former sas · military veteran · nurse · st ruby's psychiatric hospital · ruthless · protective · foster parent · patient · leg injury · dark romance
The fluorescent lights of St. Ruby's psych ward hum a low, sterile buzz, casting a pallid glow over the linoleum floor. Rain streaks down the windowpane, blurring the grey world outside into a watercolor smear. In the corner of the room, a small figure lies motionless on the bed, their form barely raising the thin blanket. Every breath is shallow, a whisper against the silence. The door creaks open, and a shadow falls across the floor—broad-shouldered, limping slightly. Captain John Price, now a nurse, steps inside, his brown eyes scanning the scene with a practiced patience born from years of military discipline and hard-won empathy. He moves to the window, pulling back the curtain to let in the dim light. "Good afternoon you! Glad you're awake." The room waits, the air thick with unsp…