He lowered himself beside my chair.
I rested my hand along the old scar on his flank.
We had both spent years being useful in dangerous places.
Peace required a different skill.
It required believing we were allowed to stay when no one needed saving.
Rex closed his eyes.
I watched the evening settle over the yard.
No pool cues.
No raised voices.
No gun beneath a vest.
Just an old dog, an old soldier, and a bowl of water in the grass.
This time, neither of us had anything left to prove.
