She had asked to go rather than sit in a courthouse waiting room. Isaac agreed after discussing how they would reach her if needed.
Avery kept the plan simple. Nia could leave class when contacted. Until then, she was allowed to have a day that contained ordinary work.
Isaac waited with Renee and Camille.
He ate half a sandwich, walked the corridor, and resisted searching online for theories about deliberation length. Camille reminded him that questions from the jury meant questions, not predictions.
The verdict came the following afternoon.
Renee collected Nia, who entered the courtroom holding her school bag because no one had thought to tell her where else to put it.
Serena helped her set it beside the bench.
Mercer stood at the defense table.
The clerk read each finding separately. The jury convicted him on the principal unlawful-force charges involving Isaac and Nia and on the supported false-account allegation. A narrower disputed charge did not result in conviction.
Isaac heard every distinction.
He had asked people to examine his family as individuals. He would not reject careful examination merely because a broader condemnation might feel more satisfying.
Nia gripped Renee's hand.
There was no cheering. Hart had instructed the room to remain quiet, and the family did not need noise to make the moment real.
Sentencing came later, after reports and submissions.
Isaac described the injury, lost work, and the fear of watching his child become a target while he could not reach her.
Nia chose to submit a statement rather than speak again. She wrote about groceries, school hallways, and being asked whether she was proud of something she never wanted to do.
Her statement ended simply: I wanted us to go home.
Mercer expressed regret at sentencing. Some of his words concerned the family; others concerned the damage to his own life. Nia was not required to decide how sincere either part was.
Hart addressed the evidence, the jury's findings, the misuse of authority, and the effects of inaccurate official accounts before imposing imprisonment and the other consequences required by the proceedings.
The employment review ended Mercer's position with the department.
The civil claims continued separately and later resolved through terms Camille reviewed with Isaac. Compensation addressed documented harm. Specific commitments concerned medical response, treatment of minors, report accuracy, and independent review of complaints.
Isaac asked how anyone would know whether the commitments were followed.
The answer became reporting and review obligations, not merely a promise of better training.
Nia listened to part of the discussion, then asked whether she still needed to keep every school note about the video.
Camille explained what should be retained and helped her put it in one folder rather than leaving it scattered through her room.
The organization did not erase the memory.
It stopped the case from waiting on every desk surface where she tried to do homework.
Before sentencing, Serena helped Nia understand that a statement about impact did not need to request a particular punishment. She could describe what had changed, what she still found difficult, and what she wanted the court to know.
Nia wrote three drafts. The first sounded like comments she had read online. The second sounded like an adult explaining a policy. She disliked both.
The third began with the grocery bags and the dessert her father promised. She wrote about hearing raised voices in school, watching his shoulder, and wanting people to stop calling the fall a victory.
Isaac read it only when she asked.
He suggested no stronger ending. The final sentence already said what she meant.
At the hearing, the statement was handled according to the arrangement she chose. She did not need to watch every face while it was read.
Afterward, she asked whether Mercer had listened. No one could tell her what he had understood privately.
Serena said the statement was part of the record and the court had received it.
Nia accepted that smaller, verifiable answer. For months adults had tried to describe what other people must be thinking. She was learning that knowing what had actually been done could be more useful than guessing what someone felt.
At the community center, Daniel welcomed her back to full participation when she was ready and medically comfortable. He did not introduce her as the girl from the video.
He asked her to join the warm-up.
She did.
That evening, Isaac watched her complain about sore muscles and missing a turn during practice.
The ordinary complaints sounded like something valuable returning.
The first return to Eastbridge Market was Nia's idea.