I held my tongue, even though I shook with the need to scold her for being so blasé about her health. “It could be premenopausal,” I suggested. “I had a hard time around fifty. Night sweats and emotional breakdowns. I ended up going on hormones for a while.”

She seemed thoughtful, and I felt ridiculously proud of myself. “That makes sense. Maybe I’ll go to one of those Chinese practitioners that use herbs and holistic medicine.”

I didn’t like the idea of not using a medical doctor but, again, kept silent. She let me fuss a bit and comfort her, and then the doctor came in.

Immediately, I relaxed. He came into the room with a confidence that screamed, I can fix you! He paused in the doorway to clean his hands, which gave me time to study him. He even looked the part—tall, with thick dark hair and a strong face. He wore trendy glasses and his white coat was clean and starched. He seemed old enough to have treated plenty of patients to know what he was doing. He smiled, flashing perfect white teeth, and greeted us in a booming voice. Even better was his ringless finger. Francesca would be a perfect fit for him.

“I’m Dr. Hollingsworth,” he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

“I’m Sophia,” I said, boldly gazing into his bright blue eyes. “Frannie’s mother.”

“Good to meet you. And how is our patient doing?” He reached over and did a quick check on Frannie’s vitals. I noticed my daughter tense when he drew near. Was she attracted to him? I always knew she needed a strong man in her life, one with a respectable career to challenge her.

“Better,” she responded with a smile.

“Good. We have the results of the tests back and I have good news. There was no heart attack.”

My muscles practically collapsed with relief. “Oh, thank God.”

“What caused the breakdown?” Frannie asked. “It felt like one.”

He nodded, a frown creasing his brow. “I understand. What you experienced was a classic panic attack. Very commonly mistaken for a heart attack due to the intense bodily reactions. Have you had one of these before?”

Frannie blinked, averting her gaze. “No. Well, I’ve been having some breathing problems, but I knew it was stress. I never collapsed.”

Shock barreled through me. Dear God, it was happening all over again. I’d watched my husband suffer for years to control his panic attacks, but I never thought Frannie would have the same problem. Somehow, I’d believed she was different.

The doctor continued. “It’s a scary experience. Most of my patients who experience these attacks are under a good deal of stress or going through a big change. Divorce, death in the family, new job, et cetera.”

“What can I do? I never want to go through something like that again. It happened in front of my clients.”