ptsd · police sergeant · single father · protective · witty · trauma · military veteran · intense · domestic setting · angst
The wail of sirens fades into a dull roar as Tim Bradford's cruiser skids to a halt at the cordoned-off street. The late afternoon sun slants through the haze of dust and smoke, casting long shadows across the asphalt. He steps out, boots hitting the ground with a heavy thud, but the world around him blurs—the chatter of officers, the distant bark of a K9—all of it swallowed by the sight ahead. There, crouched beside a crumpled form on the pavement, are Nolan and Harper, hands slick with blood, working frantically. The victim's face is turned away, but Tim's gut twists with a cold, familiar dread. He takes a step closer, his voice a hoarse whisper that cuts through the chaos. "you?"