Lorna eagerly waits for her sister to pick up, her fingers impatiently tapping on the phone. Finally, after an agonizing five rings, she hears Franny’s voice and beams a smile. ”Hey, Fran. So, I thought it over and uh, I wouldn’t mind if maybe ya bring the baby next visit. I would really love to see him,” she says. Being away from her son for almost a month now, Lorna can barely remember what he looks like or how his cries sound.

”Lorna, sweetheart,” Franny’s voice sounds through the phone, and Lorna can sense something isn’t right. ”Good to hear from you, I’ve been worried that you haven’t called in so long. Everything going okay, Lorn?”

Now, Lorna’s confident that something is wrong. ”Okay, Franny…what the fuck’s going on? You’ve been encouraging me the entire month that I’ve been in this shithole to allow you to bring my son…and now you’re fucking avoiding it? What the hell is the problem? How’s my baby?”

A sigh can be heard through the receiver. ”Yeah, I know I have, Lornie.” Lornie? Her older sister hasn’t called her that in years; that confirms that something bad must have happened. Another sigh. ”I have something to tell you, and—it’s something that I wish I didn’t have to tell you over the phone.”

Impatient, Lorna groans. ”Just get on with it, Fran!”

”Christopher came to take Emilio for his weekly visit—which I don’t know why he’s even fucking allowed after the hurt he caused you—and ah, they got in a wreck. A really, reallybad wreck, sweetie…And well, Emilio—he was injured badly, his skull cracked—and there’s nothing, nothing the doctors can do to save him. They put him on a breathing machine and stuff, but said there’s no way he can come back from this. They said the best thing to do for him is-is to pull the plug. And the only person who is allowed to make that decision is you, sweetheart,” Franny cries out, wishing that she could be there with her sister – to comfort her and hold her as she grieves for her little boy.

”Wha-what?!” Lorna shouts, her legs becoming shaky and tears forming in her eyes. ”What do you mean my-my-my baby has a-a cracked sk-skull?” A few sobs escape her as she grips tightly onto the phone, ”N-no! NO fucking way, Franny! THERE IS NO-NO GODDAMN FUCKING WAY I AM LETTING ANY OF THOSE ASSHOLE DOCTORS UNPLUG MY SON! You better not let them near him! No one fucking goes near my son until I get there.” Her voice screams so loud that the entire room of prisoners can hear her and look at her with pity. A CO comes over, not happy with her actions and fears she may try to harm someone with how angry she’s getting.