Janet made it home from Hannah and Ray's engagement party and crashed on the couch. She stared blankly at the television as if it had been actually turned on. Eddie's words still run through her head constantly. As they repeated over and over so did her headache. That you would have sex with another man instead of asking me what goes on; find somewhere to rot; the captain of the football team is rejecting you; get out of my room. The more she thought about it the more of his words came back. I'm kind of busy mind if I call you back, an unexpected visitor, Nicks agent. Then his voice when he wouldn't answer his phone after lunch and on into the night. It's Eddie leave a message. The same message she got when he stood her up for the Rowen BBQ. Her head fell silent once she remembered the note she put in with his cookies this time there were no words to ache over, he had said none. She knew it meant he either didn't feel the same way or that he had been so wrapped up in Rory he didn't get it. Either way her fate was already sealed.

She sat up and pulled the bracelet Eddie had given her off momentarily looking at the engraved charm remembering the embarrassment of giving him a wolf before she laid it down and then striped her bed to wash the covers. She had slept the last two nights on the couch but tonight she would sleep in the bed she made.

She woke early in the morning and dressed to go to the hospital. She grabbed the bracelet on the way out. She figured she could get to the hospital and give it to Eddie before anyone else arrived. She was prepared for it to be ugly but she had always held her head high and pushed through, this time was no different. She was brave for the most part even with her insecurities she usually faced them head on. It hurt like hell but she knew Eddie was lashing out when he said what he did and since she slept with another man she had to be woman enough to take it. If he was ever going to forgive her she didn't want pity playing a role in it.

She stood outside of Eddie's door for what seemed like years peering in through the crack. She was to late he was talking to someone and she would have to face whom ever it was. She took a deep breath and with the bracelet safely tucked inside the palm of her hand she walked in. Nick, Owen and Ickey were there and so was Rory. They guy's immediately started talking to Janet about Eddie being such a bad patient but Rory sat quite by Eddie's bed side. "Do you think I can have a minute" she asked and the guy's were more than happy to oblige as they started for the door noticing Janet's eye's were starting to water "Let them stay anything we have to say they can hear" Eddie said being vindictive but mostly trying to avoid the conversation, sure he felt horrible for what he said to her but he was mad as hell and he knew she wouldn't say anything in front of the guy's "Yeah, well I need to get to work " Owen said. Nick and Ickey just sort of mumbled something about dropping off some of Eddie's things and Rory had planted her self firmly. "Rory, I'd love to buy you breakfast" Nick offered trying to get her out of the room. She went but only because she didn't want it to be obvious why she stayed."You were right" Janet said to Rory as she passed by

"This couldn't wait untill I was out of the hospital" Eddie said to Janet as soon as everyone left. "I'll only be a minute, then you'll never have to see me again, I'll even go work at the Johnson Inn if you want" Janet replied chocking back tears but stood amazingly solid "I'm not really in the mood for any more of your confessions" Eddie replied refusing to look at her "I know" she replied "Then why are you still here" Eddie asked irritated "We need to fight about it" Janet said and Eddie showed plenty of disgust on his face when he looked at her "I think letting Russo bed you say's enough" Eddie stated sharply but in his normal tone constatly looking back down "Would you just let me explian" she asked irritated "There's no excuse for sleeping around" Eddie said in the harshest voice he could muster but after a day to process it all he had a hard time purposely yelling at her.

This time Janet refused to beg for his attention, she may have slept with another man but she didn't consider her self that kind of woman. "Look who's talking, how many women have you been with 50, 100, 150 stop me when I get close" Janet said entirely pissed off "Yeah well I wasn't in a relationship when I was banging them was I" Eddie said defending his self "That's it be crude, it really suites you ya know" Janet informed him. "You can lay there and pretend like you've never cheated on anyone but I think we both know that's a lie" Janet added being a little self rightous "I never cheated on you, I could have over and over again but I didn't, I didn't want to" Eddie insisted "Maybe not" Janet said calming her voice and lowering her head "but you sure as hell didn't do Nick any favor by sleeping with Hannah and I'm pretty sure you didn't blow me off to talk to Rory just because you worried about my feelings"

"Hannah" Eddie could bearely speak and tried to get out of the bed to reach Janet. At that moment all could think about was how Janet would feel knowing he had a drunken one nighter with her best friend ten years ago and never bothered to mention it. Suddenly gripped with the pain of his beating he leaned back onto the bed remembering where they currently stood in thier relationship.

"Did she tell you so you would have something to fight back with" Eddie asked
"No, I've known for years"

She's not seriously going to give her bracelet back.

To distract herself from the rush of tears she walked over to the side of his bed and opened her hand to reveal the bracelet. She never took her eyes off of it. Eddie looked up at her when he saw she was holding out the bracelet. His face was swollen his head, lip and eye cut but the tears evident. She couldn't face him and retain her composure long enough to navigate the hospital hallways and make it outside before she broke down so when his hand gently brushed against her's picking up the bracelet and the wave of nausea hit she closed her eyes and said "Just so you know the only thing I regret about us is that I didn't bow out gracefully" she said and turned to leave. "Well that makes one of us that doesn't regret... never mind" he couldn't put it into words

"Eddie, I know what I did was horrible, beyond forgiveness and I know you only said what you did because you were hurt, because I hurt you. I pushed you off of the same damn building I was so desperatly trying to hold onto to, when you're world ends like that you do things say things, stupid things before you can process what's really going on, I guess the difference is you can take back what you said if you wanted to, but I can't change what I did and I'll have to live with that, knowing I destroyed the best thing that's ever happened to me"

When she opened the door Eddie spoke "What was Rory right about" Her heart sank the only thing worse than telling her to rot was asking about Rory. One more deep breath and a small pep talk she turned to face him. It was no use the tears were not willing to allow her any dignity as she began to cry she answered him. What felt like the last thing she would ever say to him was going to be about another woman "She came by the bar after seeing you and told me you looked sad, she was right I don't make you not sad anymore. Eddie, we have to make our selves happy and if that's knowing you can have any woman you want and forever remain the Captain of the football team so be it. I can't make you fall in love with me if you don't want to" were her last words before she walked out

She was nearly to the outside entrance when she passed Nick, Ickey and Rory. They tried to stop and comfort her but she put her hands up and walked around them. They made it to Eddie's room only to be stopped by a nurse telling them "Mr. Latekka has requested that no visitors be allowed, he's asked for a sedative so try back again tomorrow"

Later that day when the sedative wore off Eddie woke with the bracelet still gripped in his hand. He tuned the charm over to look at it. There were a few scratches on it now but J.E.M. was still there. He swallowed hard and laid the bracelet on the bed and decided to check his cell phone for messages in an effort to distract the tears.

The first one was shortly after lunch that day. A simple call me. Along with the second and third. The fourth one was around six that evening. Just wanted to make sure you found my note, dinner's not going to be good warmed up. At around Eight she called the final time. Eddie, please just let me know what goes on with you. I know Rory's back and I'm starting to worry about us. Shortly after that last message Janet decided to go see him even though he obviously didn't want to be found. A trip she wished she had never made. Then one more call the next morning asking him to call so they could talk.

Eddie kept thinking to his self she never said anything about Dinner. Smooth move Latekka nothing says I'm about to lay another woman like not answering your phone. When the hell did she get enough courage to have a one nighter; not that it would take much it was the little bastard chicken.

Eddie quickly realized the quite was going to drive him insane so he called Nick "Hey, you up to visitors now" Nick asked noting his was after 8:00 "No, not really" Eddie asked. "O-kay did you want something" Nick asked "I just wanted to see how things were going at the shop" Eddie asked "Where's Janet I figured she would be standing guard" Nick chuckled "I don't need a baby sitter" Eddie was being short and slightly rude "Meds wearing off I see" Nick commented but was understanding "Did you fill out the shipping form correctly this time" Eddie asked demanding "Calm down, I called and had someone explain it to me" Nick replied "Good, I'll talk to you later" Eddie hung up the phone.

--

Nick could tell something was up and thought maybe it had something to do with why Janet was so upset at the hospital. He stopped by Sully's to get him a burger in hopes of cheering him up.

"Hey, Janet have you talked to our boy tonight" Nick asked
"No, is he okay" Nick could see the worry on her face
"I can't tell, he called earlier for no good reason then just hung up, so I thought I might take him a burger, try to cheer him up"

Janet fixed it personally and made it just the way she knew Eddie liked it, Pepper Jack cheese melted against crisp bacon. Lettuce on top, tomato on bottom between a perfectly toasted bun.

--

"Hey, I went by Sully's and picked you up a burger, I figured the food around here couldn't be all that great, I had Janet make it" Nick noticed Eddie was a little out of it "I'll just put it over here until you wake up some more" Nick said to Eddie only to realize he wasn't sleepy . He had been crying. "Are you okay, your starting to freak me out..I mean you and Janet crying did the doctors say something" Nick asked worried "If you don't mind I just want to be alone" Eddie said laying his head over. "okay, we'll talk later" Nick said concerned he had heard enough bad news about his Dad the last thing he wanted was to lose Eddie too.

--

Eddie was starving and he knew inside that white box would be the perfect burger so he dug in but one bite was enough and as he chewed that bite he laid the burger back down and pushed it away, it was Janet and he couldn't bare to think about all the good times.