Читать книгу A Maverick for the Holidays - Leanne Banks - Страница 8

The truck they were driving was loaded with artillery, but there were several more in the caravan. In his position as major, Forrest normally wouldn’t have been traveling, but there had been complaints about getting signatures for the items they were transporting. In the army, it was always about getting signatures, even here in the desert of Iraq. Enough crap about signatures, they had a war to win.

Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the vehicle. Everything blurred. Forrest raced out of the Humvee. A shot hit him in his armored vest. Another hit his leg. Again and again. His leg screamed in pain.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a soldier fall to the ground, then another and another. He tried to crawl to help them, but his leg was dead.

He was dead.

Forrest woke up in a sweat, his heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline racing. He reached for his weapon, but it wasn’t there. He blinked and his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. He wasn’t in Iraq. He was in Montana. He wondered if he’d yelled, and prayed he hadn’t. He didn’t want his brother to know that he was still messed up. He didn’t want anyone to know that his head was more broken than his leg was.

He wondered if he would always feel as if he were riding the edge of insanity. Crazy, he must be crazy.

Snippets of his therapy skittered through his brain.

You’re not crazy. When you wake up from a nightmare or flashback, remind yourself that you’re not crazy.

Practice your breathing technique.

Forrest inhaled and counted as he exhaled. Controlled breathing will make you feel more in control of yourself. Forrest continued the technique he’d been taught. He touched the quilt on his bed and rose, dragging his near-useless leg with him across the wooden floor to the bathroom.

Turning on the faucet, he washed his hands. The water felt cold and it took the memories a little further away from him. He stuck his cup under the running water and lifted it to his mouth, taking several swallows.

When would his nightmare end?