The ER discharge desk was lit by cold overhead lights that made the vinyl floor look stark and bright in the early morning hour.

A clerk behind the glass window passed a blue paper folder across the counter.

“These are the discharge papers, home care instructions, and the prescription for her oral antibiotic,” the clerk said.

Ethan stepped up to the counter and took the blue folder in both hands.

He opened it right away, standing under the bright lights to read every printed line on the care sheet.

“The prescription needs to be filled right away,” Ethan said, reading the bold text on the summary page.