Triage of the Heart
A DOG'S LOVE CLICKS INTO PLACE
Stillness blanketed the sky—until the silence broke as a mortar round exploded beside the Army barracks, turning windows into shards of glass. Christina Wills sprung from bed. Heart pounding in her chest, pounding to the horror of blasts.
The hallway door slammed open.
“They need a medic,” the Army sergeant yelled. “They need a medic now!”
Slicing through the drumming of her heart, the horrifying screams, and the settling shrapnel—something clicked. A switch. “This is my mission,” she thought. She knew.
Wounded soldiers lay on the ground. One stood, scanning the devastation, clutching a small first aid kit. She grabbed the kit, triaging the situation and giving orders. Saving lives.
She recalls leaving the trauma bay that night—her mission complete. The switch in her mind turned off, grounding her back into her body. Numb.
“I don’t even remember how I got back to my room,” Christina says. “At that point, I was like, oh my god. I almost just died.”
Fifteen months in Afghanistan and six years of active duty left her struggling to triage peace in civilian life.
Then, vital support arrived in four paws and a heartbeat of hope.
Each morning, Nick dons her service vest to escort Christina and her two children to school, where Christina takes on her new mission as the middle school’s registered nurse.
As students scurry down the hallways, stirring up a din that presses on Christina’s nerves, Nick nuzzles closely, resting a soft chin on her knee.
“I probably could not have made it this long in the position I’m in—in the middle school setting because there’s a lot of opportunity for anxiety and a lot of noise,” Christina says. “Nick being here to help me refocus allows me to do what I need to do.”
Nick watches over Christina at work, even bringing a sense of calm to the other teachers who look to her during the chaos for a moment of peace.
As the memories of trauma bubble up, swirling in her nightmares and in the noisy hallways of the middle school, Nick moves in close.
Something new clicks.
Love, joy, peace—a new healing mission for herself.
“She’s my happy place. My calming place,” Christina says.
Mission of Hope
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