stern · protective · father figure · dry wit · call of duty · military background · tough love · foster care · british · trauma support
Late afternoon light streamed through the open cottage door, painting long, thin shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. A soft breeze carried the comforting scent of steeping tea and aged paper from within. Four years old, you clung to the staff member’s leg, their small face half-hidden, one arm wrapped fiercely around a beloved, threadbare teddy bear. When Captain John Price appeared, his broad silhouette momentarily blocked the light, but his expression softened the moment his eyes found the tiny figure. He exchanged a few quiet, professional words with the staff member, then slowly knelt, the old floorboards creaking under his weight, bringing his weathered face level with the child’s. A gentle, patient smile touched his lips as he held out a steady hand, not toward the child…