"Yeah, me and my big mouth." Eduardo muttered, several hours later. He sat outside Janine's hospital room, with the proton pack in a duffel bag beside him. That was the only way he could get it in without scaring anyone. Peter had called earlier that night and explained to the doctor and the hospital officials what was going on...the brief, non-rated version, and told them that there would be a Ghostbuster on watch until they had found the thing that had done this to the secretary.
And so Eduardo sat there, wishing alternately that he had something to read, or some food. Finally, one of the younger nurses took pity on him and brought him a soda and a donut. Nothing had happened when he'd gotten there, nothing had happened when her parents stopped by, and nothing was happening now that there was only about fifteen minutes left on his watch. He was wondering who was going to relieve him, when the need for a hot shower and a warm bed suddenly overtook him. He yawned, and slumped back in the chair. He was almost relaxed when he heard a noise in the room. He sat up and looked at the door. The noise didn't repeat itself.
He stood up, grabbing the duffel. Better to be safe than sorry; if he shot a mouse, then he'd just feel stupid and get on with his life. Happened before, would happen again. Slowly he opened the door to the private room, while unzipping the bag and grabbing his gear. The door shut behind him, and he stood there a moment, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. When he could see clearly, his jaw dropped.
The demon was there, hovering over Janine. Actually, he wasn't hovering, he was on her, his ectoplasm body covering hers. There was no doubt in Eduardo's mind what was going on. Quickly, he hoisted his pack and flipped it on.
"Get away from her, you sick piece of shit!" he yelled, shooting the blaster. The blast hit the demon sideways, and the thing screamed, moving off of the unconscious secretary. It moved out of Eduardo's way, but he kept following it.
"Eduardo!" came Kylie's voice from the radio at his side. "What the hell's going on? We're on our way!"
"Don't do me any good," he muttered still shooting at the demon. Finally, the creature roared and placed itself by Janine's body, positioning itself so that if Eduardo fired, he would hit her also.
"Come on, you chicken shit bastard," Eduardo taunted. "You want a fight? Come on out and take a real man."
He heard the door swing open and the sound of a particle thrower charging.
"Don't shoot!" he yelled. "You'll hit Janine."
The creature looked at Eduardo, then at the people behind him. Then it roared mockingly, and disappeared out the wall and into the night.
"Turn on the lights!" Eduardo screamed, dropping his pack, and walking over to the bed.
The lights came on and he adverted his eyes, quickly grabbing a cover and placing it over her.
"What the hell..." he heard Garrett say. He turned to see Kylie standing there, staring in revulsion, and Garrett, his face contorted in rage.
"Kylie, go get her doctor." he said. She nodded and ran out of the room. He looked at Garrett.
"Did you see it?" he asked.
"Yep, ugly cuss. Sick bastard too. How the hell can a class nine apparition do this?"
"Ever see The Entity?" Eduardo asked.
"Nope."
"Based on actual facts. Chick kept getting raped by an invisible demon." He looked back at Janine. "Just like this, only it ain't invisible."
There were noises coming down the hall. Both men looked at the door. Roland came in first.
"We heard it on the radio, what's going on...what the...?"
"Are the other's coming?" Garrett asked. Roland nodded, his eyes glued to the ruins of the body laying in the bed.
"Stop them," Eduardo said, still holding the blanket over Janine's body. "Don't even let Egon in here; he'll freak."
Roland and Garrett nodded and headed off to block the older Ghostbusters. Kylie came back with the doctor. He stopped short, staring at the secretary in shock. He rushed over and hit the call button.
"Get a team in here stat, we have a code blue," he said, then took the blanket from Eduardo.
"Go help your friends," he said. "I have it here."
Eduardo nodded and put an arm around Kylie to help her out. They heard shouting out in the hall, then Peter ran in .
"What's going...oh my God!" he cried, as he was blocked by both Eduardo and Kylie, and got a look at Janine before the doctor pulled the curtain. He clutched onto Eduardo and Kylie as they helped him out of the room. Ray embraced the sobbing scientist, with a mixture of curiosity and horror on his face. A little down the hall, Egon was being held back by Winston and Roland. Garrett was in front of him, looking at Eduardo. Kylie was crying softly. Eduardo figured he was just in shock.
"What happened?" Winston asked softly. Eduardo looked at him, still holding Kylie.
"I heard a noise, and went in. It was in there...it had Janine..." he stopped, swallowing hard. "I shot at it, but it got by Janine to where I couldn't hit it without hitting Janine."
"What did it do to her?" Ray asked. Eduardo shook his head
"I can't...it's bad...I just can't..." he trailed off.
Garrett's face grew harsh. "Sick mother..." he muttered.
Suddenly, there came a cry of anguish from Egon so strong, everyone looked at him stunned. It was the most emotion anyone in the hall had ever seen him express. Peter pulled away from Ray and both men walked over to him. Finally, it trailed off, and was followed by a heartwrenching sob. Winston, who was already there, engulfed the scientist in a hug. Egon buried his face in the big man's shoulders, and cried like a child. Peter and Ray walked over and put their arms around the two.
Eduardo tightened his hold on Kylie, who was still crying and shaken, and helped her to a seat. The other two followed.
"Screw this shit about no one in the room!" Garrett bit out. "From now on, there's gonna be one of us in that room, if we have to fucking sit on her bed."
Roland looked at Garrett, slightly shocked about his outburst, but he nodded also. Garrett never used language like that unless he was pissed.
"Garrett's right," he agreed. "We can't have this again. Janine may not survive another attack like this."
"You know what really makes me sick?" Eduardo said softly enough so the older men couldn't hear him. "The sick bastard seemed to be enjoying itself."
Kylie moaned, choking back another sob. "We can't move her." she said, lifting her head to look at the guys. "We can't protect her here. What do we do?"
"We'll have to protect her here." Roland stated. Eduardo nodded.
"We'll just have to be on red alert," he said. "That bastard lays another finger on her and I'll send him back, Janine or no Janine. I know she'd rather be dead than to wake up to this."
And so Eduardo sat there, wishing alternately that he had something to read, or some food. Finally, one of the younger nurses took pity on him and brought him a soda and a donut. Nothing had happened when he'd gotten there, nothing had happened when her parents stopped by, and nothing was happening now that there was only about fifteen minutes left on his watch. He was wondering who was going to relieve him, when the need for a hot shower and a warm bed suddenly overtook him. He yawned, and slumped back in the chair. He was almost relaxed when he heard a noise in the room. He sat up and looked at the door. The noise didn't repeat itself.
He stood up, grabbing the duffel. Better to be safe than sorry; if he shot a mouse, then he'd just feel stupid and get on with his life. Happened before, would happen again. Slowly he opened the door to the private room, while unzipping the bag and grabbing his gear. The door shut behind him, and he stood there a moment, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. When he could see clearly, his jaw dropped.
The demon was there, hovering over Janine. Actually, he wasn't hovering, he was on her, his ectoplasm body covering hers. There was no doubt in Eduardo's mind what was going on. Quickly, he hoisted his pack and flipped it on.
"Get away from her, you sick piece of shit!" he yelled, shooting the blaster. The blast hit the demon sideways, and the thing screamed, moving off of the unconscious secretary. It moved out of Eduardo's way, but he kept following it.
"Eduardo!" came Kylie's voice from the radio at his side. "What the hell's going on? We're on our way!"
"Don't do me any good," he muttered still shooting at the demon. Finally, the creature roared and placed itself by Janine's body, positioning itself so that if Eduardo fired, he would hit her also.
"Come on, you chicken shit bastard," Eduardo taunted. "You want a fight? Come on out and take a real man."
He heard the door swing open and the sound of a particle thrower charging.
"Don't shoot!" he yelled. "You'll hit Janine."
The creature looked at Eduardo, then at the people behind him. Then it roared mockingly, and disappeared out the wall and into the night.
"Turn on the lights!" Eduardo screamed, dropping his pack, and walking over to the bed.
The lights came on and he adverted his eyes, quickly grabbing a cover and placing it over her.
"What the hell..." he heard Garrett say. He turned to see Kylie standing there, staring in revulsion, and Garrett, his face contorted in rage.
"Kylie, go get her doctor." he said. She nodded and ran out of the room. He looked at Garrett.
"Did you see it?" he asked.
"Yep, ugly cuss. Sick bastard too. How the hell can a class nine apparition do this?"
"Ever see The Entity?" Eduardo asked.
"Nope."
"Based on actual facts. Chick kept getting raped by an invisible demon." He looked back at Janine. "Just like this, only it ain't invisible."
There were noises coming down the hall. Both men looked at the door. Roland came in first.
"We heard it on the radio, what's going on...what the...?"
"Are the other's coming?" Garrett asked. Roland nodded, his eyes glued to the ruins of the body laying in the bed.
"Stop them," Eduardo said, still holding the blanket over Janine's body. "Don't even let Egon in here; he'll freak."
Roland and Garrett nodded and headed off to block the older Ghostbusters. Kylie came back with the doctor. He stopped short, staring at the secretary in shock. He rushed over and hit the call button.
"Get a team in here stat, we have a code blue," he said, then took the blanket from Eduardo.
"Go help your friends," he said. "I have it here."
Eduardo nodded and put an arm around Kylie to help her out. They heard shouting out in the hall, then Peter ran in .
"What's going...oh my God!" he cried, as he was blocked by both Eduardo and Kylie, and got a look at Janine before the doctor pulled the curtain. He clutched onto Eduardo and Kylie as they helped him out of the room. Ray embraced the sobbing scientist, with a mixture of curiosity and horror on his face. A little down the hall, Egon was being held back by Winston and Roland. Garrett was in front of him, looking at Eduardo. Kylie was crying softly. Eduardo figured he was just in shock.
"What happened?" Winston asked softly. Eduardo looked at him, still holding Kylie.
"I heard a noise, and went in. It was in there...it had Janine..." he stopped, swallowing hard. "I shot at it, but it got by Janine to where I couldn't hit it without hitting Janine."
"What did it do to her?" Ray asked. Eduardo shook his head
"I can't...it's bad...I just can't..." he trailed off.
Garrett's face grew harsh. "Sick mother..." he muttered.
Suddenly, there came a cry of anguish from Egon so strong, everyone looked at him stunned. It was the most emotion anyone in the hall had ever seen him express. Peter pulled away from Ray and both men walked over to him. Finally, it trailed off, and was followed by a heartwrenching sob. Winston, who was already there, engulfed the scientist in a hug. Egon buried his face in the big man's shoulders, and cried like a child. Peter and Ray walked over and put their arms around the two.
Eduardo tightened his hold on Kylie, who was still crying and shaken, and helped her to a seat. The other two followed.
"Screw this shit about no one in the room!" Garrett bit out. "From now on, there's gonna be one of us in that room, if we have to fucking sit on her bed."
Roland looked at Garrett, slightly shocked about his outburst, but he nodded also. Garrett never used language like that unless he was pissed.
"Garrett's right," he agreed. "We can't have this again. Janine may not survive another attack like this."
"You know what really makes me sick?" Eduardo said softly enough so the older men couldn't hear him. "The sick bastard seemed to be enjoying itself."
Kylie moaned, choking back another sob. "We can't move her." she said, lifting her head to look at the guys. "We can't protect her here. What do we do?"
"We'll have to protect her here." Roland stated. Eduardo nodded.
"We'll just have to be on red alert," he said. "That bastard lays another finger on her and I'll send him back, Janine or no Janine. I know she'd rather be dead than to wake up to this."