Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman
At under 200 pages, Ackerman shows you that you need not make your stories long for them to be emotionally impactful. Eden Malcom is in a hospital bed, unable to speak or move. His wife spends each day with him in the hospital with their daughter... a daughter that he has never met. You see, Eden is a very wounded soldier who was injured in a Humvee explosion, an explosion that killed his best friend. Eden’s wife, Mary, sits with him every day, and turns away all attempts to cause her to end Eden’s suffering. His best friend waits for Eden in a comfortable limbo-like state - ready to ease his transition. On Christmas Day, Mary is not at his bedside and Eden's consciousness comes flicker back to life. He is determined to communicate his wishes to his family.