The ephemeral swish of trees, cars, and compressed air from the doors of the bus breaks the silence, but within the cacophony of noises, it’s still quiet.

The buzzer for the nurse has been ringing for the past few minutes. The orchestra of beeps and buzzes are crescendoing. It’s burning into every crevice of my skin.

I have never heard such a distressed shriek in my entire life, a pitch so piercing it drowns the droning motor and pixelates the passersby. It replaces the air, gasping and incessant, yet everyone here pretends not to hear it.