“Ah! Okay.” Hanson’s face relaxed. “Best advice I can give you is to compartmentalize better. Save thinking about that girl back home for the downtimes, then let the thoughts come. If you’re in the middle of something else, push back the thoughts, put a lid on them, but then intentionally open that lid when it’s safe. Make sense?”

Rick nodded and scrubbed at his beard. “Not easy.”

“Not even a little bit. It’s a learned skill.”

“Thanks. Anything else?”

Hanson shrugged. “Having my wife back home, knowing how much she cares about me, makes what I do so much more important. It makes me a better soldier because I want to get home to her. I wouldn’t care as much if she weren’t keeping the home fires burning, I don’t think. I can’t explain it, but it’s true.”

“Appreciate your candor.” Rick gestured to the door. “Let’s get something in our stomachs before we go to work.”

FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY

Cynthia dialed Rick’s number for the third time this week, but it went straight to voice mail again. For the first time, though, she decided to leave a message. She took a deep, shaky breath and said, “Hi. It’s me. I’m here. At Fort Campbell. I, uh, would really love it if you would call me back when you can.”

As she disconnected the call, she sighed and surveyed the empty living room of her new house. She couldn’t believe that only three weeks had passed since sharing ice cream with her dad. Within a week of applying for a job as a physician at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, she’d accepted an offer to work in obstetrics.

She’d started her new job a week ago and, so far, loved it here. The doctors and nurses she worked with had accepted her without hesitation. Navigating the military hospital system presented the biggest learning curve for her, but her supervisor stayed available to answer questions and guide her through the process.

She stayed at the Turner Guesthouse for a few nights, but because of her position at the hospital, she was able to rent a little house on Fort Campbell itself. In a rare coincidence, she was able to move in almost right away. That saved her having to battle the traffic coming in through the gates from Hopkinsville and Clarksville. Living on the base also made her readily accessible to her patients the nights she was on call and helped her convince her parents that she no longer needed protection. With Chukuwereije dead and the media buzz having moved on to something new, her parents agreed to relinquish the security detail with the caveat that they could reinstate it if something happened. She’d agreed.