Molly kept the breathing. 'I've survived this before and I'll survive it again.' One of the things she was supposed to tell herself when the panicks came. 'It's okay to feel this way. It will pass.'
She felt like there was more than her Sean's arms around her, grounding her. Something just as warm and comforting wrapped her up.
Then Chelsea spoke. She wasn't very happy with Sean, Molly could tell. His arms relaxed as Molly found her breath returning. She sometimes wonder where it went. Molly lifted her head and pulled back a bit, and she was reluctantly released. She hated to be confined.
"I would. But Savannah is paused upstairs. Lonesomeness is bad. She needs friends too. She's lost her siblings to the madness. She's alone in many ways. Family and friend falls to me." Yes. Someone was depending on her. Molly felt the need to pull herself together for that reason. Not that it was working, but she felt it.
Molly moved away from Sean to embrace Lisa/Karen. "I forgive you." She whispered in her friend's ear. "Nothing has changed but you dropping the heaviness from you. Be patient without a doctor. Sean will learn to trust again. He's hurt and sleeping awake."
Molly tried to keep hold of the shaking inside herself. She turned to hug Chelsea. "I really would go with you. But you're strong. Savannah is not now. She needs more. It's good to be needed."