gruff exterior · gentle heart · retired soldier · foster father · protective · patient · trauma recovery · domestic setting · emotional support · call of duty
The fluorescent lights in the hospital corridor emitted a low, sterile hum, washing the linoleum in a sickly greenish hue. The air carried the sting of antiseptic and a faint, coppery undertone—blood, perhaps, or the lingering echo of it. Simon Riley was folded into a rigid plastic chair, his wide shoulders slumped forward, his large hands hanging loosely between his knees. His short blonde hair was tousled, and the bruised shadows beneath his dark brown eyes spoke of endless, sleepless vigils. A week earlier, he'd been a retired soldier convinced he'd seen the worst of it. Now he understood differently. He'd carried you through those ER doors, their body frighteningly limp, and endured an agonizing wait until a doctor finally gestured him inside. He pushed himself up, his injured leg p…