Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I just wanted to remind you that I'm always eager for some feedback on my writing, and I appreciate you keeping up with me! Let me know if you have any questions or something sounds a little confusing. Enjoy! :D
Ray awoke in the middle of the night to a cry coming from the room next to him. Confused and still groggy with sleep, he switched on his bedside lamp and hurried out into the hallway. He quietly walked over to the small guest bedroom, finding the door halfway open.
After Meredith and Nikki had left New York, Ray had moved into a smaller apartment closer to the university. When his job there had fallen through a few years later and the Ghostbusters had started up, he had nearly thought about moving full time into the firehouse. But Peter and Egon had talked him out of it, saying that Ray would eventually need somewhere to run off to when work got to be too stressful. Ray had agreed and on many occasions, he was glad to have the silence of his apartment to come home to. On this night however, with his daughter back and staying with him for a few weeks, every noise made him worry.
"Nicole?" He asked, his voice soft. As he approached the door, the lamp next to her bed was switched on. Ray paused at the door for a moment and then when he didn't hear her answer, he knocked on the doorframe quietly.
When he peeked into the room, the first thing that he noticed was that Hal was crouched near the wall away from the bed. His fur was fluffed up to twice his size and his eyes were wide as he stared at Nikki. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, the blankets a tangled bunch at the foot of her bed. She had her right hand pressed against her forehead, her face pale and beaded with sweat. When she noticed that Ray was standing in the doorway, she glanced up hurriedly.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to wake you up…" She apologized, brushing her tangled hair back behind her ears nervously. Ray stepped hesitantly into her room and looked around it, empty except for the two open suitcases on the floor.
"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly, sitting on the end of her bed. She nodded quickly and offered him a sleepy smile.
"Just a nightmare. I guess being somewhere I'm not familiar with caused it." She said nonchalantly. Ray blinked and his gaze moved down to the ghost story book sitting on her nightstand. He gave her an amused smirk.
"You sure it's not because of what you've been reading?" He suggested. Nikki glanced down at the book and her mouth twitched into a small smile.
"No…you know I've been reading ghost stories ever since I was little. They have no effect on me anymore." She said, staring down at her knees which she clutched tighter to herself.
"Well…if you're sure that you're okay…" Ray studied the girl's weary, apologetic gaze and gently moved to stand up. She stiffly lowered her feet to the floor next to the bed as her father once more crossed the room.
"I promise it won't happen again." She said as she got up and began straightening out her covers. Ray stood next to the door and watched her quick, nervous movements as she re-made her bed. Something had really startled her, but Ray realized that she clearly wasn't going to tell him anything. Rather than push her too much on her first night's stay with him, he decided to give in to his exhaustion.
"Alright then…goodnight." He murmured as he shuffled out of the room. As soon as he'd gone and Nikki had finished fluffing her pillows, she gently sat on the side of her bed and stared after him sadly. Hal jumped up and sat next to her, leaning into her lap. She hesitantly raised her hand and stroked his dark ears.
"Hal…what am I going to tell him?" She whispered. The cat purred lazily against her leg and blinked up at her questioningly. "What if he thinks I'm crazy like Mom does? I'm just…"
Nikki glanced down at Hal, who had been through the many times she had locked herself in her room to avoid the critical stares her mother had given her. Meredith had always been so sure that Ray had been a bad influence on Nikki, so when they had moved, and Nikki had continued to ask about her father night after night, she had broken down and told Nikki that he had left them. Nikki had taken the news as badly as her father had feared…nightmares and fits of crying had tormented the small girl for weeks on, even once she had started school.
Then suddenly one day her hysterics had stopped. Nikki had come to terms with her parents' separation, or that's how Meredith had taken it. In reality, Nikki had resorted to writing to Ray, asking him for the truth, because she knew that he would never have left her. But in Ray's return letters, he never mentioned the divorce, he only asked how school was going and if she had seen any of her 'ghost friends' lately. Each letter she wrote to him after that would contain a story of at least one new ghost sighting, whether it be at school or the grocery store or even at home in the immense backyard of her new house. Unknown to Nikki at the time, Meredith had eventually started to intercept the letters that Ray sent to his daughter.
Nikki was brought back to the present by Hal pawing her leg. She gasped as she unhooked his claw from her pajamas and rubbed his ears.
"I'm just afraid, Hal…" She whispered as she slowly crawled back under the covers. The cat stretched and then curled up at the foot of her bed. Nikki switched off the lamp next to her and stared up at the dark ceiling for a long time before sleep finally returned to her.
The next morning found Nikki and Ray sitting together over breakfast at a local diner a few blocks down from the Ghostbusters firehouse. The meal had been relatively quiet, with neither of the two saying much to the other.
Nikki was working her way through a plate of pancakes and bacon, every now and then commenting on the people who flashed her father admiring glances.
"They…really look up to you, Dad." She said quietly after one couple had walked by with a small toddler who had pointed up at Ray and squealed. Ray chuckled over his coffee as he watched them walk out of the diner and then shrugged at his daughter.
"It wasn't always like this. I remember a time when no one did." He said softly. Nikki lowered her gaze back down to her half-finished plate, noticing the sharp undertone his voice had.
"I looked up to you." She blurted out, nibbling at a piece of bacon and avoiding his gaze when he looked at her over his coffee cup. He studied her for a moment before quietly setting the cup down on the table.
"I know you did." He said gently as he went back to his breakfast. She stared up at him carefully, waiting for him to say more. After a few seconds she settled back against the seat in the booth she shared with him, looking out the window at the already busy streets with people hurriedly passing by.
"I wanted to…just explain about the nightmare I had last night…" She said, breaking the silence. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt her face grow hot. She fumbled for words for a few seconds, picking at her breakfast once more with her fork nervously.
"That's not necessary, Nikki…" Ray said, noticing her discomfort. She raised her dark colored eyes up to him warily. "I know that what happened between your mother and I hurt you pretty badly. You don't need to explain anything."
Nikki set her fork on the napkin beside her plate and smiled at the table sadly.
"Okay." She said softly. Ray glanced up as the waitress came by the table to refill their coffee.
"I didn't get to talk to you for very long yesterday. How was your trip up here?" Ray asked as he nodded thanks at the waitress.
"It was fine. Being it was my first flight alone, it was a little scary but I got through it in one piece." Nikki said lightheartedly. Ray smiled.
"That's good. You'll be able to breeze through it with no problem next time." He said. Nikki shrugged and laughed.
"Yeah, probably." She said as she poured some more syrup over her pancakes. Ray glanced out the window briefly before looking back at her.
"So, we're supposed to go across town to check out a…uh, haunted warehouse…" He started as the waitress dropped off the check and walked off. Nikki nodded slowly, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yeah, I heard you last night." She said. Ray paused and then sighed.
"Would you…"
"I'll be fine on my own for today, Dad. I'm not a kid anymore." She said reassuringly. Ray studied Nikki as she went back to her breakfast.
"I know you're not." He said simply as he glanced down at his watch before taking a sip of his coffee. Nikki picked up her half-finished piece of bacon and nibbled at it again.
"I was thinking I could do some shopping while I'm up here. Know any good places I should stop at?" She asked. Ray nearly choked on his coffee at the sudden change of subject. Nikki's eyes widened slightly and she ducked her head back down apologetically.
"Um…no actually. I'm sure Janine would know a few places though, if you'd like to ask her." He said, as he cleared his throat and gently set the cup back down on the table. Nikki smirked and nodded.
"Alright, I'll do that then." She said.
She glanced up at Ray who was once more looking at his wrist nervously. She noticed his empty plate in front of him and she suddenly felt her face flush.
"Oh…I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in a hurry. I'm ready to go if you are." She said, quickly gathering her purse and sliding towards the end of the booth. Ray shook his head and waved for her to sit back down.
"No, you're fine. Egon's just always in a hurry to get things done. I told him that we were having breakfast, it should be fine-"
"I don't want to keep you from your work. I know it's important." Nikki reassured him. Ray paused and glanced out the window.
"We'll do something together as soon as we get back." Ray promised as he grabbed the check and headed for the cashier. Nikki nodded knowingly and followed him, waiting patiently as he paid for their breakfasts. When he turned around to walk out of the diner, an elderly couple sitting in the booth next to the door stopped them.
"Dr. Stantz…is this your daughter?" The woman asked, smiling sweetly at Nikki. Ray nodded and wrapped an arm around Nikki's shoulders.
"Yeah, this is my Nikki. She's here visiting with me for a little while." He said. The woman raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Oh, she looks just like you! Is he teaching you to take his place?" She asked, gently elbowing Nikki's side. Nikki opened her mouth and looked to Ray who was laughing quietly.
"Um…I don't know about that…" Nikki said slowly, feeling her face drain of all color.
"No, she's just here for some quality time with her Dad…" Ray said, scratching the back of his head nervously. He patted Nikki on the shoulder and nodded at the elderly couple who chuckled.
When they had exited the diner, Ray paused on the sidewalk outside and faced Nikki apologetically. He glanced at his watch once more and Nikki placed her hand on his wrist knowingly.
"I'll be fine, Dad. Go." She said softly. Ray shrugged and looked down the street towards where the Ghostbusters' building towered on the corner.
"You're sure? Now that I said that thing about 'quality time with Dad' I feel kinda bad leaving you like this." He said. Nikki rolled her eyes.
"You can tell me all about your ghost adventure later when you get back…that can count as quality time with Dad. Until then, I'll do a little shopping and browsing to pass the time." She reassured him once more. Ray nodded and put his hands into his coat pockets.
"Right. Do you uh…need any money or anything?" He asked. Nikki shook her head.
"No…my part-time job at the bookstore back home has left me with some spending money, don't worry about that." She smiled.
"Okay," Ray said with a sigh, looking once more up at the building down the street. "We'll try to be back by lunch, or maybe an hour or two later. If you need anything, Janine's at the firehouse."
"Alright, thanks Dad. See you later." Nikki said. She gave him a quick hug and then turned and headed down the street towards a string of stores to begin her investigation of the city. Ray watched her worriedly for a few seconds before spinning around and trekking towards the firehouse.
