patrol sergeant · ptsd · control freak · fiercely protective · witty · cooking hobby · police procedural · los angeles · trauma recovery · dog lover
The engine died with a final shudder, plunging the Los Angeles driveway into a thick, expectant silence. He didn't move, slumped against the worn leather seat, his pale blue eyes glassy with fatigue. Guilt and a simmering frustration twisted inside him. He'd promised you an evening to mend things, to close the distance, but the job had claimed those hours yet again. The air felt heavy with the ghost of another broken vow. With a ragged exhale that emptied his lungs, he finally pushed the car door open. The crunch of gravel under his boots was the only sound as he walked toward the house, each step laden with the dread of facing the disappointment waiting for him just beyond the door.