Boundless Love

Always on my Mind

Charlotte's POV...

I feel like a hot mess. Probably look like one too.

It's already Thursday. This week is flying, I think to myself as I tumble into my rehab center. Nate catches me at the front door.

"Oh , thank god I caught you right away Nate," dropping papers everywhere, It's already that kind of day. Nate helps me gather the papers from the floor, and looks at me like I have two heads.

" Is everything ok?" He questions.

"I'm so sorry to spring this up last minute, I wasn't planning on going earlier, but now I have to get to an all day conference at Mass General." I apologize to him, but go on, "Are you alright to cover everything here today? I've got Kelly coming in to do some PT with my other patients, if you can focus on Levi today?"

Nate nods, " Yes of course, what should we work on today?"

"Try getting him to lift the 2lb weights with his right arm, you can try his left, but don't push it, we know he'll just be discouraged," I instruct. "And get him moving his legs with his new braces on, I'm heading in there now to make sure they fit before I leave for the day." Nate nods again. "Oh, wait! I need check on my other patients  first and make sure everyone will be taken care of today. I hate being away from here when there's so much going on," I'd keep rambling but Nate grabs both my hands and stops me.

"Hey, you don't need to do everything or worry about everything all the time, we can handle it while your gone. It's ok for you to get out of this place once in a while so you can have time for other things. Like your meetings...And going out with friends, relaxing occasionally," he chuckles while saying that last part.

"I know, I know, you always tell me that."

"The you should listen to me for once and take my advice or you'll be run down soon," he reminds me. He's right, I should take his advice. Relaxing is difficult for me though.

What I should do is fake an i'll was so I can get out of this eight hour long conferences. They're very informational, but I've always had a hard time focusing on someone's speech for that amount of time. My mind always wanders or I start day dreaming. It's really not one of my better traits. I would rather be the one on the stage doing the teaching, as long as I'm doing something active and not sitting taking notes. Plus, I have way to much work to do around here and there's not enough time in the day for me to do it all. I need to keep my routine with my patients or I could risk failing them.

I hurry into Levi's room with the new leg braces I had made, "Morning!" I greet him. He's dressed but still in bed, which works out better.

"Look what I've brought," I show him. "Great," he says back sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"Oh I know what you're thinking," I fire back.

"These things are amazing! We have all this new experimental technology to make these specifically for you," I cheerfully say to him, and continue on..."They  are so light, you'll hardly feel them on. The material molds to and can be adjusted to perfectly fit your legs and feet, the only metal parts are the thin hinges that lock your knees and ankles in place when we want to lock them," I keep smiling at him, showing my enthusiasm about them.

I know he doesn't believe me when he presses his lips into a firm line and stares at me with those big blue telltale eyes of his. So I bring the braces over and start placing them on his legs.

He looks down at them and bends his right knee a little sliding his heel up and down the sheets. He doesn't bother with testing out his left.
"Hmm.. I guess you're right," he chuckles. "At least my feet aren't dangling when I bend my knee in these braces." Optimism, I like it.

I'm relieved that they fit properly and go over to his left side. These are very light but I'm not sure if the added weight to his left leg is discouraging him from trying to move it. I place one of my hands under his thigh just above his knee and wrap my other hand around his ankle and begin bending then straightening his leg for him. The brace molds perfectly around his muscles and the hinges move smoothly as I manipulate his knee and ankle.

He seems pleased with the feel and fit of his new braces so, I use this moment to decide to tell him I'm leaving for the day and won't be back until tomorrow. Change in routine is difficult for him, especially since Emma keeps changing her plans on when she's coming to visit him.

As I've expected, panic takes over his face as he quickly looks up at me, "Why?" He asks.

I tell him the reason and then assure him that Nate will be doing all his therapy treatments today and that I'll see him first thing in the morning.

He looks down at his new leg braces again and quietly says, "Okay."

"Hey, use this day to test these new puppies out," I tap his leg brace. "Tomorrow, we'll be able to try some new exercises and hopefully get you sitting up on the side of the bed," I smile at him.

He gives me a half smile, rewarding me with only one of his dimples. I love it when he smiles, I need to figure out a way to get him to smile more.

The rest of this day drags on, the conference is so long that I catch myself feeling worried about Levi rather than paying attention to the monotone lady speaking on the stage.

I call Nate during my break to check in on everything. He sounds annoyed when he informs me that Emma called Levi to say she wasn't visiting until Monday, and that Levi has been in a non-cooperative mood since. I apologize and thank Nate at the same time and promise to be back there in the morning.

This isn't going to be good... there goes any chance of me paying attention to anything taught at this conference today.

I call again at the end of the day to check in one more time before I can get any sleep. I should go over there and check for myself even if it's late. Sarah answers and says Levi was too angry to eat tonight and nearly all but refused his shower, but is thankfully in bed sleeping at the moment.

Ok, I can deal with that I try and convince myself. Tomorrow is a big deal, we are going to finally get him sitting up on the side of his bed, no machine to help. That will keep his mind off Emma for a bit.