Holding my breath

Some mornings when I'm working in the clinic, ordering serologic lab tests for our HIV-negative clients to check whether they've contracted the virus, I find myself holding my breath, praying silently that the test results will be negative, that today won't be the day that we discover another individual is infected. Often my prayers are answered and all the test results are negative. But some days someone tests positive and one more individual is added to the tens of millions living with HIV/AIDS. So I continue to hold my breath and pray.