Gemotions

The sterile smell of the hospital amplified the unease swirling within Daniel. He sat beside the woman, clutching a pamphlet about the disease, his knuckles white. The diagnosis had been a blow, but seeing the same fear in her face, the same vulnerability, amplified his discomfort. He thought about the reckless decisions he had made, the risks he’d taken. Every one of them had brought him closer to this.

"They said it's…manageable," he mumbled, the words feeling hollow.

She didn't answer, just stared out the window, her silhouette a dark shape against the cityscape. He felt a deep sense of responsibility, as if he was somehow to blame for her pain.