Only half the man he used to be -- but maybe that’s enough The Taliban may have taken both Chris’s legs, but he came back from Afghanistan with his sense of humour and his lust for life firmly intact. The one thing that can shake his confidence is meeting Josh, the one-night stand from before his tour of duty he hasn’t been able to forget. It turns out Josh hasn’t forgotten Chris, either. He spent the time they were apart fearing the worst every time a soldier was reported killed in action -- and wishing Chris would use the number Josh gave him, and call. Josh’s delight on seeing Chris again quickly turns to shock on seeing his injuries. With Chris such a changed man, can they still have a future?

Permanently Legless

We carried on talking afterward. I’ve heard it’s all arse over tit with girls—euphemistically speaking, unless you get lucky and get a real goer—and they expect you to do the talking first, fucking second. Get the important stuff out of the way first; that’s what I always say.


I bought him a beer, and he did the looking-through-his-hair thing and asked if I wanted to see him again.


I felt a bit bad about having to let him down. “Sorry, mate, I’m off to the arse-end of the world in three days. Got to get to base, get packed up.”


“Give me your phone,” he said, holding out his hand.


“Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in, and you can call me when you get back.”


Chapter 2