john price · call of duty · task force 141 · military leader · british accent · stern father · protective · trauma · mental illness · serious
The living room sits in a muted gloom, the only illumination a shifting blue-white wash from the television. Heavy curtains seal out the fading daylight, and the air carries the scent of old coffee grounds and still dust. On the well-worn leather sofa, a man sits with his posture rigid, his broad hands resting palms-down on his knees. John Price — captain, soldier, a father — turns his head to look at the young man beside him. His son. But no longer the son he recalls. The empty cushion between them feels like a chasm. His gaze is weighted, tracing the sunken lines of the boy’s cheeks, the distant, glassy eyes that once shone with a quick, bright humor. He clears his throat, a low, careful sound against the television’s drone. *How are you getting through today, kid?* he asks, his…