Janet sighed, rubbing the sore spot on the back of her neck as she stumbled into her door at 4 in the morning.

She'd been working since 12 the day before because the new bartender, Harvey McUseless, had called in sick….again. She didn't know how much longer she could stand it, she needed the damn owner to make her manager and let her hire the staff….and fire them.

She threw her keys on the table, hung her coat on the hook and then turned to look at her answering machine. The little red light blinked the number 17.

All Eddie she was sure. Well she wasn't listening. Because she knew that he'd called and been all sweet and cute and she'd want to forgive him and that wasn't happening. Nothing good could come from her getting involved with Eddie Latekka. Just look at what happened when he'd stood her up, she'd put her faith in him, actually believed for a moment that he could really be interested in her and he'd left her twisting in the wind.

So she wasn't going through that again. She skimmed through the messages, making sure Hannah or someone important hadn't called and then pressed the off button and headed to bed.

She showered eager to get the smell of the bar off of her and was comfortable in her bed, ready for sleep.

But sleep didn't come.

Instead a bright red 17 kept blinking in her mind.

But she wasn't going to listen, she wasn't she wasn't.

By 5:30 she'd given up, she was utterly exhausted and if sleep wasn't going to come until she listened to those messages then, well, she'd listen…and the she'd ignore them and go back to bed.

She dragged her blanket around her shoulders, pressed the play button and collapsed on her couch as Eddie's voice filled up the room.

i Hi, Janet, its me, Eddie. Just calling to see how you're doing. Call me. /i

i Janet, Eddie again, listen, I know you're upset about everything that happened last week, but just….will you just call me back so we can talk about this /i

i Come on Janet, it's been over a week and you won't talk to me, not in the bar, not on the phone, just…..come on, hear me out. /i

i Eddie again…..Call me. /i

i Janet, Janet, this is crazy, come on just….just talk to me please. /i

i I'm not going to keep doing this forever, I mean if you don't want to talk to me then fine, fine, I'm not going to keep calling like an idiot. /i

i Janet, its Hannah, you forgot your scarf here the other day. Hey, have you heard from Eddie. /i

i Janet, Eddie again, listen I'm sorry about before okay, I shouldn't have gotten mad, I know I deserve this. You shouldn't talk to me, I'm a complete jerk, and I know that just…I really want to talk to you. /i

i Janet, I know you're getting my messages, how can I make this up to you if you won't even talk to me. I know I can, you know, make it up I just need you to call me back. Or pick up the phone, I mean you have to be there sometime don't you? /i

i Janet, this is Stan; I'm going to need you to pull a double tonight and tomorrow night, Harvey's sick. /i

i You can't ignore me forever, okay. Sooner or later we're going to have to talk about this. How about tomorrow, over breakfast? I'll come over there, I'll bring coffee…..or no, no we'll go out around people. Call me. /i

i I didn't mean that to sound like I was proving something with the going out, around people, not like it's a chore or…..it doesn't matter, I'm not trying to….but we can go out, if, if you want…..would you just call me already? /i

i So, you're just never going to talk to me again. We've been friends for ten years Janet, you can't just pretend I don't exist I-- /i

i Sorry machine cut me off. Listen, please call me, ok-- /i

i Damn, your machine sucks, probably because you refuse to listen to this, so listen to these okay? /i

i Janet, I….I don't know what else to say I…. /i

i I miss you. /i

Tears were on her lips before she realized she was crying. She pulled the blanket tighter around her as she stood, walking over to the machine. Her hand hovered over the play button, wanting to hear his voice again.

She forced herself to take a deep breath.

Then she hit delete.