Opening Para (bookclub fiction) · Marlowe and Christie Writers

Opening Para (bookclub fiction)

There’s a faint knock. The door opens before I can answer—not that I could. The words are there, they just won’t come out.

A woman steps in, long dark hair pulled back, movements deliberate. No white coat, no stethoscope. A slim folder tucked under one arm, hospital badge catching the glare of fluorescent light.

“Good morning, James.” Her voice is low, rounded by an accent. “I’m Doctor Bhatia, clinical psychologist here at St. Thomas’s. I’d like to sit with you for a while, talk about how you’re feeling. Would that be alright?”

I nod—a reflex, not an answer.

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