With the nurses' strength combined, they finally managed to subdue the table monster that was chasing Ace around the cafeteria and Beetlejuice humbly switched it back to normal. With a click of his fingers, the lunch hall was fully repaired and looked as good as new. No one thanked him. He didn't expect them to. He cleared his throat, and held his hands up in the air.

"I'm sorry, guys. I... I went a bit old school on you there, huh? Uh... I guess I messed up. My bad." And, with a wheezing, half-hearted chuckle, he was gone. This put everyone on edge again, but more worried for him now, than worried because of him. Beetlejuice wasn't the apologetic type. But those who knew him could see, in his dull, unfocused gaze, and the way he bit his lip, exactly why he apologised. Lydia was mad at him, madder than she'd ever been before. He may have been the Ghost with The Most, but all it took was for Lydia to roll her eyes, and he'd be instantly powerless. Such was his desire to see her happy. They'd argued, sure, and fallen out, but this was bad. No childish "I won't speak to you until you apologise", or "I can't believe you, this is so unfair". She had, in a quiet, tear-choked whisper, told him that she couldn't even look at him. That would have been enough to break his heart.

Of course, there was little sympathy for the ghost, at first. He was treated with the same indifference as Gaston, although both were now far less trusted. Lydia refused to speak to him, and would only give Yakko curt responses, even after he'd apologised. She spent more and more time talking to doctors and nurses, and less time on the ward. Without Lydia to say his name, Beetlejuice couldn't go back to the Roadhouse, and so he had no option but to stay and deal with the consequences of his actions. Which he did. With slumped shoulders, a glum frown, and the look of a man who had lost his only friend in the world, he went along with the Nurses' punishments and reprimands, with no resistance. After he had been made to clean up, and apologise to everyone involved in the incident, without so much as a smart quip or backhanded compliment, the nurses began to worry. He didn't sleep that night, instead sitting in the TV room, against the wall, staring at the floor. The toons avoided him, at first, thinking it was some ploy or trick. But he barely moved at all. When he did, it was only to report to his counselling sessions. He was a toon, he had less need for food or hygiene than a human, and so he sat in his spot, staring at the floor, only looking up on the rare occasions Lydia walked by. She walked too fast to hear his apologies.

Dot was the first to break his self-inflicted exile. It was three days since he had first sat in his spot, and everyone was starting to get worried. There were whispers and rumours flying around the ward; if Beej wasn't careful, the Nurses might have to send him to the psych ward. A violent outburst followed by severe anti-social behaviour is not the best way to prove you're healthy and recuperated, after all.

"Poor guy." Yakko sighed, setting aside his newspaper. "Maybe he wants to get bumped."

"No one wants to get bumped." Wakko shook his head.

"He's certainly acting like he has nothing left to live for." Yakko stared over at Beetlejuice's hunched form. "Poor guy."

Dot merely frowned. "That's it? Just "poor guy" and then back to your newspaper?" She glared, hopping down from the couch. "We can't just let him waste away, we have to do something."

"Like what?" Wakko continued to stare at Beetlejuice. "He won't talk to anyone, he won't move."

Dot opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it. She walked over to him, standing a foot or so away, just looking at him. He didn't acknowledge her presence. She stood next to him, leaning against the wall. He didn't move. She sat down on the floor, resting her head against his arm. He tensed, momentarily, before relaxing, and sighing. He was still hunched and crumpled, but she could tell he was glad of the company.

"You shouldn't sit there." He whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. "People'll think you're a sympathiser."

"I am." Dot whispered back, resting her hand on his arm. "We're worried about you, Beej."

She continued to sit next to him for the rest of the day, moving only to get food and water, all of which she took back with her, offering to share with him. He didn't move, let alone speak, so she continued to eat and drink, not speaking unless it was necessary. Her brothers watched from the couch. It was nothing new, but it still amazed them that she could do this. Maybe it was a girl thing. Maybe it was some power of empathy. Maybe it was her innate cuteness, but Dot could somehow assess every facet of someone's personality, and know exactly how to make or break them. It was like a subversive superpower, which Yakko and Wakko couldn't help but marvel at.

So she sat there, politely waving away anyone who asked if she wanted anything, even her own brothers when they suggested she got some sleep. Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow at her, but otherwise didn't move. After a while, the nurses suggested she went to bed, but she smiled and said she was fine, thank you very much, and she hoped they had a pleasant evening. Beetlejuice watched her out of the corner of his eye, not sure that she should stay up so late. She knew he was looking at her, but didn't say anything. She just rested her head against his arm. Eventually, she couldn't stay awake any longer, and when Beetlejuice next glanced down at her, she had fallen asleep. Beetlejuice gently pulled his arm free of her grip, and pointed at her, levitating her over to the couch, and resting the throw over her like a blanket.

"Thanks, toots." He whispered, before resuming his hunched pose.

The next morning, Yakko came out to the TV room, and saw Dot sleeping on the couch. He raised an eyebrow at Beetlejuice, who was still staring at the floor. Wordlessly, Yakko walked over and carefully lifted his sister up, carrying her through to her room. When he returned, Beetlejuice hadn't moved.

"She cares about you, Beej." Yakko spoke from the doorway, hoping the toon would at least look up. "We all do. You can pretend you're some big bad poltergeist, but we all know, deep down, you care."

Beetlejuice said nothing, but one of his fingers twitched. Yakko sighed, sitting down on the couch, and picking up today's newspaper.

"Happy Wednesday, Beej."

At nine, every Wednesday, Yakko and his siblings went to breakfast in the lunch hall. On this day, however, Dot was still catching up on sleep, so Yakko and Wakko went alone.

At ten, the movie adaptations were called for group therapy. It took ten minutes for Beetlejuice to drag himself to his feet, before he slowly floated down the corridor, arms drooping by his side. Dot remained seated.

Ten thirty came and went, and instead of its' usual explosive disbanding, group therapy continued. At the end of the session, at eleven, Ace and The Mask left the room, eyes wide and shoulders tense. The other movie adaptations filtered out. Beetlejuice was not with them.

"Guys?" Dot, sensing something was wrong, ran over to them. "Where's BJ?"

"He... uh... He's talking to the doctors." Ace blinked, biting his lip.

"Oh no..." Dot gasped.

"They're not bumping him or anything..." Ace hurried, holding his hands up. "Well, not yet."

"It's about Lydia." The Mask sighed, looking oddly solemn. "She left."

"What do you mean she left?" Yakko blurted out, perhaps slightly louder than he should have, as everyone in the room gasped and turned to look at them.

"Without saying goodbye?" Wakko blinked. He stared down at the floor and began blinking more rapidly, his hands balling into fists. Yakko, seeing the warning signs, rested his hands on his brother's shoulders, soothing him.

"Is she coming back any time soon?"

"They didn't say." The Mask shrugged. "They just told us she'd left the home."

"Poor Beej..." Dot gasped, tugging at Yakko's arm and pointing as Beetlejuice walked into the TV room, his eyes wide and brow furrowed. Dot approached him warily.

"Beej?"

"I... Lydia..."

"We heard." Yakko chipped in, giving him a weak smile. "It'll be ok, Beej."

"But... Lyds has always been there. We were drawn for each other. I... even when she was mad before, she was still there... I... I don't know what to do..."

"Aw, come on!" Dot smiled. "You're the ghost with the most! You can take care of yourself, right?"

"Huh... Yeah, yeah..." Beej walked back over to his spot against the wall, standing and leaning his forehead against it. "I can do pretty much anything I want. It's my thing. But... I dunno, if Lydia's gone, it just seems... you know?" He looked around the room, noting that everyone was staring at him like he was about to explode. He sighed. "Forget it." He mumbled, fading into the air. He couldn't go back to the Neitherworld. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to make himself invisible. So he did.