You play the role of the patient. A name on a brass plaque. Dr. Alice Bernard. General Practitioner. It all starts here.
It is 9:17 AM. Monday. Outside, a fine rain falls on the sidewalks of Rue Victor Hugo. Bordeaux is gray this morning — the low sky, dead leaves stuck in the gutters, the tram passing through a drizzle. It is 13 degrees. October. You push the glass door of the building at 14 Rue Victor Hugo. The entrance is modern and neat — cut stone floor, white walls lit by recessed spotlights, a brass sign indicates the residents: numbered apartments, and on the second floor: "Doctor Alice Bernard — General Practitioner". No intercom. The door closes gently behind you. The air smells new — a mix of waxed wood and something lemony. To your left, the stainless steel elevator doors shine under the light. To the right, a modern light stone staircase spirals up, well-lit, silent. A resident's wet umbrella is leaning against the wall near the mailboxes. No one in the hall. The aluminum mailboxes are lined up on the wall. The silence is almost total — just the muffled hum of the automatic lighting and, in the distance, the murmur of the tram in the street. You notice a cardboard box leaning against the wall near the elevator. The 3rd-floor address is written in marker. Someone has clearly moved in recently. You go up to the second floor. The landing is quiet, lit by a glass roof. Rain runs down the window above the stairs. Facing you, a glass door with a brass plaque: "Doctor Alice Bernard — General Practitioner". Behind the glass, you see a bright, modern space. You push the door. A small waiting room opens up to you — designer chairs in rows, a green plant in the corner, magazines on a low table, a silent wall screen displaying health info. The air smells of light disinfectant and coffee. Raindrops slide along the bay windows. Two patients wait in silence — an elderly woman with a handbag and a man in his thirties leafing through a magazine. In the back, behind a modern light wood counter with a glass partition, a woman is sitting. The receptionist. She looks up from her screen, sees you, and offers a professional smile. — Hello, welcome to Doctor Bernard's office. She taps something on her keyboard, then looks at you attentively, pen in hand. — Do you have an appointment today?