An Unfortunate Mix-Up ✔️

Chapter 24: Unbearable Pain

Jay takes a deep breath, keeping his hand pressed against Alex's side as much as he could.

"Keep your arm there buddy, help me out," he repeats as he had the past several minutes since making his way over to where Alex laid. Immediately upon seeing the blood, he had packed the area as much as he could with Alex's sweater, not moving the object which had embedded itself in his side. Now since then, he had been keeping a tight hold, while assuring breathes, pulse, and consciousness were all achieved. "Alex..."

"I'm...trying..." Alex barely lets out, gritting his teeth as it felt like the pain was ripping his body apart from itself, combined with weakness starting to take hold.

"Come on Kelly!" He could only hope the firemen heard him, and were acting as quickly as they could. He knew his own strength was getting weaker, feeling every movement of his own tougher than the last. That's why he had put all focus towards keeping Alex tended to, hoping the desire to do that would convince the rest of him to hold on.

His eyes only left Alex when he began to feel light take hold of them, causing his eyes to go up at the source. It was the smallest thing - a little hole - but another for light to shine down on them.

"Jay? Alex?" Jay clearly hears Kelly say, knowing that'd been the simple calls back and forth since the initial hearing of each other's voices. It was assurance for Jay to give him strength that Kelly was coming, but also his assurance to Kelly that they were going to be okay. He just needed to hold him, and Alex on, a little bit longer.

"Hurry!" Jay lets out, eyes immediately drawn back to Alex, seeing the consciousness fading in the body before him. "Shit! Alex?" He pushes Alex's arm as much as he can against the body, before pushing back against it with all of his body's weight, trying to stop as much as the blood as possible. "Kelly! Hurry!"

"We are doing what we can," was the only response he heard, which is what Kelly had told him already. He knew how it worked in the business - you had to watch for an additional cave-in, and you had to watch every single move. While it may seem painstaking each second longer he was there, he had to understand their reasons and go with it.

"Alex....needs...." Jay closes his eyes for a brief moment, immediately opening them up as he gives his head a shake. He couldn't dare pass out and let the pain consume him. He couldn't just leave his friend totally hanging. A series of deep breathes, and he knew he had to ignore the unbearable pain coursing through his body a little while longer.

"Jay, you need to stay with us. I can see you!" Jay glances up at the comment, wondering if Kelly was bluffing in hopes of his delusional state would follow along. However, the hole blocked by what looked to be a nose gave him faith that this was exactly the truth. Just like they said - a little while longer, then they'd be rescued. Alex would have someone to help him. 

"I'm okay man, it's Alex...." Jay's eyes focus back to his counterpart, applying whatever pressure he can muster, before reaching his hand over to feel for a pulse on his neck. Deep breath, sigh of relief, it was there - faint, but enough that he was holding on.

"I know, we're trying. Look, getting the whole big enough for a stretcher is going to take a bit of time - compromised rocks and such. They don't even want to send someone down because they're worried..." He feels a shift above him, looking for something to grasp in fear of a second collapse, but relaxes in knowing those claims were false. Instead, he felt the hole blocked by a plastic mask. "I can send you down anything that you or Alex may need until then..." 

"Got...it...." Jay clutches his hand around it as he reaches him, wasting no time in securing the elastic around the back of Alex's head, ensuring it fully covered his nose and mouth. The line that followed it proved it led back up the hole to oxygen. It was a start, it would allow Alex's body to not fight as hard - but hard enough to hold on, hopefully.

"Let me know anything...." Jay thought about the possibilities. His never-ending thirst almost begged for a hose. His own weakness threatening to fight everything wondered if there was another mask line to run down the hole for himself. He also looked towards where everything was being used to slow the bleeding, wondering if something would help their scenario. He then takes a deep breath, reaching for Alex's neck, awaiting the feeling of a light pulse. It was the same thing repeated every couple minutes, silently hoping the hole would be opened for his rescue. 

"Damn it..." While the pulse was there, he was began to see other signs that troubled him - from the amount of air he thought was in the mask, to the lack of movement with the chest. He places his ear against it, feeling around, every feeling coming back from one of the scariest scenes he was on. "Can I have your cell phone? I need to call Will for advice on how to help Alex."

"Phone - got it." Jay feels his own nerves building as he keeps his eyes solely focused on Alex, knowing every second that passed felt longer than the previous. "Wrapped in bubble wrap in a bag. Hope it doesn't break and you get reception." It was only moments later where it landed right by his hand as he reached over, quickly ripping into the delivery package.

"Got it!" He then pulls up the contacts, hoping Kelly had Will's phone number. 

There was no way he was going to remember his brother's number at a time like this, let alone any number for that matter. How was he supposed to think of all those numbers with how tired he was feeling?