for anyone but yourself. But here you are, revisiting childhood haunts and charming old ladies...”
“What can I say?” he asks, “I’m an enigma.”
“So this is the real Slade Hale?” I ask, “Not the jerk in my hospital bed who wouldn’t give me a break, not the heartbreaker the tabloids love to talk about?”
“Who’s to say what’s real?” he ponders airily.
“You’re philosophizing again,” I say, “But I want an answer.”
He sighs heavily. “How am I supposed to know who the real Slade is?” he asks. “Do you know who the real Julia is?”
“Sure,” I say.
“OK,” he says, “So is it the uptight nurse who doesn’t want a thing out of place, the sweet young woman who will hold a guy’s hand to make him feel better, or the rebellious soul going off on adventures with a guy she barely knows?”
“Well...they’re all the real me,” I say.
“So, you see my point,” he says. “We’re not so different, you and I.”
Before I can say anything, Maggie comes back to our table with a heaping tray of food. She puts a big carafe of coffee down, two heaping plates of fries, and two sandwiches loaded with meat, cheese, and everything in between.
“Let me guess,” I say, “The sandwich is named after you?”
“How did you guess?” he smiles, and dollops nearly an entire bottle of ketchup onto his plate.
“What’s in it?” I ask, eyeing my sandwich.
“The easier question to answer would be what isn’t in it,” Slade says. “Just try it. If you don’t like it, you never have to see me again as long as we live.”
“That is a daring proposition,” I say.
“Come on,” he says, “For me?”
That does it, of course. I wrap my hands around the gigantic sandwich. It’s a pretty big departure from my usual diet of hospital cafeteria fruit salads and coffee. I heft the thing up to my mouth and take as big a bite as I can manage.
“Oh my god...” I say, once I’ve managed to swallow.
“Amazing, right?” he says. “I’m not only a musical genius, I’m a culinary one as well.”
“Were there...mozzarella sticks in there?” I ask in wonder.
“Among other things,” he says.
“You’ve opened my eyes,” I say, “I will be eternally indebted to you after this.”
We dig into our food. I didn’t realize how hungry I really was. I have an entire shift behind me, plus a pseudo-concert/spirit quest behind me at this point. I deserve a great big diner breakfast, I think. I lift another delectable fry to my mouth and catch Slade watching me gleefully.
“What is it?” I ask.
“This is just...very nice,” he says, “I haven’t had a quiet morning like this in a really long time.”
“I’d imagine not,” I say, “On the road, and all.”
“Not just on the road. While we’re recording, too. Even when I’m not technically working. Everything’s gotten pretty fast paced for me.”
“I guess you kind of got forced into taking a break, when your chivalry turned into injury,” I say, taking a sip of coffee.
“Well, I’d get kicked in the gut all over again,” he says, “It was worth it.”
“Being able to take a break, you mean?” I ask.
“That,” he says, “And getting the chance to meet you.”
I feel a warm flush creeping into my cheeks. The unspoken attraction that’s been hanging between us since the hospital is finally being given a name. The elephant in the room is getting its day in the spotlight, after all. I suddenly feel panicked—I haven’t been this attracted to anyone since...ever. What comes after you admit to something like this? I’m terrified, but I can’t stop it now.
“I’m glad I happened to be there when you got in,” I tell him. “I’ll admit, I was a little judgmental at first...”
“No,” he says sarcastically, widening his eyes.
“But you’ve grown on me,” I tell him, ignoring his shenanigans.
“You’ve grown on me, too,” he says, “But you didn’t have to work as hard.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You’re a nurse,” he says, “I was predisposed to like you from the start.”
“Ugh. Don’t tell me this is all just some fetish thing,” I moan.
He gives a little laugh. “No, no,” he says, “It’s just...” I can tell it’s hard for him to continue. “When my dad had his accident, the nurses at the hospital were amazing. I don’t know what we would have done without them. They didn’t just do everything they could for me, but they were there for my mom and my sisters...and me. I have more respect for you guys than anyone else