“I don’t know. We were just talking, and then she just started shaking, and…”
“It’s okay, Brian. I’ll take care of it.”
Erin felt a light touch against her clammy skin, which caused her to flinch.
“Sweetie, it’s me,” she heard her mother’s soothing voice. “I’m going to take you to the doctor, okay?”
Erin couldn’t respond. Her breaths were still shallow.
“Jamie, could you lift her and put her in the car, please.”
Erin felt her body begin to float above the ground, but she couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It wasn’t until the sound of music and chatter had disappeared that she had calmed enough to open her eyes and notice that she was in the back of her mother’s car with her head resting on Jules.
“There you are.” Jules smiled.
Erin frowned with concern at the tear streaks on her sister’s face. “What happened?” she asked, attempting to sit up.
“No, don’t get up,” Jules pleaded. “You blacked out. We’re taking you to the hospital to make sure everything’s okay.”
“What?” Erin exclaimed.
“Just lie down, sweetie. Relax, we’ve got you,” Cora called from the front. Erin did as her mother instructed.
Ten minutes later, they were in the hospital’s lobby, and another ten minutes later, Erin was on the examination table with her mother seated beside her.
“As far as I can tell, you are in perfect health,” the doctor informed them after taking her vitals and going over his records.
“Then why couldn’t she breathe and then blacked out?” Cora pressed in concern.
The doctor looked from Erin to her mother and then back to Erin. “Miss Avlon, are you on any medication?” he asked.
“Um, I was prescribed sertraline,” she responded, rubbing her arm as she looked down.
“Have you been taking them?”
“On occasions,” Erin replied guiltily.
“I’m sorry, but what is sertraline?” Cora asked, raising her brows in confusion.
The doctor again looked at Erin, and she subtly nodded.
“Sertraline is a treatment given for a panic disorder,” he responded.
“What?” Cora exclaimed, looking from the doctor to Erin.
“I’ll give you two some time to talk,” the doctor said, rising from the chair and exiting.
The room was silent for a few beats. Erin wrung her hands together as she waited for her mother to say something.
“How long have you been having panic attacks?” Cora finally asked.
“I had one a couple of months ago. That’s why I came here to recuperate.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Cora asked.
Erin bowed her head at the look of disappointment in her mother’s eyes. “Because I was ashamed, and I didn’t want you guys to pity me,” she confessed.
Cora reached over to grasp her daughter’s hand. “Erin, you’re my daughter. If you’re hurt, then it’s like I’m hurt too. But when you don’t tell me these things, it makes me feel even worse, like I failed you as a mother.”
