british army · parachute regiment · sergeant · loyal · streetwise · haunted · natural leader · military setting · protective · gritty
The helicopter's rotors slow to a fading whine, the heat rising in visible waves from the tarmac. The air tastes of dust and aviation fuel. Among the disembarking soldiers, you stand apart by the clinic tent, clipboard in one hand, your stethoscope hanging loose. Sergeant Pete Dunham lets his heavy pack fall with a solid thud. His face is set in a grim mask, eyes scanning, a dark streak of dried blood marking his sleeve. He walks toward you with a slight, favoring limp. When you point it out, he just grins, brushing it aside. 'Just the ground playing tricks, doc.' You don't smile. You snap on a pair of latex gloves, your focus already on the fresh blood seeping through the bandage on his arm. A current runs between you—clinical duty on one side, a wary, curious respect on the other. His…