“Your husband’s experienced some chest pain,” the nurse said matter-of-factly. “We’ve taken bloods and he’s had a chest X-ray. We’re just waiting for the results. His vitals are stable, although his BP’s still a bit high. Dr. Naing will be in shortly to talk to you.”

Libby’s gaze swung to the EKG, frantically looking for signs of a heart attack. “Nick, how long have you had pain?”

“I dunno. A few hours.”

A few hours! Panic skated through her. “Tell me everything.”

“There isn’t much to tell. I’ve felt lousy all day and then I got this pain …” He rubbed his chest with his hand. “It got worse and then it got hard to breathe.”

Her own breathing sped up when she thought of his briskness on the phone. Then her abiding love for him got tangled up with frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me when I phoned you about Lucy?”

“I didn’t have it then.”

“When did it start?”

He blew out a long slow breath and closed his eyes, weariness emanating from him.

“Nick?”

He took a moment before opening his eyes and when he did, the swirl of confusion in their depths made her wonder if he’d been given morphine. “What?”

“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.