"Now, now, Brandon," said the first nurse, gently petting Brandon's hair, "It's all right. Don't cry. Here, have a tissue." She produced one from the pocket of her uniform and gently wiped away the tears on the boy's face.

The second nurse, meanwhile, kept a close eye on Jean.

"I don't care if he started it," she said, her voice stern instead of icy, "you are an adult, and he is a child. You are expected to show some level of restraint while you are here. If he's bothering you, the mature thing to do would simply be to move. If he keeps bothering you, inform one of us. We're here to help, you know."