The next day Egon noticed Ray was moping around the fire hall. Egon could tell Ray most likely missed Peter being around. The two were like brothers. Well, they all were really, but Ray and Peter had a special bond between the two of them.

This is why this whole incident worried Egon because he was afraid if Peter were never to walk again, that bond might be broken. Not only that it was hard enough on Ray as it were, with him blaming himself. Egon smiled as he spotted Dani in the lab when he walked in. He knew she was thinking about Raymond.

"Talk to him, Dani," Dr. Spengler told the young woman. "I really think he could use you right now." She looked up from the physics book she had only been half-heartedly reading in the lab. The blonde could see how tired her cousin was as well as all the pain he was holding within. She doubted she'd really seen him so withdrawn despite everything.

"You think I haven't tried?" Dani asked. "It hurts to see him this way, Egon. Not just because he was hurt, but he still blames himself for Peter. We all know that isn't true."

"Quite," Egon said. She stared at him a moment and realized he may not completely believe that either. "Peter saved Raymond's life. We've all saved each other at one time or another. The accident was unforeseen hindrance because of it."

"But Peter's gonna be fine, right?"

"Of course." The blonde nodded than closed the book.

"He needs to get out," Dani said. The physicist gave her a startled look. "No. I'm not saying we need to kick anyone out. I think Ray just needs to get out of the firehouse." She made a face. "I need to too. I hate being cooped up. I need freedom."

"Sounds like an excellent idea," Dr. Spengler commented. "It could be just the thing Raymond needs. Do be careful though. I've noticed he's still a bit sore."

"What do you think I was gonna drag him off to do? Go bungee jumping."

"Knowing you I wouldn't be surprised." The young woman rolled her eyes and walked out of the lab. She headed to the living room where her boyfriend was sitting on the couch staring at the television as it sat across the room. Dani glanced at it to see if he was watching something, but it was off.

"Oh, good. I'm not interrupting." Dr. Stantz looked up at her with a dazed look on his face. "Ray, we're going out."

"I don't want to," Ray replied.

This isn't a question of want. It's more like I need to and since you're my boyfriend by default it also becomes your need."

"I'm not in the mood." Dani plopped down next to him and stared at the Ghostbuster for a long while. "What?"

"When are you going to be in the mood? You haven't been yourself for a while, Ray. And I think if you have it your way you won't ever be in the mood until after you almost kill yourself with guilt."

"It's the only thing I can actually do," Ray responded in a quiet voice. "I always seem to get a little nuts at a bust. A lot of my inventions end up in pieces. I have crazy ideas. I act like a damn kid. I might as well take the guilt for this. I can do that. I've been doing it all my life."

"I know that road, Ray. You told me to get off of it. If it wasn't for you than maybe I wouldn't be where I am today."

"One success," Dr. Stantz muttered.

"More than one. You've saved the world so many times, Ray. You've placed yourself in harm's way. Just because an invention doesn't work or you get overeager doesn't make you a bad person. Sure the guys pick on you about it, but what family doesn't kid around at some point?" Ray turned away from the young woman and she took his head in her hands than forced him to look at her. "Ray, they love you."

"Peter can't love me. I paralyzed him because I didn't watch what I was doing. I might as well have been driving the bus." He grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her. His grip was tight and the look on his face was serious. "I don't deserve this."

"Yes you do. Ray, nobody is blaming you. You weren't driving the bus. What will it take for you understand that you are not to blame? Peter will be fine. He's to stubborn to let something like this get in the way of what he wants." She managed to escape Ray's grasp. "The only time I've seen him back down is when he went head to head with Janine. And that's always a big no-no." Ray let out a small laugh than quickly returned to his somberness. "Is that it? I gotta talk about Janine to make you smile?"

"No," Ray answered. "It was just the thought. Peter was kinda quiet for a week and Janine looked really happy."

"Can we go out now?" Dani inquired. "I know there's a good movie we could be seeing. Maybe a game of putt-putt. Something."

"I want to stay here," Ray said. He sighed and leaned back against the couch. "There's just a lot I have to think about."

"Like what?" The young man looked at her.

"It's complicated," he answered. Ray hated leaving the young woman out of what he was thinking. She might be able to help him figure it out, but she was already doing more than she needed. Dani always did even when nobody asked her. He guessed it was something Janine talked to her about.

"I understand," she whispered. Dani kissed him gently on lips than put her head on his shoulder.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Ray glanced towards the voice to see Dr. Spengler walking into the living room.

"No," Ray answered. "We were just sitting here."

"I see," Egon said. His cousin gave him a look. "I just received some information about Peter. It seems he'll be coming home tomorrow."

"Really?" Dr. Stantz said.

"What about the physical therapy?" Dani inquired as she sat up. "We don't exactly have the facilities for that."

"That will be worked out," Dr. Spengler responded. "The doctor felt Peter might feel a bit better if he was more in his own environment and I was inclined to agree."

"Oh," Ray said. He got off the couch. "I need to go do something. I'll see you guys later." The engineer walked out of the living room and Dani looked back at her cousin.

"Guess what? You get to go out with me," Dani said as she got off the couch. "We're gonna rock like it's 1999." Egon gave the young woman a reproachful look. "Alright. We'll keep the pace slow and just do the waltz."

Dr. Stantz decided to go to up to the roof after leaving the living room. It was a place that Peter often went when he wanted to be alone. Egon had the lab. Winston usually tinkered with Ecto. Ray didn't really have a haven, but sometimes he wished he did. Now though he wasn't stuck inside the firehouse where someone could easily find him and try to get him to cheer up. Right now the engineer just wanted to be alone. There was a lot for him to think about and he really needed some quite time by himself. He didn't want to talk because the talking was getting nowhere. He grabbed a chair from the makeshift picnic set up that was on the roof and sat near ledge peering down at the street below. All the people who had no idea what the guys inside the firehouse they passed did half the time. They would never know how imperfect their heroes were. Ray thought about all the times he had messed up that had occasionally caused people to get hurt. He remembered when Egon was destabilized.

"You got him into this mess Ray, you better get him out," Janine had said angrily. It had been up to him to save Egon. Janine had blamed him because she was upset and he blamed himself too. It was his fault Egon was in the Netherworld in the first place.

It was also his fault the giant Pumba had gotten out. If Favish hadn't hated him then it wouldn't have ever happened. He also should have known quickly that his particle thrower didn't work. They were pieces of equipment he continually worked on and he should have been able to identify the problem quickly. If he had the Pumba would have never escaped.

And now it was his fault that Peter was paralyzed. Ray tried to keep his eyes from watering, but they wouldn't stop. Why did he have this feeling that the guys, even Dani, would have all been better off without him? It kept sitting in his stomach. Somehow he thought even leaving them would help them in the long run. He would have to do it quietly though, they would never let him leave without talking. Ray stared at the skyline as if he was searching for the answer. He nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The young man turned around to see who it was.

"Winston..." he whispered. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Ray, you gotta stop doing this to yourself," Winston told him.

"And what exactly am I doing?" Ray got out of his seat and started walking away. Zeddemore quickly moved into his path.

"This. You're shutting yourself from the rest of us. You're blaming yourself, and not speaking to anyone about it. We don't blame you man, why do you always punish yourself like this?"

"I'm not punishing myself," Ray replied. "I'm just trying to keep from hurting anyone else. I've done it enough."

"You haven't hurt anyone, Ray," Winston told him. "You've saved millions of people. We do it every time we step out of this firehouse and zoom off in Ecto-1. So what if most of the time it's just a little Class 5? If we don't stop them than who will?"

"You can do it just fine without me."

"You're kidding," Winston replied. "We need all four of us, Ray. You're an important member of this team."

"Just start taking Dani," Ray told him. "She can do it."

"Look, Ray, I know how you feel. I went through some of the same stuff." Dr. Stantz opened his mouth to protest, but realized what Winston was talking about. "And I blamed myself for a long time about all the bad that happened, but when I got home I spoke to a few people about it and I finally realized it wasn't my fault. I was pretty messed up for a while before I came here.

"One thing I learned is you can't go blaming yourself for situations that are unavoidable. That ghost ran out in front of the bus, if you hadn't caught it, someone else might have gotten hurt. You can't do this to yourself buddy, I won't sit by and watch you do it to yourself. I think you need to let go, that's usually the first step, is just letting go."

Ray stared at him. Could he really let go like that? It wasn't his nature. Ray's eyes began to water as he considered Winston's words. Winston pulled him into a hug and Ray finally lost it. He started crying. Winston watched as the younger man finally let loose everything he's been holding inside him since the accident. Winston rubbed his hand up and down Ray's back comforting him.

"It's okay buddy," Winston said, "Let it go...it's okay..."

Ray did. His eyes watering turned into sobs, and his body started shaking. Ray eventually fell to his knees and Winston went to his own knees just holding the younger man in his arms letting him cry. In a way Winston wished Egon were here, Egon was much better when it came to dealing with Ray's emotions. Both Egon and Peter were, but right now Winston was here, and Winston figured that Ray would rather do this now than wait.

"It's okay buddy..." Winston kept saying, "I'm here..." The sobs finally slowed and Ray backed away a bit. "You okay now buddy?"

"I-I guess..." Ray said, "Thanks Winston..." his face flushed.

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed," Winston reminded him, "We're family Ray, and it hurts us to see you hurting like this. You needed this pal."

"Y-Yeah," Ray was still shaky. Winston smiled and put a hand over his shoulder.

"Come on partner. Let's go downstairs and see if we can find a good movie to watch." Dr. Stantz nodded and they both left the room.

The next morning Peter went home. Peter was surprised he didn't feel more cheerful about it.

All he knew was it was a way for the guys to get him out of the hospital. He sighed as Winston helped him out of Ecto and into his wheelchair. Peter sighed miserably. It was so different being home now, everything just...didn't seem normal to him. First of all, things were taller than him, wish him being in the wheelchair. He sighed. Peter also noticed the lights were dimmer, but that wasn't it, it was just the fact that he was so used to walking back home. Now he would have to live with this the rest of his life.

"Come on Peter," Ray said helping him back in his chair.

"I just want to go to bed Ray," Peter muttered.

"Wait, first I think you should check your office first," Dani said.

"But why?" Peter asked.

Dani smiled, "You'll see."

Peter sighed as Ray wheeled him over by his office. That's when he saw it. There was a banner on his desk saying 'Welcome Home' and all his friends standing around it.

"Surprise!" they said.

Peter would have jumped back if he was able too, instead his eyes went wide.

"What is....this is...wow..." his eyes almost watered.

Everyone was there, his father, Jason, Kate, the doctor's, and some of Peter's old frat buddies. Peter was speechless at first. He almost wished they weren't there because he didn't want them to see him like this, but then again, it was still a party, for him. To him, this meant that nobody thought less of him because of how he was now. He was still Peter Venkman to them. Peter sighed wishing he felt that way himself.

He didn't want to tell anybody he lost a part of himself when that bus hit him. Somehow he figured Egon knew, Egon always knew. Egon knew almost everything about him. But he didn't dare say anything until Egon spoke first. Peter's eyes started watering.

"D-Dad, w-what are you doing here?" Peter whispered.

"Are you kidding son? Egon called me and told me what happened," he smiled a little, "I came to make sure your back on your feet soon."

Peter was going to loose it. He tried his best not to.

"Dad I-"he smiled, "Thanks..."

Charlie nodded. He hugged Peter.

"It's not every day a father gets a hero for a son," he smiled.

"You really are a hero Peter," Kate said, "Everyone knows it."

Peter glanced across the room at Ray. Ray was slouched in the corner. Peter raised his eyebrows, he would have to talk to Ray later. He somehow knew Ray was still blaming himself.

"Huh, me the hero? If it weren't for Ray, we never even would have caught the ghost," Peter smiled and wheeled over towards Ray, "Right buddy?"

"Uh, yeah, sure Peter," Ray said, "I'm going to go get the drinks."

He quickly retreated towards the kitchen. It got quiet.

"Still blames himself ha?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Peter sighed, "Come on guys, I'll talk to him later, let's have some cake okay?" he wanted everyone to get their attention off of Ray.

Ray sighed as he sat down on the kitchen table. His eyes watered as he stared at the pitcher of soda he was going to bring back down. A few moments later he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly and saw it was Egon. Ray quickly wiped his eyes.

"I'm fine," Ray muttered, "I was just getting the soda."

"Raymond, that isn't going to work on me," Egon sighed,

"Egon, what do you want me to say? I mean, everyone's calling Peter a hero, he is," Ray sighed,

"He's a hero because he saved my life, because I was too careless to watch where I was going..."

"Raymond," Egon said, "The ghost was the one who brought you out there, and yes, you do get excited easily, but that's what we love about you Ray, without that, out busts would be ten times more stressful then they need to be."

Ray tried to smile, "Thanks Egon, but I'm going to be more careful from now on," he sighed, "I almost got Peter killed, and the truth is, the busts just don't excite me anymore, I don't even think they're worth it anymore," his eyes watered.

"You can't mean that," Egon stared at him, "This is not the Dr. Stantz I know."

"It is now," Ray said, "Egon, I think I'm going to quit," he whispered.

"You can't quit Raymond, Peter won't have it, I won't have it and neither will Winston and Janine," Egon sighed, "Give it time Ray, take some time off if you must, but don't quit, not yet."

Ray nodded, "Fine." He said "I better bring this outside."

Egon watched as Ray quickly retreated back downstairs to the party. Egon sat down a few moments to think about what Ray had said, and then he quickly retreated himself. Egon smiled a little as he watched Peter talking to his friends. Peter seemed almost his normal self. One of Peter's friends, Casey was also injured quite some time ago.

Back in college he was in a drunk driving accident, Egon remembered Peter was real upset about it. Casey had not been paralyzed, but he had trouble walking ever since, he needed a cane. Casey now goes to schools through out the country to speak to students about DUI. Peter had visited Casey once a day back then.

Calling Casey and letting him know what happened was Ray's idea. Ray remembered the close bond between him and Peter, and even though they haven't spoken to each other for years, Ray remembered it was still there. Egon smiled at Ray's warm heart. Casey had moved from New York to California.

"So Pete, when you get better, I want to have a race with you," he smiled.

"Sure thing buddy," Peter laughed for the first time since he was home.

Later that evening as the party died down, Egon noticed that Peter was growing tired. He decided it was time to wrap things up. Peter had Jason sitting on his lap and he was telling him Ghostbuster stories.

"Wow Peter!" Jason said, "I wish I could have met the real boogieman,"

Peter laughed, "No you don't. He was mean kiddo. But he's gone now."

Jason smiled and hugged Peter. Egon noticed a bond was starting to form between the two of them. If anyone can bring Peter's spirits up it was that kid. Egon realized the child was a good influence on Peter, if Peter could see that Jason was still enjoying life, perhaps Peter would realize that he was as well. Egon walked over to Ray and Dani who were sitting on the steps talking.

"Can you two help me gather up the party?" Egon asked, "I believe Peter is becoming exhausted,"

"Sure thing Egon," Dani said and kisses Ray before she got up.

Ray tried to smile. Egon noticed they must have been in yet another deep conversation. Egon was wondering if Ray was talking to her about quitting the business.

"Hey Pete, don't forget I want that race," Casey winked at him.

Peter smiled and nodded. Jason had fallen asleep on Peter's lap. Kate smiled and picked him up.

"We leaving?" Jason yawned.

"Yeah kiddo," Peter smiled, "Another day of physical therapy tomorrow."

Kate shook her head, "Come on Peter, can't take what I have to offer?" she winked.

He laughed, "Actually, no I can't."

She elbowed him smiling.

"Kate? Can I stay here tonight?" Jason asked.

Peter smiled at the thought.

"I don't see why not, as long as it's okay with Peter," Kate said.

Peter nodded, "Fine with me, guys?" he asked.

The guys nodded also.

"He may stay in the guest room," Egon said.

"Alright!" Jason smiled.

Dani and Janine were already working on picking up the party as Kate left.

"Okay, so I have a question," Peter said.

"Yeah Pete?" Winston asked.

"Well, it's great that I'm home and all, but now there's just one problem," he said, "How do I get upstairs to bed?"

"Like this, grab my shoulders," Winston smiled. Peter grabbed his shoulders and lifted Peter up.

Peter rolled his eyes humiliated.

"Oh well," Peter sighed.

"Think of it this way Pete, it's temporarily until we get a ramp, but by the time we build it, you'll be walking again," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Peter shook his head as they headed upstairs.
Ray picked up Jason the same way, "Ride em cowboy!" Ray acted like a horse and Jason was laughing.

Egon smiled at the foursome as they walked up the stairs.

"I suppose I better take the wheelchairs up," Egon said. He looked at the girls, "Thank you for cleaning, you really don't have to."

"We want to," Dani smiled.

"Again, thank you," Egon said.

The girls nodded and Egon took the wheelchairs upstairs. Peter and Jason who were sitting on the beds upstairs both got into them.

"I'll take him to his room Egon," Peter said.

"Very well Peter," Egon couldn't help smiling.

Peter showed Jason where the guest room was. Jason got out of his wheelchair and into his bed. Peter stayed in his own chair beside the bed.

"Can you tell me some more stories Dr. Venkman?" Jason asked.

"Kiddo, when are you going to call me Peter?"

Jason shrugged, "I'm just so used to Dr. Venkman, but alright, I'll call you Peter," he smiled.

"Sure, I'll tell you some stories, what do you want to hear?" Peter asked.

"I want to hear more about Samheine."

"Okay kiddo," Peter smiled, "Close your eyes while I talk okay?"

Jason nodded getting tired. He yawned and Peter pulled the covers over him. Jason cuddled against the pillow. Peter began talking.

"So then, when the firehouse changed completely, we had to come up with a plan to get rid of this jerk, because he was trying to take over our headquarters, we were going to have Slimer sneak in the building, which he did and he avoided the ghosts....but then we found out Samheine had the junior Ghostbusters with him, so we had to do something fast...." Peter paused. He realized that Jason was sound asleep.

Peter smiled suddenly growing much attached to the young boy. Peter looked up when he heard a sound and saw Egon was standing in the doorway. Peter wheeled over to him. Egon smiled and started pushing his chair towards the bunk room.

"Jason seems to need someone to talk to," Egon remarked, "It seems he doesn't have very many friends."

"Yeah," Peter sighed, "I always wonder what could happen to a kid to have him get shot like that. I mean....it makes me think how lucky I am just to have this chance I might walk again. Jason doesn't have that. And look how much he loves life Egon," Peter said. "He's just happy he's living." His eyes looked too bright.

Egon put a hand on Peter's shoulder, "Peter, you keep acting as if the same thing will happen to you.... it won't, we know you'll be able to walk someday." Egon's eyes got a little misty and he quickly gained control. Peter put a hand on Egon's.

"Spengs," Peter sighed, "I can't not say that this thing will change me, because I know it will, it has already, but I want you to know, I would never purposely leave you guys. Maybe Jason...maybe he came along to show me that you can move on....things won't change, I don't know, but I do know I have too good of a reason to live..."

"I understand that Peter," Egon said, "I'm not speaking of what your doing to yourself on the outside, what I'm speaking of is what you are doing to yourself on the inside, have you spoken to anybody about what happened? I mean, really spoken out?"

Peter shook his head slowly, "No, I don't need to, I'm fine," he said and started to get into bed.

Egon stopped him, "Your not fine Peter," Egon said, "Peter, if your unwilling to talk to us, then I'd at least like you to speak with one of your colleagues," he said, "You haven't spoken to anybody and that's bothering me."

Peter sighed, "Fine Egon," he said.