"So, feeling all better?" the Doctor asked with a triumphant grin.
"Yes. Completely. I was afraid it might've been something more serious, but my knee seems fine."
"Just some minor inflammation. Nothing to worry about," he said, taking off his latex gloves and washing his hands in the sink.
"Is it possible—" I asked, fearing, as he dashed off the faucet, that my visit was coming to an end, "is it possible that the injury could've been—at least, in part—psychological?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well just that the pain I was feeling was, you know...in my head."
"Strictly speaking, the pain you feel is in your head. But," he said, looking at me with a pitying, unsure glance, "I suppose if amputees can feel pain in missing limbs, there's no reason why you can't imagine some discomfort in your otherwise healthy body."
"Imagine?" I asked.
"Yes. The mind truly has a will of its own..."he said, pondering this for a moment before opening the door of the examination room, kindly gesturing for me to head out.
"But what if—"
"Oh really, young man, you mustn't dwell on these things! Your body is in tip top shape. Worrying will only bring on further discomfort. Please, I must be getting to my other patients."
His eyes were scowling but sympathetic.
Assenting, I left.
YOU ARE READING
A Veritable Eyesore
Short StoryA man visits the doctor for pain in his knee, yet the details surrounding his injury remain uncertain. Something about a woman falling on his leg. Something about a party and being drunk and going home alone. None of it adds up. Not to the doctor, n...
