Boundless Love

Something is Working

Levi's POV...

The second and third round of injections also caused my body to react with high fevers, but they subsided after a day or two and I was able to continue with physical therapy.

I couldn't tell if my left side was getting any better or not because my body always felt weak after each procedure and I spent the following days working my way back to my previous strength, what I had before I started this treatment.

Charlotte was a nervous wreck this whole trip, constantly taking my temperature, not getting any valuable sleep at all. I felt horrible when my temp would get so high that it would scare her. The fact is, I was scared too but I couldn't show it because it would worry her even more. I need to be the one supporting her in this relationship as much as she supports me. I know I could never live up to the level of selflessness she has shown me, but I can do my best to try.

Tomorrow is my last injection, so I made sure to work extra hard during PT this morning. Charlotte refused to accept any help all week and insisted she did all my therapy sessions with me. Charlotte likes to be in control of what's happening, and hates when her therapy treatment plans aren't working. She doubts herself and then throws herself obsessively into her work, trying to make everyone better. She needs a break, not from me, but in general, before she makes herself sick.

It's nearly noon when Charlotte comes to find me in my room after getting a bit of work done in her office.  I know she's expecting to get me to the cafeteria to eat and then to my next therapy session. She's been relentless, but I plan to change that.

"You ready for some lunch and more exercise?" She poses.

"Nope! We are taking the afternoon off, and before you object, I already got permission from Dr. Lee," I declare.

She retorts with multiple different facial expressions. The fact that she's speechless at the moment makes me laugh and she looks at me and shrugs her shoulders.

"Well if Dr. Lee said it's ok, then we shall listen to him," she smirks.

"Great, I've looked up a few places and thought we should try Palisades Park? We can grab something to eat and walk around and look at the ocean!" I suggest to her.

"Sounds good," she says as she brings over my wheelchair.

"I'm walking with you today, no chair... consider it my afternoon therapy," I chuckle.

Fortunately, she doesn't mind that I want to walk with her holding onto me the rest of the day.

We take an Uber to Santa Monica and when we get there, we spot a few food trucks and order something to eat. There are some benches in the park that overlook the ocean, so we head towards the only empty one left.

The weather is beautiful here in California. Besides the smog that everyone speaks of, it's been 70 degrees and sunny every day. Charlotte is loving the sunny weather too. She leans her head onto the back of the bench and closes her eyes. I hear her take in a deep breath and let out a long sigh, her eyes still closed, letting her face soak in all the sun. I'm so glad we did this, she needed this.

"Thank you, Levi for taking me here, this is nice and relaxing," she says while pulling herself up to rest her head on my shoulder. I think she might fall asleep.

I won't mind if she slept here leaning on my shoulder, Lord knows she hasn't had much sleep since we've been here. Also, I find that sitting here with her head on my shoulder as I look out at the ocean is pleasantly comforting. This makes me feel needed, and I gain a little more confidence in myself knowing I can give her what she needs right at this moment.