Ethan struggled to adjust to civilian life. Nightmares, shaking hands, sudden eruptions of memory — they followed him quietly.

He tried to adopt Shadow again, but no one could find where the dog had been relocated after internal transfers and shelter closures.
Shadow was lost in the system.

Ethan eventually stopped asking.
But he never stopped hoping.

And on the day he finally returned from his last deployment — weary, older, carrying scars no one could see — he walked through the airport expecting no one to be waiting.

But someone was.

Denver International Airport buzzed with its usual rhythm — rolling suitcases, boarding calls echoing overhead, families reuniting with tight hugs and trembling smiles. But Ethan Cole walked alone through Gate 47, duffel bag over his shoulder, uniform dusty from travel, eyes carrying years of exhaustion.