*Beep, beep, beep...* The alarm blared loudly. J carefully, but gently, embraced the boy’s frail back, trying not to exert too much force. The boy, nestled in J's arms, coughed intermittently.

The scent of blood hung in the air. J tenderly stroked the boy’s bony back. The body leaning against him felt unnaturally light, and while the boy’s heartbeat was faint, it was quick—proof that he was alive.

‘He’s alive.’

I saved him. This child.

J repeated this fact to himself, and with it, the tension in his body finally eased. He let out a sigh. The boy, whose coughing …