctor Neil Cooper,' he teased, placing additional emphasis on his title. This admission was accompanied by a swift wink which sent Becca's tummy unexpectedly rolling over with lust. While he examined her ankle, Becca subtly observed her unforeseen rescuer, who was clearly taking great effort not to hurt her any further. She noted the greying hair on the sides of his temples and could tell he was a lot older than her. Undoubtedly way more experienced too... but he was still really fucking hot. Becca knew she probably shouldn't be ogling him, but she was. The guy was gorgeous.
'I think you might just live,' admitted Neil after a short time, remaining kneeling as he continued to cradle her foot in his warm hands. It felt strangely comforting but sexy at the same time.
'That's your diagnosis?' she drawled. 'Well, I can easily see why you're such a well-respected doctor.'
'I never said I was respected...or respectable. You're incredibly sassy, you know that?'
'I have been told...'
'And what happened after you got told?' he enquired, in a tone that sent flutterings exploding in Becca's abdomen. She swallowed hard.
'Nothing.'
'Hmmm, I think that's probably where the mistake was made, don't you?'
'I don't know what you mean,' she gasped. And it was true; she wasn't entirely sure what he was suggesting. She needed to know, though.
'Do you not? Well, Miss...?'
'Abbott.'
'Well, Miss Abbott. You've sprained your ankle. It's as simple as that.'
'Fuck it,' she huffed.
'Which means you need to follow the R.I.C.E. approach; Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Now, where do you live?'
"That is an extremely forward question, Doctor!' giggled Becca, but Neil merely shrugged.
'I'm a forward kind of guy.'
Having ascertained that they lived in neighbouring villages and were currently less than a mile from her home, it became patently obvious to Neil what needed to happen next.
'In which case, allow me to carry you home.'
'You can't!' squeaked Becca, attempting to scrabble to her feet. 'I'm far too heavy!'
Neil observed her curiously. She had an amazing figure, including a perfectly rounded pair of breasts he was doing his absolute best not to admire.
'I'm sure I can walk,' she continued. But the instant she attempted to place her injured foot onto the ground, it became very obvious that she couldn't. Crying out in pain, Becca slumped back down to the earthy floor, gasping from her exertion, frustrated at her helplessness and feeling more than a little foolish.
'Fuck!' Becca exclaimed, with considerable vigour.