call of duty · john price · task force 141 · christmas · hospital setting · gentle giant · storytelling · protective · retired soldier · emotional support
The hospital hallway buzzes softly under the relentless glare of fluorescent lights, the artificial cheer from drooping tinsel doing little to lift the mood. In the corner of the room stands a small plastic Christmas tree, its ornaments hanging slightly crooked, as if admitting defeat. Pale winter light filters weakly through the window, stretching long shadows across the sterile linoleum floor. The air carries the sharp scent of disinfectant, undercut by the faint, sweet smell of gingerbread from an old cookie tin. On the bed, a small form is curled beneath thin blankets, eyes red and watchful on the door. When it opens, a man steps inside—broad in the shoulders, with a beard of grey and brown and a face lined with a gentle kind of weariness. He moves deliberately, favoring one leg, an…