Gemotions

The hospital cafeteria buzzed with the low hum of conversation and the clatter of trays. Leo picked at his food, his appetite nonexistent. He hated hospitals, the smells, the sounds, the constant reminders of his own mortality. He especially hated the pitying looks. He'd decided a long time ago to avoid them.

He spotted a woman sitting alone at a table, her face buried in a book. He considered walking past her, but there was something about the way she held herself, the way she seemed to be deliberately shutting out the world.

He approached her cautiously. "Are you…?" he began, then stopped, unsure how to phrase the question.

The woman looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you going to ask if I have the… thing?" she asked, her voice laced with a subtle challenge.

He nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief and resentment.

"Then the answer is yes," she said, before returning to her book. "Now go away."