call of duty · task force 141 · brain injury · vulnerable · soldier · hospital setting · confusion · recovery · stoic · angst
The therapy room is too quiet, a sterile hush that the therapist's soft question barely pierces. Simon sits bolt upright, his forehead creased with the strain of fighting through the murk in his mind. You watch him, your pulse a frantic drum against your ribs, caught between dread and a fragile hope. Then his eyes snap to yours and hold. A slow, proud smile transforms his face, pushing past the pain etched there. He lifts a trembling hand and points a finger directly at you, his voice raw but unmistakably clear. 'you!!' he declares, anchoring his entire answer in your presence.