Jillian Holtzmann sat dressed on the edge of the hospital bed, looking out across the New York skyline. She could hear the Doctor outside talking to people, she knew it was probably the three women she had spoken to last night.
She felt extremely uncomfortable in the clothes that had been brought for her. An over-sized pair of dungarees and a crop top. She kept absentmindedly pulling down at the green shirt.
Last night had been intense.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Erin asked gently, once everyone had calmed down.
Holtzmann was sitting up in the bed, still tense.
The other three and the doctor stood around the bed.
"I told her. I remember being accepted into CERN. I went to tell someone, and..." Jillian faltered, getting more distressed as she spoke.
"Calm down, it's okay, you are safe here." the doctor smiled, gently taking her hand.
"I...there was a green light or glow, or something." Jillian's hands went to her face as she tried to concentrate.
"I remember snippets, of the past..." Jillian's eyebrows knitted in thought.
"Five years." Erin prompted carefully.
"Yeah, the past five years are like a dream. I can see these small fragments, but it's not me, and the harder I try and concentrate on a memory, the more it fades." Holtzmann garbled, eyes filling with tears, and her voice becoming strained.
Erin turned to look at Abby and Patty, both of those faces were ashen.
Patty gave Jillian a smile, and came over to her.
"Don't worry Holtzy, we are going to look after you."
Hotlzmann smiled back up at her.
"Thank you."
"I think it might be best if you all leave for the now. Let Dr Holtzmann get some rest." the doctor added, opening the door.
"We'll pick you up tomorrow morning, if that is okay with you?" Patty asked, she didn't want to make Holtzmann feel uncomfortable or forced into staying with them.
"Thank you, I'd really appreciate that."
The ghostbusters trailed out of the room, followed by the doctor, who quietly shut the door.
"What is going on?" she whispered in a firm tone, directing the others away from the door and earshot of Holtzmann.
"She's been possessed." Abby said, breaking out of her silence.
The doctor looked at her confused.
"When Rowan attacked the city he possessed me." Abby explained, "What she described that was how it felt, I could see what he was doing, but I couldn't stop it."
The doctor looked around the group, all of whom had their eyes downcast, their expressions grim.
"Five years." Patty muttered, "The poor kid."
"You do know what this means though." The doctor gently asked.
"Yes, it means that the person we knew wasn't really Holtzmann, but a ghost." Erin bitterly replied.
The Ghostbusters had dreaded coming back to that hospital the next morning, carrying some clothes for Holtzmann to change into.
Patty was the first to head into Holtzmann's room after the doctor had given them the low down on her condition, and wished them the best of luck.
"Hi." Patty forced a light tone into her voice, as she entered.
"Hi." Jillian Holtzmann smiled back.
Patty couldn't help but notice that she already looked differently, her normal bun was gone, instead her hair was down in natural curls. Where as the Hotlzmann they had know had always had a sense of mischievousness on her face, this person seemed more nervous and reserved.
"It's a beautiful morning." Patty added, trying not to allow the silence to stagnant into awkwardness.
"Yeah. I had never seen New York, now here I am living in it." she forced a small laugh.
Patty noticed her pulling down at her top.
"I'm sorry about the clothes, they were all we had to bring you."
"It's okay, I can find new clothes." she smiled back.
She glanced nervously at the door.
"Does she hate me?"
"Who?" Patty asked shocked.
"The women in the glasses?"
"Abby? No! She just," Patty falters, "She feels guilty for not protecting you."
"From what? Why has no one explained what happened to me yet?" Jillian asked her voice rising.
"Morning." Erin interrupted walking into the room followed by Abby.
"Ready to go?" she smiled.
The car journey back to the fire station was anguishing for all of them. Erin and Patty tried to make small talk, Abby sat in silence and Jillian gave short polite answers. It was nothing like the car rides they had all grown so used to.
Jillian gasped at the fire station as they entered.
"Home sweet home." Erin jingled, seeing her reaction.
"Boss!" Kevin cried out, making everyone jump.
He rushed forward, lifting Holtzmann into a hug, that she did not reciprocate.
"Hi..." she nervously replied, as he put her down.
"Glad to see you are okay boss." he beamed, reminding her of a Labrador.
"Kevin, come with me a second." Patty said, heading away.
Kevin gave a slight pout, then followed.
Jillian watched him go a look of confusion and concern across her face.
"Who's he?" she asked, still watching him.
"Our receptionist, Kevin." Erin forced a smile.
"And what do we do...?" Jillian asked turning back to Abby and Erin.
"I think, we should probably all sit down and talk about that, actually." Abby sighed, startling both Erin and Jillian.
"Okay, thanks." Jillian gave Abby a warm smile.
"Do you mind if I change first though?"
"Of course, I'll get you some clothes of mine." Erin quickly replied, and rushed away upstairs.
She couldn't displace how strange it was seeing Holtzmann uncomfortable in her clothes. As she sorted through the wardrobe of spare clothes it felt so wrong selecting her jeans and plain t-shirts, boring, normal clothes.
Abby and Patty cleared a table as Jillian got dressed and Erin prepared some coffee for the group.
"This is going to be tough." Patty sighed, flopping down into a chair.
"We just have to be honest with her." Erin sighed, trying to stay positive.
"I mean, we just need to be here for her." Erin continued falling back into a chair.
"But she isn't her." Abby quietly said.
"We still have to look out for her." Erin angrily retorted.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't, I'm just saying we don't know her, at all." Abby retorted.
"Hi, guys." Jillian appeared in the doorway.
She was wearing a pair of dark denim, and a white T-Shirt, her hair was still down. Patty also couldn't help but noticing she was wearing some light make-up.
"Hi," Abby blushed, turning away quickly.
Jillian delicately sat down.
"How are you feeling, Holtzmann?" Erin asked, trying to act normal, even though Jillian acting normal, was very strange.
"Okay, actually." she smiled, "Why do you all call me Holtzmann?"
Patty blushed.
"It's what you, always asked us to call you." Patty murmured.
"I prefer Jillian, if that's okay?" Jillian cautiously asked.
"Of course." Erin rapidly replied.
Abby carefully sat down in a chair opposite Jillian.
"Would you like a coffee?" Erin smiled.
"No, thank you, I just want to get started." Jillian sharply responded.
"We'll then I suppose we should start at the beginning. Abby," Patty chimed in.
Abby sat forward, eyes focused on the table not Jillian.
"We met four and a half years ago. We started talking, you were out of work, so came to work at the Kenneth Institute to study the paranormal."
Jillian raised her eyebrows at Abby but remained silent.
"I came to see you and Abby about 2 years ago, as a man had come to me about a haunted house. We started going out to try and capture ghosts." Erin added.
"And that's how you met me." Patty smiled, "I worked on the MTA, and some creepy dude, released a ghost of a prisoner down on the tracks. You guys came to get ride of it, and I started helping you."
"Then there was a sort of ghost apocalypse cause of this guy Rowan, and we saved New York." Erin grinned.
"The government now funds us to capture and study ghosts." Abby sighed.
Jillian looked around all of them in confusion.
"I...I don't believe in ghosts, and none of this explains why I don't remember anything of the past five years."
"We think..." Erin begin but faltered.
"Honey, we know that..." Patty also began.
There was an awkward silence, filled with tension.
"By the time I had met you, you had already been possessed by a ghost. That's why you don't remember, cause it hasn't been you." Abby lamented.
Jillian nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, and slowly stood up.
"I need a moment." she murmured.
"Of course." Erin whispered.
Jillian quickly walked away up the stairs.
Patty let out a sigh.
"Now what?"
"That's all up to her. We just have to support her decision no matter what." Abby sighed, taking a long gulp of coffee.