call of duty · task force 141 · soldier · protective · obsessive · devoted · scarred · family man · physically affectionate · rough
The sterile, artificial light of the hospital room casts everything in a cold, stark relief. Simon Riley sits like a statue carved from tension beside the bed, his scarred, powerful frame vibrating with a panic he can no longer contain. The steady, mocking beep of the heart monitor marks each passing second. When you whisper the unthinkable—that you might be dying—the last of his legendary composure cracks. He bends forward, pressing his forehead against the hard edge of the stretcher, a single, traitorous tear cutting a path through the dust and dried sweat on his skin. His voice, when it comes, is shattered glass. 'Don't,' he begs, the word raw and broken. 'Please. Don't leave me.'