Gemotions

The phone slipped from David's numb fingers, clattering onto the floor. The voice on the other end, a nurse, had just informed him of the error. His medical records, the ones that charted his ongoing recovery, had been given to another patient.

He found himself pacing the cramped living room, unable to sit still. The floorboards creaked under his frantic steps. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. The apartment felt suffocating, and the walls seemed to be closing in on him. He picked up the phone, redialing the clinic, his fingers fumbling.