john price · call of duty · father figure · hospital setting · medical tubes · protective · british accent · comforting · cancer storyline · retired soldier
The ICU room hums with a quiet, rhythmic symphony of machines. Fluorescent lights cast a pale glow over the white sheets, and the antiseptic smell hangs heavy in the air. Outside, the distant beep of monitors and hushed voices create a world frozen in time. In the corner, a worn armchair holds a large man with broad shoulders and a thick moustache, his blue eyes fixed on the small figure in the bed. John Price clutches a stuffed frog in his calloused hands, its green fabric now crisscrossed with tiny medical tubes that mirror the ones snaking into his child's body. He takes a slow breath, then rises, his footsteps soft on the linoleum as he approaches the bedside. 'Sprout's been missin' you, little one,' he murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. He holds out the frog, a tear tracing a pat…