Something broke in the kitchen, and the sound ricocheted off the corners of the room we all sat in. Asia jumped so high out of her chair that I thought she’d fall onto the floor, so I reached out to steady her. But, when I heard that tell-tale wheezing, my heart stopped in my chest.
“Dadd-ddy,” she wheezed.
I stood up. “I’ve got your inhaler in my pocket. I just have to…”
I started feeling around for her inhaler, but I couldn’t locate it. I jammed my hand into my inside suit pockets and turned my hip pockets inside out. I looked around, wondering if it had fallen onto the floor when I had sat down.
But then, Eva’s soothing voice caught my ears. “Come here. Let me help, Asia. We’re going to do something fun, okay?”
Asia started panting. “I need—I can’t—”
Eva took her hands. “Yes, you can. You got spooked, and your body locked up. You don’t need your inhaler, I promise. You just need to relax.”
I watched with pointed eyes as Asia began to cry.
“Please. Daddy—I just—”
Eva cupped her cheek. “Trust me, okay? Can you do that? Just this once?”
And when Asia nodded, I slowly sat back down.
“All right, think of your favorite place in the whole world, Asia. Mine is the ocean. I love the feeling of the sand between my toes and water sloshing over my skin. What’s yours?”
My daughter continued wheezing, and I started growing worried. But nonetheless, she answered the question.
“Chuck—Chuck E. Cheese.”
Eva sat down and carried my daughter with her. “Oh, that’s a great place. Pizza’s my favorite food. What kind of toppings do you like?”
My daughter clung to Eva. “Cheese—and…and pineapple.”
“Oh, that sounds yummy. I’m a ham, bacon, and mushroom person myself. And, I like dipping it in ranch.”
Asia attempted to laugh. “That’s gross.”
Eva shrugged. “Eh, not for everyone. But it’s my favorite. What’s your favorite game to play at Chuck E. Cheese? I like the ones that flash and give you lots of tickets.”
And to my surprise, Asia’s wheezing finally started dying down. “The, uh—the—uh… the pinball? No, the uh, skyball?”
“Skeeball?”
Asia smiled. “That’s the one.”
“Oh, I’m terrible at skeeball. The last time I tried it, I threw the ball so hard that it came flying right back at me! Hit me in the shins and everything.”
When I heard Asia draw in a near-lungful of air to laugh, I relaxed fully against my chair. I didn’t know how the hell Eva had managed to do it, but she had calmed my daughter down and thwarted the attack without her inhaler. I felt something pressing against my ankle, and I looked down, only to groan when I saw Asia’s inhaler beneath my fucking seat.
I plucked it off the floor and slid it into the breast pocket of my suit as Eva scooped up my daughter.
“Here, let’s get you some water. See how that goes down, okay?” she asked.
Asia gripped Eva’s pant leg. “Will you stay here?”
Eva crouched down beside her. “Of course. I’ll be right here.”
I watched my daughter gulp down some ice water, and not once did she cough. She didn’t wheeze or begin to panic, or hiccup or cough. The attack was completely gone, and I was shellshocked.
“Are you a CNA as well?” I asked.
