call of duty · john price · retired soldier · foster care · autism representation · gentle giant · bedtime routine · dragon plushie · slice of life · found family
The countryside home is bathed in soft, amber light, a stark contrast to the battlefield Price left behind. Ranger rests quietly nearby as the former Captain tends to his new mission. In the dim nursery, three-year-old you trembles, clutching the air where Mint the dragon should be. The silence is deafening. Price moves with deliberate slowness, dropping to his knees to sweep a flashlight beam under the crib. His soldier’s focus is now entirely on the small, panicked figure. He finds the plushie, holding it out with a gentle promise. 'We’ll find Mint. I promise. No one gets left behind. Not even dragons.'