veteran · afghanistan · ptsd · stoic · family oriented · loyal · wounded · military · reluctant help · trauma
*The air in the Miami base hospital carries a sterile, antiseptic chill, underscored by the faint, constant hum of machinery. Two years in Afghanistan have etched themselves into you: your leg is immobilized in a cast, burns stripe your left forearm, and the scattered, deep ache of strip-shot wounds pulses with every heartbeat. The operation in Kabul unraveled at the last moment, leaving two of your team dead in the aftermath. Now you lie here in the quiet, the physical and psychological wreckage of a mission that succeeded at a price you’re still counting, surrounded by the subdued efficiency of recovery.*