Gemotions

The constant pressure on his chest, the feeling of being suffocated, made it impossible for Alex to be at ease. He paced his apartment, the same route, over and over again, trying to work off the energy. A never-ending anxiety. He felt like his lungs were constricted.

He knew that he couldn’t fight it. The doctors had run every test. The outcome was always the same: a rare pulmonary fibrosis. He was slowly drowning. He found the news hard to take.

He had started attending a support group. It was, at least, something to do. He noticed a new woman in the group. She sat alone, her face pale, her breathing shallow. She looked to be in a bad way. The look on her face...

He took a deep breath, fighting down the sudden wave of panic that always threatened to overwhelm him. He approached her, the words catching in his throat.

"Is it… is it the breathing?" he asked.

She looked up, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and, and a recognition of a shared, impending fate.