Niles lay on the soft rubber mat that Daphne had carefully positioned on the floor, surrounded by a mound of pillows. She'd done this sort of physical therapy before and it was important to make sure that her patient felt as comfortable as possible. It was the same type of therapy that she'd used on his father when she first met him so long ago, and when she added up the number of times she'd used it on others, it was a fairly high number of patients. But now she was so anxious that she could hardly stand it.

What if something went wrong? She knew the details of the therapy session by heart but she wanted this first session to be absolutely perfect. Anything less could be detrimental to her mission, especially if Niles were to become frustrated. She simply couldn't let that happen.

"Now what?" Niles grinned peering into her eyes.

She blinked, realizing that he had been quietly waiting for her instructions and a ridiculous wave of guilt washed over her. And the fact that he was gazing at her so intently made her blush.

"Well, first we'll check your mobility." She explained. "Now, we can't do much for your one leg until that cast comes off, but we can work on your other leg, your shoulders and arms, including your shoulder. We'll start out very slowly and in time we'll get them strong again. By the time-."

She laughed as she found herself drawn into his arms, immersed in a series of kisses that left her breathless and wanting more. She tried to pull away, but he continued to hold her despite the sling on his arm.

"Niles…" Daphne laughed as she gently and reluctantly pushed him away.

"I bet you've never had a physical therapy session like this before." Niles said with a playful grin.

Her face reddened inexplicably. "No, I can't say that I have. But if we're going to make any sort of progress, we'll have to save the kisses for later."

Niles sighed in mock annoyance. "All right. I understand. I just got a bit carried away."

At this Daphne smiled. "I think it was more than a bit, Darling but I understand. Now, we really should get started. This might hurt but I'm going to take your shoulder out of this sling and we'll work on your mobility, all right?"

As slowly and carefully as possible she removed the sling from his arm and lifted the strap over his head, freeing his arm. "Now, do you think you can raise your arm at all?"
He swallowed hard. "I don't know… It hurts…"

She smiled and lightly caressed his cheek. "I know Sweetheart. Just give it a try and go slowly."

Almost as if in slow motion he began to raise his arm, wincing at the pain it produced. She hated to see him suffer but it was the only way for him to regain his mobility. And when he found that he could raise it only a few centimeters higher, he began to lower it. The effort made her smile and she couldn't resist kissing him. It was meant to be a soft, light kiss but she was immediately pulled in by his passionate desire as he deepened the sweet kisses. And it was becoming harder and harder to pull away.

"Wow…" he said when Daphne lightly touched her forehead to his, causing her to smile.

"My thoughts exactly, Niles. But there's more where that came from."

He leaned to kiss her but she drew back unexpectedly.

"Why don't you try it again?"

He moved toward her and grinned boyishly, his eyes brightening. But she surprised him again by placing her fingers over his lips. "I meant try moving your shoulder a few more times. I know it hurts but the more you try the easier it will become."

He tried once more, wincing in pain and quickly lowered it. She was about to tell him that he'd done enough therapy for one day but he raised his shoulder a little higher.

"Now my leg." He said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Well, all right."

He lifted his leg effortlessly and brought it down again. The second time he lifted his left and winced as he tried to bend it. "H-hurts…" He grimaced. "What's wrong? This leg is perfectly-OW!"

"It's just stiff." She explained. You haven't moved your leg since-." She swallowed hard, fighting the tears that rose to the surface. To cry now would only upset him. "Just take it nice and slow."

She wrapped her hands around his leg and kept a firm grip on him as he worked meticulously to bend his knee. And after several tries, she could tell it was becoming easier. It was moments like these that made her proud to be a physical therapist.