He walked outside for a breath of air and passed Jenny coming inside. Hannah was standing to one side of the porch and when she saw him approach she looked like she was going to go inside too.
"Don't leave on my account," he told her. "I just came out to get some fresh air. I—" he stopped.
"Chris? What is it?"
He turned away, not wanting her to see he was struggling for air. "Nothing."
"It's something," she insisted, pulling on his arm and making him turn.
"Just having—just having a little trouble breathing. Weird."
It was more than a little trouble, he realized. He had asthma, but he seldom had trouble with it except when—
"Something's wrong. I can hear your lungs wheezing. Here, sit down."
He rubbed a hand over his chest. "Must have—must have eaten something wrong—" Reaching into his pocket, he found the inhaler he carried in case of emergency.
"What did you eat? Chris?" She knelt before him.
He took a quick couple of puffs on the inhaler and leaned back in the chair. "I don't know. A little of everything."
"You didn't have any of the peanut butter spread, did you?"
"Hey, give me some credit," he said a little irritably. "I know not to eat peanuts."
Uh oh, he thought. Crankiness often came first when he was about to have an asthma attack.
"Did you have some of those little cookie balls made of chocolate?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Because I think Sadie uses ground nuts in her recipe."
"Didn't taste nuts in them."
But he'd been so occupied with talking to John B. that he hadn't paid attention to what he put in his mouth, he remembered.
"I'll be right back," Hannah said.
"No need to—"
He was talking to thin air. She was going to make a fuss. He just knew it. He was all right. Or he would be in a few minutes.He hadn't eaten many of the cookie balls . . . just one or two, he thought. And he'd used his inhaler. Some water might help.In a minute he'd go inside and get some water.
In a minute . . . when he caught his breath.
Hannah jumped up, ran into the house, and found Sadie in the kitchen with the other women.
"Did you put nuts in the cookie balls?"
"Ya, why?"
"Someone who ate them is allergic."
Sadie clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, no! Who?"
"A friend of ours. Chris."
"The Englischer I met a little while ago? Is he allrecht?"
Hannah bit her lip and tried to think of what to do. She could probably find someone who had a cell phone or send them to the phone shanty to call 911, but there had to be a faster way to help Chris.
Then she remembered. "Sadie! Sarah said her little boy is having a lot of allergy problems. Grab her from the kitchen and bring her out to the porch for me."
Rushing back outside, Hannah found Chris leaning over the railing of the porch. He looked ill, really ill.
"This is just intolerable."
Hannah glanced back at the familiar male voice. Josiah stood there, stern and disapproving.
"How dare he come to church drunk?" he said, sounding angry.
Chris turned from the railing, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. "Not—not drunk."
Sarah rushed out carrying a diaper bag. "Hannah, Sadie said you need help."
She looked at Chris. "Oh, my, you look like my poor Levi after he's eaten something he's allergic to. Don't worry, I have something to make you feel better."
She unzipped the bag, rooted around in a pocket, and pulled out a package of Benadryl. "Here, take these."
Uncapping a plastic bottle of water, she handed it to him with the pills.
"Glad—glad I don't have to drink from a sippy cup," he said, taking the pills and washing them down with gulps of water. He wiped his arm across his sweaty forehead.
Sarah set the bag on the porch and pushed Chris down into the chair. "Sssh, just sit and let it work. Catch your breath."
"Do you think we need to call for help?" Sarah asked Hannah.
Chris shook his head. "Be—fine. Minute."
Sarah studied him and then she nodded. "I think he's right."She pulled out a little plastic baggie, put several of the pills into it, and handed it to Hannah. "Here, hold onto these just in case."
A few minutes later, Sarah nodded at Chris. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Thanks. Thanks a lot."
She picked up the diaper bag. "Gem gschehn. You are welcome."
Hannah glanced around. Josiah had disappeared. Thank goodness. She had enough on her hands without him causing problems.
"Thanks for helping," Chris said.
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you really feeling better?"