Charlotte's POV...

This was probably the best Christmas I've ever had. Levi and I had a quiet Christmas Day dinner with only his parents and mine. We took the entre day off from any therapy and any work. I felt guilty about it, but we both deserved a day off after everything we accomplished over the last few weeks; we're drained.

Having both sets of parents together with us for Christmas wasn't as awkward as I anticipated. Everyone got along quite nicely. The food was delicious, thanks to both our moms, and the aura very relaxing.

Levi was eager to get back to rehab the next day though, he wanted to get started on his next plan. When we got there, he dragged me into the gym, but not before requesting I bring both forearm crutches with us.

"I want to start walking with my crutches," he insists.

"Hook me up to the ceiling harness and let me try the crutches," he impatiently demands.

"I think you might be getting ahead of yourself," I try to tell him but he ignores me. I think he needs to gain more strength in his hips and left arm so he can better balance himself when he steps, but he's adamant about using the crutches, so I do as he wishes and attach him to the harness and watch him grip the crutch handles.

He does fine standing there, leaning his weight forward on the crutches. Taking a step is a whole other story. Apparently, he wants to try this himself with only the harness holding him.

I stand behind him, waiting for him to ask for my help which never happens, instead he stubbornly tries to move his crutch forward and takes a step.

"What the hell," he huffs.

He loses his balance, and his hips sway out of control each time he moves one of his crutches or takes a step. If it weren't for the harness holding him up, he'd be falling on his face.

I refuse to watch him do this to himself any longer and grab hold of his hips, steadying him while he regains his composure. Neither of us move or say anything, and after about a minute, he releases a loud sigh and lowers his head down in defeat.

"Thank you," he mumbles. "I must've looked like a fool to you just now," he sighs again.

"Of course not, Levi! Don't ever think that! I commend you for trying this on your own, but you do need to let me help you succeed at this," my voice stern so he takes me seriously.

"I'm never going to be able to do this on my own, am I? I still don't have power trunk control even after the stem cell therapy." He uses his shoulder to wipe his eyes. I stay behind him holding him steady.

"You're not allowed to give up on me now, you can do this, one step at a time," my voice remains confident even though my heart wants to cry for him.

I keep a firm hold on his waist while I teach him how to use the crutches properly for the first time. There's a lot of moving parts here which requires more focus on each arm and leg, plus being able to stand upright.

"The parallel bars are stationary, and crutches require you to use your arms to walk and for support at the same time. So while you're still improving on your balance, you'll use the crutches a little differently."

"Okay, what should I do?"

"First, you're going to move both crutches forward slightly at the same time." He looks back at me and where my hands are. "I've got you, go ahead and try it."

He lifts both crutches and moves them forward, planting them back onto the floor a foot in front of him. Between and harness and my grip on him, he's able to do this part, no problem.

"Now take a step with your strong leg first, followed by your other leg." Right leg is easy, his left being in the brace requires him to swing his hip unless I unlock the knee hinge.

"That was good, I want to kiss you right now," I tell him , making him smile.

"I'm going to unlock your brace to make walking easier. The harness will hold you up if your knee buckles."

"Okay."

He's a little nervous but he's doing great and we slowly continue our way around the room guided by the ceiling track.

"This is harder than I expected," he admits.

"Yes, it is, and I'm so proud of you for trying and we can work on this every day and walk in the pool more too," I reassure him.

"Yeah, alright, but promise me that you'll let Sarah and Nate work with me too, I don't want to be the reason why you're so tired every night," he pleads with me.

       I find it easy to agree with him. I've been unusually tired over the past month. I'm sure it's because of our trip to California and worrying about the holidays. Having Sarah and Nate work with Levi part of the day will give me a pleasant little break. Not that I need a break from him per say. I crave his company, whether I'm working with him or hanging out with him. He makes me feel special, wanted, loved. I'm beginning to realize I may need him as much as he needs me. This is different for me, in a good way.

            Levi worked hard the rest of the week leading up to New Year's Eve. Every morning he had Sarah attach him to the ceiling harness and help him walk with his crutches. Afterwards, Nate worked with him and Jake in the weight room, and after lunch I would work with Levi in the pool. When evening came, I would help him use his crutches again. By nighttime, he was so worn out that he would fall asleep in his room here, so I let him sleep and would meet him for breakfast the following day. Not having his arms around me at night while I slept drove me crazy.

            I miss him lately, the only quality time we've had together all week was in the pool.  Levi agreed to meet me in the gym this morning so that I can do his only therapy session for today with him. Tonight is New Year's Eve, and his friend's couldn't make the trip, so I made dinner reservations for him and I, and afterwards we can do whatever we feel like doing, anything is fine as long as we're together.

            "Hey beautiful! His cheerful voice greets me as he rolls into the gym.

            "Hey," I smile back at him and then quickly kiss him when he reaches me.

            "What do you think about using your crutches without the harness today? I'll stand behind you and hold your hips like I've been doing, you just won't be attached to anything," I ask him.

            He thinks about it for a minute and then nods. I know he's skeptical, but he's progressed quickly this week, so I think he's ready.

            I stand beside him and help him to stand, then hand him each crutch before moving behind him to keep him from swaying side to side. Without the harness holding his weight if he falls, we decide to keep his left leg brace locked to so his knee stays straight. He'll have to adjust  his posture when he swings his leg, but he's better able to support himself with his left arm so much stronger now, he's been handling his crutches well.

            He hesitates for a moment and I can feel him shaking a little.

            "I've got you beau! You can do this!" I encourage him.

            I hear him chuckle when he hears me call him beau, which entices him take a courageous step forward. He easily brings his crutches forward followed by his legs, similar to when he's attached to the harness. I support his hips as we make it across the room. I'm so happy for him. Learning to walk with crutches is a big achievement in his recovery. Only if we could get his left leg stronger and his balance better, he'd be able to do this without me holding onto him.

            We get to the exercise table at the end of the room and I leave him sitting on the edge of it so that I can get his wheelchair. While I'm walking to get his chair, I get a stabbing pain in my forehead just above my eyes and instinctively blurt out, "ouch!" I squeeze the inside of my eyes near the bridge of my nose with my fingers to get the pain to stop.

What the hell. I remember this kind of pain from before. It can't be that. This is just a headache.

            "Charlotte, what's wrong?" I hear Levi's worried voice. "I can't get to you if there's something wrong," he says with a frustrated tone. "Are you alright?"

             Thankfully, the pain quickly subsides to a dull ache and I roll the chair to Levi who's anxiously waiting to see if I'm okay.

            "It was weird, I felt a sharp pain but now it only feels like a regular headache," I explain to him. Brushing off any thought of something more serious. Headaches are normal and I've been tired and under a lot of stress. Totally normal. I'm probably not drinking enough water either.

            He doesn't look convinced, so he pulls me to stand in front of him and gently rubs his thumb over my eyes and across my forehead and then kisses me.

"I don't like not being able to get to you when I need to," he states as he hugs me again.

            "Let's get you some headache medicine and go back to your place to shower and change for tonight," he says.

            My headache is only causing minimal discomfort by the time we reach my apartment. Dinner reservations are in an hour and I suggest to Levi that we should probably shower together to save some time.

            Levi's face instantly lights up when I say "together", and I can't help but laugh a little. He swiftly pushes himself to the bathroom and turns on the shower.

            "I'm waiting!" He playfully shouts through the bathroom door.

            When I enter the bathroom, the room is steamy and he's already on the shower chair.

            "Come in Love, the water feels fantastic!" He allures me.

            I remove my clothes and join him in the shower. Levi instantly grabs my waist and pulls me onto his lap. He brushes my hair behind my ear with his finger before taking my face in his hand and pressing his full lips to mine. He kisses me softly at first then nibbles my bottom lip causing my body to shiver and my heart to pulsate.

            "I've missed you this week," I moan between our passionate kisses. No more going to be without him next to me. Now that I've realized how good it feels with him cuddled up to me, I hate with the other side of my bed is empty.

"I missed you too, I don't sleep well when you're not lying in bed with me," he breathes heavily into my ear and begins kissing my neck.

His lips slowly caress my skin and graze my nipples. He's ready for me and can't seem to wait any longer, so he places his hand on his cock to position it near my clit. First he teases me by rubbing little circles around my most sensitive spot with his tip. As soon as he feels my body start to quiver, he slides himself inside me, lifting my hips up and down in a steady motion until the sensation causes my body to arch back and I let myself go. He captures my moans with his lips and presses my body against his again so that I feel his release too.

We try to focus on washing ourselves after, but we can't get enough of each other. I reach behind me to turn off the water, then continue kissing the naked, wet, and totally sexy man in front of me. Our lips stay locked together until he lifts me off of him and transfers himself to his wheelchair. We dry off quickly with a towel before he pulls me back onto his lap again and whisks me into the bedroom, instructing me to lay onto the bed. He lays his succulent body on top of mine, and captivates me with the mere touch of his skin.

"Let's skip dinner, I only want you, right here," he pants, as I run my fingers down his back while he moves himself inside me again.

We make love until our bodies can't handle any more, then blissfully nestle ourselves together, our legs and arms intertwined together as if we were one.

"Happy New year," I softly say.

"I can't wait to see all the great things that will happen for you this new year," I smile.

He kisses me again.

"Happy New Year my Love! There is no one I'd rather share all those great things with than you," he smiles back.