Page 3 of Love Me Fearless

“It’s all right,” I tell Ashley, hoping to stay focused on what could help her daughter and not worry about the childcare emergency that brought us here. “Marin, have you had a problem with asthma or allergies before?”

Ashley shakes her head. “No.”

“At…school,” Marin says, cutting off her mom. “When they…mow.”

“Did it feel like this?” I ask Marin. Ashley scowls, but we don’t have time to argue, and Marin is my focus.

Marin nods. “But not…this bad.”

The meadow is freshly mowed, and though we’re on the tail end of pollen season, Wolf Creek likely waters the grass to keep it lush for events.

“Hutch, find me some honey and a glass of water,” I say.

“On it.” Hutch nods at the boy. “Can you take me to the kitchen?” The boy agrees and the two race across the grass.

“Let’s move inside one of the cabins,” I say to Ashley and Marin.

Ashley and I help Marin stand. “Nice and slow,” I say to Marin while I focus on the pace of her breaths. Moving too quickly could cause her symptoms to worsen.

We step into the nearby bridal cabin. The air feels dry, but we’re at least separated from the grass pollen. “You might feel best sitting,” I tell Marin. She nods and we shuffle to the couch. Ashley sits next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Hutch and the boy return with two packets of honey and a glass of water, but Hutch is quick to retreat, asking the boy to help him guide the paramedics to us when they arrive. I make a mental note to thank him for thinking of this later.

I mix the honey into the water with the spoon and bring it over. “Think you can drink some of this?” I ask Marin.

Her wheezing isn’t sounding better yet, but it’s not worse, so that’s promising. The honey might help too. It’s a long shot, but recent studies are finding that honey helps with all kinds of ailments, even asthma.

I settle on my knees in front of Marin so I can watch her carefully. There’s a risk the water could make her choke, which we obviously don’t want.

Marin takes a slow sip, her fingers gripping the glass. I know she’s scared, but the medics will be here soon.

“That’s good,” I say to encourage her.

Marin blinks at me and sips again. Her face looks a little less pale, or maybe I’m just hoping it does. Or it’s the warm sunlight filling the room.

“If you want, we can breathe together,” I say. “See if we can slow things down.”

I let her sip, then we take several breaths in tandem, her big brown eyes lock on mine while her mom rubs her back.

“You’re doing great,” I tell Marin.

“Better,” Marin says, nodding. A glimmer of relief edges her eyes. Like she’s just starting to realize that she’s going to be okay.

“Medics are here!” the boy says from the doorway, breathing fast.

“Oh, thank God,” Ashley says.

Two medics dressed in navy blue uniforms enter the cabin, and while the one with the kit takes over for me, I brief the other medic—what I observed, what I did.

The medic arches an eyebrow. “Honey?”

“It can ease constriction of the bronchial passages.”

He gives me an appreciative nod. “I’ll have to look that one up.”

Ashley eyes me as I step back to let the medics tend to Marin. “Thank you.”

I give her a quick smile. “Of course.”

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