Katie was unpacking some of her things when flashbacks ran through her head. She dropped everything and backed up. Due to her leg injury, she fell back knocking things off of her dresser.

"Shit!" she yelled. Her parents ran in to the room and helped her up. They sat her on her bed as she clenched her leg. "Fuck!"

"Are you okay?" her mother asked.

Katie nodded still feeling pain in her leg. "How did you fall?" her father asked.

"I...got flashbacks in my head of...ah, what happened. Oh just kill me," she said as the pain got worse.

"Take it easy tonight at your party," her father said, "We want you better."

Night approached quickly. Johnny was geting everything ready to make Katie's night special. He knew how much the past years hurt her and he wanted to make at least one night special to her. He also hoped that her ex-boyfriend, who left her once she was on the plane to Iraq, did not show up and ruin her life even more.

Katie and her family walked in to Mona's Bar and saw people there already. Katie didn't want to be there one bit. She sat down in a chair as pain shot through her leg.

Bradin was walking out of the kitchen with some food for the people at the party. He looked around to see if he could find the girl who was returning home from the war. He searched through the people and saw a girl sitting at a table, alone, with her leg up on a chair. Studying the leg injury, he knew that it was the girl whom the party was for. He watched as she got up and walked slowly outside.

"Brae! I need help here!" Johnny asked.

Katie stood outside breathing in the California air. She looked around not believing that she was back. She really did wish that she never returned from the war, injured or not. As she stood there thinking, someone ran into her and kept on going. As she landed on the ground, she felt something in her leg move out of place.

"AH!" she shouted grabbing her leg as tight as she could of. Tears came to her eyes as the pain grew and grew each time she moved. She felt someone take her hand. She peered up and saw a boy around nineteen or twenty with long blonde hair and green eyes examining her leg.

"This will hurt," he told her, "Grip my hand as tight as you can."

He moved something in her leg and not only did she grip his hand, she yelped. "AH!" Her leg felt the way it did before she landed wrong on it. She looked up at the guy. "Thanks."

He smiled. "It's no problem," he told her, "Come on." He placed one arm around her back and another under her knees and picked her up. She flinched as she was moved. He smiled yet felt bad for the pain he was causing her. He placed her on a bench across from Mona's Bar. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I hope so." She felt tears running down her face due to the pain. She used her shirt to wipe them away. She noticed that the guy was still sitting beside her on the bench.

"Are you the girl returning from the war?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," she said as she continued to wipe her eyes, "I'm Katie."

"Bradin," he said, "I'm working at your party." She looked up at him and back down to her leg. "I'm sorry for all that has happened to you over there," he told her.

"I'm not," she said softly. More pain shot through her leg. "Shit!" she yelled.

"Do you need a doctor?" he asked.

She shook her head and sighed. "Nothing can get rid of this pain," she told him as she looked at him, "Thanks for actually following me out here and making my leg go back to normal."

He smiled. "It was no problem. I saw you walk out looking as if you wanted to cry. I got worried because I hate seeing someone like you cry."

"You don't know me," she said.

"Technically I don't. But, my aunt talks about you all the time. Ava Gregory?"

"Oh," she said, "Does she hate me, too?"

"Why would she hate you?"

"My decision to go overseas instead of staying here."

"She doesn't hate you one bit. She helped plan this party for you tonight."

"Katie?" they heard.