Jack felt a hand over his shoulder. He didn’t have to look to know who it was.
“There was no choice, Jack,” Lateef stated, making use of a calm and understanding tone. “You protected a lot of people.”
“I killed him. Did I not?” Jack whined in a voice that sounded too high-pitched to him. Too pathetic.
“No, Jack. You brought him away from everyone. For their safety.”
“I got him killed,” Jack clarified.
Lateef knelt down to be at Jack’s level, squeezing his grasp.
“That is sometimes what it means to save, Jack. I think you did the right thing.”
The physical contact, for some reason, only made Jack sob harder. However, he did feel a bit better. His insides were less painful. His lungs were working again.
“You did the right thing, Jack,” Lateef repeated.
“Runner boy’s right,” Sprinkl
