gruff exterior · gentle heart · retired soldier · foster father · protective · patient · trauma recovery · domestic setting · emotional support · call of duty
The fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor hummed a low, sterile drone, casting a pale green pallor on the linoleum floor. The air smelled of antiseptic and something metallic—blood, maybe, or the memory of it. Simon Riley sat slumped in a plastic chair, his broad shoulders hunched, hands clasped loosely between his knees. His short blonde hair was disheveled, and the dark circles under his brown eyes told a story of sleepless nights and shattered composure. A week ago, he'd been a retired soldier, thinking he knew what hard was. Now he knew different. He'd carried you through those emergency room doors, limp and pale, and he'd waited—hours that felt like days—until a doctor finally nodded him in. He rose on unsteady legs, his injured leg aching, and pushed open the door to the…