“When did the pain start?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t check my watch!”

“Okay,” she soothed, horrified at the spike in his blood pressure. “Let’s work it out. I called you at 11:00 and you usually have lunch at 1:00—” She suddenly remembered her conversation with Jess. “Jess would have phoned you soon after 2:00 about dinner and collecting the girls. Did you have pain then?”

“She didn’t call.”

“What?”

Libby had an appalling image of Nick arriving at after-school care and daycare and not finding either of his daughters where they should be. But before she could ask, her own phone started buzzing so incessantly, it bounced on the bed. Five texts tumbled in.

Missy just told me she called an ambulance for Nick! I’m with her and Jannick at the pub. They’re stressing out. Call me! Or Mom! Please call! Alice x

Sent Nick by ambulance to Bairnsdale for tests. Ramesh

Hi, Libby, Nick’s complaining of chest pain. We thought it best to send him to BRHS by ambulance Hopefully you’re with him now. Call when you can. Best wishes, Penny

Hi, have you heard from Nick? He’s not answering his phone and the girls are refusing to go to bed without him. I’m a bit worried. Jess xxx

Everyone’s concerns piled in on top of her own and she sent up a vote of thanks that at least Rosa and Rick were out of town. If they’d known Nick was sick, they’d have tailgated the ambulance to the hospital and Libby would be talking them off the ledge while trying to keep a lid on her own anxieties.

Nick complaining of chest pain? Her entire body clenched as she tried to wrap her head around his symptoms. They made little sense. He was fit and healthy, didn’t smoke, drank moderately and ate a Mediterranean diet. His grandparents had lived to a ripe old age and his parents were fit and well. His only risk factor was he was male. None of it reassured her enough to quieten her clawing terror that something was seriously wrong.

She heard someone clearing their throat and turned to see a man with a stethoscope slung around his neck. “Hello, I’m Dr. Naing.”

“Dr. Hunter.” Libby shot out her hand. “Nick’s wife. Do you have his cardiac enzymes results?”

“I do. Good news, Mr. Pirelli. We’re fairly confident you haven’t had a heart attack, but we’ll repeat the blood tests in another three hours so we’re absolutely certain. Your white cell count is normal and your chest X-ray is clear with no sign of pneumonia—”

“And pulmonary embolism?” Libby asked, running through her own checklist.

“Yes.” Dr. Naing gave a wry smile and concentrated on Nick. “I’m going to send you for a CT and echocardiogram so we can rule out a few other nasties.” He glanced at the monitor. “Good to see your blood pressure’s starting to come down. How are you feeling compared to when you first arrived?”