Chapter Eleven
DRAUGHTS OF cool night air expanded Chandler’s lungs as he sat on the curb, cradled by Marcus’ embrace. He drew in slow, measured breaths, trying not to gasp but still unable to breathe normally. He tried to will his rapid heartbeat to stabilize. Every time one of these panic attacks seized him, Chandler felt as if he were dying. That fear fueled the panic and set him into a dervish; a cyclonic, seemingly endless whirlwind of hysteria. His ability to breathe dwindled as his heartbeat quickened. His chest tightened, and he began to sweat profusely. He’d then become lightheaded and sometimes even pass out.
The fainting, as frightening as it was, had been a saving grace at times. Once unconscious, his breathing and heartbeat normalized, but the symptoms leading up to that poi
