this morning #1971.

this morning, she placed her hand at the small of my back. began to rub gently. an unspoken sign just between us. “i’m right here if you need me.” good to know. i just might. we sat silent on a couch in the lobby. waited for them to call my name. any minute now, i assumed. had to be. maybe i should ask someone. maybe they’ve forgotten about me. been here for almost an hour. arrived ten minutes before my appointment time. don’t want to seem pushy. the doctor’s probably just busy. i read that burnout amongst doctors is sort of an epidemic. too many patients. too little time. as i began to squirm in my seat, she kept calmly rubbing my back. stilled my anxiety for the moment. i decided to give it a few more minutes.