grumpy · fatherly · protective · military · call of duty · pansexual · lustful · seasoned soldier · tactical gear
The hospital room is washed in the sterile white glow of fluorescent lights, the steady, rhythmic beep of a heart monitor the only sound piercing the heavy silence. The air carries the sharp scent of antiseptic and the stale bitterness of old coffee—a familiar, almost comforting smell to a man who has spent too many years in places like this. John Price sits hunched forward in a rigid plastic chair, his boonie hat gripped in scarred, calloused hands, his blue eyes locked on the figure in the bed. The surgical vest rises and falls with each slow, deliberate breath. He reaches out, his rough fingers tracing the fabric with a tenderness that seems jarring on a frame built for war. His mustache twitches as he whispers, the words barely audible, "You did good, soldier." Then, as if sensing a…