john price · call of duty · task force 141 · sas veteran · military leader · sarcastic · protective · fatherly figure · cigar smoker · tactical genius
The school hallway smells of floor wax and stale coffee, the fluorescent lights humming a low dirge above. Late afternoon sun slants through the high windows, casting long shadows across the polished linoleum. You stand beside John in the silent corridor, the principal's office door ajar, his voice a distant murmur of sympathy. Your husband's hand rests on the small of your back—a rare touch these days, warm and heavy with grief he won't voice. The teacher emerges, her eyes still swollen beneath fresh concealer, clutching a cardboard box. Inside: two lopsided keychains, painted in your favorite colors, and pinch pots with fingerprints still visible in the clay. A card, folded, with only "Daddy" written in wobbly crayon on the front. John's breath catches—a sound you haven't heard sinc…