CHAPTER FIFTEEN AG: THE BOARD’S DELIBERATION
Vanessa called on Monday to say the board had finished accepting supplemental evidence.
The hearing officer would issue a written decision after the members completed their review.
I asked whether there was any sign of how they would rule.
Vanessa said the questions during the hearing had been serious, but she would not predict an outcome.
I told her I was exhausted by uncertainty.
She said uncertainty was not evidence that the case was going badly.
I went to work and tried to focus on the instructions waiting on my desk.
Rachel asked whether I could review a training module for caregivers who used portable transfer equipment.
I hesitated because the subject reminded me of the accident.
Then I asked whether the module included a procedure for taking a device out of service.
Rachel said it did, but the instructions were difficult to follow.
I opened the draft and found three paragraphs explaining that users should exercise judgment when alarms occurred.
I rewrote the section into clear steps for stopping the transfer, supporting the patient, notifying the appropriate staff, and obtaining a safe alternative.
Rachel reviewed the changes and said they were easier to understand.
She asked whether I wanted my name credited on the revision.
I said I did.
I had spent months seeing my name attached to accusations I did not recognize.
I wanted it attached to work I could stand behind.
At the end of the day, Rachel printed the revised instructions and placed them on my desk.
I folded the pages carefully and carried them home.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN AH: THE QUIET STREET
The evening before the board’s expected decision, the street was unusually quiet.
Owen’s car had not moved from his driveway all day.
Miriam’s porch light came on at dusk, and Sophie carried a bag of groceries into the house.
I watched from my window for a moment before turning away.
The neighborhood had spent weeks watching one another through screens and curtains.
I did not want to spend another evening doing the same thing.
I called Erin and asked whether her father had received the updated explanation of the equipment fault.
She said his attorney had obtained the relevant documents and was reviewing the center’s response.
I asked whether he was doing well.
She said he had practiced a transfer that afternoon with a new therapist and had managed it without panicking.
I told her that was wonderful.
She said he still had difficult days but was beginning to trust the equipment again.
I asked whether he wanted me to visit once the legal matters were settled.
Erin said she would ask him when the time felt right.
I thanked her and ended the call.
Then I walked outside to collect the mail.
There was nothing in the box.
I closed the lid and stood beside the post for a moment.
The pavement had been repaired, and the smell of smoke was gone.
I could still see a faint discoloration near the curb where the flames had climbed.
I went back inside and set the printed training instructions beside my keys.
Tomorrow, I would learn whether the board believed I could return to clinical work.
Tonight, I had done the work that was in front of me.
