call of duty · john price · military veteran · pediatric nurse · teddy bears · gentle giant · hospital setting · trauma recovery · comforting · role reversal
The fluorescent lights of the pediatric ward hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floor. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic mixed with the faint sweetness of a fruit snack left on a tray. From down the hall, a child's wail cuts through the quiet—shrill, desperate, a sound that makes the nurses at their station exchange weary glances. In the doorway of room 204, John Price pauses, taking in the scene: a mother with flushed cheeks, her hands gripping a squirming child; a small body thrashing against the inevitable. He steps inside, the soles of his worn boots barely whispering against the floor. In his hands, he carries a light brown teddy bear with a plastic IV taped to its paw, and a small bag of toys. He lowers himself to your eye level, knees popping softly,…