3:40 a.m. in the ER. Two beds open, a fresh pot of coffee, and a new resident leans on the counter and says it out loud. Within the hour there are three ambulances, a man who swallowed his car keys and a printer jam. Nurses, EMTs, servers, retail closers and dispatchers all work under the same rule: you can think it, you can feel it, you never say it. Spelled out once, for the record: quiet. Nobody reading this is on shift. A funny nurse shirt and a gag gift from the coworker who said it. Everyone looked at the clock.

THE FINE PRINT

DON’T YOU DARE arches over a red prohibition sign and SAY THE Q WORD arches under it, in rounded white capitals. Inside the sign a big white Q sits behind the red slash, which crosses the front of the letter. A small sign-off runs along the bottom. White and red ink, cracked and speckled.