the pregnancy was further along. But you’re so far away… and I wanted you to be the first to know.’
Sammi’s eyes pricked unexpectedly, remembering her own excitement when she’d discovered she was pregnant with Toby. ‘Oh, Molly, I’m so happy for you. You’re going to make a wonderful mother.’
‘You think so? I wasn’t actually sure I wanted to have children, but…’ She laid her menu down. ‘Here we are.’
‘You’re going to love it. Having Toby changed my life. For the better,’ she was quick to add. ‘You’ll be exhausted and frustrated and scared… and you’ll love every second of it.’
Molly reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘Thank you. I may be calling you for advice at some point.’
The waiter came and took their order, leaving them to chat. About halfway through the meal, Blake strode into the restaurant, his eyes fastening immediately on Molly, who bit her lip and stood as he reached them. ‘I thought you said you’d be gone until tomorrow.’
He grinned and dropped a kiss on her mouth, then hugged Sammi. Pulling up a chair next to his wife’s, he looped an arm around her shoulders. ‘I missed you and decided to come back early. So what have you girls been talking about?’
Molly’s cheeks immediately turned pink, causing Blake to lean back in his chair, brows raised. ‘I thought so.’
‘I know we decided not to tell anyone, but… Sammi is family.’
Blake’s mouth quirked. ‘Yeah, kind of like an annoying little sister.’
Sammi, although the same age as Blake, had been the runt of the class during their childhood days. He’d never let her forget it, even though she was now five feet seven.
Sammi leaned across the table and swatted his arm. ‘Molly doesn’t seem to think so.’ She paused, letting her eyes convey her true thoughts. ‘Seriously, though. Congratulations.’
‘Thanks.’
Molly smiled up at him. ‘Do you want to order something?’
He plucked a huge battered shrimp from her plate, munching it before he answered. ‘No, I ate on the way. I’m stuffed.’
‘I can tell,’ she said, when he snagged a second piece.
He laughed. ‘I’m meeting a friend for drinks later, anyway, so I can’t stay. I just wanted to see you first.’
‘I see. And just who is this friend?’
Sammi’s phone buzzed, indicating she was getting a text. She scrunched her nose. ‘Sorry guys, I know it’s not polite, but I told Brad to let me know if their plans were going to change. Do you mind?’
‘It’s fine.’ Molly waved her fork.
Retrieving the phone from her handbag, she pressed a button to retrieve the message. The low lighting in the restaurant caused her to squint as she tried to make out the letters, but once she did, she gasped, her heart dropping. ‘Oh, God, I have to go.’ She threw her napkin on the table and stood.
Alarmed, her friends got to their feet as well. ‘What is it?’
She stuffed her phone back in her purse. Her voice shook as she tried to get the words out. ‘They’re rushing Toby to the hospital.’
CHAPTER FOUR
SAMMI raced through the doors of the emergency room, while Molly parked the car. They’d left Blake at the restaurant to pay the bill and follow in his own vehicle.
Brad met her in the reception area, his wife and daughter nowhere to be seen. ‘Where is he?’ she demanded, her breath rushing from her lungs.
‘Calm down. He’s with one of the doctors.’
‘Then why the hell are you out here, instead of back there with him?’ Toby had to be frightened out of his wits.
Her ex’s eyes narrowed in warning. ‘I did go with him. But I didn’t want you to hear what happened from some stranger.’
‘Sorry.’ Her anger deflated. ‘Was it his asthma?’
‘Yes.’ He stuffed his hands into his pockets. ‘He’s never had an attack while with us. I thought it wasn’t really that serious… that he’d be okay.’
She remembered his face when she’d handed over the inhaler. He’d thought she was just babying Toby yet again. ‘You left his medicine in the car, didn’t you?’
‘Not on purpose. I had it in my pocket when we left, then asked Toby to put it in his backpack for safekeeping. When we got to the zoo… well, I didn’t want him lugging the pack with him all day.’
‘I’m going back there to see him.’
By that time, Molly had joined them. ‘I’ll see where he is.’
‘Why didn’t you just go and get his inhaler once you realized he was having trouble?’
‘It came on so fast. He couldn’t get enough air.’ His lips tightened. ‘I didn’t know how long it would take to work. I—I panicked, Sammi.’
She touched his arm, compassion sweeping over her. She knew how frightening Toby’s attacks could be. ‘You did the right thing getting him here as fast as possible.’
Molly returned. ‘He’s okay. I’ll take you back to him.’
‘Thank you.’ She glanced at Brad. ‘Are you coming?’
‘I’ll wait for Maribel. She’s dropping Jessie off at the sitter’s.’
Molly led her back to an exam room, where her son sat on a table holding a nebulizer mask over his mouth and nose. Hurrying over to him, she leaned down and looked into his face. She raised her brows in the wordless question they’d devised to communicate during these times. He answered with a thumbs-up sign, although his breathing still sounded a little ragged to her ears. His color looked good, so Brad had told the truth about not wasting any time getting him here. She pressed her lips to his forehead, then checked the amount of medication remaining in the nebulizer cup. The treatment was about half-finished.
‘Did you talk to the doctor?’ She glanced at Molly, who was standing by the door.
Molly nodded. ‘It was serious…’ she glanced toward Toby as if unsure how much to say in front of him ‘… but manageable. They want to observe him for a couple of hours before they discharge him. They’ve got a call in to the pulmonologist, who should be here in a few minutes.’
‘I—I don’t know if Brad still has his inhaler. Can I get a new prescription just in case?’
‘I’m sure we’ve got some extras here at the hospital. I’ll give you one to take home with you. Albuterol, right?’
‘Yes.’ Sammi hopped up onto the bed beside Toby and put her arms around him, a surge of love and thankfulness going through her. She kissed the top of his
