Patient Error
Chapter 08 - Patient Error
For eighteen months, Eleanor had blamed herself.
She had replayed the morning of her fall until it became punishment.
She had been impatient.
She had tried to transfer too quickly.
She had forgotten the brake.
That was what the report said.
That was what Victor had gently reminded her whenever she became angry.
“You were pushing yourself too hard, Ellie.”
Now Eleanor sat in Samuel's office staring at the serial number.
Her chair belonged to the defective batch.
“I need the rehabilitation records.”
Samuel frowned.
“They may be protected.”
“They're my medical records.”
The records arrived the next day.
Buried among hundreds of pages was a maintenance note.
Patient reports left front caster sticking intermittently. Staff notified supplier.
Date: two days before Eleanor's fall.
Another note appeared the following morning.
Supplier representative inspected chair. No defect identified. Cleared for continued use.
The supplier representative's signature was illegible.
But the employee number wasn't.
Rachel recognized it.
“That belongs to Victor's executive office.”
Eleanor felt numb.
Not because Victor had personally inspected the chair.
He hadn't.
Someone from his office had authorized the clearance remotely.
“They knew,” Eleanor whispered.
Rachel didn't answer.
“They knew there was a complaint.”
“Yes.”
“And they left me in it.”
Rachel closed the file.
“Eleanor—”
“I could have been walking.”
Nobody spoke.
Eleanor hated herself the moment she said it.
Rachel crouched beside her.
“We don't know what would have happened.”
“I know what the doctors told me.”
“You survived something terrible before that chair failed.”
“But after the fall—”
“Don't do this.”
Eleanor looked at her.
“Do what?”
“Let Victor steal the rest of your life too.”
The words landed harder than Eleanor expected.
Rachel touched the wheel Noah had repaired.
“You aren't broken because you use this.”
Eleanor's eyes filled.
“I founded a company to give people independence.”
“I know.”
“And someone used that company to hurt them.”
“Then take it back.”
That evening, Eleanor called an emergency board meeting.
Victor responded within eleven minutes.
His email was polite.
Professional.
And threatening.
Given concerns regarding your recent emotional condition, the board may need to review whether you remain capable of exercising your voting authority responsibly.
Eleanor read the sentence twice.
He wasn't preparing a defense.
He was preparing to declare her incompetent.
May you like
The next morning, three board members requested an emergency medical evaluation of Eleanor Grant.
And Victor already had a doctor willing to sign it.
