Dandello, thank you for your kind words. You've zeroed in on one of the themes I wanted to explore in this tale. PTSD is pervasive and simply will not go away on its own. And far more people suffer from it than we know.

By the by, when will you bless us with your next tale? [Linked Image] Please continue to share your gift with us.

Morgana, we're not done with sadness related to Cat. You'll see it in the next chapter.

Amy, thanks for the kind words about Rachel. I know the series (in Green, Green Glow of Home) couldn't show any more of her than they did, but there's a deep vein of drama that's not been mined very much. And I'm sorry, but this is Rachel's last screen time in this epic. (We'll see her again in another of my accidental novels, hopefully early next year.)

And we will see Cat's parents in the next chapter.

Which will be here in moments.

Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.

- Stephen King, from On Writing