Gemotions

The doctor’s words echoed, hollow and alien, in Amelia’s ears. "I'm so sorry, there’s been a mix-up. We seem to have your file confused with another patient." She felt a sudden chill, a prickle of gooseflesh erupting across her arms despite the warmth of the exam room. Her breath hitched. The doctor continued, listing tests and results that were clearly not hers, diagnoses she’d never heard of. Her hands, resting on her lap, began to tremble uncontrollably.

Her gaze darted around the room, as if searching for an escape route. The framed certificates on the wall blurred. The doctor's voice, once soothing, now felt like a harsh, unwelcome intrusion. She gripped the arms of the chair, knuckles white, a silent plea for the world to stop spinning.

"This is impossible," she managed, her voice barely a whisper. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. The weight of the unknown pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. The thought, unbidden, that everything she knew about her health was a lie, a fabrication, throbbed in her head.