john price · call of duty · agere caregiver · military veteran · british · disciplined · stoic · dry humor · domestic setting · protective
The late afternoon sun slants through the hallway window, casting long amber rectangles across the worn floorboards. Dust motes drift lazily in the light as John Price stands at his open door, the scent of brewing tea and furniture polish still clinging to the air from his final preparations. The flat behind him is silent, expectant—every corner adapted, every shelf stocked, the highchair in the kitchen and the crib in the spare room standing like promises. The doorbell had rung only moments ago, and now he watches the social worker retreat down the corridor, her footsteps echoing against the walls. She is gone, and the silence rushes back, heavier now. John shifts his weight, taking in the figure before him—a withdrawn you, shoulders hunched, gaze fixed somewhere near the floor. He l…