It had been two years since the battle of times square.
Holtzmann sat at her desk the fall sun pouring through the firehouses windows, setting her golden hair on fire. She was concentrating hard on yet another device to aid in the capturing of ghosts.
Lying on her stomach on a couch nearby was Erin, she was flicking through a new study on a subatomic particle called a neutrino. She was feeling the most relaxed she ever had in her life.
Abby and Patty had both gone away to grab pizza for dinner, and Kevin was quietly humming along to the 80's music blaring from Holtzmann's work station.
So much had changed for the four of them. They had come to trust each other, they were more than friends, they were their own strange little family full of support and care.
Life had settled into a routine. They hunted ghosts, captured them and sent them back to the other plain.
Erin put down the book to look up at Holtzmann and the golden halo she had currently. She couldn't help but smile to herself. Everything was so much better than she had ever hoped.
The phone ringing shocked her out of her staring. She felt flustered, and embarrassed for staring at Holtzmann, so quickly headed over towards Kevin, who was answering the call.
He beamed up at her, distracting himself so he momentarily forgot to pay attention to what the person on the phone was saying.
"Uh, huh, sorry, where is the goat?" He smiled, giving Erin a thumbs up.
She couldn't help but laugh a little at him. He was always trying so hard to do his best.
Patty and Abby walked in laughing, as Kevin put the phone down.
"There is a ghost, in an abandoned building down by East Village." Erin sighed, picking up the note of address Kevin had written. It had taken them along time to get him to write down his phone calls, but it had been worth every frustrated second.
Abby and Patty sighed, the smell of pizza filling the firehouse.
"Why do they always call at dinner time?" Abby grumbled, placing the pizzas on the table.
"Kevin if there is not any pizza left when we come back, I'll end you." Patty said to the receptionist, as the others began to pull on their gear.
"Yes, Boss." Kevin beamed, giving her a wave as she headed off to the others.
"I made a wee surprise for you all." Holtzmann smiled, "Gather round."
Holtzmann placed a small grenade on the table.
"I modified this baby, it will now paralyze any ghost temporarily, so we can pull them into the traaaap! Boom!" she excitedly slightly garbled.
"Great, Dr Jekyll." Patty teased, giving Holtzmann a smile and a light nudge with her elbow.
Holtzmann winked at her.
"Just wait till you see what Hyde came up with." she teased back.
The four of them sped away in the Ecto-1, Holtzmann swerving in and out of the traffic, breaking more than one traffic law. Abby occasionally butting in to tell her to slow down or be careful.
They pulled up at a small building, that was once some kind of store. It had been abandoned with everything still in it, from cash registers to mannequins. Patty couldn't help but smile at seeing them, and remembering the first proper bust they had been on.
Lifting on their proton packs they headed further into the building, and fanned out.
Holtzmann was humming to herself. They had all gotten used to it, once it had unnerved them, but now it was just part of the job.
Abby bent to look at some ecto-plasam on the floor.
"There is definitely something here." she called out to them.
They all jumped as a wailing sound echoed round the room.
Holtzmann was standing up on the second level, she leaned over the railing to call down to the others.
"Sorry, shouldn't have had that cabbage."
"Holtzy" Abby sighed, rolling her eyes.
A scream shocked them all back to seriousness.
"Come out!" Abby shouted, her wand raised.
Holtzmann suddenly let out a yelp, as a ghost rose from the floor on the second floor and pulled her by her ankles.
"Holtzmann!" Patty shouted, bounding up the stairs two at a time, followed quickly by Erin and Abby.
The ghost lifted Holtzmann by her hair, dragging her up over the railing and down to the ground floor.
"Throw the grenade!" Hotlzmann screamed out, as she landed with a thump on the ground.
She struggled to breath as the ghost flew at her again, scratching at her face, her arms were up trying to protect her face. The ghost knocked off her yellow glasses, that skidded away across the floor.
Abby without thinking, tossed the new bomb at the ghost and Holtzmann. The three of them ducked behind the stairs railing, as an explosion rattled the room.
Abby jumped up to see a ghost rising slowly out of Holtzmann's body.
"No.." she heard Erin scream beside her.
Abby quickly pulled the paralyzed ghost that had been tormenting the building into the trap. The other ghost disappeared away through the roof.
Patty was already by Holtzmann's side as Erin and Abby rushed beside her.
"Come on, baby." Patty quietly said, stroking Hotlzmann's face.
Holtzmann's eyes slowly opened.
She let out a gasp, as she looked up at the three ghostbusters above her.
"I'm back." she let out a sob, before once again slipping into unconsciousness.
Patty very carefully lifted her into her arms, and stood up, turning to the others.
"Has she been..." Patty faltered.
"She must have been." Erin replied. "But, for how long?"
"We should have noticed." Abby sniffed, trying to hold back tears. Her whole body was racked with guilt.
"Right now, we need to get her too the hospital." Patty said as calmly as she could manage.
The ride to the hospital was one of the most silent trips they had ever taken.
Patty didn't want to let go of her as the paramedics rushed forward, and pulled her away onto a stretcher.
The three of them watched her be wheeled away, and all of them wanted to burst into tears.
"When could this have happened?" Abby hiccuped through tears.
"I don't know, she's seemed to be her normal, absolutely unnormal self." Patty sighed, flopping into one of the waiting room chairs.
"We just have to wait, it might have only been a short time." Erin mumbled, trying to convince herself as much as the others.
Abby started to head outside as Erin sat down.
"Where are you going?" Erin asked concerned.
"To get some air and call Kevin, he'll be worried." she murmured before disappearing outside.
Patty jumped awake at a doctor calling for friends or family of Jillian Holtzmann. The three of them rushed forward.
"How is she?" Abby blurted out.
"She is doing fine, we are just keeping her in for observation tonight. She has just woken up." She smiled.
"Can we see her?" Erin gasped.
"Dr Holtzmann is still a little dazed, I think it would be best if only one of you went."
Patty and Erin both looked at Abby.
"Are you sure?" Abby asked surprised.
"Yeah, you've known her the longest," Abby smiled.
"Give her our love." Erin quickly added as Abby headed down the corridor with the doctor.
"Here you go," she smiled, "You have five minutes."
Abby steadied herself before heading into the hospital room.
Lying in the bed was Holtzmann, her hair was down and effortlessly curly. She was staring out the window at the New York skyline. Her small frame completely dwarfed by the bed.
"Hi." Abby said gently, as to not startle her.
"Hi." Hotlzmann smiled back.
"How you feeling?" she asked, slightly put off by how normal Holtzmann's voice sounded, too normal.
"I'm fine, thank you, just tired and a little confused."
Abby knitted her eyebrows slightly at her response.
"Well that's good." she replied, trying to sound positive.
"Are you another of my doctors?" Holtzmann suddenly asked, after a moment silence.
Abby felt her stomach drop.
"No, Holtzmann, it's me. Abby."
Holtzmann's face contorted in confusion.
"I'm sorry, I don't...everything just feels so fuzzy, like I've been asleep for years." she said, trying to sort her thoughts.
"What's the last thing that is clear?" Abby gently asked, trying to squash the panic rising within her.
"I...I had just got an acceptance letter from CERN." Holtzmann faltered.
Abby turned away, feeling nauseous. She started to head out of the room, she needed out.
"Why?" Holtzmann cried after her.
"How long ago was that?"
"Abby."
"What's going on?" Abby heard the doctor ask, but she pushed past her.
"Calm down miss." she heard a nurse telling Holtzmann.
Abby rushed to the waiting room, the others needed to see her, they needed to make her remember. Abby couldn't bear the thought of losing one of their own.