Gemotions

He clenched his fists, knuckles bone-white. The doctor’s words replayed in his mind, a terrifying echo in the vast emptiness of the hospital corridor. He’d never known anyone, ever, who also suffered from the affliction.

A woman approached, a file clutched tightly in her hand. Her steps were tentative, her eyes darting around as if expecting an attack. He noticed the tremor in her hands when she reached out to open the door to the consultation room.

He instinctively took a step back, a knot of apprehension tightening in his gut. The thought of being exposed, of facing this unknown with a stranger, was almost too much to bear. "Is that… are you here about the genetic condition?" he asked, his voice rough.