Author Notes: Thanks to SapphireMind for agreeing to put up with my quirky sense of humour long enough to make sure the medical aspects and crazy Americanisms sounded legit and for beta-ing other parts of this story too. :)

Chapter 7: Cracking At The Seams

"Watch a man in times of... adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn from the depths of his heart, and the mask is torn off." -- Lucretius, 'On the Nature of Things.'

Winston paused in the middle of the page and blinked. For a moment, he didn't move, then he back-pedalled a page. Eyes scanning the text he frowned and began flicking through several pages. With an exasperated sigh, he tossed the novel down on the couch and rose, stretching his cramped muscles restlessly.

He turned around to find Ray watching him sympathetically from over the top of the Tobin Spirit Guide.

"Gotta be the first time I've never paid attention to the plot of a whodunit," Winston sighed wearily.

"It's almost time to go to the hospital anyway," the engineer replied, putting down the book he had been pretending to read.

"Good. It's about time," Winston said flatly, eyes turning to the clock as if to confirm what Ray had just said.

The first thing the Ghostbusters had done after getting out of the garden had been to drive to the hospital as fast as possible. There had been a very tense moment with the press, who had witnessed them carry both Peter and Janine out of the building and tried to question them. But one terse statement from Egon warning them to get out of the way had made them back off. Struggling with Peter behind him, Ray and Winston hadn't seen the physicist's face but they had heard the unusual edge to his voice and it had worried them. It must have startled the press as well because they refrained from asking any more questions.

Once into Ecto-1, Ray had driven with all speed to the hospital, where Peter and Janine had been treated for hypothermia and shock. Peter had been in a worse condition than Janine and it had taken him several hours to come round. Although lucid, he had clamed up quickly when asked if he remembered what had happened and either changed the subject or lapsed into a light doze that effectively ended all conversation.

Janine had said nothing at all.

Egon had been taken away to get his injured hand checked out and his dressing changed. Upon returning, the three had been told to go home and not return until Peter and Janine were ready to be discharged. Apparently, the doctors were satisfied that Janine would be out of danger after 24 hours but hadn't quite made up their minds how long to keep her in for. Peter would be able to go home after a 48-hour monitoring period as long as he rested.

There wasn't really much chance of that. The news reports were completely focused on the drama unfolding at the botanical gardens and the latest revelation that two of the Ghostbusters had been rushed to hospital in a serious condition after their confrontation only seemed to emphasise the enormity of the crisis. It was only a matter of time before the Ghostbusters would have to confront it again, it wasn't going to stay in the gardens forever. They knew that. The doctors knew that. In fact, everyone knew it.

With little else to do, Ray and Winston had put their heads together and began working on ways to defeat the wind shield Humbaba had erected and find a way to take him out before he became mobile. Ray also began trying to work out a calculation to estimate how long they had before Humbaba became fully awake. They had tidied the rec room, cleaned the kitchen, did the laundry, double-checked Ecto-1 and the Containment Unit. In fact, they had done everything except talk about what they had seen in the garden and neither of them had actively tried to sleep.

What Egon had done in this time was a mystery to them. After his sharp retort to the press outside the gardens, he had said nothing more, not even to Janine and Peter when the Ghostbusters had been allowed to visit them. Initially, the pair had tried to approach him but every time they did, the physicist's pale blue eyes would become shards of winter ice and he would turn away. They didn't understand what was wrong but they did get the message that now was not the time to push him.

"Let's go," Winston sighed, hating the silence. "They won't care if we're a bit early, they'll just tell us to wait. That's all we'd be doing here."

Ray nodded in agreement but Winston was already moving towards the lab where Egon had holed himself up away from them. "You in there, buddy?" he asked, poking his head around the door to peer inside.

Egon was sat the computer, scrolling through some text with his good hand. He didn't respond to his friend's question but Winston's observant gaze noticed the broad shoulders stiffen.

"We're going to pick up Peter and Janine," he added. "You coming?"

For a moment, he honestly thought Egon would decline then the physicist rose and switched off the computer. He nodded once to Winston and quietly made his way down to Ecto-1 and Ray.

"Wiiiinston!" There was a sticky pop as Slimer dropped through the ceiling and floated to a stop in front of the mechanic's face, his huge orange eyes as large as saucers with need.

Winston studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "Slimer, you've got to promise me you won't slime Peter or Janine when you see them. They're not very well. Do you understand?"

Slimer nodded emphatically. "Slimer understand," he confirmed solemnly. "See Peter better."

Winston smiled wearily. "Okay, Slimer. Come on."

The drive to the hospital was silent. Not even Slimer made a sound. He had been extremely quiet since the three Ghostbusters had returned alone. Obviously upset by the fact there had been injuries, he was also frightened by the strange, unfriendly behaviour the others were displaying and had decided to avoid them. He had even stayed away from the refrigerator.

Winston sighed. He was no psychiatrist but he had been through his own share of therapy after Vietnam and could recognise the warning signs of emotional trauma. He knew Ray was hoping everything would return to some semblance of normality when Peter and Janine returned home but he suspected the opposite would be the case. He glanced at Egon, wondering what was up with the physicist. As far as he knew, Egon had not had time to assimilate the fate of the six dead people in the same way the others had. He had either been outside the garden or reacting under the influence of adrenaline. At first, Winston had believed that Egon had dived into the garden to protect the fallen Janine and the mechanic had to admit the effort the physicist had made to reach her in time had been damn impressive. But when the last ghost had been trapped, Winston had managed to get a good look at Egon's face. The depth of the rage in those blue eyes had shocked him, as much because he didn't understand the trigger as because he had never before seen such dangerous passion in that particular gaze.

It was a relief when they finally arrived at the hospital and could direct their attention away from their internal thoughts and towards the staff instead.

"Ghostbusters for Doctor Peter Venkman and Miss Janine Melnitz," Winston announced quietly to a nurse. She nodded and quickly passed the message on, guiding them to the waiting room. Winston sighed as they took seats but it was only a few minutes before the doctor arrived to talk to them.

"The hypothermia wasn't as severe as we initially thought but it was bad enough," the doctor told them as he walked them to Peter's room. "He's not allowed to exercise or drink any alcohol or caffeine. Keep him on warm, sweet drinks and don't let him go anywhere cold for a while." He gave the three Ghostbusters a stern look then blinked and stared at Slimer. "What's that?" he demanded.

"Slimer." Ray said. He turned to the ghost. "Slimer, this is very important. Did you understand the doctor?"

Slimer nodded. "Peter stay warm."

"Yes, Slimer. Do you remember what Egon and I told you about how cold you are when you slime us?"

Slimer glanced nervously at the grim-faced Egon then turned back to Ray. "Slimer remember."

"Good. Because you aren't allowed to touch Peter or Janine, okay Slimer?"

Slimer nodded dubiously.

"Slimer? This is very important. If you touch them, you could hurt them. You don't want them to be hurt, do you?"

"Nooooo!" The little ghost twisted his hands in distress, green slime dripping slowly to the floor. "Slimer won't hurt Peter and Janine!"

Ray smiled. "I know you won't, Spud. But remember: we'll tell you when it's okay to touch them again, okay?"

Slimer nodded, looking subdued. Even if he didn't fully understand why it was bad, he could feel how serious Ray was.

Ray turned back to the doctor, who was still staring at the ghost.

"That's a... a..."

"Yes." Winston said firmly.

"Oh," the doctor stared for a few more moments then seemed to pull himself together. "Alright. If you've understood that, you can go take him home," he began to move off, eyes still on the ghost.

There was a pause. "Um, Doc. What about Janine?" Ray asked.

The doctor paused. "Ms Melnitz?" At their nods, his eyebrows rose. "She was discharged after 24 hours," he said abruptly.

Winston and Ray gazed at each other, stunned. Janine hadn't called them to say she had been discharged? That wasn't like her at all. They both turned quickly to Egon, intent on asking him if she had phoned at all, but he looked as off-balance as they felt.

"Did anyone come to collect Miss Melnitz?" Apparently, the physicist was shocked enough to break his two-day silence.

The doctor considered that for a moment. "I believe she called her family to collect her."

Winston was the first to regain his composure. "Alright, let's get Peter home, then we track down Janine. Okay, Egon?"

Egon's eyes narrowed slightly. He was no paramedic but he was surprised to hear Janine had left the hospital early. He, like all of them, had been under the impression she would be kept under observation for the same length of time as Peter. Either the doctors had changed their minds or... His jaw tightened. He didn't want to contemplate the alternative. The alternative made his currently unpredictable mood even more volatile. "Yes," he said flatly and turned to enter Peter's room.

Peter was sat on the edge of his bed, swaddled in warm clothing. His dark green eyes peered out from under a rather tasteless woolly hat with obvious irritation. "I am not walking out of here looking like a fashion statement for Lumberjacks Anonymous," he was complaining as they entered. "No way, no how!"

The nurse in front of him was looking serious. The one behind him was grinning broadly. "Doctor Venkman, this is for your own good. You have to maintain your core..."

"Yeah, yeah. But come on - do I have to sacrifice the hair?!"

"It's alright, Peter!" Ray said, sympathetically rescuing the beleaguered nurse. "You don't have to walk out of here looking like that."

"Thank God!" Peter threw up his hands.

"Yeah, you'll be wheeled out!" Winston caught on with a grin, gesturing to the wheelchair beside the frustrated nurse.

Peter glared at him.

"No exercise, Peter," Ray said with an encouraging smile. "Just think. We'll have to wait on you hand and foot..."

"Your every whim catered for..."

"And Slimer's even promised not to slime you!"

"Yeah!" Slimer agreed quickly.

Peter eyed the three of them suspiciously then sighed. "Alright, alright. But there better not be any press outside. No-one's going to be writing headlines about this fashion disaster!"

"Absolutely," Ray agreed with a smile. "Come on, Peter, let's get you home."

The nurses rather gratefully gave up care of the irascible psychologist to his friends. Winston chuckled as he spotted their relieved looks as they drove away but his humour had faded quickly as his attention returned to the interior of the car. They were silent all the way home and as they settled Peter comfortably in the rec room.

"Okay, remote, sweet drinks. Food. Blankets. Pillows. Magazines. Anything we forgot?" Ray asked cheerfully, fussing around Peter like a mother hen.

"Yep," Peter said blandly. He waited for Ray to look up enquiringly and then pointed at his fellow Ghostbusters. "You. Sit. I want company. That's all of you, Egon!" He raised his voice and let it carry to the corridor, where he knew the physicist was lurking.

There was an audible sigh and Egon joined them. The psychologist gave them all a long stare. "Alright, who wants to tell Papa Venkman all about it?"

He watched in silence as the three grown men squirmed like naughty school children. Ray sighed and straightened. "Egon, did you phone Janine's parents?"

"Yes." Egon said and the engineer winced at the flat tone. "Her parents picked her up from hospital and dropped her off home yesterday."

Winston frowned. "So she's not staying with her parents?"

"Apparently not."

"Did you phone her apartment?"

"Yes. No answer." Egon's voice was as icy as they had ever heard it.

Peter studied them thoughtfully. "Did Janine get... hit like I did?" he asked, oddly hesitant.

Ray returned his gaze and nodded. "Not as badly though. They let her out after 24 hours but she didn't call us. We don't know why."

"I think why is obvious." If it was possible, the temperature in Egon's voice had dropped even further.

They all stared at him, a little nervous of his obviously deteriorating mood. "Why?" Ray asked cautiously.

Cold blue eyes pinned him. "She left against medical advice."

"Why would Janine do that, Egon? She's an intelligent woman..." he trailed off and leaned forward sharply, worried, as Peter's eyes glazed over strangely. "Peter? You okay?"

The psychologist's gaze snapped back into focus. "Egon, go find her," he said sharply.

The three of them stared at him. "Peter? What's wrong?" Winston asked uneasily.

The psychologist took a deep breath. "I... I didn't want to say..." he stopped and his gaze defocused slightly. "Look," he said urgently. "I'll explain later. Just go and get her. Now. And make her pack a bag. She's staying at the firehouse until this mess is over," he glared at Egon's suspicious expression. "And don't take no for an answer, Egon. If you've got to drag her here in chains, then do it!"

Egon's eyebrows rose then he stood up abruptly and walked out of the room. "Wait!" Winston rose. "Ray, fill Peter in on what he's missed. I'll drive Egon. His hand is still shot," he raced after the physicist.

The edge to Peter's voice had upset Winston. The psychologist had sounded frightened by the idea that Janine wasn't at the firehouse and his refusal to explain until after they had found Janine gave wings to that fear. Enough for him to activate the sirens and blaze through the streets like they were chasing a ghost instead of an errant secretary who had decided not to tell them where she was.

Egon didn't object.

"We start with her apartment," was all the physicist had said when Winston had dived into the driver's seat. Apparently, he wasn't objecting to the company either. The mechanic sighed and hoped Peter would have some ideas on how to handle Egon's strange mood.

When they finally arrived at Janine's apartment, there was no answer to their repeated knocks and calls. Winston turned to Egon. "I guess she's not here," he sighed. "Where next?"

Egon pulled a P.K.E. meter out of his pocket and activated it, pointing it at the door. His mouth settled into a thin, hard line and he stepped up to the door. "Janine? It's Egon. I know you're in there. I have a P.K.E. meter calibrated to your biorhythms. You have one minute to let us in or I will break your door down with the fire axe that is situated 6 feet away from it. The cost of repairs will come out of your wages. Countdown begins..." he checked his watch. "Now."

Winston stared at Egon in astonishment. The physicist sounded as grim and determined as he had ever heard him and the strange, fierce gleam in that ice-blue gaze was beginning to frighten him. Egon was one of his best friends but right now, he barely recognised the man standing next to him. What on earth was wrong with him?

"Thirty seconds." Egon announced clinically to the door.

"Look, Egon..." Winston began but suddenly found himself silenced into speechlessness by a withering stare.

"Twenty seconds, Janine." There was silence, except for the faintest shuffle on the other side of the door. Winston glanced at Egon quickly to see if he had heard but there was no indication that he had. "Ten seconds."

Winston winced and found himself wondering why he wasn't trying to stop Egon. It only took a moment for him to comprehend what was really happening. The fear in Peter's voice that had so unnerved Winston was obviously haunting Egon as well. Finally, he understood that the physicist was utterly determined to carry out Peter's request - literally, if he had to.

And, as if he had just experienced an epiphany, Winston suddenly realised he was in full support of that.

"Time's up, Janine. Winston, hold my meter while I get the axe," and Egon did indeed hand the meter to his companion, turning away to retreat down the corridor, his expression absolutely unrepentant.

Egon paused and turned as he heard the bolts of the door being drawn back. Winston held his breath as it cautiously opened but it escaped in an explosive gasp when he finally laid eyes on Janine.

She was barely visible underneath the blanket that was wrapped tightly around her body. Her hair, an angry dishevelled mass around her shoulders, obscured much of her face but not enough to hide the dark circles underneath her eyes; the haggard, glazed expression that bespoke of lack of sleep and inner torment; and the minor tremor in the hand that held the door. Winston could also see a puffiness to her eyes and cheeks that indicated she had been crying recently.

"I didn't think you'd really do it," she murmured, noticing that Egon was standing next to the axe, one hand on the protective glass shield.

Egon didn't say anything. He stepped away from the axe and walked over to her. She let the door fall away, granting them access to her apartment but he stopped just inside the room. Holding her gaze with an intense stare, he gently brushed her hair out of her face as if to get a better look at her.

To both men, that gesture seemed to change something imperceptible within her, something that made her appear to wilt right before their eyes. Her face abruptly turned even whiter then flushed sharply and she swayed. Catching her before she could collapse to the ground, Egon gathered her into his arms as she burst into tears. He carried her to the couch while Winston closed the door behind him. When he turned back, he found the physicist looking in his direction, expression mirroring the concern and confusion the mechanic was feeling.

Winston shrugged helplessly and took a seat opposite the pair on the couch. As if an unspoken agreement had passed between them, neither man said a word, waiting for her sobs to die away slowly until she lay silent and exhausted in Egon's tight embrace, her face buried against his chest. No-one said anything for a long time. Janine neither looked up, nor did she stop trembling. Winston rose, walked to the window and looked down at the street and Ecto-1 below. It was beginning to get dark, he realised suddenly. Just how long had they been here?

He turned back to the couch observing that Egon's peculiar mood seemed to have evaporated, his attention now focused completely on comforting the distraught secretary. He smiled bitterly, wondering what it was about their relationship that seemed to restrict Egon to being publically affectionate only under such unpleasant circumstances.

Winston felt his heart suddenly spring into his throat as the phone leaped into life. On the couch, both Egon and Janine jumped as well.

"You want me to get that, Janine?" Winston asked as quietly as his racing pulse would let him.

Face still hidden, she nodded silently so he moved across to pick up the receiver. His eyebrows rose. "Ray! Hi... no, I don't know...what?!" He eyed his watch in surprise. "Wow! Yeah, Janine's with us. No, she won't be staying... damn straight she'll be staying at the firehouse." He looked at Egon, who nodded grimly, his expression uncompromising. "Yeah, no way will she get round either of us. How's Peter?" He paused, listening then glanced back at Egon suddenly. "Yeah. We'll sort that out as soon as we get back," he listened for a moment then sighed heavily. "No, she's not. Look, Ray, we'll be home soon, we'll talk then, okay?" He nodded once even though Ray wouldn't have been able to see the gesture. "Sure, man. Catch you in a bit," he hung up and glanced at Egon with a faint smile. "Ray was about to send out a search party."

"I didn't realise it was so late," Egon confessed.

"Sorry," Janine whispered.

"For what?"

"Wasting your time. Making things worse. I really screwed up, didn't I?"

The pair exchanged an alarmed look. Janine had always been a fiery, dynamic member of the team. Someone who was determined, confident and who gave as good as she got. Not even during the confrontation with the lotsabuck had Winston ever seen her self-esteem so shattered and he didn't like this new Janine at all. He knelt down beside the couch so he was on eye level with her. "Okay, this stops right here, right now," he said flatly. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of. You saved Peter's life, Janine. You caught one of those ghosts and drove the rest away from him. We needed you out there, you didn't do anything wrong. You did everything right. Why on earth would you think you screwed up?"

Her glassy gaze peered lifelessly at him and he found himself resisting the irrational urge to reach out and shake her until the old Janine came rushing back and punched him for being so insensitive. "If I didn't screw up, why was Egon so angry with me?"

Winston opened his mouth to answer but paused for a moment. Then he turned a glare on Egon, feeling all the frustration of the past two days boiling to the surface - it wasn't Janine who needed a good shake, it was Egon. "Good question, Janine. Well, Egon? Care to tell us what's been eating you for the past two days because I refuse to believe it's what Janine did back in the garden."

Egon sighed wearily and shifted his weight very slightly. "No." he agreed quietly. "Janine. I'm not angry with you and I never was. I was angry in the garden but I was angry with myself. I will clarify why later but for now I need you to pack. We want you to stay at the firehouse until the situation with Humbaba is resolved."

She looked up uncertainly and he smiled faintly at her. He certainly didn't look angry, she decided and sighed. "How long?"

"We don't know," Egon replied. "Plan for a couple of weeks if you have to but you won't be living here."

Her eyebrows lifted at the note of finality in his voice and a familiar spark crept into her eyes. "Oh really, Doctor Spengler?" she retorted. "I'm not at work. You can't just waltz into my home and start giving me orders on my own time!"

"I just did," he replied in an infuriatingly superior tone of voice.

She pulled back sharply and glared at him. His gaze was steady and determined but oddly gentle as well. Winston held his peace, intrigued; it wasn't often Egon was this emotionally honest. "I'm a reasonable, logical man, Janine. I'm at least willing to let you walk to the car. It's Peter who wanted you dragged back to the firehouse in chains."

"He what?!" her voice escalated as the familiar indignant protest returned in full force. "Just wait until we get back there! I'll make him regret he ever decided to let me stay over!" she rose from the couch, gathered the blanket around her and stalked off into her bedroom indignantly, muttering about all the things she'd do to the psychologist if he ever tried to carry out that threat.

Winston cast Egon a sidelong look, unable to stay silent any longer. "Well, homeboy, you're just full of surprises."

"Hm?"

"You really know how to press that woman's buttons, don't you?" He tried to bite back a grin.

"Yes," Egon said blandly. "I do."

Winston's grin froze. He had expected a muttered, embarrassed denial. Instead, the physicist casually removed his glasses and began to clean them. If Winston hadn't known any better, he would have called Egon's expression smug. He studied the physicist thoughtfully for a moment. "You know, Egon. We are going to find out the truth about you and Janine eventually," he challenged.

Egon contemplated his glasses then put them back on his nose with a wry smile. "In that case, Winston," he replied placidly. "May the best man win."