Boundless Love

The Big Day

Charlotte's POV...

Enthusiastic, thrilled, high as a kite; I can't decide what better describes how I'm feeling today. I have that anxious, butterflies in your stomach feeling of excitement preparing for what's about to happen. Levi's been working towards this day for a little over eleven months and I couldn't be more happy for him than I am right now.

Levi's been on the longest rollercoaster ride of his life, which is probably the best way I can describe his journey here. He's been strapped inside the car, guided by the track through steep inclines and descents, carrying him around sharp curves and changes of speed. At times he found himself stuck in a gravitational force, going around a continuous loop until the track finally changed direction and led him onto the next climb. Just as the car reaches the top of the next hill, there is a moment when everything pauses, when everything felt suspended for him and he enjoyed that moment because the anticipation of the drop was too much to bear. The drop represented everything Levi feared and lost, and he was convinced that this feeling of falling was never going to end and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Eventually he realized that the falls were a normal part of the climb and sometimes he felt the thrill.  He found that if he kept going on the track, the drops wouldn't feel so bad.

We didn't know exactly how long it would take for Levi to go from walking with one crutch to walking with no crutches at all, so it was decided that we would stream the big event today instead of having his family and friend fly over. Levi hasn't yet walked across the entire room on his own, although he chose today to try it. He wanted everyone he loves to witness his moment whether he falls or he makes it. He's gained so much confidence to be comfortable enough to show everyone without fear of failing. His parents, Mark, Landon, and Andy will all be in London waiting to watch online. They are all coming to Boston in a few weeks for Levi's big graduation party anyway, so they'll be able to witness all of Levi's accomplishments in person then.

There is just one thing that I need to do before Levi's big moment...come clean with Nate, tell him everything that's been going on with me and my new inconvenience.

Nate meets me privately in my office. "Hey Charlie, you said you needed to talk to me about something?" Nate's voice upbeat, I feel bad that my voice will not sound happy when he hears what I'm going to confess.

I ask him to sit down for this and naturally it makes him a little nervous. "Is everything alright?" He shyly asks me.

"No everything is not alright, but I hope it will be," I say and I see that I'm starting to frighten him.

I can't beat around the bush, so I just blurt it out. I tell him about my headaches, the dizziness and blurry vision episodes. I tell him about my eye exam and how it brought me to the neurologist, and I am on my fifth week of radiation treatment now.

After I finish spilling all of my secrets, I turn my head to face him. He's completely stunned silent, his brown eyes wide as he stares at me.

"Nate, are you okay?" I ask him, trying to break him from his frozen state.

"You've been going through all of that, and you are asking me if I'm okay?" He says in disbelief. "You are unbelievable," he says.

"That's why you were sick for a few weeks?" He confirms to himself more than asks. I can see him trying to put all the puzzle pieces together in his head.

I nod my head up and down.

"I thought this couldn't happen again?"

'Me too, but there's always been that 5% chance. I'm the unlucky 5%," I shrug.

"Does Levi know?" He questions, his voice beyond concerned at this point.

I move closer to Nate and look straight into his eyes so that maybe he understands the reason why.