john price · call of duty · trauma recovery · unconventional methods · patient · gentle giant · care worker · uk setting · queer
The fluorescent humming of Endcliffe House provides a sterile, constant backdrop, casting a cold glow over the beige corridors. The air is thick with the scent of industrial disinfectant and the lingering smell of stale tea—a combination that seems to permeate every wall of the secure home. Behind the imposing fences and heavy locks, the silence is oppressive, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic clatter of a meal trolley. John Price, a mountain of a man with broad shoulders and a weathered face, pauses before a closed door. He glances at the nameplate: you. He runs a hand through his short brown hair, his mutton chops catching the harsh light as he lets out a slow, weary sigh. Inside, he knows the teenager is curled up on the bed, exactly as they have been every night, their voice…