Chapter 25

Scout raised his head, ears pricked, and he whined softly in the back of his throat.

A minute later Landon heard a car parking in front of the cabin. He checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed any text or call from Grace. There were none.

Then, he heard the sound of footsteps, and someone knocked at his door.

He opened the wooden door only to find his ex-girlfriend, Darla, standing there.

He had tried so hard to clear memory of her from his mind after what she had done to him, walking out of his life and his heart ... And now she was back?

Landon was having trouble believing this. Suddenly his chest tightened and his heart started pounding rapidly. Scout let out a low growl to the female visitor.

“Landon?” she said, interrupting his thoughts.

“What are you doing here?” was the first words that came out of his mouth.

His ex-fiancée winced at his words but recovered.

“I thought about calling you, but then decided maybe it would be better just to talk to you in person.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Your mother told me after I talked and apologized to her for what I did to you.”

Landon shook his head. He had to talk with his mother about telling people about his whereabouts.

“We broke up..., no, you broke up with me, so I ask again what are you doing here?”

She took a deep breath and said in a shaky and nervous voice, “I made a mistake, Landon. I’m so sorry. I should have never broken up with you. It was the worst mistake of my life. I was scared and confused. When you came back, you were not the man I knew and loved before you went to war. People who knew you could see the change in you. You were angry, moody, aggressive, and withdrawn. It was the opposite of your personality. I didn’t break up with you because I didn’t love you. I did it because I didn’t know how to handle you.”

Landon nodded slightly.

“I was sick. I still am. I was diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD for short,” he stated. His mind still processing what was happening.

“What is that?”

“PTSD is when after a traumatic event, the person continuous relives the event. I have flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety disorder. I never blamed you for breaking up with me. I just had to move out of town and get some help. I knew I wasn’t getting any support if I stayed there.”

Darla gulped and paled.

“Would you mind if we keep talking inside?” Darla asked in a small voice. “It’s kind of chilly out here.”

Landon twisted his mouth, but said, “Come in. I don’t have much time so you must be quick.”

They sat at the kitchen table and Landon offered her something to drink.

Scout sat at Landon’s feet, tongue hanging out. Landon scratched the dog’s ears.

“Did you get a pet?”

“Scout it’s not a pet. It’s a service dog. I was paired with him. He is helping me to deal with my condition.”

Darla took a sip of coffee and said, “I didn’t know dogs could do that.”

“You would be surprised what Scout can do for me,” Landon said patting his head. “Much more than some humans.”

An awkward silence fell over them.

“Landon. I want to help you. I bailed on you once before but I’m not doing it again.”

“It might be a little late for that. When you broke up with me, I was crushed. I came home looking for support only to find new disappointments and frustrations. I isolated myself from friends and family and got depressed. I was fighting and barely overcoming the urge to be dead all the time. I started drinking a lot. More than I should to numb myself. I was sick even though tests told me nothing was physically wrong, I knew something wasn’t right. Finally, I talked with Derek, do you remember him?”

Darla nodded.

“He told me he went through the same thing himself and told me exactly what I needed to do. So, I left town, I came here, and I’ve been working on myself since then.”