A/N: So heres the continuation of the story, I'm shooting a bit from the hip on this one. My other story, MICW, I have an outline I'm going off of but this one I have an idea of the end but no clear path to get there. To clear a few things up
1) Whoneedswi-fi: This is a side story to MICW along the same timeline.
2) Stevegallacci: I am military, navy EOD, and have experience with PTSD. I have several team members with sever PTSD that have found the help they need, I was lucky that mine only manifested itself in insomnia.

Two Months earlier.

"So Nick, how long is Michael going to be staying with us again?" Judy looked over at Nick as they drove to the train station.

"Only until he gets on his feet. He was in the army for six years and just got out last week. It may be a while for him to find a decent job so he can then get his own place." Nick had told Michael he could stay as long as he needed, they were friends
since the orphanage so he couldn't turn his back on him. "I'm warning you though his last deployment was a very rough one. He was the teams medic and they got into a lot of firefights and he lost several of his teammates."

Judy looked over at Nick and saw he had lost his normal sly grin, he had no emotion on his face and she just couldn't read it. Lucky through all their adventures they had never lost someone at the precinct, the closest was during the trafficker case when
Melvin was shot in the leg. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be the one to try and save lives but lose them.

"Is he okay? I've heard of mammals coming back from overseas and having problems coping, and to be the one responsible for trying to save mammals but failing. I can't imagine the burden he carries."

"He said he has it under control, but he still has episodes occasionally. We'll just have to wait and see and assist him in finding help if he needs it." Nick looked out the windshield at the train station seeing a light tan coyote with a green duffle
bag slung over his shoulder. He started to wonder himself what kind of episodes he had, hopefully, they wouldn't be too bad.

Shaking his head he pulled the car up to him and hopped out smiling and running over to him. They wrapped their arms around each other slapping each other on theback as they did. "It's good to see you, Mike, damn have you've gotten buff."

"You too little Nickie." Nick groaned the nickname he disliked the most, "although I would've figured the police would've snapped you into better shape. Although the state you started at any improvement would be outstanding."

Nick punched him in the shoulder, "Har har, very funny. Go ahead and throw you bag in the trunk, you hungry or do you want to go to the place first."

"Food sounds good. I didn't eat at all on the train, tried to sleep but couldn't." Michael walked over to the car and threw his bag into the open trunk slamming it closed. He walked to the back and slid in settling down and buckling his seatbelt.

He looked around the car noticing its new interior until a voice brought his attention the front seat. There was a small gray and white rabbit, wearing a warm smile and holding out her paw, "Michale it's good to finally meet you, Nick has told me a lot
about you. I'm his wife Judy."

Michael smiled and shook her paw firmly but gently, "Good to meet you to Judy and please call me Mike, all my friends do."

Judy watched him closely during the handshake. From his soft comforting eyes, cool smile, and the way he held her paw in the shake he felt very comfortable around him. She thought he would have the rough exterior of a soldier but the coyote in front of
her presented no signs he had ever been in the service. "Okay, Mike sounds good."

Nick got into the car and started it up, he pulled onto the main drive heading to their favorite dinner, The Green Bean. Michael stared out the window watching the skyscrapers go by trying to remember what the city looked like six years ago when he left.
Each one glinting in the sunlight causing him to squint, each blinding flash hurting his eyes. He tried to shut it out and closed his eyes rubbing them.

He opened them and suddenly his fur stood on end and his eyes started to dart around, watching each mammal they passed very closely. Each bag of trash or mailbox they passed by was locked in his vision for any signs of something being off. He reached
for his hip, yes his pistol still there under his shirt. He then reached between his legs for his rifle, but it wasn't there. "Shit! Where the fuck is my rifle."

"So Michael what are your plans now, any line of work interesting you." Judy's soft voice brought him back to the present.

"Umm, I really haven't thought of it yet. The army really only gave me one solid skill and in a city like this it won't give me much use." Michael fixed his eyes on Judy as she looked at him. She noticed a brief sense of panic on his eyes but maybe it
was just the light playing tricks.

"Well we could always use good instructors as the precinct, maybe we can talk to Bogo about bringing you in to give us some pointers."

"We'll see. Like I said I haven't thought of it too much and mostly want to relax right now and see where life takes me. By the way how long have you guy been married now?" Michale wanted to shift the subject off of him. He needed to relax, don't show
anything outwardly, keep it all inside.

"Three months. So going to have to apologize now if we, uh, bother you at times. Newlyweds and all that." Nick's trademark grin was plastered across his face and Judy's ears shot bright red.

"Don't need to worry about that at all, I did do three deployments overseas and all. Living in the CHU's over there you get used to hearing the guys beating off or hooking up with the few females on base." The flat matter of fact way he spoke made the
red creep into Judy's face.

Nick laughed, "We'll, in that case, I guess we won't have to keep it down then. Hey, what's a CHU anyway?"

"Containerized Housing Unit, it's what we lived in over there. Imagine a shipping container split into three rooms with two to four mammals living in each room. Luckily because of me being a medic and having extra gear I had a two mammal room. But the
walls were paper thin and some of the females over there were screamers."

This even made Nick blush a bit, but thankfully his red fur hid it pretty good as he pulled the car into the Green Bean. "Well Mike, here is Judy and my favorite place to grab a bite. They mostly have smoothies but also salads and the few fish dishes
as well are pretty good."

They all exited the car and walked in, the wait staff calling out greeting to the Nick and Judy. Everyone there knew them by their first name as they ate there several times a week. "Well, anything besides galley food is going to be gourmet so let's eat."

They sat down and looked at the menu's, Nick and Judy sharing a bench with Michael sitting across from them. They ordered some food and smoothies and sat chatting aimlessly about nothing in particular. Nick would talk about the different cases they had
done or were working on, Judy would pipe in about her time in Bunnyburrow and meeting Nick. Michael just sat listening taking in their adventures not wanting to dive too much into his time in the army, at least not yet. He already told Nick about
losing some of his brothers but he didn't see a need to dive into the gory details on their first meeting in six years.

After they ate they headed to the condo, Michael commenting the whole way about how good the food was and how he could see himself eating there every day. Getting up to the condo he was blown away by the place, sharing a room with three other mammals
for six years makes you really appreciate having space to yourself. They showed him his room and went to put on a movie inviting him to join them, "I'm fairly tired with not getting sleep on the train. I may take a small nap then go do some exploring
in the area."

"Sounds good Mike, rest easy," Nick said closing the door.

Michael placed his bag on the floor and threw himself on the bed. "Wow so comfortable, much better than those damn army cots." Sleep found him quickly, however, it was not a restless sleep.

"SHIT, I can't see!."

"Just hold the wheel steady and gas it, don't sit on the X remember your damn training solder."

The crunchingsound of metal on metal echoed in the vehicle.

Michael felt his body get thrown into the steering wheel as the HUMVEE crashed into something, he knew it was the vehicle in front of him but he kept his paw down. As much as he didn't want to admit it he knew no-one was left alive in it, not after that
explosion. Finally pushing through the smoke and dust Michael could see the road ahead and buildings lining him, eyes scanning everywhere.

"CONTACT HIGH!"

The fifty cal started firing sending hot brass down the windshield and making hearing nearly impossible. Up ahead a pickup truck pulled out of an alleyway and turned toward them picking up speed. "Sir, contact front! Possible VBIED!"

"Brian take it out!" The badger in the turret spun his gun forward and fired. The trucks windshield exploded with the impact of the rounds and suddenly turned into a building next to it and flipped over sending fifty-gallon barrels rolling into the street
with some kind of cord attached to them.

"Turn Mike turn!" The fox lieutenant screamed at Michael.

He turned the wheel down another street just as the barrels detonated shattering thedoor window sending glass into the compartment cutting Michaels face. With blood dripping into his left eye he looked into the side mirrors to see if any other vehicles
were following his heart sank when he saw nothing. No one was chasing them, not even the other two vehicles in the convoy.

"Sir, where are the other trucks? We're all alone here."

The fox punched at the computer screen in front of him, "I don't see them on BFT at all, we're the only ones in the area."

"Your fucking kidding me, where are they!"

"Mike you saw that explosion, it was an ambush. They knew we would be coming down that road and tried to box us in. Just punch the damn gas and let's get… RPG!"

Michael saw it late, he tried to swerve but the rocket hit the front right of the truck blowing the wheel completely off. The speed they were going combined with the loss of the wheel and sharp turn dug the front end into the ground flipping the truck
over. "Brain get in!" Michael and the fox grabbed at the legs of the gunner and pulled just as the roof collided with the ground and their world went dark.

Michael's ears were ringing, every part of his body ached. His left eye stung from the blood and dirt, taking a paw he wiped at it to clear his vision. He realized he was upside down and smoke was filling the vehicle. He went to unbuckle his seatbelt
but the steering wheel pressing on his chest prevented his left arm from reaching it. He tried to move his right arm to unbuckle when he realized he was holding onto something, turning his head to see what it was as a scream escaped his muzzle.

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"BRIAN!" Michael was screaming.

The door busted open as Nick came running in hitting the light switch. "Mike are you okay!?"

Michael looked around in confusion. He wasn't in the smokey Humvee, he was on the floor next to the bed he had been sleeping in is right paw clutching the comforter with all his might. Looking up he saw the worry in Nicks' eyes as he kneeled down
next to his friend.

"Mike what happened?" Nick put a paw on Michaels' shoulder, his entire body was shaking and tears were streaming down his face.

"Just a nightmare, Nick." He was trying his best to stop the tears and get his breathing under control.

Nick reached over to Michaels paw and slowly pried it open, his tan knuckles had turned white with how hard he had gripped it. "Mike, that wasn't a nightmare. You were remembering something weren't you."

"Nick I don't want to talk about it right now. I don't want to burden you with my problems." Michael looked down at the floor, his breathing was under control but the tears still came from his eyes.

"Mike, you won't be burdening me. I'm here for you, I always will be." He tried to pull him in but was pushed away.

"Nick right now just let me be, I'm going to go for a run and clear my mind." He got up and pushed past Nick but stopped when he saw Judy standing in the door.

"Mike, I don't know you very well yet but we are both here for you." She walked forward and took his paw in hers. "When you are ready we will be here to listen to you." She let go of his paw and stepped to the side.

Michael looked at Judy for a while before grabbing his phone and walking out the door. He just needed to get away, exercise always helped him to clear his mind when the nightmares came. He left the lobby, picked a direction and ran for all he was
worth.

Nick was on the balcony watching Michael far below disappear around the corner of a building. Judy came up and wrapped her paws around Nicks' waist, "He'll talk when he wants to Nick. If we push him too much now he may never ask for help. He's hurting
and trying his best to hide it."

"I know Judy, I hate to see him like this. Growing up in the orphanage he was such a happy kit. Nothing got to him, but now. I want to help but I really don't know how."

Judy worked her way around him not breaking the hug until she was standing in front and pulled him down so she could look into his eyes, "How about tomorrow we talk to the grief counselor at the percent and see what he suggests."

Nick smiled pulling Judy in for a small kiss, "That sounds like a plan Carrots. For now, why don't we get back to the movie. Nothing we can do now."

"That is a plan I can agree with, afterward maybe I can do something to take your mind off this." She lightly nipped at his ear before walking back into the condo.

Nick stood up and looked out at the city one last time before following Judy inside.