Gemotions

"There's been a mistake," the doctor had said, his voice clipped and professional. She felt a sudden chill, despite the summer heat. The doctor's words hung in the air, a threat. The world seemed to shrink.

She drove home in silence, the air conditioning blasting against her face. She kept glancing at the passenger seat, at the file, as though it were a venomous snake. Her fingers drummed a nervous tattoo against the steering wheel.

When she got home, she couldn’t bring herself to open the door, just sat there in the driveway, and breathed deep, until she had to go inside.