Chapter 15 - Under Oath
By autumn, Nina had filed a civil lawsuit seeking compensation for my injuries and documented losses. The complaint named Sloan and included claims based on what happened at the staircase; related financial disputes followed their own path. There were deadlines, requests for records, and months of waiting.
During my deposition, Sloan's lawyer asked whether I had ever been jealous of my sister.
“Yes,” I said.
Nina glanced at me, but I kept going.
“I was jealous of how quickly our parents helped her. That doesn't change where her foot was on the stairs.”
He asked whether I had refused the elevator.
“No. I accepted it. Sloan insisted the bridal party come down together.”
He asked about the wedding photographs. I explained the brace. I described the groomsman's arm, the railing, the heel against my left ankle, the blow to my back. When he suggested I might have misremembered because of the pain medication, I said that I was describing sensations I remembered before treatment. The recordings and witnesses could be examined separately.
I did not win anything that day. I only told the truth without decorating it.
Outside, Nina said opposing counsel had been entitled to test my memory.
“I know,” I answered. “I do the same thing to shipping crews after a casualty. I just never thought I'd be the one in the chair.”
On the drive home, Greer pulled into a coffee shop with a single low step at the entrance. I stood with my cane, measured it, and asked her to wait nearby.
May you like
I made it up without assistance.
It wasn't the staircase at the estate. It was one ordinary step. For the first time in months, ordinary felt enormous.
