Gemotions

“There’s been an error,” the clinic receptionist had said, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. But for him, the error was catastrophic. The records detailed an advanced stage of a disease that he knew he did not have. But the paperwork, the cold, hard facts, suggested otherwise.

He stared at the documents, his mind racing. He felt a sudden, fierce need to escape, to run, to disappear. He jumped up from the waiting room chair, knocking it over, the sound echoing in the sudden quiet of the room.

He felt a crushing weight on his chest, a sense of impending doom that threatened to suffocate him. The world seemed to shrink around him, and he had to fight to breathe. He needed to get out, now.