The air became impossibly thick as she tried to fill her lungs. You’re okay. Just breathe. The problem was, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to scare her sons, but she also didn’t want to pass out. She gasped for air with short jagged breaths that echoed in the space around her.
Travis turned, and she tried to smile so he wouldn’t know anything was wrong, but even smiling was impossible. Oh God. What if she passed out right here? In front of her kids? Everything around her shifted on its axis, and she stumbled forward.
“Mom, you look funny,” Travis said.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “My tummy is just feeling a little funky.” She couldn’t tell him the truth, and she didn’t think he’d understand if she did. He was only six.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his dinosaur. “You can ho
