anyway,” I remind her.
“He’d make an exception for you,” she smiles.
“You’re delusional,” I tell her, smiling back.
“Takes one to know one,” she says.
Our attention is grabbed away by a newly admitted patient, and
from that moment on the shift starts to fly by. One emergency after the other
comes our way, and for a while I’m almost able to forget about Slade Hale.
Almost. But even as I’m in the thick of the job, I can feel him in the back of
my mind, waiting for me to pay attention again. How long is this going to go
on, anyway? I do my best to block out thoughts of my rock star and do my job.
The effort of it all makes the hours zoom past.
Chapter Five
* * * * *
I finally hand off my patients to the nurse coming in to
relieve me. It’s Rachel, once again, the woman who took care of Slade during
the days while he was here. I run through my notes on autopilot. As she turns
away from me, I can’t help myself from calling after her.
“It sure will be quiet around here without our favorite
patient, huh?” I say.
“Favorite patient?” she asks, not comprehending. Rachel’s never
been one for humor. Or figurative language.
“Slade Hale,” I prompt.
“Oh,” she says, “Of course. Yes, it will certainly be
quieter. And more peaceful.”
“Were you here when they discharged him?” I ask.
“I was the one who recommended it,” she says.
I swallow the unreasonable surge of anger I feel toward her.
She was just doing her job, discharging a patient who no longer needed to be
here. There was no way she could have known that I have a big stupid crush on
him. “Was he...excited to go?” I ask.
“I suppose,” Rachel says, clearly wanting to get on with her
shift. “Apparently there’s a concert tomorrow night that he’ll get to play
now.”
“Right,” I say, “He mentioned that...Um, Rachel? Did he
maybe...”
“What?” Rachel asks.
“Did he tell you to...tell me...anything?” I splutter,
blushing all the while.
“Julia,” Rachel says, exasperated, “I’m not your answering
machine. I didn’t think to ask him whether—”
“I’m sorry for asking,” I say, grabbing my things, “I was
just wondering.”
Rachel mutters something as I hurry away down the hallway,
embarrassed by my behavior. I hoped that Slade would have at least relayed a
“goodbye” to me somehow. His departure was so sudden and anti-climactic - we
never even got a moment to trade “farewells”. Maybe it’s for the best, somehow.
Maybe I would have done or said something stupid if I had had any more time to
formulate a send off for my rock star patient. This way, his impression of me
would be fairly untouched.
I wonder what impression he will carry of me, after our
couple of days together. Will he remember me as the uptight nurse who wouldn’t
let him have whiskey in his hospital room, or the nice young woman who sat with
him while he healed? I don’t want to know.
With my spirits dragging behind me like a ball and chain, I
make my way back out into the early morning sunlight. I’ve gotten used to
treating more like night and night like morning, and the old switcharoo is not
without its benefits. This morning, the sky is bright with pink and oranges—the
clouds billowing and bursting with light of every hue. I stand in front of the
hospital and lift my face to the sky, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. I
never take enough time to appreciate moments like this, tiny moments of beauty
wrapped up in the rest of the day.
Maybe Slade’s had an impact on me, after all. After spending
a couple of days with him, I do feel like I’m noticing things more. Even if it
just means taking a second to breathe in the early morning air. He’s someone
who lives purely in the moment—he has to. There are so many grand things
happening to him all the time that he has to take them as they come. Why can’t
I cultivate that in my life? Sure, I’m a creature of routine, but maybe I can
take a
“He’d make an exception for you,” she smiles.
“You’re delusional,” I tell her, smiling back.
“Takes one to know one,” she says.
Our attention is grabbed away by a newly admitted patient, and
from that moment on the shift starts to fly by. One emergency after the other
comes our way, and for a while I’m almost able to forget about Slade Hale.
Almost. But even as I’m in the thick of the job, I can feel him in the back of
my mind, waiting for me to pay attention again. How long is this going to go
on, anyway? I do my best to block out thoughts of my rock star and do my job.
The effort of it all makes the hours zoom past.
Chapter Five
* * * * *
I finally hand off my patients to the nurse coming in to
relieve me. It’s Rachel, once again, the woman who took care of Slade during
the days while he was here. I run through my notes on autopilot. As she turns
away from me, I can’t help myself from calling after her.
“It sure will be quiet around here without our favorite
patient, huh?” I say.
“Favorite patient?” she asks, not comprehending. Rachel’s never
been one for humor. Or figurative language.
“Slade Hale,” I prompt.
“Oh,” she says, “Of course. Yes, it will certainly be
quieter. And more peaceful.”
“Were you here when they discharged him?” I ask.
“I was the one who recommended it,” she says.
I swallow the unreasonable surge of anger I feel toward her.
She was just doing her job, discharging a patient who no longer needed to be
here. There was no way she could have known that I have a big stupid crush on
him. “Was he...excited to go?” I ask.
“I suppose,” Rachel says, clearly wanting to get on with her
shift. “Apparently there’s a concert tomorrow night that he’ll get to play
now.”
“Right,” I say, “He mentioned that...Um, Rachel? Did he
maybe...”
“What?” Rachel asks.
“Did he tell you to...tell me...anything?” I splutter,
blushing all the while.
“Julia,” Rachel says, exasperated, “I’m not your answering
machine. I didn’t think to ask him whether—”
“I’m sorry for asking,” I say, grabbing my things, “I was
just wondering.”
Rachel mutters something as I hurry away down the hallway,
embarrassed by my behavior. I hoped that Slade would have at least relayed a
“goodbye” to me somehow. His departure was so sudden and anti-climactic - we
never even got a moment to trade “farewells”. Maybe it’s for the best, somehow.
Maybe I would have done or said something stupid if I had had any more time to
formulate a send off for my rock star patient. This way, his impression of me
would be fairly untouched.
I wonder what impression he will carry of me, after our
couple of days together. Will he remember me as the uptight nurse who wouldn’t
let him have whiskey in his hospital room, or the nice young woman who sat with
him while he healed? I don’t want to know.
With my spirits dragging behind me like a ball and chain, I
make my way back out into the early morning sunlight. I’ve gotten used to
treating more like night and night like morning, and the old switcharoo is not
without its benefits. This morning, the sky is bright with pink and oranges—the
clouds billowing and bursting with light of every hue. I stand in front of the
hospital and lift my face to the sky, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. I
never take enough time to appreciate moments like this, tiny moments of beauty
wrapped up in the rest of the day.
Maybe Slade’s had an impact on me, after all. After spending
a couple of days with him, I do feel like I’m noticing things more. Even if it
just means taking a second to breathe in the early morning air. He’s someone
who lives purely in the moment—he has to. There are so many grand things
happening to him all the time that he has to take them as they come. Why can’t
I cultivate that in my life? Sure, I’m a creature of routine, but maybe I can
take a
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