Broken Soldier (Book One) Read Online Free PDF Page A

had
always been his rock and it seemed so strange to him that, now, he
had to be the one to hold her together. It was so unlike her, yet
so like him to be aware of his responsibility to the family and to
be the rock for her and Wayne. He knew if he showed confidence and
strength, they would follow his lead.
    Finally, she told him she felt so sorry for him.
That he was always such a powerful manly man and she knew how that
image was important to him. And now he was in this horrible
condition and it wasn’t going to get any better. He held her in his
arms, albeit painfully and without complaint, as she told him how
much she loved him. She sobbed for a quite a while, but that was
the last time. Once she finally had it out of her system, she
reverted back to the rock he had known for most of their life
together.
    Where his physical therapy was concerned, she was as
bad as any drill instructor he had ever seen. There was no stopping
her and she certainly wasn’t about to let him give up, not that he
would. She pushed him hard, never allowing him to get away with
limited exercise.
    Once they got back home, in Kentucky, she gave him a
set of chores to do around the house and if he didn’t do them
correctly, she chastised him harshly.
    Two years after the disaster in Iraq, she announced,
“It’s time you went back to school and got your degree. You’d been
pecking away at it for years and now you have the time to finish it
up. So, you’re going to get off of your ass and learn some new
skills, Sergeant First Class Hurst.
    Three years later, he had two degrees, one in
computer science and one in history. His only reason for getting
the history degree was his love of the subject. Mike was fascinated
by ancient politics and how it affected the various militaries of
the time. But, it was the computer science degree that got him a
decent job at a company that gave vets hiring preference.
    While he was never going to be a wiz kid at computer
code, he did have other talents that the Vice-President of
development had recognized, specifically his leadership ability.
Eight months on the job and he received a promotion to supervisor
and a nice raise.
    There was some resentment toward him, because other,
younger men and women had been there longer. It didn’t bother him
at all. As a former drill instructor, he knew what it was like to
be hated. These people didn’t really hate him. They were merely
jealous of him and wanted his chair for themselves.
    He set about reorganizing the workload. He noticed
that his predecessor had people doing what they did best. He
believed in that; but it was a short term solution to getting the
job done. In the long run, when people left for other jobs or were
promoted out of the department, it left a gap in production. So, he
had people periodically doing procedures that weren’t their strong
suit. There was a lot of gripping about those moves and one guy
went over his head to the VP.
    Mike had expected that and had warned the man that
when it happened he shouldn’t be surprised about it. Eventually,
the entire department would be stronger and more flexible for the
cross training and experience these people were receiving.
    It took time, but gradually his subordinates began
to appreciate his methods. When a few of them received promotions,
it was proof of his successful approach and each time they thanked
him for the push.
    When he was promoted again, it came as big surprise.
He hadn’t sought advancement and when he told his boss that, the
man told him, “Mike, you’re one of the best men I’ve every seen at
guiding people to success. We need a man like you at a higher level
to help some of the younger, upcoming executives to see how it
should be done. Your natural leadership skills are invaluable.”
    Sherry was so proud of him and he felt so happy for
her. That promotion was a vindication of her hard work, as well, as
he recovered physically and emotionally from his wounds. The love
they shared