“Mr. Ellis,” the chief said, fingers steepled on the table, “I need you to answer this directly.”
Ward lifted his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Did the patient express suicidal ideation during your interaction with her the day prior to the attempt?”
There it was. Clean. Surgical.
“Yes,” he said. The word landed heavier than he expected. “She did.”
A pause followed, deliberate and weighted.
“And you did not initiate a psychiatric consult,” the chief continued. “You did not place her on a one to one observation. You did not document or escalate that ideation to the attending on call. Is that correct?”
Ward inhaled. “That’s correct, but…” “But,” he repeated quickly, unable to stop himself, “context matters. She was-.”
The chief raised a hand, effectively cutting him off as he attempted to just
