Six years. Had it really been that long? It really didn’t seem like it had been. But you had been very busy. Getting your Adult Nurse Practitioner’s license had taken you three of those six years and then there had been work, work, and yet more work. You had somehow gotten roped into teaching classes for one of your colleagues for the following two years. The last year had been when things finally started to look like they might settle down. Now you really had no valid excuse. And they were all bugging you. You could barely get through a single day without some sappy message from a Backstreet Boy begging you to come for a visit.
Today was no exception. It was AJ on the machine for message number one. He was promising you that he would make Howie finally get a tattoo if you would too. You couldn’t help but laugh.
Message number two was from Howie. He was vowing that there would be no tattoo, but declaring that he would love to see you. Message number three was Brian and Leighanne. They wanted you to come out and see Leighanne while she was pregnant and help with planning the nursery. You and Leighanne had become good friends over the last few years. When Brian was gone, she would come visit you and keep you updated on their lives.
Message number four was from Kevin. Kevin only said one word. “Please!” But you’d recognize his voice anywhere. Such a soothing voice. He’d talked you down from many a homicidal mood regarding work and little Nick.
There was only one more message and you assumed it was the Nickster. You were shocked to hear your boss’s voice over the answering machine. He was letting you know that you could have an extra three days off work at the end of your vacation (that had supposedly started about five hours ago.) You were supposed to have gotten off work at three in the afternoon, but there was a crisis with one of the patients and it was just after eight in the evening and you were just getting in for the day. Your vacation was supposed to last two weeks, but now you would get a whole seventeen days. It seemed unreal. You deleted your messages and headed for the shower.