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City Hospital #3
Learning to Walk
Sometimes love means learning to walk all on your own.A terrible motorcycle accident leaves Kit in pain, living with his father and needing to teach his legs how to walk again. He's actually lucky to be alive, but don't try telling him that; Kit's too wrapped up in bitterness and pain to feel any sort of happiness.Neil knows exactly how lucky Kit is. As Kit's physiotherapist, he's seen the man's medical records, and knows a lot of people never recover after an accident such as Kit's. His job is to get Kit moving and to get him walking again, so when Neil finds himself attracted to Kit, he buries the feelings and focuses on the job.That's hard to do, though, when Kit starts falling for Neil in return. And starts making moves. Neil is determined to keep things professional between them, though, because he feels that Kit's recovery is far more important than a physical relationship. Can Neil teach Kit to walk again without either of them getting their hearts broken?
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2011
81 people want to read
About the author
Drew Zachary
40 books101 followersDrew Zachary is the pen-name of co-authors Chris Owen and Vic Winter.
"Born in the wilds of Canada, Drew grew up with an axe in one hand and a book in the other. Drew's love of writing is outshone only by his love of men. Lucky for him, he can combine the two.
From his father, Drew learned how to wield that axe, fix a carburetor and bake a mean can of beans using fire, gas or electricity. From his mother, he learned how to rotate the tires, turn apples into just about anything from cider to pie to a meatless lasagna, and how to swim. At twelve Drew ran away to join the circus, only to run away from it when he realized just how badly elephant poop stinks.
When Drew ran out of books to read he started writing his own and never looked back. His home is filled with books, unfinished manuscripts and his grandmother's knick knacks. His best friend is a dog named Barney and his pet fish keep him entertained for hours.
Drew writes about love because he still believes in it. Even though he's never found that special man himself, he's never given up hope. Well, never on a permanent basis, anyway."
Source:www.drewzachary.com
"Born in the wilds of Canada, Drew grew up with an axe in one hand and a book in the other. Drew's love of writing is outshone only by his love of men. Lucky for him, he can combine the two.
From his father, Drew learned how to wield that axe, fix a carburetor and bake a mean can of beans using fire, gas or electricity. From his mother, he learned how to rotate the tires, turn apples into just about anything from cider to pie to a meatless lasagna, and how to swim. At twelve Drew ran away to join the circus, only to run away from it when he realized just how badly elephant poop stinks.
When Drew ran out of books to read he started writing his own and never looked back. His home is filled with books, unfinished manuscripts and his grandmother's knick knacks. His best friend is a dog named Barney and his pet fish keep him entertained for hours.
Drew writes about love because he still believes in it. Even though he's never found that special man himself, he's never given up hope. Well, never on a permanent basis, anyway."
Source:www.drewzachary.com
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 17, 2019
Found this in my huge tbr pile from many years ago. I probably would’ve enjoyed this much more six, seven years ago but now I found it rather boring. It’s not a long read but it felt like it was because of the slow pace and the use of the tedious technique of telling (instead of showing). However, it has a great premise and it’s non-angsty and kinda sweet.
November 24, 2011
While this is #3 in the series, there is no overlap with the other books so is essentially a stand-alone. I thought this did a really good job at the beginning of showing how Kit was coping, or not as the case may be, with the fall-out of motorcycle accident. He felt guilty that now he father had to care for him when he should have been having his own life and I imagine like most of us, the whole "Well, at least your alive" thing wore thin as he struggled with life in a wheelchair. Needless to say, he was less than hospitable with his physiotherapist, however Neil was one of those people who never let a surly client get him down. Probably as annoying as hell in real life, but he managed to drag Kit along with him.
It was nice to see their friendship grow before they hopped into bed. In fact Neil refuses to date Kit while he is his therapist. So often in romance they hop into bed right away, ethics be damned and oh, wait, he's cured by the magic healing power of twu wuv. But in this case no. The therapy was long and grueling, their friendship slowly developed and granted I got a bit annoyed with Neil who kept telling Kit that he only liked him for now and he'd move on. Sheesh, give people some credit. But it was nice when Kit took the bull by the horns and fired Neil so they could date.
The awkwardness of going out for a date in a wheelchair, having his Dad have to drive them, it was all awkward but sweet and Neil was great about seeing Kit, not the guy in the wheelchair. So on the whole I really enjoyed this and even though Kit eventually does walk, he's never going to be running marathons. It sounds kind of awful, but I like it when someone with a handicap isn't "cured" so that they can fit the "normal" stereotype of romance leads. Even people who walk with a cane or in a wheelchair fall in love.
It was nice to see their friendship grow before they hopped into bed. In fact Neil refuses to date Kit while he is his therapist. So often in romance they hop into bed right away, ethics be damned and oh, wait, he's cured by the magic healing power of twu wuv. But in this case no. The therapy was long and grueling, their friendship slowly developed and granted I got a bit annoyed with Neil who kept telling Kit that he only liked him for now and he'd move on. Sheesh, give people some credit. But it was nice when Kit took the bull by the horns and fired Neil so they could date.
The awkwardness of going out for a date in a wheelchair, having his Dad have to drive them, it was all awkward but sweet and Neil was great about seeing Kit, not the guy in the wheelchair. So on the whole I really enjoyed this and even though Kit eventually does walk, he's never going to be running marathons. It sounds kind of awful, but I like it when someone with a handicap isn't "cured" so that they can fit the "normal" stereotype of romance leads. Even people who walk with a cane or in a wheelchair fall in love.
October 12, 2013
Wonderful and heartwarming book!
I liked the less than usual amount of sex, it fitted my mood and it was refreshing.
Very sweet and likeable characters and touching story.
I liked the less than usual amount of sex, it fitted my mood and it was refreshing.
Very sweet and likeable characters and touching story.
July 6, 2012
Sweet, slow-paced romance although maybe a bit too sweet/cute by the end.
December 31, 2013
l Love this kind of books just love no angst. Real sweet
January 20, 2012
Learning to Walk is part of Drew Zachary's City Hospital series. The focus of this tale is physical therapist, Neil Kirkpatrick and his new patient, Kit Matheson. Kit is recovering from a life altering motorcycle accident and has to learn to walk all over again. Kit is angry and in pain, but Neil can see past the hurt to the strong, young man beneath.
Neil is immediately attracted, but he's also aware that he must maintain a professional relationship with Kit to insure that Kit receives the best treatment. Kit, on the other hand, has no qualms about acting on his attraction. Zachary handles the sexual tension between these two with much skill as they move through some harrowing rehabilitation work. Kit and Neil are both interesting characters. Kit is insecure and lonely because of his physical disabilities but determine to maintain his independence, while Neil is unsure of himself with Kit and trying to keep his distance because of their professional relationship.
Learning to Walk spends significant time focused on Kit's physical limitations. The story does not gloss over his pain or his struggle while he fights to recover control of his body. Zachary paints a realistic picture of rehabilitation from a traumatic injury, at the same time not becoming too clinical. Zachary also addresses some of the physical challenges of coping with disability in daily life.
Learning to Walk is definitely worth a read. Kit and Neil are entertaining characters and the story has a few unexpected twists.
Review originally appeared on Queer Magazine Online
Neil is immediately attracted, but he's also aware that he must maintain a professional relationship with Kit to insure that Kit receives the best treatment. Kit, on the other hand, has no qualms about acting on his attraction. Zachary handles the sexual tension between these two with much skill as they move through some harrowing rehabilitation work. Kit and Neil are both interesting characters. Kit is insecure and lonely because of his physical disabilities but determine to maintain his independence, while Neil is unsure of himself with Kit and trying to keep his distance because of their professional relationship.
Learning to Walk spends significant time focused on Kit's physical limitations. The story does not gloss over his pain or his struggle while he fights to recover control of his body. Zachary paints a realistic picture of rehabilitation from a traumatic injury, at the same time not becoming too clinical. Zachary also addresses some of the physical challenges of coping with disability in daily life.
Learning to Walk is definitely worth a read. Kit and Neil are entertaining characters and the story has a few unexpected twists.
Review originally appeared on Queer Magazine Online
August 30, 2012
Kit is recovering from a very bad motorcycle accident.
He is angry and frustrated with his situation and feels helpless and guilty for needing to rely on his father for so much.
His physical therapist Neil knows he can get him back n his feet, but they are attracted to each other and Neil doesn't want to jeopardize his patient/therapist relationship.
Here I had a few niggles, Neil himself admits he shouldn't do all these things with Kit, but can't seem to help himself, I can understand Kit feeling jerked around and that Neil is running to and cold.
And I can certainly agree with how Kit feels about the whole hospital/docto/therapist situation from a patients point of view.
Once they get over the bump, the story falls into a sweet falling in love story with no real angst or conflict.
He is angry and frustrated with his situation and feels helpless and guilty for needing to rely on his father for so much.
His physical therapist Neil knows he can get him back n his feet, but they are attracted to each other and Neil doesn't want to jeopardize his patient/therapist relationship.
Here I had a few niggles, Neil himself admits he shouldn't do all these things with Kit, but can't seem to help himself, I can understand Kit feeling jerked around and that Neil is running to and cold.
And I can certainly agree with how Kit feels about the whole hospital/docto/therapist situation from a patients point of view.
Once they get over the bump, the story falls into a sweet falling in love story with no real angst or conflict.
November 8, 2011
I really liked the first half of this book and I was sure it was going to be a 4 or at least a 3 stars read, but if I want to be honest with myself I can't give it more than 2 stars.
From the moment they started flirting with each other and especially after they got together the dialogue became a bit silly and they started to sound like teenagers instead of grown men. Everything became just way too sweet for my taste. I realize they were supposed to be giddy with love and some of it did make me smile, but mostly I just rolled my eyes.
I think this book is perfect if you're in the mood for something sweet and don't mind if it's a bit sappy.
From the moment they started flirting with each other and especially after they got together the dialogue became a bit silly and they started to sound like teenagers instead of grown men. Everything became just way too sweet for my taste. I realize they were supposed to be giddy with love and some of it did make me smile, but mostly I just rolled my eyes.
I think this book is perfect if you're in the mood for something sweet and don't mind if it's a bit sappy.
June 19, 2015
I've enjoyed these City Hospital books and this one was just as good as the rest....Kit learning to walk again after a motorcycle accident...he was not happy about it but he soon started to enjoy his sessions with physical therapist Neil.....so much so that he ended up firing him just so he could go out with him...A nice easy feels book x
November 12, 2013
This is a sweet story and doesn't have the angst I expected. Honestly, I was sure at the beginning that Kit would be a lot grumpier. All in all, if you're feeling the need for a nice, angst-free read, then you'll probably like this one.
October 22, 2011
3.5 stars. Sweet m/m romance about a guy, seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, who develops feelings for his physical therapist. Since there's not much conflict in this one, I think it'd be a good read to help recover from an angst-fest book.
February 16, 2012
A very solid 4 stars for me. I liked that there wasn't some stupid, big misunderstanding that drove the couple apart for weeks or months. There was a real and valid issue that when pushed had one of the mains taking decisive action to correct it. A fresh, easy (mostly) read.
August 26, 2015
Re-reading August 2015
October 21, 2011
3.5 stars
June 19, 2020
3.5 stars
January 1, 2012
Was expecting way more drama with this. Kit is in a wheelchair due to a motorcycle accident and doesn't have the greatest attitude. For about twenty pages. The it's sweet and simple and easy.
November 5, 2011
3.5 stars
June 7, 2012
3,5 stars
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January 19, 2015
Probably my favorite of the City Hospital series, although they are stand-alone (they barely mention the other MC's). This one has the most angst but the sweetest love story.
April 18, 2013
Totally loved it..
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews