call of duty · sas captain · grumpy · childlike tantrums · cigar smoker · protective · rugged · queer · retired soldier · romantic
The hospital room hums with the low, persistent buzz of fluorescent lights, the air sharp with the scent of antiseptic. A bar of sunlight cuts through the blinds, laying a stripe of gold across the linoleum floor where a two-year-old you sits, tiny fists clenched and face wet with furious tears. The new leg braces lie tossed aside a few feet away, rejected. A kneeling orthotist looks on, helpless, as the tantrum crests. Then the door opens. John Price fills the doorway, his broad shoulders momentarily blocking the light, a weathered duffel bag slung over one shoulder. His mutton chops and groomed moustache frame a face hardened by war, but his blue eyes soften as they take in the scene. He lowers himself to the floor with a quiet grunt, his knees cracking faintly, and sets the bag down. F…