Chapter 40

I woke up in Raquel’s and Grant’s guest room when a bright shaft of morning light slipped between the honeycombed shades and into my eyes. This never happens at home where I’ve installed black out shades in my bedroom, because I work night shift. My hand, tingly-numb from sleeping on it, reaches for and locates my phone on the nightstand. I check it for texts.

There’s one from the PICU manager asking if I’m interested in picking up an overtime shift. She doesn’t realize I’m out of town.

Next, Maddie’s sent a selfie of her and Wade eating hot dogs in Amber’s backyard after our phone conversation yesterday.

I’m disappointed there isn’t one from Corey. It hurts a bit, but I remind myself this is a tough time for him. Then I dismiss the matter from further thought.

After a serving a quick Raquel drops her kids off at school, we go to a cross fit workout at her gym. She’s is an animal, performing amazing feats with weights, pull-ups, and standing squats. I admire her “guns,” the well-defined muscles of her upper arms, noticeable in her tank top.

“Niki, you should work on your core. You’d gain a lot of strength with a little work,” observes Raquel.

“Maybe, but I rarely go to gyms. Don’t judge me. I like the outdoors, running or riding a bicycle. Maybe because hospitals are such closed environments. You are a lot stronger than me though.”

Afterwards, we stop for smoothies before going home. Then I shower, and borrow a pair of slacks and a blazer from Raquel, hoping I don’t look out of place at the deposition this afternoon.

Grant greets me in the conference room at his office building, fifteen minutes before the deposition is scheduled. We choose our places at the conference table, facing the door before the other nurse and her legal representative arrive.

“Thanks for coming Niki. I realize you hadn’t expected to sit in, but I think it will be useful to us. I don’t want you to say anything, just listen. Have you sat at deposition before? No, of course you haven’t, because I would have been there for you. Sometimes it’s good to have a lawyer in the family, right?”

“Absolutely Grant, I just hope I never need you. The long-term goal of my career is to never sit on the wrong side of a sentinel review committee.”

“Well, unfortunately, it happens to very good nurses sometimes. I’ve seen my share,” admits Grant.

“I guess I’m kind of feeling bad for this nurse I’ll meet today, Grant. I mean, good or bad aside, I don’t know anyone in health care who starts a shift thinking, ‘today I’m going to hurt a patient.’ People go into nursing to help others, not to cause accidental harm.”

“I understand, Niki. What you have to realize, is that this case isn’t really about placing blame on the nurse. What we want to establish is that an employee of the hospital, in this case a nurse, made a mistake contributing to a wrongful death, making it the hospital’s responsibility. Nobody is interested in suing the nurse. We’re defending Dr. Straid from being sued. He stands to lose a considerable amount of his financial assets. He has a couple kids in college, a house, and a business to protect.

Maybe the nurse won’t get sued, but she’s going to have to find a way to sleep at night for the rest of her life if she’s blamed for contributing to the death of a child, I think to myself. I keep forgetting which team I’m on.

“But Dr. Straid’s not guilty, is he Grant?”

“Of course not, the nurse didn’t inform him of how sick the boy was. The hospital is the deep pocket here Niki, not the nurse. A patient should be safe in a hospital, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Grant. Patients should be safe in any hospital.”

“That a girl. Now, here comes the nurse, and the hospital lawyer. Remember, don’t talk just listen.”