It was a rough call for the four seasoned Ghostbusters. After enduring an onslaught of vicious ghosts drawn to the abundance of power being exuded by the power plant, the four men found themselves physically exhausted and covered in a veil of ectoplasmic slime. Dr. Ray Stantz, the heart of the Ghostbusters team, had taken the brunt of the slimy assault and was dripping from head to toe in the cold, yellow, gelatinous substance.
As Ray leaned heavily against the exterior wall of the building, using one hand to brace himself upright, he wiped the thick slime from his face in massive globs that fell from his hands and landed on the ground in a massive puddles that pooled around his boots.
"You alright?" Winston Zeddemore asked as he hefted a dozen traps over his shoulders and over to the parked Ecto-1. "You look pretty wiped out."
"Fine." Ray lied as he blinked a few times after removing the layer of slime from over his face. He ran his fingers through his hair which was soaked in the slime, causing his dark locks to stand out in odd angles. "Just slimed and cold."
Dr. Peter Venkman strolled out of the power plant feeling a little cocky as he looked over at Ray with a cheesy grin on his face. "It's kinda' nice to leave a bust and NOT be the the slimiest of the bunch."
Ray took in a deep breath and winced as what felt like a sharp muscle spasm shot through his chest. "Can you get me a bottle water from the back?" Ray all but whimpered as he felt increasingly uncomfortable caked in the slime and fatigued from the bust itself."
"Sure." Peter didn't stop grinning as he retrieved the requested bottle from the back of the car while Winston loaded up the smoking, blinking traps into their respective racks. "Hey, where's Spengz?" Peter tossed the bottle to Ray and watched as his friend tried and failed to catch bottle in his slippery hands. "Don't tell me he's collecting mold and spore samples again."
Ray didn't reply as he slowly stooped down to pick up the dropped bottle. He opened the top and proceeded to rinse the water through his hair and wring out the excess slime with his fingers.
"I'm here." Dr. Egon Spengler announced his presence as exited the power plant with his PKE meter in hand. "I'm sorry for the delay, but the readings inside the building are quite unusual."
"Yeah," Peter nodded dismissively. "an army of ghosts will do that."
Egon arched a brow at Peter's comment but didn't glance away from the meter. "These readings are especially unusual for this type of spectral anomaly," Egon began his explanation scientifically as he double checked the readings on his display. "it appears as though these entities were only able to partially manifest themselves using the naturally occurring flows of psychokinetic energy that stems from the constant activity within the city. In order to achieve a more complete form the ghosts in question had found a way to leech off of the unnatural, man made electrical currents from the power plant."
"And what does that man?" Winston asked as he slammed the rear door of Ecto-1 shut. "These ghosts are a new type of hybrid of two separate energies?"
"Precisely." Egon confirmed as he logged the collected data for further analysis back at the firehouse. "This can also possible explain why it was excessively difficult to capture the ghosts with our proton streams and keep them contained inside the ion traps."
"This is all very fascinating Egon," Peter was never one to shy away from admitting his boredom or indifference. "but we're tired. We're slimy. We're the winners, the ghosts are the losers. Let's get out of here and shower off, then you can play with your little toys while the rest of us proceed to be normal."
Winston smirked at the comment as he pulled the keys to the car from his pocket. "Since you're feeling so spry why don't you drive?" He asked as he tossed the keys to Peter who caught it much easier than Ray had done with the bottle of water.
"Great. I know a few shortcuts." Peter happily pulled open the driver's side door and slipped inside. "Coming?"
Winston pulled open the front passenger side door and took his seat with a heavy sigh. The physical strain of dealing the ghosts, lugging around multiple traps and doing so with sixty pounds of a nuclear accelerator strapped to his back was about as much as Winston could take in one evening.
Egon clipped the meter back to his belt, but before he could take a step toward the car he noticed Ray was still standing against the building looking rather weak, if not ill.
"Ray? Are you coming?"
"...Yeah." Ray's answer was delayed and quiet as he turned to look at the concerned physicist. Ray's right hand was rubbing subconsciously over his chest as he slowly made his way toward the car. "Let's get out of here."
"Are you feeling alright?" Egon asked as his mind seamlessly switched from doctor of physics and into doctor of medicine. "You look a little pale and you seem to be in pain."
"...Just tired." Ray waved off the worry as he made his way toward the rear passenger door of the car behind Peter. "I'll feel better once I get this slime off of me and can rest."
Egon wasn't convinced but chose not to press the matter as he took his seat in the back beside Ray, sitting behind Winston.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Winston agreed as he looked down at his watch. "Man, it's already one a.m.! No wonder we're all so tired."
"Well, the good news is," Peter turned over the key in the ignition and pulled the car away from the plant and toward the street to the firehouse. "since it's so late there's no way we'll have to deal with Peckerhead or-"
A static filled call sounded off over the C.B. radio in the car. 'Ghostbusters!' Walter Peck's voice was as abrasive over the radio as it was in person. 'Get your sorry carcasses over here, NOW. The mayor wants to know why power throughout the entire city has been fluctuating on and off all evening and I don't want to waste the rest of my night trying to make you clowns sound credible!'
"Man, even when I don't see his face I still want to punch him in the face..." Peter grumbled as he chewed on his bottom lip bitterly.
Egon was staring at Ray with mounting concern as he watched Ray's face pale further and his body began to curl around itself as a mysterious unspoken pain began welling up inside his chest.
Clearing his throat Egon contributed to the situation at hand in a sly manner. "Venkman, stop by the firehouse and allow Ray and I take care of the equipment. You and Winston can deal with Peck without us."
"Hey!" Peter didn't like the idea of needing to confront Peck at all and stared at Egon in the rear view mirror of the car as they idled at a red light. "Why do you two get to relax back home while me and Winston get the grunge work?"
"Because Ray is covered in slime, I have data to analyze, you have the most experience with talking your way out of unusual predicaments and Winston is the only one strong enough to keep you from strangling Peck and spending the rest of your life in prison."
Winston gave Peter a shrewd look. "He has a point."
"He always has a point." Peter quipped as the light turned green and they proceeded to the firehouse.
'Ghostbusters!' Peck's voice returned over the radio. 'I know you can hear me! Don't think you can-'
Peter snatched the mic from the receiver and answered hotly. "Yeah, we hear you! Keep your shirt on!"
Winston wisely pried the mic out of Peter's hand and replied before Peck could. "We're on our way Peck, we just need to do an equipment drop off. Be there in ten minutes."
'You have five.'
"Dickweed." Peter snipped as Winston put the mic back in place.
"Well don't forget, that dickweed is holding our careers in his grimy little hands."
"I bet he never washes..."
Egon just shook his head as he focused on Ray's seemingly declining physical health. The usually energetic and enthusiastic engineer was uncommonly still and quiet as he sat hushed in his seat. With his hand pressed against his chest he leaned forward, closed his eyes let out a slow, deep breath as if he had just endured a severe blow to his body. Sweat was beginning to bead on his brow but Ray showed no signs of a fever or overheating.
Ecto-1 slowed as it passed by the firehouse and shifted into reverse as Peter backed the iconic hearse into the garage. Egon reluctantly got out of the back of the vehicle while Ray stayed behind. Winston joined Egon at the back and began removing the occupied traps and proton packs for proper disposal and recharging, respectively.
"Okay Ray," Peter looked at Ray's face in the rear view mirror just as he had done for Egon. "this is your stop pal."
"...Right." Ray weakly reached over to the handle of the door and pushed it open. As he stepped out heavily, clumsily Egon met him at the side of the vehicle. "Get everything?"
"Yes." Egon confirmed as Winston took his seat in the front of the hearse again. "But before I perform a data analysis on the newly acquired specimens I'd like to run a few tests on you."
"I'm fine..." Ray reiterated in a less than compelling tone of voice as he kept his hand protectively pressed against his chest. "I swear."
"We're off." Peter waved a hand in the reflection of the driver's side mirror. "Be back whenever..."
As the hearse returned to the streets Ray and Egon were left alone in the firehouse with their used equipment needing their attention. The doors shut and sealed the old brick building with a shuddering echo.
"...Let's get to it." Ray murmured as he fixed his glassy eyes on the traps piled together on Janine's vacated desk. The proton packs were leaning up against the desk, all four still coated in a thin layer of slime that collected on the floor of the garage. "...Don't want to upset Janine with this mess..."
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Egon asked as he and Ray crossed through the garage of the firehouse, walking shoulder to shoulder. "You seem unwell."
"I'm..." Ray suddenly stopped short in the middle of the garage as he pressed his hand firmly against his chest and began panting for breath. His eyes widened with fear and his body began to tremble.
"Ray?" Egon put his hands on Ray's shoulders to steady the ailing man. "Raymond, look at me."
Ray's eyes snapped shut as he let out a groan of pain. His hand was pressed to his chest in a claw like grip as his knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor.
"Ray!?" Egon managed to catch Ray and support his head and neck as he guided Ray down to the floor in a controlled descent. "Ray, talk to me!"
"My... my chest!" Ray managed to whimper as his body suddenly went limp and his voice fell silent. The hand that once clutched at his chest with intense strength was now as weak and useless as tissue paper.
"Ray!" Egon pressed his fingers to the side of Ray's neck to monitor his pulse. Weak. Struggling. "Raymond? Open your eyes." Egon issued commands waiting for Ray to respond but there were none.
Reacting quickly Egon unzipped Ray's jumpsuit and pulled the fabric apart to expose the black t-shirt beneath. Resting his hand on the center of Ray's chest Egon felt Ray's heart struggling to beat in an irregular rhythm. Moving his hand downward slightly to rest on Ray's abdomen he could also feel Ray's shallow breathing.
"Ray, hang on! I'll get you some help."
Looking over his shoulder Egon spotted the phone on Janine's desk. Just as he was about to rush over to the phone he felt Ray's pulse suddenly slow and then stop entirely.
"Ray?" Pressing his ear down against Ray's chest Egon's worries had been confirmed. Correcting his posture Egon wrapped his fingers around Ray's wrist to continue to monitor his pulse. Nothing.
Shifting his weight Egon knelt down next to Ray's body, placed one hand over the other and laced his fingers together, then placed his hands over the near center of Ray's chest. Compressing in a controlled, precise rhythm Egon began performing CPR on his downed friend.
"Please Ray, come back." Egon pleaded as he finished the first round of compressions and checked for a pulse. Still nothing.
The phone was painfully close to Egon, yet still too far away. If he dared to stop the compressions for even a moment, if he broke the rhythm and failed to force Ray's heart to beat then the odds of Ray's successful revival, if not his survival, would greatly diminish.
"Breathe Ray." Egon encouraged as he straightened Ray's neck, tilted his head back, pinched off his nose and forced two breaths into Ray's starving lungs before resuming yet another round of chest compressions. "Breathe."
Time seemed to stand still for the physicist as he fought to keep his friend from being consumed by Death's grip. How long Egon had performing CPR was now only a vague guess. Five minutes? Five hours? Egon didn't dare to look at his watch to estimate, fearing that the prolonged CPR and Ray's failure to respond could somehow dissuade him from continuing.
The doors of the firehouse opened at Ecto-1 returned with Peter and Winston in tow. Egon looked up at the red taillights as the hearse encroached near him then suddenly stopped.
A loud 'crack' from beneath Egon's hands forced his stomach to knot as he realized he had fractured Ray's ribs from the excessive force being applied by the compressions. Swallowing the building nausea, Egon forced himself to remember that fractured ribs were unfortunately extremely common as a result of CPR and that he was helping his friend; not hurting him.
"What the hell happened?!" Peter nearly yelled as he and Winston fled from the parked hearse and gathered around Ray.
"Peter, Winston, call 911." Egon panted as the physical exertion in performing the chest compressions was beginning wear down his resolve.
"On it!" Winston made it over to Janine's desk in two long strides and dialed for help.
Peter knelt down beside Ray and took over breathing for the engineer so Egon could focus solely on the compressions. "Egon," Peter counted the compressions before breathing for Ray again. "What's wrong with Ray?"
Egon's eyes were focused yet emotional as he finally answered. "I fear Ray has suffered a heart attack."
Winston hung up the phone after calling 911 and rejoined his friends as they tended to Ray. Taking in the unfolding sight with flawless insight he could see that Ray was stable despite be unresponsive and that Egon was exhausted to the bring of collapse. Putting a hand on Egon's shoulder he knelt down beside the physicist and tried to coax him to stop compressing Ray's chest, but only for a fleeting moment.
"Let me take over," Winston encouraged confidently. "I got him."
Hesitantly Egon looked over to Winston and could see from the skilled marine's eyes that his he was in complete control of his senses and unafraid. Nodding slowly Egon rocked back from his knees onto his heels and allowed Winston to take his position beside Ray.
Breathing deeply and quickly as if he had just run a marathon Egon watched and counted as Peter and Winston worked together to perform CPR on Ray.
The approaching whine of sirens and flash of red and blue lights was a welcome sight to behold as the ambulance raced toward the firehouse. The garage door was still open and gave Egon a clear view of the dark street as the flashing emergency lights illuminated the buildings outside.
It was all a blur as the ambulance parked out front and the paramedic duo made their way inside the garage with a gurney in tow and their medical equipment at hand. The first to reach Ray was the female paramedic; black, in her mid thirties, long dark hair pulled back into a neat bun and warm eyes that gave the three mean a much needed sense of reassurance.
"How long has he been down?" She asked as she took a stethoscope and pressed the bell against Ray's chest to listen to his heart. There was a faint, weak beat to be heard from within Ray's chest. "Stop compressions."
Winston and Peter ceased performing CPR and eagerly awaited further instructions.
"I... I'm not sure." Egon stammered as he forced himself regain composure. "He collapsed shortly after Peter and Winston had left. "He had been clutching at his chest as if he were in great pain. He seemed to be feeling ill as well."
"And we were gone for about..." Winston looked at the time on his watch. It was just past one twenty in the morning. "ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" The paramedic confirmed as she took a pair of scissors and began cutting open Ray's shirt to completely expose his chest. He partner, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes in his mid-twenties proceeded to set up a cardiac monitor. "Does he have a history of heart disease?"
"No." Egon answered confidently as he had chronicled the medical history of the entire staff and made sure each member under went a routine physical to keep the records as up to date and accurate as possible.
"Any cardiovascular injuries or illnesses?"
"No." Egon answered again. "He used to smoke but quit two years ago."
The paramedic nodded to acknowledge Egon as her partner finished setting up a cardiac monitor and attaching the leads to Ray's chest. A quick look at the monitor showed how serious Ray's condition had become as a weak, wavering line representing his heartbeat quivered pathetically, unevenly across the display.
"He's bradycardic." The male paramedic announced as he opened a box containing various medications, syringes and I.V. bags. "Let's load him up."
Egon watched in a daze as the paramedics slid an oxygen mask over Ray's face, watched as Peter and Winston helped pick Ray up and lay him down on the gurney, watched as his friend was a deathly gray complexion across his expressionless face was rolled out of the garage and placed in the back of the ambulance.
The emergency vehicle sped down the street with the female paramedic and Ray in the back. The remaining Ghostbusters stood in shock in the middle of the firehouse, no one really knowing what to say or do next.
Peter, always the first to speak whenever a situation called for it; and even when it didn't, turned to Egon and spoke very softly. "Egon, what happened here?"
Egon's eyes narrowed as he looked down at his shaking hands. "Ray may have suffered a heart attack."
"That's not what I meant." Peter sounded a little terse. "I mean why didn't you call for help before we arrived?"
"I couldn't." Egon admitted feeling queasy. "I couldn't leave Ray's side."
"You do know that if you call 911 help will arrive without you even saying anything right? They'll send someone to investigate in case-"
"I'm aware Venkman." Egon's voice cut in sharply. "But I didn't think about that aspect. I was focused on Ray."
"Guys," Winston stepped between Egon and Peter to act as the voice of reason. "we need to go to the hospital. Come on, I'll drive."
The drive to the hospital was tense and quiet. Peter rode in the front seat next to Winston while Egon sat alone in the back. The entire situation was too unexpected, too bizarre to comment on. It seemed like an impossible scenario to have one of their own collapse from physical weakness after surviving so many close calls together. Ray had survived an encounter with Gozer the Gozerian, had survived being possessed by Vigo the Carpathian and survived countless ghosts without so much as batting an eye.
How could Ray's heart suddenly give out on him like this?
Parking Ecto-1 in the lot behind the hospital the trio of men, all still wearing their slimed, dirty jumpsuits, exited the vehicle and moved toward the building in a line of morose reluctance.
The front lobby was quiet in the a.m. hours and gave the entire hospital a sense of macabre foreboding. The head nurse at the desk was busily typing away at her computer when Winston approached her.
Egon and Peter hung back in the lobby, neither man sure of what they could do to be of any use to their friend.
The nurse told Winston that Ray had been admitted and that a doctor would out to meet them as soon as Ray had been treated. Showing the trio to the waiting room the three men sat down in heavy silence as they prospect of losing Ray was beginning to set it.
Nurses and doctors crossed through the waiting room countless times as they tended to their patients and the friends and family who awaited news on their loved ones. A few stares every now and then from onlookers would put Peter in a foul mood which required him to walk away for a while and clear his mind. Egon and Winston had learned to ignore the stares and go about their business without flinching.
"I'm going to step outside." Peter muttered as he took his leave of the waiting room for the umpteenth time. "I'll be right back."
Winston watched as Peter stormed out of the waiting room and leaned his tired head against his hand. As much as Winston wanted to shut his eyes and drift off from the cruel waking world into the safety of a dream, he couldn't bear to sleep until he knew how Ray was faring.
Egon was feeling responsible for Ray's health as Egon had taken it upon himself to make sure his team mates, his friends, were always healthy.
Did he miss something? Was there some sign, some symptom of Ray's impending heart attack that he had overlooked? If Ray died or suffered from permanent damage as a result of Egon's mistake would the other guys ever trust him again?
Ray was wheeled into an exam room with a cardiac specialist already waiting for him. The paramedics had called in the suspected heart attack and began treating it as such, but it seemed all of their efforts were in vain as Ray's condition continued to deteriorate.
Dr. Robinson, a familiar face to the Ghostbusters, was genuinely surprised to see that the heart attack patient was Dr. Ray Stantz.
Responding in a swift professional manner Dr. Robinson took a penlight from his lab coat pocket, gently lifted Ray's eyelids and checked his pupils. "Sluggish pupil response. What happened?"
"He collapsed about twenty minutes ago. CPR was being performed before we arrived with successful resuscitation." The female paramedic explained. "According to his friend he was clutching at his chest before he went down and seemed ill. Suspected heart attack, no history of heart disease."
"Alright, let's get him on the table. One three; one, two, three!" Dr. Robinson instructed as he, two nurses and the paramedics worked together to lift Ray from the gurney and slide him onto the table.
Ray's limp body was frightening to observe as his hands and arms jostled about with no control from Ray's part. He never reacted to being touched or moved by the medical staff. His pale face had taken since taken on a sickly gray pallor and his body was covered in cold sweat. His exposed chest barely rose and fell with his weak breaths as the wires attached to the cardiac monitor snaked over him.
Dr. Robinson placed the bell of his stethoscope over Ray's chest and stared at the cardiac monitor to confirm his diagnosis. "He's going into atrial fibrillation. We need to start a line of lanoxin to increase his heart rate." Dr. Robinson ordered as a nurse wrapped a B.P. cuff around Ray's right bicep. "What's his blood pressure?"
"B.P. is ninety over sixty." The nurse confirmed as she switched the plastic oxygen mask covering Ray's face for a nasal canula.
"I want blood drawn." Dr. Robinson instructed calmly as he visually assessed Ray while trying to match his symptoms to his physical responses. "check protein levels. I also want a chest x-ray and schedule an echocardiogram."
"Right away." The nurse hastily responded to his orders without a moment's hesitation.
"Interesting." Dr. Robinson looked to the two paramedics who brought Ray in. "Are his colleagues here yet?"
"I think they followed us as soon as we left." The male paramedic responded. "Want us to look for them?"
"No, it'll be fine. I'll look in on them myself. Thank you."
The two paramedics excused themselves from the exam room after reclaiming their equipment. Alone with his patient and friend Dr. Robinson leaned down over Ray and pressed his fingers to the side of his neck.
"Dr. Stantz, what am I going to do with you?"
Peter returned to the waiting room with heavy, lumbering footsteps. Exhausted and frustrated he took a seat beside Winston without even bothering to ask if either of his friends had received any update on Ray's condition. It wasn't until three longs hours had passed that the doctor approached the gathered Ghostbusters with any information to share.
Egon was the first to react to Dr. Robinson joining them in the waiting room. "Dr. Robinson."
Peter and Winston were both on their feet in an instant eager to hear what the good doctor had to say.
"Dr. Spengler." The good doctor had great respect for all of the Ghostbusters and extended his hand for Egon to take. "Dr. Venkman, Mr. Zeddemore. It's nice to see you guys again, although I wish it could be under better circumstances."
"How's Ray?" Egon asked, his voice almost trembling with the question as he spoke. "Did he in fact suffer from a heart attack?"
"By all outward appearances, yes." Dr. Robinson's confirmation sent a sickening wave through the group as they listened intently. "However, his case is presenting in a rather... unusual manner."
"Unusual? In what way?" Egon's curiosity was matched easily by his colleagues who were just as intrigued.
Dr. Robinson motioned for the Ghostbusters to follow him into the Cardiac Care Unit as he discussed Ray's current health.
"By all accounts; from what you've witnessed and based on the medical observations from two of the best paramedics in the city, it appears as though Dr. Stantz has suffered from a heart attack."
"...But?" Peter impatiently asked as he followed behind Dr. Robinson and Egon, with Winston walking beside him. "What's the little hiccup in the diagnosis? Can you help him?"
"It's possible." Dr. Robinson confirmed with an even tone of voice. "But according to all of the tests performed, there is nothing wrong with him."
"Wait..." Winston's serious expression was overtaken with confusion. "How can Ray have suffered a heart attack and the tests show nothing?"
"That's why I stated your friend's case in unusual." Dr. Robinson reaffirmed as he stood outside the exam room where Ray was still laying. Looking through the large window the four men observed the downed Ghostbuster who had a nurse patiently watching over him. "The blood test showed no sign of cardiac damage - his protein levels are normal, his blood pressure is a little low but not dangerously so. There is no sign of coronary blockage or exterior trauma that could result in his heart becoming physically compromised enough to cause his collapse."
"Compromised." Egon repeated quietly as he stared at Ray's grayed face and the heart monitor displaying his weakened heart rate. "There is structural damage to his heart. You've performed a chest x-ray?"
"Yes." Dr. Robinson knew that Egon and Ray were both pre-med and quite knowledgeable in the basics of medicine and diagnosis. "And that's another dead end. The x-ray is clear."
"Doctor," Egon tore his eyes from the window and stared down at the floor. "may I see his test results?"
"No offense, but, " Peter just shook his head as he stepped in as the voice of reason. "Spengz, if a cardiologist can't figure out a diagnosis for Ray what makes you think you can?"
"I don't think I can," Egon admitted with a cold tone. "but I want to try. Perhaps there is something in Ray's medical history that I had overlooked."
"Whoa, whoa." Winston put up his hands and stood before Egon like he was about to deliver a pep-talk. "Please tell me that you aren't blaming yourself for Ray's condition?"
"Of course he is." Peter confirmed with a snide observation. He pointed at the guilt riddle physicist as he delivered a psychiatric diagnosis of his own. "As the 'brain' of the team Egon thinks he's responsible for every little incident, accident and/or foreseeable hindrance that might rear its ugly head our way. And since he also decided to play doctor and keep our medical files on record back at the firehouse, he thinks he's responsible for our health, too. This is what I like to call 'guilt by encumbrance', or 'everything is my fault because I'm the mature, smart one'." Peter gave Winston and Dr. Robinson an apathetic stare. "Patent pending."
Everything was silent for a moment until a piercing blare of an alarm from Ray's room caught everyone off guard. Dr. Robinson hastily returned to the room and placed his hands down on Ray's shoulders in an attempt to still the seizing man.
Egon, Peter and Winston watched through the window as Ray's body went rigid and spasmed he became lost in the throes of a seizure.
"Oh... shit." Peter's shoulders sagged as he watched the horrific sight of his best friend seizing uncontrollably on the exam table.
Dr. Robinson and the nurse worked together to try and hold Ray as still on possible amongst the blaring alarms while trying to discover the cause of the seizure. A second doctor joined them in the exam room as he too began assessing Ray's condition to try and understand what was happening to the Ghostbuster.
Ray's body was violently jerking about, his face still sickly gray and his heart that was once beating too slow but now beating in a rapid, erratic pattern.
"Diazapam administered intravenously." Dr. Robinson ordered as he calmly kept control over the situation. The sight of a patient going down hill wasn't anything that Dr. Robinson hadn't encountered before, but when the patient was a person he had learned to respect and consider a friend it made the situation itself uncomfortable.
"Egon," Peter's voice was level as he spoke, but the fear in his eyes betrayed his composed exterior. "if you think you can help Ray then knock yourself out."
Winston took in a deep breath as Ray's body slowly relaxed on the table as the seizure subsided. As the two doctors hovered over Ray the nurse came over to the window and pulled the curtain shut. "Peter's right." His strong voice carried a lilt of fear. "You do what you can and we'll do what we can. So, what is it you need us to do?"
Egon thought for a moment as he stared at the closed curtains through the glass of the window. "Ray became ill during the bust. This bust is where we encountered this new species of ghost and the slime exuded by said ghosts."
"And Ray took a massive dose of slime all over his body." Winston knew exactly where Egon's thought process was heading. "You think the slime or the ghosts has something to do with his health?"
"It's the only theory that fits at the moment."
Peter nodded once. "Right, you and Dr. Robinson keep Ray alive, me and Winston will go check out the ghosts and their slime."
"Perhaps a phone call to Janine would-"
"Not it!" Peter put a finger to the side of his nose. "I nominate Winston for the job."
"Thanks Peter," Winston rolled his eyes and began walking down the hall. "you know how much I love giving bad news."
"Better you than me." Peter defended himself as he followed Winston down the hall.
"But you're a psychologist, you specifically have training that deals with understanding emotions and empathy."
"I skipped 'empathy 101'. Just ask my professor."
Egon stayed by the window in silent contemplation as he tried to theorize a more substantial connection between Ray's apparent heart attack and the new species of ghosts that had doused him from head to toe in an unidentified yellow tinted slime. Feeling alone for the first time since he had returned alongside his colleagues as Ghostbusters, he closed his eyes and began hoping for a miracle to save his friend's life.
Peter and Winston made their way back to the firehouse and promptly turned their attention to the occupied traps and the PKE meters that had been used during the bust. The chronicled data could prove to be invaluable to Ray's health and time was proving itself to be an enemy.
"Okay, let's get this damn thing scanned and get the results over to Egon." Peter stated as he grabbed a trap by its cable and headed toward the basement.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Winston grabbed a trap himself as well as a PKE meter and followed Peter into the basement. "I'll use the meter's to record the psychokinetic signatures being emitted by the ghosts, you check for any other signatures."
"Sounds easy enough." Peter jogged down the stairs and dropped the trap on a table next to the containment unit. "But it won't be."
The traps were no longer smoking but the distinct smell of ozone still yet lingered. The red blinking lights that indicated that a trap was occupied flashed in perfect rhythm that illuminated the stern, concentrated face of the two Ghostbusters with an eerie crimson hue. Working side by side the psychologist and former marine were bound and determined to find the cause for their friend's collapse and to find a way to save Ray's life before it was too late.
"Hey Peter..." Winston isolated a specific frequency on a graph print out and handed it to his colleague. "What does this look like to you?"
"That..." Peter's brows arched with an intrigued intensity. "looks an awful lot like a humanoid biorhythm..."
Egon had been sitting at Ray's bedside, after the critically ill engineer was finally stable enough to be placed in a private recovery room while additional tests were being performed, and was keeping vigil over his ailing friend. Keenly Egon studied the cardiac monitor that was displaying Ray's weakened heart rate as well as the EKG that was monitoring his brain activity after suffering the seizure an hour prior. The nasal canula beneath his nose snaked over his to the edge of the bed alongside the numerous wires and leads attached to Ray's chest.
No longer wearing his slimed jumpsuit or cut open black t-shirt Ray seemed uncharacteristically helpless as we donned a simple white hospital gown. His gray complexion looked all the more sickly against the pure white color of the thin gown.
"I wish you were conscious enough to describe your symptoms." Egon confess as he remained perplexed by Ray's case. The currently available details and readouts gave no useful information or provided any leads to the cause of Ray's illness. "I can't perform a PKE scan from here and I won't risk moving you from the hospital."
Dr. Robinson entered the room with a manila file in his hand and stood next to the large wall mounted display for examining images. Inside the file were Ray's latest test results as well as the chest x-ray that Egon had asked to inspect.
"Dr. Spengler if you'd join me I have the information you requested." Dr. Robinson took the x-ray and secured the dark image against the display panel. Turning on the intensely bright light contained within the display caused the dark image to brighten and reveal the skeletal and cardiovascular interior of Ray's chest. "As you can see everything seems to be normal and relatively healthy in spite of all outward appearance."
Egon joined Dr. Robinson and stood at his side as he studied the image with great care, not daring to risk overlooking any small detail that could be the necessary clue to aiding Ray's recovery.
The x-ray showed no sign of cardiac damage or arterial blockage. Save for the fractured ribs as a result of prolonged CPR being performed there was no sign of physical trauma, infection or inflammation plaguing the downed engineer.
Just as Egon was ready to admit defeat an unusual and small mass located just behind the heart caught his attention. "What in the world is that?" Egon asked as he peered closer at the x-ray of Ray's chest and adjusted his glasses. A very small, almost invisible mass was resting next to Ray's heart. "There appears to be an abnormal growth attached to his heart near the aorta." Placing his fingertip just below the small, bizarre shadow on the x-ray he took a step to the side to allow Dr. Robinson to lean in.
"Let me see." Dr. Robinson stared at the x-ray and examined the place that Egon had honed in on.
"Right there."
Resting almost out of sight on the x-ray behind Ray's heart Dr. Robinson see the unusual mass that Egon had spotted. "Hm, you're right. There is something behind his heart." Dr. Robinson examined the x-ray very carefully, unsure of what the unusual and barely visible mass could be and why it was there. Pulling the x-ray from the display he held it up into the air and allowed the overhead lights to shine through. "It doesn't look like an error on the exposure, either."
"What's the next course of action?"
"I'm going to have a second x-ray performed to ensure there was no error," Dr. Robinson decided as he replaced the x-ray and made notes in Ray's file. "and I'll have the exposure intensified. This may very well be the cause for Dr. Stantz's declining health."
"And if there is some kind of abnormal growth attached to his heart," Egon's tone lowered instinctively just in case Ray could still hear what was going on around him. "what would be the resulting treatment?"
"If we can confirm that there is a growth on his heart it will have to be removed surgically."
"Surgery? No." Egon's eyes widened with fear as he looked back over to Ray's unconscious form in the bed. "He's too weak to survive thoracic surgery, he'd die on the operating table."
"I understand your concerns and I won't tell you to not worry, but if this is the cause of Dr. Stantz's failing health then we'll have no choice but to operate."
Before Dr. Robinson took his leave he lightly put his hand Egon's shoulder and lowered his eyes feeling horrid for delivering such grim information to the two Ghostbusters that he had come to know as friends.
"I'm sorry."
Egon folded his arms over his chest as he approached Ray's bed and looked down at his friend's gray, sickly face. "Don't worry Ray, I'm sure Peter and Winston will find a safer alternative compared to what could very well become open heart surgery."
Winston was hunched over the workbench with an ion trap under his trained, strong hands. Sitting on the surface of the workbench to his left was a lengthy paper printout of the data that he and Venkman had collected, and to his right was an old blueprint that Egon and Ray had used when developing the ion traps when the company had been founded.
"Is this going to work?" Peter asked impatiently, if not doubtfully as he hovered over his friend's shoulder.
"I think so." Winston scanned the modified trap with a PKE meter. "Everything looks like it's at the correct frequency, but there's only one way to know for sure."
"We need to test it."
"Yeah." Winston confirmed morosely. "Problem is we can't test it without finding another one of those ghosts."
"Why can't we test it on one of the ghosts sealed up in the containment unit?"
"Because the ion field could have possibly contaminated the ghost's natural PKE signature which could hamper the test. We need to find a ghost that has already been affected by our equipment."
"Oh, great. That should be easy." Peter threw up his hands in frustration. "These new species of ghosts are just hanging out on every street corner after all."
"Actually, it could be easier than that." Winston carefully picked up the trap with both hands and held it firmly in his dual grip. "Come on, we need to check in at the hospital."
"Are you worried?" Peter dared to ask as he stared at the trap and grabbed the paperwork accumulated during their examination and testing, and clipped a PKE meter to his belt.
"Aren't we all?"
"Yeah... I guess." Peter shrugged his shoulders and motioned for the stairwell of the basement. "But then again, if we weren't worried then we'd either be completely jaded or horrible people." As Winston passed in front of his him and made his way up the stairs Peter tagged on one final quip. "Personally I think I lean toward the latter."
It was unnervingly quiet in the recovery room. Ray had been wheeled into a neighboring exam room to have a second x-ray performed as well as additional blood tests to ensure that there wasn't a secondary underlying problem that could only exasperate his already frail condition. After an hour of tests Ray was returned to the room with Dr. Robinson escorting his patient the entire way.
Egon leaned over Ray and watched as the unconscious engineer suddenly took in a wheezing breath. Ray was steadily becoming weaker, his body failing to compensate for his compromised heart. With each faltering breath Egon feared Ray would slip into cardiac arrest once again, only this time Ray would be too weak to be revived.
"The test results should be back soon." Dr. Robinson tried to ease Egon's stressed mind. "He bore the examination well and remained relatively stable throughout."
Egon didn't respond as he focused on Ray.
"You must be exhausted." Dr. Robinson noted the dark circles under Egon's reddening eyes. "Maybe you should try to get some sleep. I'll wake you when-"
"No." Egon's voice wasn't aggressive but it did carry enough authority to get Dr. Robinson's attention. "I'd prefer to remain present. Sleep deprivation is an experience I've dealt with on numerous occasions throughout school."
"Tell me about it." Dr. Robinson chuckled as he looked down at his watch. "It's almost eight in the morning. Is there anyone you'd like to call on Dr. Stantz's behalf?"
"No. We're his emergency contacts." Egon reaffirmed in a level tone.
"Wasn't he seeing a lovely woman? Jenny?"
"Yes. But currently Miss Moran is out of town for the next two weeks. We will contact her when the time is right."
"What about your receptionist? Does she know?"
Egon visibly tensed at the question. "I am uncertain."
"Well, if I were you, I'd tell her sooner rather than later. The last time one of you ended up under my care she was upset that no one told her. I think she cares more about you guys than you realize."
"...Tell me about it."
There was a knock at the door as a nurse walked into the room carrying a manila folder in her gentle hands. "Here are Dr. Stantz's test results."
"Thank you, Sandra." Dr. Robinson accepted the folder and opened it like a book in his hands.
Egon turned his attention to the folder and the documents contained inside. Papers displaying Ray's blood tests, his ECG, EKG and the recent x-ray were all crucial to finding the answer to the question plaguing everyone's mind: Why is Ray dying?
"Blood work is identical to the first test. Let's take a look at the x-ray." Dr. Robinson suggested as he placed the dark image on the illuminated display.
"It's there." Egon sighed as he spotted the same growth in the same area. "Except, it looks slightly larger than before."
"Let's see." Dr. Robinson placed the first x-ray over top the second x-ray and compared the two sizes. "You're correct. In a very short amount of time the growth has enlarged a noticeable amount. That rules our tumor or cyst." Dr. Robinson deduced as he moved the first x-ray aside so he could see the second x-ray without obstruction. "But if that's the case then it's possible the growth we're seeing a form of an aortic aneurysm."
"If it is an aneurysm and it bursts then Ray could bleed to death in a matter of seconds." Egon's eyes narrowed worriedly. "But his blood pressure isn't low enough to indicate an aneurysm."
"And by all examination of the heart itself his arteries don't show any significant weakening from atherosclerosis or his past use of tobacco."
"How do correctly identify this anomaly without cutting into Ray's chest?"
Another knock on the door caught the attention of the two doctors as the same nurse, Sandra, returned with Peter and Winston behind her. "Sorry to intrude but Dr. Stantz's colleagues insist they have information that can help."
"No apology necessary," Dr. Robinson waved the two men in. "thank you."
"Egon!" Peter shoved their gathered papers into the physicists chest as he stared firmly with an unblinking gaze. "We think this can help Ray. but we need you to check our homework before we hand in to the teacher."
Egon grabbed onto the crumple compilation of paper and eyed it curiously after giving the trap in Winston's hand a suspicious glance. Dr. Robinson helped Egon by taking some of the papers for himself and began to look them over.
Peter stood over Ray and put his hand down tentatively on Ray's cold shoulder. The sight of Ray so very weak and possibly dying made the psychologist sick to his stomach.
"Are these recorded biorhythm patterns for Dr. Stantz?" Dr. Robinson asked as he held the chronicled results between his fingertips.
"Yeah," Winston confirmed sharply. "that's how Ray's heart is supposed to be functioning."
Dr. Robinson noted the date stamp in the bottom corner of the paper. "And this was recorded almost two weeks ago? Very strange."
Egon quickly and easily analyzed Winston's work and now understood why he had brought a trap with him to the hospital. "You may have very well uncovered the mystery of Ray's collapse."
"That's good..." Winston looked over at Ray. "And did we find the cure?"
"Possibly." Egon pointed to the PKE meter on Peter's belt. "I just need to check the current readings and calibrate the trap's output accordingly."
"May I ask what it is you are planning on doing?" Dr. Robinson interjected with a much needed sense of control.
"The growth attached to Ray's heart may not be a growth." Egon explained as he ran the meter over Ray's chest and eyed the display with his keen eyes. "It may in fact be a ghost that is causing Ray's physical ailment."
"A... ghost?" Dr. Robinson sounded completely unconvinced with the diagnosis despite having tremendous respect for the Ghostbusters and all of the research that had made over the years. "How?"
Winston stepped up to explain the situation. "Our last bust, the last one we went out on before Ray got sick, was full of a type of ghost that feeds off of electricity."
Peter gave Winston an approving nod.
"These ghosts need electrical impulses in order to manifest. Any form of electricity will do, but they need a constant supply is order to maintain a physical form. If it's feeding off of Ray it's going to get bigger, stronger and need more electricity to keep itself around."
Egon finished the explanation as he turned off the PKE meter, satisfied that Winston and Peter had solved the mystery. "There is a ghost inside Ray's chest and it is using the naturally occurring electrical impulses that sustain his heart to sustain itself. It has been interfering with the electrical impulses which is the cause of Ray's pain, his collapse, the cardiac arrest and even the seizure."
"Let's say I believe this," Dr. Robinson kept a healthy dose of skepticism in his voice. "and that a ghost is responsible for Dr. Stantz's mysterious collapse, then what is the treatment? You're not going to shoot him with one of your proton streams, are you?"
"Of course not." Peter dismissed as he pointed at the trap in Winston's hands. "We're going to trap the ghost."
"Trap it? Inside Ray?"
"Not quite." Egon walked over to the trap and calibrated the frequency output with a skilled hand. "We're going to trap the ghost through Ray."
"This I have to see." Dr. Robinson was still unconvinced, but seeing as he didn't have any solutions at hand the best he could do was hope that Ghostbusters could provide some sort of aid. "But be warned, if any of your equipment disrupts the hospital equipment you will be escorted off premises and refrained from re-entry."
"Understood." Winston waited for Egon to finish adjusting the trap before he held it just a few centimeters above Ray's chest. Turning it over so the doors of the trap were facing down instead of up, he held the trap in a firm grasp. "And trust me, if there was any other way to help Ray we'd be all over it."
Egon held the trigger release for the trap in his hand and stood beside Ray's bed. Dr. Robinson stood at Egon's left while Peter and Winston stood on the opposite side of the bed shoulder to shoulder.
"When I give the word turn away and don't look into the trap. It could result in intensely painful, if not permanent, eye damage."
"Ready when you are." Peter draped an arm over his eyes.
"Same." Winston turned his head away and shut his eyes tight.
Dr. Robinson nodded as he put a hand over his eyes to shield himself from the light.
Egon shut his eyes and looked away as his hand hovered over the release trigger resting in the palm of his other hand. "One, two... three."
The trap burst open as the trigger was pressed down. The bright white ionized light pooled downward and collected on the center on Ray's chest. The cardiac monitor began to sound off loudly as Ray's heartbeat began to hasten in response to the trap.
A loud gasp of deep breath caught Egon's ear and pressed the release trigger for the second time which slammed the doors of the trap shut.
Dr. Robinson pushed the trap aside as he placed the bell of the stethoscope on Ray's chest and listened.
"Well...?" Peter asked impatiently. "Did it work?"
"He's alive." Dr. Robinson confirmed as draped the stethoscope around his neck and lifted Ray's eyelids. "His heart rate is almost back to normal. His respirations have improved and his color is better."
Ray's gray complexion had transitioned back into a healthier shade of pink. His breathing was no longer shallow and his face wasn't as sullen or lifeless.
"Ray?" Peter shook Ray's shoulder and called his name. "Ray, can you hear me?"
Slowly Ray's eyes fluttered as his head rocked back and forth against his pillow. His hands began to twitch as he finally regained consciousness. "...Peter?"
"Yeah, it's me!" Peter excitedly tightened his grip on Ray's shoulder. "You get a gold star!"
"...I..." He opened his eyes fully and stared at the four faces looking down at him. "Dr. Robinson? What am I doing here? What happened?" He flinched as an aching pain in his chest caught him by surprise. "Why does my chest hurt?"
"You collapsed." Dr. Robinson stated softly. "At first we thought there was a problem with your heart but in the end it turns out the problem was a ghost. But your friends managed to capture it and remove it before it resulted in any truly irreparable damage. Quite an experience to witness a ghost busting firsthand. That's your area of expertise, not mine."
"Is that why my chest hurts?" Ray asked sounding more like himself as he spoke.
"Uh..." Winston awkwardly replied. "That's probably from us, actually."
"You hit me?" Ray asked in a very confused manner as he struggled to piece together the events that had transpired since the bust and his regaining consciousness in the hospital.
"No, we had to... Perform CPR."
"CP...R." Ray's face paled again. "So I was..."
"Yeah."
"But!" Peter's grip tightened again. "Only for a little while, then you got better!"
"Yeah... I guess." Ray still uneasy about the entire situation.
"Egon is the one who saved you." Peter pointed to Egon with an outstretched finger. "If you want to thank anyone for your busted ribs, it's him!"
"Egon?" Ray looked up at his friend appreciatively through heavy eyelids. "Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me."
"Yeah, I know. Friends do that for each other." Ray responded in a somewhat annoyed manner. "But I want to thank you anyway."
Egon nodded in respect. "It was Winston and Peter who identified the cause for your collapse while Dr. Robinson took care of you. They are the ones who saved my life."
"How about I just thank everyone and call it a night?" Ray joked as tried and failed to sit up in his bed.
"Sounds good." Winston agreed. "Except it's morning. You've been out all night."
"Oh, well, that changes things." Ray laughed little before flinching in pain.
Dr. Robinson made a few additional notes to Ray's chart before dismissing himself from the room. "It appears you're well on your way to a full recovery Dr. Stantz. I would like to perform one final examination and you should be cleared to go home by tonight."
"Sounds even better." Peter commented as Dr. Robinson left the room and retracted his hand from Ray's shoulder. "So Ray, how do you feel?"
"Tired and sore."
"I agree with Dr. Robinson." Egon interjected somewhat playfully. "You'll make a full recovery."
"Glad to hear it."
Peter sighed as he stared at Ray's heartbeat on the monitor. "Good thing, too. We'd be nothing without the heart of the Ghostbusters."
-The End