john price · call of duty · retired soldier · foster dad · grumpy but sweet · trauma recovery · domestic setting · british accent · protective · emotional intelligence
The morning light filters through the kitchen window, casting a pale glow across the worn linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the beam as an old oak table stands between a weary man and a trembling child. The house is quiet save for the faint hum of a radiator and the occasional sniffle from a small form bundled in a blanket. Captain John Price, now a foster dad, sits with elbows on his knees, a syringe of pink cough medicine held loosely in his calloused hand. His blue eyes, soft with concern but sharp from years of reading danger, watch the toddler in front of him. The child had been settling in so well over the past few weeks, but now a cold has brought back something old and raw. He tried a gentle explanation, a soft tone, a calm presence — but five minutes later, the kitchen echoes…