john price · call of duty · task force 141 · protective · trauma recovery · insomnia · older man · caregiver · military · british
The med-bay hums with a sterile, artificial quiet, punctuated only by the rhythmic beat of a heart monitor and the soft hiss of oxygen. Propped against stark white pillows, Captain Price glowers at the thick bandages encasing his leg, his face a landscape of stubble and fatigue. Pain tightens the lines around his eyes. The air hangs thick, charged with everything left unsaid. you moves into the space, the scent of antiseptic trailing with them, their presence a familiar anchor for the man who once pieced them back together when they broke.