Page 41 of Midnight Escape

“I—” She fought for her next breath, pain filling her chest at the effort. “I. Can’t.” She tried to gulp air but to no avail.

She recognized her good friend, Laura, who touched her arm and assured her she’d be okay. How could she say that? If they didn’t get an ambulance here now, it might be too late.

Bare footsteps slapped across the walkway. “Here,” Luke said.

“All right, Moira,” Laura’s soothing voice helped take off some of the edge, but it hurt not being able to catch a full breath. At any moment, she’d pass out.

Laura took her hand and placed the inhaler into it. Her hands shook so much, she couldn’t make it work.Jeanie Mac! It was too late.

“Moira Wright, you stay with me,” a voice demanded. Darkness surrounded her vision, and her ears rang. “Now, I’m taking your inhaler, and I’ll administer your medicine.”

Even with the authoritative tone Laura used, Moira wasn’t giving up her inhaler. She’d already lost one tonight; she needed this one. Needed to get it to her mouth.

The inhaler was jerked from her grasp. “Dammit, Moira, you will not pass out on me. Open your mouth.”

As if all her functions had ceased, she tried to open her mouth but failed.

“Open it, Luke.”

“All right, Moira, here it comes. Take a breath.”

The first squirt hit her throat since Luke had her mouth open so wide. Her jaw hurt. But not more than the elephant on her chest trying to kill her. She couldn’t remember ever being this bad, except her first time. Her parents had looked scared before the doctor diagnosed her. Then he’d explained it was a lifelong illness, but there were things she could do to lessen the chances of an attack.

If she hadn’t already been frightened, confused, and excited over Danny’s kiss as well as running for blocks, she wouldn’t have had this attack.

The breaths weren’t coming. Harder and harder it became to get any air in her lungs. When the darkness rimming her gaze crept in closer, her panic grew.

Of course, she’d been instructed not to panic when an attack happened, but those doctors weren’t the ones who couldn’t breathe. Who wouldn’t fight for what little air they could? With the lack of oxygen getting to her brain, she felt ready to allow the darkness to consume her gaze, so the pain, pressure, fear, and inability to control what happened to her would go away.

“Dammit, Moira, work with me. Once more,” Laura directed. Her friend was a take charge kind of woman who treated her like she had been given paddles to shock her back to life.

“Inhale.”

After the last squirt into her mouth, Luke let go of her jaw. She still couldn’t breathe. It’d been too late. She couldn’t afford to go to a hospital because her name could end up somewhere that would make her found. Which would contradict her death in Dublin.

Laura’s face swam in front of hers. “Moira, calm down. You can breathe now, but you can’t keep panicking. You’ve got to settle some and we’ll get you through this.”

Easy for her to say. Laura wasn’t the one dying.

“Look at me, Moira. There you go. Take slow, easy breaths.”

As she listened to the hypnotic voice, Moira obeyed and began to get her wits about her. The elephant squatting on her chest had moved on, but the burn remained. She knew it’d go away soon.

It took a few minutes, but Luke and Laura stayed with her as her attack passed. With much relief, Moira bent her head down and regained herself. Luke stepped back into the house and she knew why. His way of fixing everything was through hot tea. She’d bet he hurried to set up the kettle.

Laura’s hand soothed her back. “How are you feeling?”

Moira generally didn’t have an attack because she noticed the signs and got ahead of it. Once, at her friends’ home, she’d had one, and Luke and Laura had taken steps to educate themselves on how to help her. With that, Laura had recommended she keep one of her inhalers at her and Luke’s place, since she spent so much time there. Thank goodness Laura had recommended it. Otherwise, Moira would be at the hospital that her brother—and Danny—had instructed her to avoid at all costs.

“I’m better.” She looked over at Laura, who sat on the stoop beside her. “Thank you. You saved my life.”

Laura laughed. “Of course I did. I need my Irish friend to finish teaching me how to speak Irish Gaelic, so I can go back with you and find me a hunk of an Irishman.”

Moira laughed. Laura had said that when she’d met her but had yet to start a lesson.

Sadness and determination slid into her body. Would she ever get to go home again?

Laura stood. “How about we go in? I’m sure Luke’s almost ready with the tea. Do you need his help to stand?”

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