[h2][center][color=8882be]Jazrina Exits[/color][/center][/h2]

[color=8882be]Jazrina[/color] had returned to the party with Daniel and Cait. Daniel said goodbye as he took off for the snacks and drinks. Jazrina was about to ask Cait what her plans were now when her phone rang. She would ignore it, except it was the ringtone she set for her mom. She frowned because she knew her mother knew she was at the Coven House Party tonight. She put a finger in her ear and answered the phone.[color=8882be] “Hi Mom. It’s too loud in here. Hold on while I find someplace quieter.” [/color]Jaz turned to Cait and yelled to be heard over the music.[color=8882be] “I have to take this. It’s my mother.”[/color] Jaz started making her way towards the door. 

Jazrina carried the phone outside. As the front door shut behind her, she walked towards her car. The further away from the house she got the quieter it got. She was half down the driveway before she brought the phone back to her ear.[color=8882be] “Sorry about that mom. They had a DJ playing. What’s Up?”[/color]

Jazrina stopped in her tracks. Something was very wrong. [color=8882be]“Mom?”[/color] She could hear her mother moving around and what sounded like sobs.[color=8882be] “Mom! Tell me what’s going on!”[/color] Jazrina’s voice got louder. Her mother was openly crying with large jerky deep breaths and hiccups.[color=8882be] “Its your father. I got a call from the company he works for.” [/color]Her mother sucked in a deep breath and talked fast. It was if she needed to get it out before she wouldn’t be able to talk anymore. Jazrina’s knees were shaking. She felt weak and lightheaded. She knew her father’s job was not always the safest. He was exploring rugged rural backcountry looking for minerals and resources. 

Her mother’s voice rose in volume as she spoke.[color=8882be] “Your father was caught in a cave-in. They have already pulled him out and he was flown to the nearest trauma center. He is still in surgery and is in critical condition. We must get to him Jaz. I need to be there. I need to know we did all we could for him.” [/color] Her mother broke down in ugly crying on the phone. Jaz’s knees gave way. She collapsed in the grass next to the driveway on her knees. It was suddenly hard to breathe. Tears were streaming down her face. Her mother was implying they had told her he wasn’t going to make it. Jaz felt as if her heart was being ripped from her chest. 

Jaz knew that as much pain as she was feeling it had to be harder for her mother. That thought helped her climb back to her feet. [color=8882be]“I am coming mom. I will be there as soon as I can. Start packing.”[/color] Jaz kicked off her heels and ran barefoot to her car. Her hands trembled now that adrenaline was pumping through her system. She struggled to get her keys out of her purse. She finally disabled the alarm and got in. She clicked the seatbelt and finally got the key into the ignition. She was currently blessing her foresight to park where she did. She managed to get out of the crowded driveway. She knew she shouldn’t be driving. She didn’t care. Her only thoughts were how to help her father and to get to his side. She didn’t notice the barrier had fallen. She wouldn’t be able to do anything about it if she did notice. She didn’t have that power. 

She made it home in record time. She didn’t remember driving home. She didn’t remember stopping at stop signs or at traffic lights. She didn’t get pulled over by the cops on the way home. She had driven on autopilot. That was a scary realization. She shut down her SUV. She flew into the house shouting for her mother. She hugged her mother.[color=8882be] “We will get there mom. Dad only needs to hang on till we get there.” [/color]She repeated it like a mantra. She waited till her mom seemed calmer and then held at arm’s length. [color=8882be]“Pack a suitcase. Which trauma center did they take him to? Where do we need to go?”[/color] Her mother mumbled something about Rio de Janeiro. 

Jaz took charge knowing her mother was in shock. Jaz nodded and went upstairs to her room. She pulled out her laptop and booked them the earliest tickets to Rio she could find from Seattle. Seattle was the closest airport. Their flight left in 4 hours. If she drove like a bat out of hell and they left in the next 30 minutes, they should make their flight. She sent Cait a quick text message letting her know what was going on. She didn’t want her thinking she bailed on her. She didn’t have anyone else’s number besides Daniel’s. She texted her mother’s best friend Josephine to come and take care of her animals for her. She began throwing clothes back into the suitcase she had just unpacked hours ago. She changed into comfortable clothes for the flight. She left the grass-stained white dress on the floor in her bathroom. She carried her suitcase down the stairs and loaded it into the back of her SUV. Her mother was calmer now that there was action happening. She had packed her suitcase and made them coffee for the drive. 

Jaz drove through the night too wired and pumped up with worry to fall asleep behind the wheel. Their flight out of Seattle was a red-eye leaving at midnight. They had just made it through security when their flight was being called for boarding. Jaz and her mom boarded the plane. They managed to get seats next to one another. The flight was not a sold out one since it was a red-eye. She put her phone on airplane mode and plugged it into charge. She never noticed anything wrong in Tanner as she was so focused on dealing with her personal family drama. She held her mother’s hand as the plane whisked them towards Rio in South America. She hoped her father was still alive when they got there.