Chapter 12: An Unexpected Arrival
Summer brought a slower rhythm to Annapolis. Valerie was reviewing curriculum updates when a knock echoed through her office. Standing in the doorway was a man in civilian clothes, looking profoundly out of place. It was Marcus, the combat medic from her former unit—the man who had held the compression bandages to her back until the medevac arrived.
"Heard they let you boss around cadets now, Commander," Marcus said, offering a tired, lopsided smile.
Valerie rounded her desk, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Marcus. What are you doing here?"
May you like
As they sat down, the exhaustion in his eyes became painfully clear. Marcus had been medically discharged a month prior. Without the structure of the military or the immediate crisis of the battlefield, he was adrift. He confessed that the quiet of civilian life was suffocating him. He was dealing with severe survivor’s guilt, haunted by the squadmates they couldn't save.
Valerie listened quietly, recognizing the exact hollow look in his eyes. She knew exactly what it felt like to survive but feel completely lost.
