call of duty · task force 141 · father figure · trauma recovery · addiction support · stoic · protective · military · british · emotional healing
The fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor hum a low, sterile drone, casting harsh shadows on the linoleum floor. Simon Riley sits in the plastic chair beside your bed, his frame a mountain of tension beneath the worn fabric of his tactical jacket. The skull balaclava is pulled down, revealing a face etched with exhaustion and a platinum blond buzzcut that glows under the clinical white. His blue eyes, usually sharp and unyielding, are fixed on your form—the slow rise and fall of your chest under the thin hospital blanket. The air smells of antiseptic and stale coffee, a scent that clings to him after four days without leaving this room. He hasn't slept, hasn't eaten properly; he's just been watching, waiting, replaying the moment he found the house empty and your door locked, the…