Jack contacts the VA Medical Center in the next town to schedule an appointment with a doctor to have his shoulder examined. He wades through a mountain of paperwork to determine if he is eligible for benefits through the VA. Once it's finally filled out properly (he submitted some forms multiple times before they were accepted), it takes three weeks to get an initial appointment scheduled. The general practitioner that sees Jack prescribes an opiate to manage his pain while he waits for an appointment with an orthopedic specialist. Jack has a hard time getting the prescription filled because he is required to use the VA pharmacy which is also in the next town. Sarah is worried about him using opiates because of his depression and PTSD but says nothing because mostly she is just thankful that he's no longer in constant pain.  

The wait for the specialist is over a month long, and the seasons are changing again from spring to summer. Although Jack's pain is manageable now, his mental health continues to deteriorate. He is beginning to self medicate, increasing his dose of pain medicine without consulting his doctor. When he's feeling the effects of the powerful drugs he doesn't care about anything. His depression is worsening and episodes of PTSD are occurring with more frequency. Jack sees the specialist and they develop a treatment plan that includes physical therapy and possibly surgery. The specialist writes a new prescription for the opiates that Jack has quickly come to depend on to get through the day.

Jack's mental health issues have still not been addressed - he puts on a good front for those at the VA because he is very proud and has an image to uphold.  At home, Jack's level of coping is going downhill quickly, as his opiate use is ramping up.  He has almost completely withdrawn from Sarah and the boys.  Sarah gives Jack an ultimatum - seek treatment or she's leaving. Although Jack loves his family more than anything, he is too proud and has sunken too deep into the depression to pull himself back up. Sarah feels she has no choice but to follow through with her ultimatum, hoping this will be the push Jack needs to finally accept help. 

As summer once again fades into fall, Jack continues to spiral downward.  Instead of having Sarah's intended effect, the loss of his family proved to be more than Jack could bear and he took his own life. The mood this day is so different from the mood just a year earlier when Sarah and the boys were filled with excitement for Jack's homecoming. Today they stand next to a casket draped with an American flag as they say a final goodbye to their husband and father. Jack has lost his battle, and America has lost a hero.