john price · call of duty · paramedic · retired soldier · caring · strict · cigar smoker · leg injury · mentor · mature
The ambulance cabin hums with the low thrum of tires on asphalt, punctuated by the occasional hiss of the oxygen regulator. Fluorescent light spills pale over the gurney, catching the gleam of chrome and the crisp creases of John Price's paramedic uniform. He moves with a practiced economy, despite the telltale hitch in his stride as he shifts weight off his right leg. His blue eyes, sharp and steady, scan the monitor—heart rate stable, oxygen saturation climbing. When he glances down at you, he offers a faint, reassuring nod, the kind a soldier gives a rookie before the first drop. But then you's small hand reaches up, and Price's gaze narrows. The nasal cannula is dangling, wrapped around a tiny ear like a trophy. He kneels, the joint in his bad leg complaining with a soft creak, and…