Broken arrow in military language refers to a lost Nuclear device.
Sean 42 yrs old was living the life of a hermit after years of being a servant of the state for twenty years. Sean went into the Marines at seventeen years old with the permission of the state child welfare system. He had already led a difficult life at 17yrs old but the years to come were even more traumatic. He saw the worst of the worst in humanity in the Marines serving 3 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Images that would never leave him were buried deep in his subconscious.
He left the Marines 5 yrs ago and dropped off the face of the known planet. In those first years after his Honorable discharge, he was a ghost in the community. So when one day a year ago when he passed out in the local diner the town folk assumed he was a tourist or just passing through. It was an EMT who pulled his wallet ant discovered he was local and a veteran so he was taken to a VA hospital nearby. He woke up in a semi-private room and a doctor was dispatched to explain to him what had happened.
Doctor Vanessa Deering told him that he was malnourished, which was the root of why he had passed out. She told him that they found cancer and asked him about his service, confirming her suspicion of the cause. Sean was very weak and could barely answer the Doctors questions, but demanded to be released. The reality of his health crisis came to a point when he couldn't stand or even sit up on his own to leave. He listened as the doctor laid out a plan to transfer him to an assisted care facility so he could get the treatment he needed.
Sean had little choice as he couldn't physically care for himself at the moment and went along with the plan. After six months his cancer was in remission and he was strong enough to sign himself out so the doctors agree to release him if he agreed to have in-home health care at least in the beginning. Sean's insistence on living in the woods was rough on him physically. Once moving he could manage to live in the old off-grid cabin deep in the forest.
The Veterans administration clinic doctor and the rehab doctors were against him living on his own. Sean was physically doing better after his last surgery, but the stress of being caged and managed was making him testy and agitated. So as a compromise Sean agreed to have a home health care aid come to his cabin and assist him. The first two companies hired to do the in-home health care couldn't find his driveway and refused the job due to the remoteness of his cabin. The third company said they knew exactly where he was and could have a New PCA they'd just hired in the area work the next day.
Sean did the best he could and that was enough for him, but his cabin was less than clean, and often he'd lose track of his medications. The first morning the aid was supposed to show up, He went out to his gate to let the person in, still not having talked to the aide himself, he didn't know what to expect. He saw a modded out Jeep CJ7 pull up to his gate and he greeted the young woman letting her pass through the gate and then leading her to his cabin, The trail was arduous for a normal car, but the jeep didn't have one problem at all.
He invited Abby into his cabin as she got out of the jeep. She followed him and he took notice she was wearing work boots and a Carhart coat, that impressed Sean as someone prepared to work for him. Sean showed her to the living room and they sat. Abby and Sean went through the questionnaire and discussed his needs. She asked him if he needed assistance bathing and he said that there were times he could use assistance. Sean took notice of how attractive Abby was as she stood to follow him on a tour of the cabin.
Abby commented on how peaceful and beautiful the place was. Sean thought to himself at least she'd be fun to look at. He showed her around the small cabin, the woodstove, the sawdust composting toilet. Abby took it all in stride, saying she was raised country tough. Sean was impressed and thought to himself that she wasn't as old as the boots he had on, but he felt like she'd work out. The 2 hours seemed to pass quickly as they chatted. Abby announced her time was up for the day and that she'd be back on Saturday.
That day had been a relatively good day for Sean and hours after she left he could still smell her scent. The next day after lunch Sean had a TBI stroke and was incapable of cooking his dinner or dishes that night. Saturday morning Abby called to confirm she was coming, and Sean told her to use the combination lock on the gate and gave her the combination. When Abby pulled up to the house she knocked and Sean yelled for her to come in. She found him in, still the bathroom struggling to stand up. She helped him to his feet and pulled his shorts up for him.
Abby led him to the living room and got him settled in a chair, and took his vitals. He explained how he'd had mini-strokes before, but 18 hours or so on the floor was a new development. Abby told him she was required by her companies protocols to notify emergency services. Sean told her that it wasn't necessary but understood that she had to follow the procedure. She led the EMTs into the cabin and they took his vitals and discussed his options. The Emt's were adamant about calling in a helicopter to fly him to an emergency room. He respectfully denied their pleas and signed their A.M.A. paperwork. They left and Abby asked if it was ok for her to get started on cleaning.
Sean said not to let him stop her. She went about cleaning the kitchen while making him brunch. She called her office and advised them of what had happened and requested more hours. Her request was approved and she told Sean she'd be able to stay until he was in bed. Sean was physically incapable of doing much of anything sexually but thought to himself he wouldn't throw her outta bed. Later that afternoon Abby made him dinner and cleaned up after. She told Sean what reorganizations she had done as she walked him to bed.
She left her personal number on the back of her card on the nightstand next to his bed and told him to call her if he needed. Sean's prideful male ego had melted away over the last few months and he said he would. A couple of days went by with Abby calling to check in on him twice a day. On Tuesday Abby knocked before entering Sean's front door and he called back to her to come in. When Abby stepped in she took her coat off and hung it up near the door, Sean sat across from the door and admired Abby's figure as she hung her coat and adjusted her clothes. Sean still wasn't solid on his feet and asked for Abby to assist him bathing today.