𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝟫-𝟣-𝟣

𝗂𝗂. 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋

           "I'm not. Fractured pelvis, flail chest—even I couldn't save me, and...you don't know me, but I'm good." Russ listed as tears started to pour out of his eyes.

           "Well, you haven't met us either. Hen and I are pretty darn good at what we do," Jazmyn chuckled before Russ started violently coughing. "Hen, hurry up over there."

             "I'm not gonna make it 20 minutes. Help's not coming. Not in time, anyway. So, please, my kit. The morphine. Give me a bolus. Oh, give me three." Russ insisted.

           Hen reached over to grab his kit. "I'll give you one to keep you comfortable, but we're not giving up, okay?" she stated to him.

         "You married, Hen, Jaz?" Russ asked them.

          "I am." Hen answered.

           "No." Jazmyn answered.

          "I hope you make it back to your husband, Hen.  And Jaz, I hope one day you marry the love of your life." Russ struggled to state.

            "Wife." Hen corrected.

             "Oh yeah? I had one of those. She was always worrying that I wouldn't....make it back home to see her. Decided maybe it's better if I just stopped coming home altogether. I think maybe she was...onto something." Russ explained to them. Unlike Hen, Jazmyn knew those were his final words.

"Our people are right above us, okay? Believe me when I tell you...Russ? Russ!" Hen stated.

"Hen, he's gone." Jazmyn placed a hand on her shoulder.

☽

AFTER Russ's untimely death, Hen and Jazmyn tried to break their way out of the parking garage filled with rumble, but it was not working. Jazmyn and Hen were basically wasting time and energy.

Jazmyn watched Hen take off her helmet in frustration and pull out her phone. Hen was about to record her goodbyes, but Jazmyn isn't having it.

"Put it away," Jazmyn demanded as Hen looked at her crazy. "Put it away, Hen. I need hope and that..." she pointed at the phone. "Is not hope. We have families we need to get to." Jazmyn remarked as she took off her helmet.

"And how do we do that, Jaz!" Hen raised her voice.

"By...sneeze. By...sneeze—" Jazmyn tried to encourage Hen, but all she could do is sneeze.

"What are you allergic to?" Hen asked she put her helmet back on and grabbed a tool to break down the rubble. Letting Jazmyn sneeze a couple more times, Hen broke down the rubble which made a hole. All of a sudden the two heard barking and a dog ran threw the hole.

"Dogs." Jazmyn replied as she watched Hen pick up the dog and read the tag.

"Paisley, lead the way out, Paisley." Hen set the dog down and let her lead the way out.

             Despite there being another after shock, Hen, Jazmyn and Paisley were doing pretty well. If you don't count Jazmyn's sneezing and Hen losing Paisley a couple times. Paisley started barking and Hen and Jazmyn made their way over to see what the fuss was about. It turned out, Paisley found Kat, the missing child.

            "Kat?" Hen asked as she made her way over towards the girl. "Oh, my gosh. I've been looking for you, baby. Are you hurt?" she asked Kat.