Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the hospital waiting room seemed to close in around Eleanor. The fluorescent lights hummed, a monotonous drone that amplified her unease. She'd been driving by the hospital and thought she saw Emily. Emily always told her she was a doctor. Emily was a nurse, from what Eleanor had seen that day. Her stomach churned with a mixture of disbelief and something else, a deep kind of sadness.

Every cough, every sniff, echoed in the quiet space. Eleanor gripped her hands together, feeling the pressure of her nails digging into her palms. The silence buzzed around her, punctuated only by the rhythmic beep of monitors and the muffled sobs of others. She felt as though she had been cast adrift.