All other troubles seemed to dart into the back of Jennifer's head as Lisa took over the trouble of dialing the number for her, pledging to hand the phone over to Jen once she got to them. Unfortunately, all lines were busy every time she tried to dial.
"I'm so sorry, Jen!" Lisa managed to say, herself very affected by her friend's agony. Even Carol was very visibly sobbing now. The intense cramps were beginning to affect her now as well, but she knew that now wasn't the time to bother with that. Jen's mother could very well be dead. Lisa remembered Audrey well. She would always treat the entire cheerleading team to pizza when she wasn't off on a trip accross the world.
"You know your mom well, though," Lisa said, trying to cheer herself and her mother up as much as she was trying to cheer her friend up. "She doesn't just go down. She's always one step ahead of everyone else!"
Jen tried to fake a smile as she brushed her tears away, but a terrible cramp sent her back onto the couch and slumped against Carol. Lisa had already returned to her chair, phone in hand, and was furiously redialing the number, taking very little note of the familiar itchness that seemed to have returned after their short vacation.
"The lines are still tied," she said.
"I suspect that they'll be that way for a good while," Carol replied, taking the phone from her daughter. "I'll keep on trying; every five minutes I'll make a call."