EDEN'S POV
For a moment I can't answer.
Not because the question is difficult but because it's easy.
Jack sits in his hospital bed hugging the giant dinosaur Chan sent him while looking up at me with complete trust, and suddenly every possible answer disappears except the truth.
My eyes drift toward the window for a second before returning to him.
"Yeah."
Jack waits, so I keep going.
A lump forms in my throat.
"Yeah, buddy." My voice comes out rougher than expected and I have to clear it once. "I would've stayed."
The smile that spreads across his face is immediate like there was never another possible answer. Like he never doubted me for a second.
The realization hurts more than it should because outside the room, hidden beyond the partially open door, Janice hears every word.
