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“Hannah, I’m Kerry, and I’m here to help.” She checked my blood pressure. “Good. It’s within normal range. Are you on any medication?”
“No.” I tried to move my hands, but they still wouldn’t unclench.
“Nothing? Vitamins, supplements, anything?” She hooked up some electrodes to my chest and checked
their connection to a machine. “This is an EKG, by the way—to check your heart rate. Now, about the medications?”
“I was on birth control, but I haven’t taken them in a while…” With everything going on, I’d completely forgotten to take my pills.
“Have you ever had any trouble with your heart before, or is there any family history of heart attack?”
“No.”
Kerry read the EKG results, smiling at me reassuringly. “Everything looks fine.”
“Is she okay?” Lauren asked. I hadn’t realized she’d been watching, and I didn’t have to look at her to tell she was crying.
“She is—she’s going to be just fine. Do you mind waiting outside? I want to give her some air.” She looked from Lauren to Wes.
“Okay,” Lauren said, but she didn’t sound okay.
“Babe?” Wes hadn’t budged from my side.
“I’m fine,” I croaked, “but please take care of Lauren.”
Wes squeezed my hand one last time and left me alone with Kerry. The two other paramedics came into the bathroom, entering notes into their tablets and picking up the equipment Kerry had used.
“Are you feeling better?” She had a calm, efficient tone that I appreciated.
“Yes, I can breathe better now.” Still, my shoulders shook with sobs. “I’m just embarrassed—was that…did I just have a panic attack?”
Kerry slowly massaged my hands, working my fingers open and helping me flex them. “Are you having numbness in your fingers still?”
“It’s like they fell asleep—they’re tingling, but the feeling’s coming back.”
“Have you ever had a panic attack before?” Kerry asked.
“No. Never. I thought I was having a heart attack.”
She watched me carefully. “Any history of anxiety or depression?”
“No.”
“Any recent trauma? Boyfriend trouble?”
“No boyfriend trouble, but there’s been a lot going on. A friend of mine lost her husband this week—he was murdered.”
“I’m so sorry.” She checked my blood pressure again and motioned for the paramedics to give me some tissues.
I took the oxygen mask off and unceremoniously blew my nose—I’d already humiliated myself in front of these people. It didn’t matter if I blew my nose too loud.
“Your blood pressure’s back to normal now, and so is your heart rate.”
“Great.” I forced myself to smile at her. “So we made you come out here for nothing.”
Kerry cocked her head. “Not so fast. How long did this episode last?”
“I don’t know. A few minutes? Maybe a little longer?”
