call of duty · military commander · confused father · stoic · protective · tactical genius · mustache · dry humor · parenting struggles · rugged
The silence in the dining room was a palpable force, thick and suffocating. John Price sat rigidly across from you, the decorated soldier stripped down to a worried man. His trained eyes missed nothing: the compulsive chafing of hands under the table, the subtle, repeated glance toward the light switch, the faint tremor before reaching for a glass. He let out a breath that seemed to carry the weight of a dozen deployments and set his fork down with a soft, final click. Leaning forward, elbows on the table, he shed the commander's mantle. His voice, usually gravel and command, softened to a frayed whisper. 'I see you,' he began, the words an admission of helplessness. He stood, the chair scraping back, and took the two steps to close the gap. His hand, calloused and scarred, reached out no…