“This is an absolute farce,” my mother said, pointing the yellow card at the lead guard’s chest.

“I noticed a loose fitting hanging off the back of the box, and I tightened it for them.”

“Ma’am, visitors are strictly prohibited from touching the life-support systems,” the lead guard said.

“The staff here is completely negligent,” my mother said, her voice rising across the quiet room.

“I was fixing a loose part while your nurses were sitting at the desk drinking coffee.”

I took three slow steps forward, keeping Brooklyn tucked right behind my hip.