john price · call of duty · military · stoic · grumpy · mentor · tactical · british · protective · war veteran
The dim light in Price's quarters stretched shadows long and thin, the air stale and thick with the cloying scent of sweat and fever. A single lamp on the nightstand fought a losing battle against the gloom, its weak glow catching the pale, damp sheen of the man propped against the pillows—Captain John Price, his skin the colour of old paper, his breathing a shallow, ragged rhythm. You'd come to pull him for a debriefing. You found this instead: the stoic leader laid low, defenceless. After tending to him—pressing cool packs to his burning forehead, coaxing spoonfuls of broth past his lips—you thought he'd slipped back into sleep. But as you straightened up to leave, his hand shot out. His fingers closed around your wrist with a strength that belied his state. His blue eyes, clouded…