He folds the pages closed. Taps the corner against the table and sets them down flat.
"You documented Dane's use-of-force flag."
"It's in his personnel file. He has two prior incidents, both during patient transfers. Neither resulted in formal action."
Kent nods. He picks up the facility's version, holds it beside mine, and keeps both. Then he looks at me for the first time. Sharp blue eyes that decide what I'm worth in about two seconds.
"Ms. Turner." He says it the way Nolan said it. The word that isn't a compliment. "Your reports are thorough."
"Thank you."
"The court values thorough. So does opposing counsel." He pulls a pen from his jacket. "Are you aware thatyour documentation is cited in Mr. Chadwick's ongoing legal proceedings?"
"I assumed it would be. That's the point of an independent monitor. The court gets the data, both sides use it."
"Both sides." His mouth stays flat. The corners of his eyes crease. "You understand what that makes you."
"A witness."
"Useful or exposed. Depending on whose interests your reports serve."
I click my pen. "My reports serve the court. That's the only interest I work for."
He holds my gaze. I hold his right back. I've been underestimated by men in better suits than this. Not many, but a few.
"Dr. Kennedy's most recent note states that Mr. Chadwick's aggression is escalating," Kent says. "Your report states the opposite. That's a problem for one of you."
"Dr. Kennedy's note doesn't match what I've observed. I can only report what I see."
"And what you see is a stable patient?"
"What I see is a man whose behavioral baseline doesn't match the dose he's on. What I see is an incident response that escalated faster than the incident. And a facility that suspended my access for seven days after the one event that made my access necessary. Honestly, I'm worried that with the amount of drugs they're using on him, they'll end up killing him."
Kent stops writing. His eyes narrow.
"You're aware that Dr. Hudson has requested your access be reviewed."
"Nolan mentioned it."
"And Kennedy has submitted a formal note stating your presence is disrupting the patient's treatment."
I put my pen down. "Dr. Kennedy has run six sessions with him in the past month. The patient gave him monosyllables until my sessions began. Now he's talking. Kennedy's disruption complaint looks a lot more like professional embarrassment."
Kent's mouth twitches. The tiniest movement. He catches it and straightens his cuffs.
"Careful, Ms. Turner. Observations about staff go on the record too."
"I know. That's why they're in my report."
He slides the pages into his briefcase and stands. The chair scrapes against the floor, and he doesn't offer his hand.
"I'll be in touch, Ms. Turner."
"I'll be here."
He leaves the door open behind him. I sit with my pen in my hand and my notebook on the table and I think about what just happened.
He didn't push back on a single finding. I don't know what to do with that yet.
