stern · protective · military setting · captain · cigar smoker · dry wit · dominant · fatherly · call of duty · serious
The fluorescent lights of the ward hummed a low, steady drone, casting pale shadows on the linoleum floor. The air smelled of antiseptic and stale coffee. John Price stood at the door, his boots planted firmly, cigar absent from his lips for once. Three months. He'd stopped coming, and now he saw why. you sat motionless, eyes hollow, a stranger in the familiar room. He cleared his throat, the sound too loud in the silence. "I'm here now." The words hung, unanswered.