Chapter 23
Afghanistan
December 2008
The bullet ripped through his thigh like a hot poker, breaking into fragments inside his leg, destroying flesh and bone.
Tavish saw himself rolling down the steep mountain as though watching a horror film. Somehow he had precariously hung on a ledge, and he used the chain and every ounce of strength he had to pull himself up.
Each movement he made caused his mind to scream, demanding that he just lie down and let go, but his medical and military training told him that if he didn’t move now, it was going to be too late.
He pushed to stand and fell down on his back. His thigh had been blown open by the bullet. On the edge of losing consciousness, as the pain climbed higher and higher, he flipped to his stomach and crawled in pain, using his right le
