the bathroom, holding it firmly as the o

straight and take in a lungful of

it was almost like everything was coming down on her all at once. Within the stillness of her

of wanting to throw up, the weariness that seemed to be

ted it to the tension and said it was just a side effect of wh

ories back to her heart. She still could hear the wind howling in her ears from th

art broke into a mil

out a section of her. His words had replayed in her mind endles

wall, and finally let herself indulge the thought that this may not be purely stress after all. Perhaps t

er discomfort and clutched her bag as it h

starting towards the nearby health centre

ow the diagnosis. But who was she kidding? She cannot let it go on lik

med an eternity for her to walk. The weight of each of her steps

ings were entering a state of suspense. By the time she got to th

at was as perfect as a fledgling one could mu

ning an endless series of documents, while her hands trem

of her own body watching, so it was hard to know how it felt. Y

showing her the way to a small examination room in the inner p

ion bed, where she sat at the edge and laced her finger

g, and then asked about her symptoms, listening patiently as she

the overload of stress, the distress,

e stress related to such an event can be physically harmful," he stated. "

of anxiety, however, she did her best to remain composed and concentrate on him. She did the tests i

her breathing. She had come to the outpatient facility expecting to be told whether she suffered from vitamin deficiency

d to be composed, but there was something i

results are out," he went on. After a short prayer, he added,

him, her jaw half opened as though to say something while the wheels turned in her mind. Pregn

in a bid to compose herself as the heat rose to her cheeks at the realisa

ocess," he continued. "You may take a moment and inform us when you want to speak

egn

e of her being. Images of her history with Damian dan

bout getting to the point where

ture build in her eyes and the construction of her composure be s

in a million years. She stared at the appointme

living creature. At the picture of a being, thin and frail, little more than a blur, she fel

esonated within the room, breaking the stillness whilst also syn

y, watching the screen until the f

esperate reality, vigorous and forceful,

ated on the little screen with its ton

, she managed to say, quiet

romise in the unspoken conte