After 17 days, striking nurses at Ingham Regional Medical Center lay down their picket signs. The striking nurses union and Ingham Regional Medical Center have reached a tentative agreement. It happened late Friday night on day 17 of the nurses strike.

For 2 and a half weeks, striking nurses let their message be heard in front of Ingham Regional, but the sidewalks once used to make their point about the need for increased staffing and updated pensionsare now empty and quiet.

Tasinda Ridsdale is on the nurses negotiating team. After hours of mediation and lots of give and take with the hospital, she was relieved to reach their initial deal.

Tasinda Ridsdale: "We got exactly what we wanted on staffing, they listened to us and they realized there really is a serious staffing issue in the hospital, and there has been quite some time."

The final deal now lies within the hands of the nurses who will vote to approve or deny the hospital's offer on Sunday,and even though they left these sidewalks behind without an increase to their pensions, the negotiating team is optimistic about the outcome.

If it does, she says the 450 nurses who managed to hold on with no paychecks or benefits for 17 days will return to work Tuesday morning, knowing that their sacrifice was not in vain.

Tasinda Ridsdale: "They really realized how important staffing was to the nurses as a whole, and they would not return until it was safe in there."

Jodie Watts critical care Nurse: "I 'm ready to go back and ready to rebuild relationships and start working and continue my career doing what I love to do. Stepping out and looking in was difficult its time to go in."

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