Sam's POV
I was walking down the sidewalk of my apartment when I saw my drunk mother stumble out the door.
"Oh no" I said, running into the house.
I dashed into my room to hear crying.
I opened the closet to see Jack curled up in a ball and sniffling.
I cupped my hand over my mouth softly, my heart broke.
My mom being here must've triggered something.
I wanted to hug him and tell him that it's ok, but he's in fight-or-flight mode.
If I try to touch him, he might freak out.
So I knelt down and talked to him, trying to calm him down.
"Jack. Hey, Jack. It's ok. I'm here. You're safe" I reassured him gently.
He looked at me with extreme, genuine fear in his eyes.
This guy's in serious fight-or-flight mode and I don't know how to help him.
Jack suddenly threw his arms around me and started crying again.
"Shh, shh" I whispered, rubbing his back.
They say that if you cry, you're weak.
But that's simply not true.
If you cry, it means you're strong.
And Jack's strong.
He's strong enough to let go of all the emotions he's kept pushed down and locked up for so many years.
"Thanks, love" said Jack, pulling away from the hug, tear stains on his cheeks.
I saw a sad smile on his face.
We hugged some more and I continued to rub his back.
"Sorry you had to see me like that, love. I just felt so scared that she was gonna come up and she was gonna beat me again" Jack panicked, referring to his grandmama.
She must've been the one Jack had the nightmare about.
I hugged him more and whispered calming things to him.
He held me close as if I'd leave him if he let go.
I didn't care how long our hug would last, Jack's scared and he's in pain, and it's my job to help him.
After about 2 hours of hugging, Jack let go, I did my homework, ordered a pizza, and we ate while watching X-Files.
