Gemotions

He’d always prided himself on his stoicism, but the tremors in his hands betrayed him. David shifted in his seat, the harsh fluorescent lights of the waiting room making him feel like a specimen on display. The woman across the room, similarly pale and fidgety, caught his eye.

The doctor’s words were a death knell. A shared genetic marker, a shared vulnerability. The revelation felt like a public execution. The severity of their condition, the prognosis, and the limited treatment options. They were tied by this awful thing.

He wanted to scream, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. He sat in stunned silence as the doctor explained the next steps, staring at the floor. The shared diagnosis was an unwanted bond, a secret shame.