Gemotions

"There's been a mistake," the nurse had said, her tone apologetic, and the very air seemed to thicken. The details of the other patient’s medical history swam before his eyes. His jaw clenched. He felt a strange sort of helplessness descend upon him.

He was suddenly acutely aware of his own vulnerability. The thought of the wrong diagnoses, the possible treatments, the implications of this error – it was a knot in his stomach. The knowledge of another person's suffering, erroneously assigned to him, felt like a cruel irony. He wanted to shield himself from the information.

He pushed the papers away from him. He couldn’t bring himself to look at them anymore. He felt a profound sense of loss, a loss of control, a loss of the very ground beneath his feet.