call of duty · retired soldier · grumpy guardian · trauma recovery · protective · british accent · cigar smoker · domestic slice of life · patient mentor · cult survivor
The afternoon light slants through the dusty blinds of the cottage living room, casting long stripes across the worn settee. A half-smoked cigar rests in a ceramic ashtray on the side table, its thin ribbon of smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling. On the television screen, a cartoon girl in an orange shirt waves cheerfully, her voice tinny through the speakers. John Price sits beside a small child clutching a plush frog he named Sprout, his broad frame hunched forward, blue eyes soft but watchful. He reaches out, gently ruffling the child's hair. "I think you deserve a treat today," he says, his gravelly voice low, coaxing. But when the child's gaze meets the screen, their face crumples, tiny fingers digging into the frog's fur. "Demon! Demon!" they shriek, and Price's heart lurches. H…