Gemotions

The echo of the doctor's pronouncement reverberated through Ethan's mind: "Paroxysmal Hypersensitivity Syndrome… a shared diagnosis." He turned to the other patient, a young man who looked to be in his twenties, his face contorted in a grimace of pain. The air in the hospital room became heavy, filled with an invisible pressure.

He remembered the endless itching, the burning sensations that plagued him. He now recognized it in the other man’s twitching fingers, the way he kept tugging at his shirt. The weight of his own suffering seemed to shift, re-arranging itself in the wake of this revelation.

He swallowed hard. "You… you get it too?" he managed, his voice barely above a whisper. The other man met his gaze, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Ethan did not feel completely alone.