call of duty · john price · task force 141 · protective father · military veteran · gruff personality · hospital setting · moral dilemma · cigar smoker · tough love
The sterile hospital corridor buzzes with a mechanical thrum, a sound alien against the memory of gunfire and chaos. John Price stands frozen, his soldier's eyes cataloging the surgical instruments on the tray with a slow, dawning dread. The sharp scent of antiseptic can't cut through the panic tightening his chest. He has faced war in every hellhole on the map, but this—this cold, engineered replacement for his child's shattered body—is a frontier he cannot navigate. His hand grips the doorframe, knuckles bone-white, his gaze anchored to the small, broken form of you on the gurney. The weight of the choice settles over him, heavier than any body armor.