When Amy Brenner arrives in Ward D, she learns the computers are down for maintenance—thus, she and Cameron have to use paper charts for the night. This leads her to consult the patient charts on several occasions to learn more about the patients of Ward D, beginning with Will and ending with Damon. She pays close attention to the emergency room notes, which explain why the patients were brought to Ward D. The charts provide information and later become lifelines, symbolizing Amy’s last opportunity to understand who might be lying among the people present. Without the charts, she might not have connected Damon to Jade and realized the danger of her situation.

Likewise, there is no cellphone service in Ward D—and thus, further lack of information—except for a space by the window in the staff lounge. Amy repeatedly attempts to get service in order to text her roommate Gabby, research Will, and call Cameron. All these attempts fail except for her texts with Gabby. As Ward D progresses, these attempts become lifelines, symbolizing Amy’s tenuous connection to the outside world.