Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway seemed to pulse with her heartbeat. Each thud in her chest echoed the dread that had been growing since the doctor’s pronouncement. She clutched the worn, dog-eared medical journal, its pages filled with terms she barely understood and consequences that chilled her to the bone. Her palms were slick, and she rubbed them against the scratchy fabric of her hospital gown. She could feel a tremor starting in her jaw, her teeth suddenly clenched, her eyes darting between the sterile doors that lined the corridor. This diagnosis felt like a sentence.