Gemotions

"Could you *please* keep it down?" The words were sharp, cutting through the early morning calm, but the man didn't even turn around. He was too engrossed in his task, oblivious to the anguish brewing in the house next door. Liam ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get the baby down for a nap.

He checked the baby monitor, his heart aching. The baby was crying again, the tiny face scrunched up in distress. He had been so sure he could handle this. This renovation, this new baby, this new life. But it was all too much.

He paced the living room, the incessant drilling echoing his own frustrated energy. The walls felt like they were closing in. He felt the familiar constriction in his chest, the weight of responsibility pressing down. He wished he could just shut it all out.