Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine.

A/N: Apologizes to PT/OT peeps, bc I'm pretty sure I still mangle your jobs description.

Reconnections

Madge frowned as she spotted the name on the file.

'Gale Hawthorne'

They'd gone to school together, a lifetime and a half ago. She doubted he'd remember that though. Gale had been a football star, the small, poor school's first hope for an athletic scholarship to a major college ever. Madge had barely been a bleep on anyone's radar, a good student, not a trouble maker, just another face in the crowd.

She remembered him as something of a stoic figure, a little too serious about himself and his football. They'd had a class or two, history, together, no real interactions other than him asking her for a pencil everyday.

Gale had gotten his much sought after scholarship, had a record setting true freshmen season, no sophomore slump, and a national championship junior year with a Heisman finalist run, before heading to the draft early. He hadn't slowed there, becoming Rookie of the Year, gone to the Pro Bowl, MVP, and continuing to shatter previously untouchable records.

Madge had followed his career closely, feeling a little protective of him whenever anyone would insinuate he wasn't as good as he truly was. Hometown loyalty wasn't fierce in her, but it still existed, even if it was for someone as seemingly chilly as Gale Hawthorne.

Now though, he'd taken a nasty hit during the final game of the regular season, landed oddly, and torn his ACL.

He'd elected for early surgery with one of the best doctors and now, to Madge's great surprise, she was already looking at his file for physical therapy.

Her eyes flickered up as he hobbled in on a set of crutches, took a seat on the bench, and began waiting patiently, fingers laced in front of him.

Madge swallowed hard as she walked over to him. She didn't expect him to remember her, she was nothing when they'd existed in the same little world. She was still nothing. It was best not to mention their connection. How embarrassing would it be for him to have to pretend to remember her?

"Hello, Mr. Hawthorne," she held out her hand. "I'm Madge. I'll be one of the therapists working with you."

Gale looked at her a little oddly, then grabbed her hand firmly in his own, warm and a little sweaty from using his crutches, and gave it a little shake, "Just, uh, call me Gale. Okay?"

#############################

He was much more down to earth than she expected him to be.

Madge had thought he would come and be demanding, he was an athletic superstar after all, even if he'd come from humble beginnings, but he was polite and listened, followed their instructions to the letter.

"I want to get back to the game," he'd told her as they'd gone through the early stages of his therapy.

Now, he was at least a month ahead of schedule. After a long and loud 'discussion' with the lead therapist, the only time she' heard him really get upset, Gale had convinced the man to let him move forward in therapy not according to a schedule, as they often did, but at his own pace, which turned out to be much faster than normal. Unnaturally fast if Madge was honest.

"Are you calling in favors to some ancient power I'm not aware of?"

"Just sold my soul," he shrugged.

"Nothing you needed then?"

Gale laughed, deep and rumbling, making her stomach flip on itself.

He didn't seem to remember her from school, which she decides is probably a good thing. She'd been a bit of a nerd and it might've been hard for him to take her instructions if he only saw the greasy faced girl with no fashion sense he borrowed pencils from during history.

She found him to be pleasant enough, quiet, prone to clipped answers and grunts, but not out of genuine rudeness. It seemed to her he was maybe a little self conscious, though she wasn't sure why, no one that gorgeous needed to be so guarded.

During his sessions he'd slowly begun talking to her, telling her about growing up poor and how important it was for him to get back to work. Suddenly his single mindedness, his determination, both back in school and now, made much more sense. His family was his life, and he was supporting them. Each day he wasn't improving he saw as a failure to them, despite Madge's insistence that he not push himself too hard and undo all their hard work and that his family understood he needed to get better. They wouldn't hold his injury against him.

"Your family will love you, football or no football."

"Maybe, but I want them to have a better life than I did. I just don't want us to ever slide back to where we were."

Madge was certain he'd put some of his hefty paycheck back for rainy days, but nodded anyway. She wouldn't belittle his worries.

Today, they were in the pool, well, he was in the pool. Madge was staying off to the side letting her legs dangle in the water. He liked as little interference as possible during his exercises once he had them down.

Madge watches him closely as he began his flutter-kick exercises toward the end of his time in the water. His muscles, even after months of not doing his regular, rigorous workouts, were still lean and toned. She suspected he worked out his other muscles when he wasn't in sessions.

He pops up, gives her a small look, which she takes to mean he's almost done, so she reaches behind her to grab his towel.

Before she knows it, there's a pair of hands wrapped around her calves, someone gives her a quick, strong tug, and she's in the pool.

"Gale!" She gives him a dark look as he grins up at her from just under the water's surface letting a few bubbles of air pop from his mouth.

Huffing, she turns to crawl out, but he grabs her by the hips, pulls her back and underwater with him this time.

He's trying to drown me!

She begins to flail in the shallow water, but he catches her arms, pinning them to her sides.

As she begins to panic, eyes widening and fear taking over, his lips crash into hers.

At first she isn't sure what's happening, her mind is in a fog from being pulled under. Then she becomes overly aware of his body pressed to hers, his hands, rough and strong, holding her tight to him, his lips taste like his chapstick.

Madge's arms wrap around his neck before she knows what they're doing. She's breathless, probably going to drown, but what a way to go.

Just when her lungs feel they're going to explode, burn up from lack of oxygen, he lets them break the surface.

They don't let go, just cling to each other as they catch their breath.

"I don't know what the other therapists have been doing with you, but this is definitely not something we were taught in school."

He lets out a boom of laughter, "Are you sure? Aren't you supposed to be getting me back into life?"

Madge wipes some of the water out of her eyes, "I'm thinking this would fall under occupational therapy's umbrella."

Gale dips in again, nuzzles into her neck, nips at it with his teeth, "Too bad."

She shrugs, "Well, maybe…"

It was hard to think with him pressing, all wet and warm, against her.

"I suppose I can help you with the major muscle groups." Though he didn't seem to have any problem with that.

He presses his nose into her cheek, his hot breath coming in puffs against her tingling skin, "Maybe we can discuss a treatment plan at dinner tonight?"

Madge feels her body tense. She shakes her head, pulls back and crawls up on the side of the pool.

"I can't date a patient. I'm sorry."

He gives her a soured look, "But we went to school together. Doesn't knowing someone before make a loophole or something?"

She freezes. "You remember me from school?"

It takes him a second, then he nods, a little slowly. "We had history together."

"You didn't say anything!"

"Neither did you!"

That wasn't the point.

Her mouth opens and closes a few times, she can't seem to form words.

They stay frozen, staring each other down for a few minutes before Gale wades over and steps between her dangling legs. He takes a deep breath.

"I thought you were just, you know, playing coy or something."

Madge was fairly certain she'd never played 'coy' in her life. She isn't even sure she knows how.

"I didn't think you remembered me. I didn't want to make things awkward."

"I sat behind you for two years of history." He rests his forearms on her thighs, "I knew you the minute I saw the back of your head."

Her stomach does an annoying little flip, her heart is fluttering at what she thinks must be an unsafe pace, she gives him a nervous smile. "Oh?"

Gale nods, reaches up and pushes a wet strand from her cheek, "Yeah. You were smart. Too smart for me."

Her eyebrows arch and she fights off a smile, "You think I've dumbed down some?"

His hand drops, "I've been lucky a lot lately. You tolerated me this long, thought maybe a smart girl might give me a chance."

Madge lets her hand rake through his thick hair, "How is getting injured lucky?"

"Met you again didn't I?"

Smooth.

She gives him a little kick.

He reaches behind her, wraps his hands around her waist and tugs her closer to him before peering up at her through his wet lashes, "So…"

Madge smiles, he's progressing fast, he won't be in therapy forever.

"Wait a few weeks."

He groans.

She shrugs, they'd waited a lifetime and a half to reconnect, what was a few weeks?