A week later.
Janine had a strange sense of déjà vu as the Ecto-1 came into the firehouse. She looked at the stairs and saw Egon coming down them looking rather uneasy.
"Egon, are you okay?" Janine asked.
"Fine, Janine," Dr. Spengler simply answered. He stopped at the corner of her desk and watched as Ray got out of the driver's side door than went around to the passenger's side and opened the door. The young man helped the young blonde woman out of the car. She looked paler and more tired to Egon than she had in the hospital.
"Hey, Egon. Hi, Janine," Ray greeted as he and Dani approached the desk.
"Hi, Ray," Janine replied. "Hi, Dani." The young woman gave the secretary a small smile. "Feeling better?"
"A bit," Dani answered. "Still kinda sore."
"Perhaps you should lie down," Egon suggested. "Drink some hot tea."
"I'm not a tea person," the young woman responded. "Besides I want to know what your news was. You never did get to tell me." She looked into his eyes searching for some sign. "You almost don't want to tell me."
"Dani, what are you talking about?" Dr. Stantz asked. "Do you know what Egon's going to say?"
"Yes."
"Would you mind cluing us in?" Janine asked. Egon and Dani looked at the other two.
"She's my cousin," Egon informed them. "I wasn't absolutely positive with all the pictures and cards so I called my mother. She confirmed it after a long period of silence. She and her brother broke contact some time after Dani was born. My uncle decided to break every contact even changing the guardian of Dani if for any reason he and his wife should die. Newton became that person and ignored any plea from my mother to take Dani to Ohio." Dr. Spengler looked down at the floor. "It explains why ever year in December my mother would spend the day by herself looking at old pictures. My father and I never asked."
"My birthday is December 13th," Dani told him. "I can only imagine how my aunt felt." She walked up to Egon and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his cousin. "I guess now she'll feel a lot better."
"I suppose so," Egon agreed. There was a moment of unspoken understanding between the two relatives.
"Hey, what's with the somberness down here?" Peter asked as he and Winston came down the stairs interrupting the mood. "I thought I ordered a parade complete with a Ghostbuster float when our girl came back."
"I think we forgot to order it," Winston responded. Dani smiled at the two. Peter gave her a squeeze and she returned.
"Not so tight," Dani said. "Kinda still sore." Dr. Venkman backed off.
"Sorry," Peter apologized.
"Care for another?" Winston inquired. Dani laughed and gave the black man a hug. "I hope you're hungry because I whipped up a big lunch. I wasn't sure what your favorite foods were."
"Right now anything that doesn't taste like cardboard or jiggles," Dani told him.
"If Winston made it it'll actually taste good," Ray said. Dani gave him a look. "We aren't the greatest cooks. Our diets usually consist of pizza and popcorn."
"Well, that's going to change," the young woman said.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" Peter asked with a sly grin. She poked him in the stomach.
"First of all we're going to start exercising," Dani started. "Than change the foods we eat. And clean out a place for me to sleep."
"A place to sleep?" Egon said. Dani gave him a look.
"I love you guys to bits, but you didn't really think I was going to sleep forever upstairs with you guys, did you?" Dr. Spengler thought about it a moment as he adjusted his glasses. "No. I'm girl and we girls have a tendency to hog the bathroom. To like a private place to be herself."
"Sounds like Pete," Zeddemore retorted. His friend gave him a look.
"I guess it isn't too much work," Ray admitted. "We could use the storage room under the stairs."
"I have some very priceless work in there," Egon said. "I'd rather we found some place else for Dani."
"He means it's a mess," Dr. Venkman translated. "I guess I'll help out. On one condition." Dani looked at him.
"What's that?" Dani inquired.
"You seriously consider your choices in men," Peter responded. "I mean Ray's a great guy, but he doesn't know how to satisfy a woman."
"Hey!" Ray exclaimed. "Just because someone finally shows an interest in me doesn't mean you should horn in."
"I'm just saying, Raymond, that you get squeamish when people kiss on television," Dr. Venkman told his friend. "I can only imagine what would happen when your relationship escalates. Are you going to run and hide to keep Dani from slipping you a little tongue?"
"Peter," Dr. Spengler said as he rose. "I would very much like it if you did not speak about my cousin in that way."
"Oh, come on, Spengs. You know you've done it. All those times I've accidentally walked in on you and Janine. The messy hair, askew glasses on both faces, and unbuttoned shirt. You've gone past the tongue." Dani giggled at the expression on her cousin's face.
"Not in front of Dani, Peter," Egon warned.
"Pete, as much as I appreciate your concern I have to tell you that I'm sticking with my original choice," Dani said. She leaned up against Dr. Stantz and the younger Ghostbuster stuck his tongue out at Peter as he wrapped his arm around her 5"7' frame. "You're a bit much for me to handle."
"He's a bit much for anyone to handle," Winston agreed. Peter looked at his friend.
"Will you please take the knife out of my back, Winston? You are doing me no good whatsoever," Dr. Venkman told the man.
Dani smiled to herself as the good-natured jabbing continued between the four men and secretary. She looked up at Ray whose bright eyes twinkled as Peter poked fun at his obsession with Captain Steel. The young woman closed her eyes and for the first time in eighteen years actually felt like a real person. Like part of a family who cared.
"Hey, Dani," Ray said. She opened her eyes and saw him looking down at her with concern in his eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah, Ray, I think I finally am."
"Good. Come on. Let's go eat lunch." THE END
*****
Janine had a strange sense of déjà vu as the Ecto-1 came into the firehouse. She looked at the stairs and saw Egon coming down them looking rather uneasy.
"Egon, are you okay?" Janine asked.
"Fine, Janine," Dr. Spengler simply answered. He stopped at the corner of her desk and watched as Ray got out of the driver's side door than went around to the passenger's side and opened the door. The young man helped the young blonde woman out of the car. She looked paler and more tired to Egon than she had in the hospital.
"Hey, Egon. Hi, Janine," Ray greeted as he and Dani approached the desk.
"Hi, Ray," Janine replied. "Hi, Dani." The young woman gave the secretary a small smile. "Feeling better?"
"A bit," Dani answered. "Still kinda sore."
"Perhaps you should lie down," Egon suggested. "Drink some hot tea."
"I'm not a tea person," the young woman responded. "Besides I want to know what your news was. You never did get to tell me." She looked into his eyes searching for some sign. "You almost don't want to tell me."
"Dani, what are you talking about?" Dr. Stantz asked. "Do you know what Egon's going to say?"
"Yes."
"Would you mind cluing us in?" Janine asked. Egon and Dani looked at the other two.
"She's my cousin," Egon informed them. "I wasn't absolutely positive with all the pictures and cards so I called my mother. She confirmed it after a long period of silence. She and her brother broke contact some time after Dani was born. My uncle decided to break every contact even changing the guardian of Dani if for any reason he and his wife should die. Newton became that person and ignored any plea from my mother to take Dani to Ohio." Dr. Spengler looked down at the floor. "It explains why ever year in December my mother would spend the day by herself looking at old pictures. My father and I never asked."
"My birthday is December 13th," Dani told him. "I can only imagine how my aunt felt." She walked up to Egon and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his cousin. "I guess now she'll feel a lot better."
"I suppose so," Egon agreed. There was a moment of unspoken understanding between the two relatives.
"Hey, what's with the somberness down here?" Peter asked as he and Winston came down the stairs interrupting the mood. "I thought I ordered a parade complete with a Ghostbuster float when our girl came back."
"I think we forgot to order it," Winston responded. Dani smiled at the two. Peter gave her a squeeze and she returned.
"Not so tight," Dani said. "Kinda still sore." Dr. Venkman backed off.
"Sorry," Peter apologized.
"Care for another?" Winston inquired. Dani laughed and gave the black man a hug. "I hope you're hungry because I whipped up a big lunch. I wasn't sure what your favorite foods were."
"Right now anything that doesn't taste like cardboard or jiggles," Dani told him.
"If Winston made it it'll actually taste good," Ray said. Dani gave him a look. "We aren't the greatest cooks. Our diets usually consist of pizza and popcorn."
"Well, that's going to change," the young woman said.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" Peter asked with a sly grin. She poked him in the stomach.
"First of all we're going to start exercising," Dani started. "Than change the foods we eat. And clean out a place for me to sleep."
"A place to sleep?" Egon said. Dani gave him a look.
"I love you guys to bits, but you didn't really think I was going to sleep forever upstairs with you guys, did you?" Dr. Spengler thought about it a moment as he adjusted his glasses. "No. I'm girl and we girls have a tendency to hog the bathroom. To like a private place to be herself."
"Sounds like Pete," Zeddemore retorted. His friend gave him a look.
"I guess it isn't too much work," Ray admitted. "We could use the storage room under the stairs."
"I have some very priceless work in there," Egon said. "I'd rather we found some place else for Dani."
"He means it's a mess," Dr. Venkman translated. "I guess I'll help out. On one condition." Dani looked at him.
"What's that?" Dani inquired.
"You seriously consider your choices in men," Peter responded. "I mean Ray's a great guy, but he doesn't know how to satisfy a woman."
"Hey!" Ray exclaimed. "Just because someone finally shows an interest in me doesn't mean you should horn in."
"I'm just saying, Raymond, that you get squeamish when people kiss on television," Dr. Venkman told his friend. "I can only imagine what would happen when your relationship escalates. Are you going to run and hide to keep Dani from slipping you a little tongue?"
"Peter," Dr. Spengler said as he rose. "I would very much like it if you did not speak about my cousin in that way."
"Oh, come on, Spengs. You know you've done it. All those times I've accidentally walked in on you and Janine. The messy hair, askew glasses on both faces, and unbuttoned shirt. You've gone past the tongue." Dani giggled at the expression on her cousin's face.
"Not in front of Dani, Peter," Egon warned.
"Pete, as much as I appreciate your concern I have to tell you that I'm sticking with my original choice," Dani said. She leaned up against Dr. Stantz and the younger Ghostbuster stuck his tongue out at Peter as he wrapped his arm around her 5"7' frame. "You're a bit much for me to handle."
"He's a bit much for anyone to handle," Winston agreed. Peter looked at his friend.
"Will you please take the knife out of my back, Winston? You are doing me no good whatsoever," Dr. Venkman told the man.
Dani smiled to herself as the good-natured jabbing continued between the four men and secretary. She looked up at Ray whose bright eyes twinkled as Peter poked fun at his obsession with Captain Steel. The young woman closed her eyes and for the first time in eighteen years actually felt like a real person. Like part of a family who cared.
"Hey, Dani," Ray said. She opened her eyes and saw him looking down at her with concern in his eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah, Ray, I think I finally am."
"Good. Come on. Let's go eat lunch." THE END
*****