Robert Sterling suffered his third heart attack on a cold morning in January, exactly ten years after Emma had met the Sterling family.
Caroline called at six in the morning. Emma answered the phone still half asleep, Alexander stirring beside her.
"Emma, Robert had a heart attack during the night. We are at the hospital. He is stable now but they are running tests." Caroline's voice was controlled but Emma could hear the fear underneath. "Can you come?"
"We will be there in thirty minutes."
Emma and Alexander threw on clothes, called the neighbor who sometimes watched the kids in emergencies, and rushed to the hospital. The drive felt endless, both of them silent with worry.
They found Caroline in the waiting room of the cardiac unit, looking smaller and older than Emma had ever seen her. She stood when they arrived and Alexander pulled his mother into a tight hug.
"What happened?" Alexander asked.
