Resistance doesn't announce itself with force.
It arrives as structure.
I felt it the moment we returned to the clinic the next morning—not in hostility, not in denial, but in order. New signs. Clearer queues. A revised intake chart taped neatly to the wall.
Everything looked better.
That was the problem.
Arjun noticed it too."They optimized overnight."
"Yes," I said."And removed slack."
The girl scanned the waiting area."No spare chairs. No informal waiting."
Aaryan nodded slowly."They've made it efficient enough that it doesn't need us."
The other Ishaan spoke, measured.
This is resistance, he said.When a system improves just enough to justify exclusion.
✦
The nurse greeted us politely—but differently.
"Good morning," she said."We've been instructed to manage intake internally today."
I nodded."Understood."
She hesitated."You're… still welcome to wait."
That word again.
Welcome.
Not needed.
We sat anyway.
✦
