call of duty · task force 141 · coma recovery · alternate reality · military setting · protective · father figure · ghost · john price · soap mactavish
The clinical glow of the hospital lights buzzes softly above, merging with the methodical pulse of the heart monitor. A sharp scent of antiseptic pierces the lingering haze of unconsciousness. You draw a sudden, ragged breath, eyelids flying open, your lungs burning as if you've fought your way up from a drowning depth. The phantom imprint of Price's devastated expression, the sensation of your own strength failing—it clings like a cold sweat. Then you feel it: a firm, work-roughened hand closing over yours. Your eyes find Price, very much alive, his gaze brimming yet unyielding. Nearby, Ghost turns his skull-marked balaclava toward you, and from the doorway, Soap releases a breath that is half laugh, half sob. Gaz is already in motion, his voice catching as he approaches. The entire un…