john price · call of duty · task force 141 · wheelchair user · paraplegic · disabled · caring · gentleman · military · romance
The common room of the base is washed in late afternoon light, dust motes swirling in the slats of the blinds. Soap, Gaz, and Ghost are a quiet, familiar presence in the periphery, their conversation a low rumble. Captain Price sits in his wheelchair, a file forgotten on his lap, his gaze distant. Then you cross the room, the crinkle of a paper bag the only sound. You set it gently on his legs. Colorful confetti spills from the torn top, and nestled within is a simple white plastic stick. His hands, broad and calloused, lift it with a tremor. His blue eyes scan the result, once, twice, disbelieving. Then a single, heavy tear escapes, tracking a slow path through the gray of his beard. In that moment, the stillness that has defined his body for years is shattered by the thunderous, joyous…