Levi's POV...

Charlotte and I pick my parents up at the airport first. Their flight's arriving early afternoon, so we have time to pick them up and get them settled at their hotel before the lads arrive.

My parents have seen me walk on skype, but they have yet to see me walking in person. I'm sure my mum has been driving my dad crazy with the anticipation.

We park the car so we can surprise my parents inside the airport when they get off the plane. I'm just as excited to show them as they are I think.

"You're shaking! Are you alright?" Charlotte asks me while we're standing hand in hand in the baggage claim area.

I realize that my hand has been fidgeting in Charlottes, but I hadn't noticed my body shaking. One of the side effects of my injury, like my brain has a hard time sending signals to my nerves and they act up every time I'm anxious or overworking myself. I hope this isn't going to be a permanent problem.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit nervous, although I don't know why, and I'm excited too," I confess to her.

"You know your parents will be so happy when they see you! Your mum will probably start crying and throw her arms around you from being so happy!" Charlotte smirks.

"Probably," I shrug my shoulders.

"I mean, It's what I do when I see you walking and climbing the stairs, pretty much every other accomplishment as well," she smiles at me.

"For a mother to see her son, a walking miracle! She's going to fall apart, it's inevitable!" She playfully nudges her shoulder into me.

I squeeze her hand and give her a peck on the cheek. She removes her hand from mine and brings it to my back and slowly brushes her palm up and down the back of my shirt. Her gesture is comforting, and my body is now relaxed while we stand in the crowded baggage claim waiting for my parents.

Moments later we hear an older woman shrieking my name in a British accent and look over to see my mum barreling towards me, my dad trying to keep up behind her. Charlotte was right! Here comes my mum, arms already open towards me.

"Oh son! I cannot believe it!" My mum wraps her arms around my neck.

She releases me for a second but keeps a hold of my arms while she looks over me. "Look at you! I'm so happy son!" She's crying and hugging me again.

Charlotte winks and smiles at me and I can't help but chuckle.

"Hey son! You look great!" My dad finally catches up to us and offers me his hand to shake.

My dad grabs the bags from the luggage belt, and we all walk to where we parked the car. My mum locks her elbow with mine as I escort her to the parking lot. She keeps looking over at me while we walk, studying my every move like she still can't believe that I can walk again.

"You're limping?" She looks at me like she's worried.

"I'm alright mum, it's not from pain," I say while lifting my left leg pant enough to show her my brace.

"This is just how I walk with my brace, Charlotte's been helping me correct my gait as much as I can, but I might always have a slight limp," I try and reassure my mum.

"Oh," Is all she replies. Her face turns sad for me, it's probably how a mother feels when she thinks there's something wrong with her son.

Charlotte is the only person who doesn't look at me with pity, she doesn't see me as disabled like everyone else does. I mean, I do have a disability, I can't walk on my own without this brace, I can no longer run or jump without falling on my face either, but that doesn't stop Charlotte from making me try. That's one of the things I love about Charlotte, she doesn't treat me like a cripple, she treats me like a person who needs a little help to overcome a few obstacles. She sees my leg brace as something that helps me, not something that labels me as having a disability. I know the way Charlotte views me won't be the way others view me back home though, and that concerns me.

We decide to have dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant on the North End called Dolce Vita. The owner is a pleasantly plump and loud Italian guy who cheerfully greets us all at the door and personally shows us to our table. The staff is friendly, and the food is amazing. The owner even takes time to check on his customers and thanks them by singing a song along with his accordion. My mum's really enjoying this.

I'm dreading having to walk up the stairs to get to the loo, but after the wine I drank, I can't avoid it any longer. Charlotte has to go too, so she holds my hand as we slowly make our way up the steps. I can see my mum and dad focus their attention on us, studying the way I only step up with one leg and one step at a time. This bothers me, the way everyone watches me tackle the stairs, I already feel self-conscience as it is, now my parents are probably looking at me with the same feeling. Charlotte squeezes my hand and smiles at me, reminding me that she's by my side, and reassuring me, like she can read my thoughts. The way back down is equally uncomfortable, the way I catch my mum pretending not to stare at me.

We had left the car at rehab and walked here, so my mum decides to link her arm with mine again as we walk back. Whenever we walk over uneven ground, my mum grips onto my arm a little tighter, as if she's trying to hold me up.

"I'm not going to fall mum, I know I may not look perfect when I'm walking or going up the stairs, but you don't have to worry about me," I give her an appreciative kiss on her head.

"A mother always worries, son." She tells me.

Charlotte and I walk my parents to their hotel which is a block away from the rehab center. The lads should be arriving to this same hotel in another hour, so we all sit on the couches in the lobby area having a chat while we wait for them.

It's not long before we hear the loud banter of Andy and Landon as they push their way through the lobby door, Mark following behind.

"Levi!" Landon shouts loud enough for the entire hotel to hear.

My parents are knackered, so they retire to their room early while the rest of us have a few drinks at the hotel bar. Charlotte doesn't drink at all though and looks to be as knackered as my parents are.

"Why don't you stay here tonight with the guys?" Charlotte's request catches me off guard.

"No! I am spending my last two nights with you," I tell her.

"We can leave now, get some sleep before the big party tomorrow," I lean down and give her a kiss, convincing her that it's alright if we head out.

We get back to Charlotte's place and she's fast asleep by the time I'm finished brushing my teeth. I slide myself under the covers and curl myself around her warm body. I softly kiss her smooth cheek and whisper, "Good night my Love," before I swiftly drift to sleep too.

The lads are already causing a ruckus when we arrive back at rehab the next morning. My parents are drinking coffee and chatting with Sarah.

"Let's get this party started!" Landon shouts and makes everyone around him laugh.

Apparently, my two hour planned party has turned into an all day affair. All the other patients seem to enjoy that idea as well. We have food and desserts delivered at every hour, it was ridiculous how much everyone ate.

"Time for the best part!" Sarah boasts.

Everyone gathers in the lounge for Sarah's special presentation. Sarah's worked very hard trying to create the perfect video of my time here. I don't know when she had the time to capture all of the pictures and small video clips of me over the past year. To be honest, I'm apprehensive about watching it. I've been through so much in the last twelve months, most things I'd like to forget, and other things I will cherish.

Sarah instructs me to sit front and center, in the middle of the big couch with my parents and mates on either side. I have no idea where Charlotte ran off to an hour ago, but I want her here with me to watch this.

Sarah starts the video and everyone watches intently during the first part. This first part brings up bad memories of when I could barely move, when I first moved my arms, when I first drank from a cup on my own, the first time I attempted to sit up and needed Charlotte to calm me down from my panic attack. My mum is crying and clenching onto my arm, my dad now has his hand on my shoulder, and for once, the lads are silent. They didn't get to see this part, this is the time when I tried to shut them out and kept them from seeing me in this state. I look around at them, their eyes wide and mouths open in disbelief. Landon and Andy have real tears forming in their eyes, and I too feel the tears in mine.

Soon, the music changes and the video becomes happier. It goes on showing my first time standing, first steps in the pool and first steps using the parallel bars. Everyone's smiling now and clapping at times. Suddenly, I feel Charlotte standing behind me, she leans down and wraps her arms around the front of me, bringing her face close to my ear and whispers, "Do you know how inspiring you are to everyone here? I'm so incredibly proud of you, my hero," then she kisses my cheek.

I don't know where she just came from, but I'm not letting her go. She can keep her arms wrapped around my neck with her face so close to mine. I need her close, she's the reason I'm able to walk again.

Sarah threw in a few funny pictures of the lads fooling around in the wheelchairs and bantering with me in the gym. Everyone has a good laugh at that. When the final clips showing me walking on my own and my mates yelling for me on the streaming video come to view, everyone stands up and started cheering along with the TV screen.

The very last scene is of me and Charlotte walking up the staircase together, hand in hand. Charlotte catches the lone tear that escapes my eye and I turn to her and kiss her lips.

"I know I don't need your help all the time now, but I'll miss your help, I'll miss you always holding my hand, I'll miss you Charlotte!" I softly say into her ear and kiss her again.