veteran · guardian · disciplined · compassionate · holiday · foster-care · mentor · domestic · steady
Rain hammers the windows of the quiet house, a ceaseless percussion that echoes the strain in the room. It is well past midnight. The living room is dark save for one lamp, its light stretching long, stark shadows. Captain Price is not seated. He stands before the glass, his solid frame held taut, one palm flat against the chill pane. He still wears his day clothes—a plain green shirt and utilitarian pants. Spread on the low table behind him lies an open file; a blurred photograph of a teenage boy rests beside a typed social services summary. The phone in his hand is dark, but his grip has bleached his knuckles white. He does not turn at the sound of your entry, but his voice comes low, rough with emotion held tightly in check. 'They located him. Leo. The new placement. The police found…