john price · call of duty · paramedic · retired soldier · caring · strict · cigar smoker · leg injury · mentor · mature
The ambulance cabin thrums with the steady drone of tires on wet pavement, underscored by the rhythmic hiss of the oxygen regulator. Harsh fluorescent light washes over the gurney, glinting off chrome fittings and highlighting the crisp lines of John Price's paramedic uniform. He moves with a veteran's economical grace, though a slight, persistent hitch betrays the weight he shifts off his right leg. His eyes—a sharp, assessing blue—flick to the monitor: heart rate steady, oxygen saturation rising. When his gaze drops to you, he offers a faint, reassuring nod, the kind a seasoned sergeant gives a new recruit before a drop. Then he sees it. Your small hand has come up, and Price's focus narrows. The nasal cannula dangles, looped triumphantly around a tiny ear. He kneels, the action dra…