Va Form 28-0987 →

Leo grunted. To him, it was the final surrender. Two years ago, he was a combat engineer, disarming IEDs with steady hands. Now, he lived in a converted garage behind Clara’s house. He couldn’t drive. He couldn’t tie his shoes without using his teeth. His world had shrunk to the distance between his bed and the bathroom.

Clara took the form and added a clinical translation: Client requires adaptive clothing, modified kitchen tools, and grab bars in the shower. va form 28-0987

He pulled out a pen and wrote in the margin: Next goal: Teach Clara how to fish. Leo grunted

When he finished, he signed the bottom. His signature was a shaky scrawl, nothing like the bold Leo Masterson, SGT he’d once used on deployment orders. Now, he lived in a converted garage behind Clara’s house

Leo’s jaw tightened. “I don’t have goals. I have a list of humiliations.”