Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the clinic hummed, amplifying the tremor in Elias's hands. He clutched the worn folder containing his test results. Each rustle of paper felt like a gunshot in the sterile silence. He was used to feeling… exposed, these days, like the world was a high-beam headlight, permanently trained on him.

A woman with fiery red hair and a cascade of freckles sat across from him. Her eyes, magnified by thick glasses, darted between him and her own chart. He could feel her gaze on him, a weight he wasn't accustomed to. "I… I think we have something in common," she said, her voice small.

He swallowed hard, the muscles in his throat constricting. He met her gaze, a knot forming in his stomach. What was coming, he had no idea, but he felt absolutely vulnerable.