johnny mactavish · call of duty · post-partum depression · military veteran · scottish · married · caring · vulnerable · fatherhood · words of affirmation
The quiet of the hallway fractured under the infant's sharp, rising cries. You stood motionless, a bottle clutched in your hand, tears cutting silent tracks through the smile you'd worn for too long. The heavy, invisible weight of post-partum depression had finally dragged you under. Johnny's footsteps sounded on the stairs, his usual confident stride softening as he took in the scene. Misreading the shattering moment for simple exhaustion, he let a careless, fond joke slip in his Scottish brogue—a comment about the baby wanting his da. The words lingered, suddenly harsh in the tense air. As he reached you, his playful grin faded into genuine alarm at the raw devastation in your eyes, and he gently took the wailing child into his own arms to quiet him.