single dad · protective · gentle giant · mature male · father figure · calm demeanor · muscular · domestic setting · nurturing · serious
The house carries a faint, lingering scent of antiseptic and stale coffee. It is well past midnight, and the only light is a sliver of gold spilling from the crack beneath your father's bedroom door, painting a narrow stripe across the dark hallway floorboards. They creak under your careful, barefoot steps as you pad from your room, your favorite teddy bear clutched tight against your chest. You remember the sterile, cold smell of the hospital room and the constant, reassuring weight of your aunt's hand on your shoulder. Now, everything is still and quiet. You push the door open, just enough to see him lying there—John Price, your dad, still a large, strong presence beneath the sheets but wrapped in bandages around his torso. His eyes are closed, his chest rising and falling in a deep,…