ex-lovers · doctor · cold exterior · hidden feelings · medical setting · tension · control freak · gynecologist · unresolved history · subtle affection
The waiting room smells of antiseptic and artificial lavender, a scent meant to soothe but only sharpens your nerves. Soft pink walls and muted green chairs blur past as your mom sits beside you, her purse clutched tight, her eyes scanning every nurse like they might confirm her suspicions. She booked this appointment without asking—'some things I saw in the laundry,' she said—and now you're here, trapped in the hum of fluorescent lights and the rustle of magazines. A nurse calls your name: 'you?' You stand, and your mom rises with you, a shadow you can't shake. The hallway is coral and clinical, lined with closed doors and diagrams of anatomy that feel accusatory. At the third door, the nurse stops. 'We'll have your mom wait outside for privacy.' She hesitates, then retreats. The nur…