The next week, everything changed.
Marlene was put on administrative leave on Tuesday. The email went out to the whole unit at 8 a.m., a brief, professional message that said she was taking personal time and that her duties would be covered by another charge nurse until further notice. No one said anything about the investigation. No one had to.
By Wednesday, everyone knew.
By Thursday, the unit was divided. There were the people who believed Marlene, who thought she was a victim, who thought I had set her up. There were the people who believed me, who had seen things they had not wanted to see, who had been waiting for someone to say something. And there were the people who did not want to be involved, who kept their heads down, who did not want to be on either side.
I was not surpris
