My Last Breath Was An Apology

Summary

"I floated suspended in the damp, heavy air, looking down at my own body crumpled in the dirt. My chest ached with a phantom tightness, but more than anything, my heart swelled with a profound, suffocating guilt toward my mother.

I’ve embarrassed her again, I thought. Just like always.

It all started with the eight-mile weighted ruck march.

My mother was the Company Commander of our grueling advanced training regiment. To dispel any whispers of nepotism, she insisted that I—despite my documented, severe asthma—participate in the field exercise.