Charlotte's POV...

Levi is up before me this morning , which is unusual seeing as I'm the early riser most days.

"What's that amazing smell?" I ask as I walk towards the kitchen.

Levi is standing by the stove, shirtless I may add. He's leaning on the counter with one hand and flipping bacon with a spatula in the other.

"What did I do to deserve a view of this sexy man cooking me breakfast?" I wrap my arms around his waist from behind and plant a light kiss to his neck. He chuckles in return.

"I have to make sure my baby and her mother eat a good meal," he smiles.

"Her huh! You think we are having a girl?"

"Just a hunch," he shrugs.

"Can I help you with anything?" I ask him.

"I got this, now go sit your pretty little self at the counter."

I do as he says and sit onto the stool and admire him while he cooks. I don't mind this view at all. The way his back muscles flex when he grabs the pan and moves it to the next burner. His shorts sitting perfectly on the edge of his hips and hugging his ass just right. His triceps constricting while he supports himself with one arm, my mouth salivating from his pure magnetism.

I barely notice the brace on his left leg, it's a part of him. It wraps snug around his foot and ankle and up his calf. He thinks it makes him unattractive; that and his crutches. But what I see are his legs getting stronger and his quads and calves becoming more defined the more he works out. I love all of him, even the parts that aren't perfect.

"Here you go Love," he grips the counter as he walks closer to me and hands me my plate full of food.

"Are you trying to fatten me up?" I smirk at my full plate and take a bite of blueberry pancakes.

"Mmm, these are delicious, Levi. Thank you!"

He holds himself up along the counter while he takes the stool next to mine then leans over and kisses my cheek. "Anytime, Love ."

"So, I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon just to make sure everything is ok with me and the baby."

He loses grip of his fork and it falls to the floor. "Shit," he whispers and attempts to support himself and leans over to try and retrieve it. I beat him to it and pick it up for him. I hand him the fork and smile.

"Thanks." He scratches his head. "Do you think there is anything wrong?"

"It's a normal check up, but with all the radiation I had, the Dr. just wants to check everything."

"I want to go with you," he blurts out.

"I want you to come with me too, to all of the appointments," I exaggerate my words so that he believes me. I promised him I wouldn't keep anything from him again.

"How about after your therapy we grab some lunch before the appointment?" I know he's worried, so I'll do anything to ease some of his stress.

"Sounds great, Love," he kisses my forehead and then grabs mine and his empty plate.

As soon as he tries to stand, he hunches forward and grips his lower back. "Fuck," he grunts and picks up his left leg, avoiding putting any weight on it.

I'm at his side in a split second with my hand on his back. "What can I do to help?"

"It will go away in a minute," he groans.

I start pressing my fingers into his muscles, "Tell me where it hurts?"

"All over... I get a shooting pain in my back and it travels down my leg."

I apply pressure to areas around his sciatic nerve to see if that helps any. "How long has this been happening?"

He rubs his face with his hand, " Yesterday was the first time. In the locker room."

Right after I told him I'm pregnant. Now I know how anxious he really is. His body only reacts like this when he's stressed.

This is bad timing to have a baby. Levi is still trying to be free of his crutches and get back to working and we are now adding a baby into the mix. I know we can handle it though, as long as we are together.

As soon as his pain stops, I wrap my arms around him and hug him tight. "I love you...and you, me and our baby are going to be fine, Levi."

He turns around to face me. His hand cups my cheek as he leans in and caresses my lips with his. "I know,Love." He tries to sound convincing.

"Wait here," I tell him. He's hesitant to put weight on his leg so I fetch his crutches and hand them to him. "I'll stretch your legs and back if you go lay down in the living room, then we can drive to therapy."

I end up watching him like a hawk all through his therapy session, looking for any signs or triggers that seem to worsen his muscle spasms. We spend extra time doing new stretches for his back and hips. He stayed quiet even though I know he's frustrated.

Our lunch date brought about a few surprises from him. "I'm getting rid of these crutches. My leg is stronger and the brace gives me enough support," he says straight to the point.

Levi doesn't look up at my reaction, he just keeps eating. This is his foreseeable goal, to walk without needing crutches. The therapist in me wants to tell him to take his time and use the crutches a bit longer; especially with these new back spasms he's been dealing with. And the fact that I love him so much, I can't stand to see him in pain. But, we are partners and I need to support his decisions and encourage him to strive for what he wants. This is probably why I've always been told to never fall in love with a patient. I don't regret not listening to everyone though, Levi  is everything to me.

"I'm on board with what ever you want to do and will always help you along the way," I respond.

He quickly looks up at me with those magnificent blues of his, wondering if he heard me correctly. I smile and continue picking at my food.

Feeling confident in himself, he adds, " And I'm going to have Mark find me some auditions here in California."

Now he's pushing it, I can't help but think. Still, it wouldn't be right for me to say no. He's struggling physically but mentally as well and he needs this.

"I support you no matter what, Babe," I honestly tell him. He gives me that bright smile, dimples and all. I'm happy my words bring him comfort.

I keep fairly quiet the remainder of lunch. Mostly lost in my thoughts while I finish my salad.

"Charlotte, I know you're worried about me not using my crutches. This is something I need to do, I need to be able to do more on my own so we can do more as a family and I can help you more. I promise I won't push myself too hard and I'll gladly take all the massages and stretches you give me," he winks.

"Levi, I have confidence in you and am proud of everything you've accomplished. I know it's been a painful struggle, but I'm so impressed you keep at it everyday." I grab his hands and give them a squeeze.

"I will always support you Levi, but what I need is for you to be honest with me about your pain level and how many muscle spasms you're having. I need you to know that your struggles are not a burden and I'm going to help you push through them, because I love you."

"How did I ever get so lucky finding you," he lifts my hand to his lips.

"Yes you sure are lucky," I joke around with him to lighten the mood.

The waitress brings our check to the table, signaling it's time to leave.

"Let's go see how our baby is doing, my love."