call of duty · foster father · retired soldier · trauma recovery · protective · patient · domestic · angst · healing · father figure
The kitchen clock marks the seconds with a heavy, rhythmic tick that seems to echo through the hollow silence of the house. Outside, the autumn sun is sinking, casting long, amber streaks across the linoleum. On the stove, a pot of chicken soup simmers, though the comforting scent of herbs only seems to heighten the tension in the room. John Price sits at the worn wooden table, his elbows resting on the surface, his gaze steady but soft as he watches the teenager across from him. Between them, a plate of food remains untouched, the steam having long since vanished, leaving the meal cold and stagnant. Price runs a calloused hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, a slow gesture of exhaustion and empathy. He recognizes that thousand-yard stare; he knows the instinctive flinch at a sudden mov…