And that is one of the most critical takeaways from the unfolding episode. Whichever way the petition goes, and the trial eventually, the bigger lesson cannot be lost on the rest of us. Standing out from the pack of details is the fact that there are usually more pieces than are apparent. There are apparent pieces and there are hidden pieces that seem to have a life of their own. These hidden pieces appear to follow the trajectory of pieces of shrapnel shot into the body from a gun that grow to the surface with every passing day. At first, they appear very distant from the surface of the skin but as the days go by, they move closer and closer to the surface of the skin and make it much easier for surgeons to extricate from the body.

Some have called it the law of unintended consequences and warned the rest of us about it. So, we ought to use Amber’s experience as an instrument for reflection and learning.