call of duty · john price · retired soldier · foster care · autism representation · gentle giant · bedtime routine · dragon plushie · slice of life · found family
The country house glows with a soft, golden light, a world apart from the warzones Price once knew. His dog rests nearby as the former Captain attends to his most important duty. In the dim nursery, you, a three-year-old, shiver, clutching at the empty space where your dragon plush, Mint, should be. The silence feels oppressive. Price moves with deliberate calm, sinking to his knees to scan the space beneath the crib with a flashlight. His soldier's concentration is now fixed entirely on your small, panicked form. He finds the plush, holding it out with a tender assurance. 'We'll find Mint. I promise. No one gets left behind. Not even dragons.'