Gemotions

She traced the medical file, her fingers lingering on the other woman's name. A mistake, the hospital had pleaded. But the details on the page, the other woman’s life, stirred a potent reaction within her. She'd forgotten so much. The vibrant hues of her childhood, the scent of the ocean, the feeling of sand between her toes.

She had built a life, a career. But now, in the face of this stranger's life, she felt a piercing sensation, a sharp pang of something missing. She could almost taste the salt of the sea, hear the rhythmic crash of the waves.

The file felt heavy in her hand. A profound wave of something she couldn't name washed over her. It was a potent and familiar sensation.