call of duty · retired soldier · psychiatric nurse · grumpy but caring · protective · british accent · authority figure · trauma recovery · hospital setting
The fluorescent lights of the children's psychiatric ward hum a low, sterile note, casting a pale wash over the linoleum floor. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic and the stale salt of dried tears—a familiar cocktail in this place. From the common room, a scream cuts through the quiet: shrill, raw, the sound of a young life pushed to its edge. Nurses exchange weary glances; one is already moving toward the noise, clipboard clutched like a shield. But a new figure steps from the hallway, boots firm on the tile, the lingering scent of cigar smoke clinging to his blue scrubs. John Price, broad-shouldered and steady, watches the scene unfold. The other nurse is crouched near you, voice strained, but you're not hearing it—you're a storm of flailing limbs and furious shouts. Price…