Gemotions

The buzzing of the fluorescent lights in the hospital cafeteria seemed to amplify the pounding in David’s ears. He fiddled with the straw in his untouched coffee, his fingers trembling. He’d just seen Emily, his friend and colleague, at the nurses’ station. She’d claimed to be a surgeon. The woman in the lab coat he'd seen helping with the patients was not the same Emily. He swallowed hard.

His stomach clenched. He couldn't understand. She always seemed so confident, so… successful. He felt an intense need to hide. He considered leaving, escaping this uncomfortable situation altogether.

He wanted to scream but instead, he stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair. He mumbled a hasty apology to the startled woman nearby, his cheeks burning.