Waiting for Shadow

Major Jane McMurtry is learning to walk after an IED ripped into her legs. Fitted with a new set of prosthetic legs, Jane can do more now. She can start tracking again with her new dog. She can go for long walks around her Colorado ranch. Even her back and hip pain have diminished.

But that’s not the sort of pain pressing down on Jane. She misses Shadow, the dog she trained and had to leave in Afghanistan. If he could come home. If she only had Shadow at her side, she’d handle things better. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he’ll come soon, not before he finishes his tour of duty. That’s what Army regs and bureaucrats say. That means Jane will have to face her pain alone and either fold under its thumb, or push on as best she can.