“Nurse!”

The monitor above the bed flashed bright red.

A high-pitched, three-tone alarm started blaring from the speaker on top of the ventilator frame, repeating every two seconds without stopping.

Down the hallway, three more alarms picked up the signal, echoing off the bare walls of the corridor.

Patricia took a quick step back toward the door, her eyes darting to the hallway ceiling, where the red emergency bulb was spinning in silence.

“Stop that noise right now,” Patricia spat, reaching for the child again.