Chapter Three:
Janine Melnitz took out her lunch. Today had been a slow day - not very many calls. She opened up her bag and took out a sandwich. Slimer hovered over her, drooling.
"Slimer, this is mine! If you touch it, so help me I'll…" Janine never got to finish before the green ghost swooped down and took her lunch in one gulp.
"SLIMER!" Janine cried, shaking her fist at the little ghost, who giggled as he went through the ceiling. She grumbled as she walked over to the kitchen, deciding to make some coffee and see if there was anything she could grab from the fridge. After finding some crackers, a jar of peanut butter and a banana, she grabbed a plate, a knife and her coffee mug and headed out to the den to watch TV while eating.
Yawning from boredom, she picked up the remote and turned the television on. She sighed as the news came on, picked up a cracker laden with peanut butter and ate it. She took a sip from her mug to wash it down and was about to put it back onto the table when the newscaster paused for a moment. "Folks, we'll get back to our remote reporter on the scene at the Brooklyn Bridge in just a moment in order to bring you this breaking news item..."
The newscaster cleared his throat and said, "A plane carrying the famous Ghostbusters has apparently crash-landed in the Cascade Mountains outside of Seattle, Washington. The pilot, Slim Jackson, was killed. Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore have been rescued but Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz are still missing. We'll have an update on this breaking news story as soon as we hear more... We now return to our live coverage on the Brooklyn Bridge..."
Janine didn't even realize that the mug she had in her hand slipped through nerveless fingers and fell to the floor, shattering to pieces. She slowly rose to her feet, her face deathly pale as she took the reporter's words in. "SLIMER!" she screeched.
The green ghost peeked down though the ceiling. "Janine?"
"I'm going to Seattle. The guys were in a plane crash and Peter and Ray are missing. Egon may need me."
"Oh no! Slimer come too!"
"Slimer, how am I going to take you?"
"Slimer know a way."
Janine knew it was unless to tell Slimer no. "Okay, but we've got to hurry!"
Slimer nodded as he followed Janine to her car. She drove as quickly as she could to her apartment to grab an overnight bag and some clothes before driving over to the airport. Once at JFK, Janine bought her ticket and was on the next plane heading for Seattle. 'Hold on, guys! I'm coming,' she thought silently as the plane took off.
Meanwhile, Slimer settled himself on the wing of the plane. He had done this before when the guys flew to Arizona and Peter had forbidden him to go.
When Peter woke up from his nap, he saw that Tom had returned. He looked over at Ray who was still sleeping. "Has he been sleeping as long as I have?"
"A little longer. His fever's still high. I gave him something for it but it doesn't seem to be helping. You might want to wake him up."
Peter nodded and went over to Ray, slowly shaking him. "Hey, Tex! Open those baby blues of yours."
"My eyes are not blue, Peter," Ray replied as he slowly opened his eyes.
Peter's face lifted up. "Ray! You heard me."
Ray frowned, puzzled. "Yeah, I did. Why wouldn't I?"
"Oh, never mind. How do you feel?"
"I hurt like anything. How do you feel?"
"I'm fine."
"Son, I need to talk to you for a minute," Tom called out softly.
Peter looked at Tom then back at Ray. "I'll be right back, kiddo."
Ray nodded and closed his eyes again and Peter went over to Tom. "What is it?"
Tom gently put his hand on Peter's shoulder. "I went to check where I found you earlier. There's been an avalanche and the plane was covered up. If your friends came back for you, they might've been killed. I'm sorry, son."
Peter turned away to regain control. He knew he had to be strong, for Ray's sake. He turned back to look at Tom. "Thank you for telling me."
"Son, do you want me to tell your friend?"
"No, I should - and the name is Peter, not son."
Tom nodded as Peter walked back in the cabin and walked over to Ray. The occultist could tell something was wrong. "What's the matter, Peter?"
Peter sighed heavily as he sat down on the edge of Ray's bed. "Ray, there's something you need to know."
"What is it?"
"Our plane was covered by an avalanche."
"Did Winston and Egon get out?"
"Yes, they got out of the plane. While you were out they went for help but I'm not sure if they escaped the avalanche."
Ray's face darkened. "Oh no!"
Peter moved closer to Ray and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, they're fine! I know it, and I can feel it. I have it in my gut that they're alive."
Ray nodded but the tears came anyway. He started crying silently, his body wracked with sobs, but the sobbing quickly changed to violent coughing – so violent that he couldn't catch his breath.
"Ray?" Peter rubbed his back.
Ray continued his violent coughing, unable to answer.
"Tom, something's wrong! Ray can't catch his breath!"
Tom hurried over and gave Ray some water. "He's still sick. He needs to take it easy."
Ray eventually stopped coughing and leaned against Peter, exhausted. "I feel like I have the flu," he gasped.
Peter felt Ray's forehead. "You feel warm, Tex, and you probably do."
Ray nodded and closed his eyes, still leaning against Peter's shoulder. "Knew we shouldn't have taken a small plane," he muttered and Peter smiled.
"Here." Tom handed Peter a cool towel. "This should help to bring his fever down."
Peter nodded. "Thanks." He placed it on Ray's forehead and helped him lie back down.
Ray glanced up at Peter, his brown eyes glassy. "I just want to go home." He coughed a few times.
"We will, Tex," Peter assured him.
As time went by, it seemed that Ray was getting sicker and sicker. Peter kept trying to bring his fever down. "I don't know what else to do," he whispered.
"You're doing all you can, son."
"It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything. Why can't we get him to a doctor?"
"Because we're snowed in and we're basically stuck here until spring."
"And when will that be?"
"Around these parts? At least six to eight weeks, I'm afraid."
"Don't you have anything that will help? Tylenol or something?"
Tom sighed and shook his head. "No, but maybe I can make some more broth. It might help a little."
After the plane landed in Seattle, Janine took a cab and headed straight for the police station with Slimer trailing behind them. Telling the cabbie not to wait, she quickly walked inside the station. "Hello. My name is Janine Melnitz. I work for the Ghostbusters," she said to the dispatch officer.
"Yes, Miss Melnitz. I've been told that Doctor Spengler and Mr. Zeddemore were released from the hospital."
"Thank you. Do you by any chance know where they are now?"
"Yes. They are at Doctor Cyrus Spengler's lab. Here's the address." The officer gave her a piece of paper. "There's a phone over there if you need to call a taxi." She pointed to a nearby phone.
"Thank you." Janine hurried over to the phone, called the local taxi company and waited outside until it pulled up at the curb. She quickly got inside and Slimer joined her before she could tell him no.
"Hey! He can't come in here!" the cab driver exclaimed as he looked at Slimer with wide, frightened eyes.
Janine looked at Slimer. "Slimer, follow the cab. Okay?"
"Okay." The ghost floated outside the cab and hovered around it.
Janine shook her head and handed the cabbie the piece of paper containing the address. "Here's the address. Step on it!"
The driver nodded and left, pulling up to a large building a short time later. Janine paid him and got out, hurrying inside and skidding to a halt at the receptionist's. "Hi, I'm looking for..." she began breathlessly.
"Janine!"
Janine turned around and saw Egon standing in the middle of the hallway. She ran over to him and to her surprise, he pulled her into his arms and started crying silently. She hugged him tightly, saying over and over, "It's okay, Egon. I'm here..."
Days passed and still there was no word about Ray or Peter. The ghost they were asked to bust was the last thing on Egon's mind, but now he was at his uncle's lab looking for it. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. Janine had come along to help.
"Thank you for coming, Janine."
"Hey, no problem! Let's just get that ghost so we can deal with more important things"
"Yeah - like finding Peter and Ray."
Ray was still coughing hard and Peter didn't like the sound of them. They were very harsh – almost sounding like a mule's bray. "What if he has pneumonia?" Peter whispered to Tom. "That could be fatal! I want to get him to a hospital."
"We can't until the snow melts enough to try," Tom said. "I've made some more broth that might help him – if we can get him to swallow it."
Peter nodded and sighed. Ray's face was red and his cheeks looked swollen. "We better try."
Tom nodded as he gave the bowl to Peter.
"Come on, Tex. Take a little for me," Peter murmured persuasively. He managed to get a little in Ray, but most of it spilled onto the sick occultist. Peter sighed, placing the towel on Ray's forehead again. Ray shivered but he still felt warm.
"Stay with me, kiddo," Peter said. "We made it this far."
"Peter?" Ray asked hoarsely.
"Yeah, Tex?"
"I just wanted… to say... I love you guys…" Ray's eyes watered and he coughed once.
"Don't you dare!" Peter said. "It's not time to say goodbye."
"You guys were always there for me…" Ray coughed again, ignoring Peter. "Y-You were my big brother, Peter… I love you."
"Damn it Ray, I won't listen to this! You're not a quitter! What kind of big brother would I be if I let you go now?" Peter asked.
"So sick…" Ray muttered tiredly, his eyes watering again.
"I know you are, kiddo," Peter said, pulling him closer. "But you'll get better. I promise."
Ray nodded and coughed harder. He slowly closed his pain-filled eyes.
Peter pulled him close, praying for a miracle. He sighed as he took Ray's temperature again. He cursed softly at the reading: 104. This wasn't good. Any higher and they were going to have to worry about brain damage. He helped Ray lay back down on the bed and watched as he fell asleep. "Please... If there is a God out there... Please don't let him die," Peter whispered tearfully.
After the plane landed in Seattle, Janine took a cab and headed straight for the police station with Slimer trailing behind them. Telling the cabbie not to wait, she quickly walked inside the station. "Hello. My name is Janine Melnitz. I work for the Ghostbusters," she said to the dispatch officer.
"Yes, Miss Melnitz. I've been told that Doctor Spengler and Mr. Zeddemore were released from the hospital."
"Thank you. Do you by any chance know where they are now?"
"Yes. They are at Doctor Cyrus Spengler's lab. Here's the address." The officer gave her a piece of paper. "There's a phone over there if you need to call a taxi." She pointed to a nearby phone.
"Thank you." Janine hurried over to the phone, called the local taxi company and waited outside until it pulled up at the curb. She quickly got inside and Slimer joined her before she could tell him no.
"Hey! He can't come in here!" the cab driver exclaimed as he looked at Slimer with wide, frightened eyes.
Janine looked at Slimer. "Slimer, follow the cab. Okay?"
"Okay." The ghost floated outside the cab and hovered around it.
Janine shook her head and handed the cabbie the piece of paper containing the address. "Here's the address. Step on it!"
The driver nodded and left, pulling up to a large building a short time later. Janine paid him and got out, hurrying inside and skidding to a halt at the receptionist's. "Hi, I'm looking for..." she began breathlessly.
"Janine!"
Janine turned around and saw Egon standing in the middle of the hallway. She ran over to him and to her surprise, he pulled her into his arms and started crying silently. She hugged him tightly, saying over and over, "It's okay, Egon. I'm here..."
Days passed and still there was no word about Ray or Peter. The ghost they were asked to bust was the last thing on Egon's mind, but now he was at his uncle's lab looking for it. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. Janine had come along to help.
"Thank you for coming, Janine."
"Hey, no problem! Let's just get that ghost so we can deal with more important things"
"Yeah - like finding Peter and Ray."
Ray was still coughing hard and Peter didn't like the sound of them. They were very harsh – almost sounding like a mule's bray. "What if he has pneumonia?" Peter whispered to Tom. "That could be fatal! I want to get him to a hospital."
"We can't until the snow melts enough to try," Tom said. "I've made some more broth that might help him – if we can get him to swallow it."
Peter nodded and sighed. Ray's face was red and his cheeks looked swollen. "We better try."
Tom nodded as he gave the bowl to Peter.
"Come on, Tex. Take a little for me," Peter murmured persuasively. He managed to get a little in Ray, but most of it spilled onto the sick occultist. Peter sighed, placing the towel on Ray's forehead again. Ray shivered but he still felt warm.
"Stay with me, kiddo," Peter said. "We made it this far."
"Peter?" Ray asked hoarsely.
"Yeah, Tex?"
"I just wanted… to say... I love you guys…" Ray's eyes watered and he coughed once.
"Don't you dare!" Peter said. "It's not time to say goodbye."
"You guys were always there for me…" Ray coughed again, ignoring Peter. "Y-You were my big brother, Peter… I love you."
"Damn it Ray, I won't listen to this! You're not a quitter! What kind of big brother would I be if I let you go now?" Peter asked.
"So sick…" Ray muttered tiredly, his eyes watering again.
"I know you are, kiddo," Peter said, pulling him closer. "But you'll get better. I promise."
Ray nodded and coughed harder. He slowly closed his pain-filled eyes.
Peter pulled him close, praying for a miracle. He sighed as he took Ray's temperature again. He cursed softly at the reading: 104. This wasn't good. Any higher and they were going to have to worry about brain damage. He helped Ray lay back down on the bed and watched as he fell asleep. "Please... If there is a God out there... Please don't let him die," Peter whispered tearfully.
TBC
Janine Melnitz took out her lunch. Today had been a slow day - not very many calls. She opened up her bag and took out a sandwich. Slimer hovered over her, drooling.
"Slimer, this is mine! If you touch it, so help me I'll…" Janine never got to finish before the green ghost swooped down and took her lunch in one gulp.
"SLIMER!" Janine cried, shaking her fist at the little ghost, who giggled as he went through the ceiling. She grumbled as she walked over to the kitchen, deciding to make some coffee and see if there was anything she could grab from the fridge. After finding some crackers, a jar of peanut butter and a banana, she grabbed a plate, a knife and her coffee mug and headed out to the den to watch TV while eating.
Yawning from boredom, she picked up the remote and turned the television on. She sighed as the news came on, picked up a cracker laden with peanut butter and ate it. She took a sip from her mug to wash it down and was about to put it back onto the table when the newscaster paused for a moment. "Folks, we'll get back to our remote reporter on the scene at the Brooklyn Bridge in just a moment in order to bring you this breaking news item..."
The newscaster cleared his throat and said, "A plane carrying the famous Ghostbusters has apparently crash-landed in the Cascade Mountains outside of Seattle, Washington. The pilot, Slim Jackson, was killed. Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore have been rescued but Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz are still missing. We'll have an update on this breaking news story as soon as we hear more... We now return to our live coverage on the Brooklyn Bridge..."
Janine didn't even realize that the mug she had in her hand slipped through nerveless fingers and fell to the floor, shattering to pieces. She slowly rose to her feet, her face deathly pale as she took the reporter's words in. "SLIMER!" she screeched.
The green ghost peeked down though the ceiling. "Janine?"
"I'm going to Seattle. The guys were in a plane crash and Peter and Ray are missing. Egon may need me."
"Oh no! Slimer come too!"
"Slimer, how am I going to take you?"
"Slimer know a way."
Janine knew it was unless to tell Slimer no. "Okay, but we've got to hurry!"
Slimer nodded as he followed Janine to her car. She drove as quickly as she could to her apartment to grab an overnight bag and some clothes before driving over to the airport. Once at JFK, Janine bought her ticket and was on the next plane heading for Seattle. 'Hold on, guys! I'm coming,' she thought silently as the plane took off.
Meanwhile, Slimer settled himself on the wing of the plane. He had done this before when the guys flew to Arizona and Peter had forbidden him to go.
When Peter woke up from his nap, he saw that Tom had returned. He looked over at Ray who was still sleeping. "Has he been sleeping as long as I have?"
"A little longer. His fever's still high. I gave him something for it but it doesn't seem to be helping. You might want to wake him up."
Peter nodded and went over to Ray, slowly shaking him. "Hey, Tex! Open those baby blues of yours."
"My eyes are not blue, Peter," Ray replied as he slowly opened his eyes.
Peter's face lifted up. "Ray! You heard me."
Ray frowned, puzzled. "Yeah, I did. Why wouldn't I?"
"Oh, never mind. How do you feel?"
"I hurt like anything. How do you feel?"
"I'm fine."
"Son, I need to talk to you for a minute," Tom called out softly.
Peter looked at Tom then back at Ray. "I'll be right back, kiddo."
Ray nodded and closed his eyes again and Peter went over to Tom. "What is it?"
Tom gently put his hand on Peter's shoulder. "I went to check where I found you earlier. There's been an avalanche and the plane was covered up. If your friends came back for you, they might've been killed. I'm sorry, son."
Peter turned away to regain control. He knew he had to be strong, for Ray's sake. He turned back to look at Tom. "Thank you for telling me."
"Son, do you want me to tell your friend?"
"No, I should - and the name is Peter, not son."
Tom nodded as Peter walked back in the cabin and walked over to Ray. The occultist could tell something was wrong. "What's the matter, Peter?"
Peter sighed heavily as he sat down on the edge of Ray's bed. "Ray, there's something you need to know."
"What is it?"
"Our plane was covered by an avalanche."
"Did Winston and Egon get out?"
"Yes, they got out of the plane. While you were out they went for help but I'm not sure if they escaped the avalanche."
Ray's face darkened. "Oh no!"
Peter moved closer to Ray and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, they're fine! I know it, and I can feel it. I have it in my gut that they're alive."
Ray nodded but the tears came anyway. He started crying silently, his body wracked with sobs, but the sobbing quickly changed to violent coughing – so violent that he couldn't catch his breath.
"Ray?" Peter rubbed his back.
Ray continued his violent coughing, unable to answer.
"Tom, something's wrong! Ray can't catch his breath!"
Tom hurried over and gave Ray some water. "He's still sick. He needs to take it easy."
Ray eventually stopped coughing and leaned against Peter, exhausted. "I feel like I have the flu," he gasped.
Peter felt Ray's forehead. "You feel warm, Tex, and you probably do."
Ray nodded and closed his eyes, still leaning against Peter's shoulder. "Knew we shouldn't have taken a small plane," he muttered and Peter smiled.
"Here." Tom handed Peter a cool towel. "This should help to bring his fever down."
Peter nodded. "Thanks." He placed it on Ray's forehead and helped him lie back down.
Ray glanced up at Peter, his brown eyes glassy. "I just want to go home." He coughed a few times.
"We will, Tex," Peter assured him.
As time went by, it seemed that Ray was getting sicker and sicker. Peter kept trying to bring his fever down. "I don't know what else to do," he whispered.
"You're doing all you can, son."
"It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything. Why can't we get him to a doctor?"
"Because we're snowed in and we're basically stuck here until spring."
"And when will that be?"
"Around these parts? At least six to eight weeks, I'm afraid."
"Don't you have anything that will help? Tylenol or something?"
Tom sighed and shook his head. "No, but maybe I can make some more broth. It might help a little."
After the plane landed in Seattle, Janine took a cab and headed straight for the police station with Slimer trailing behind them. Telling the cabbie not to wait, she quickly walked inside the station. "Hello. My name is Janine Melnitz. I work for the Ghostbusters," she said to the dispatch officer.
"Yes, Miss Melnitz. I've been told that Doctor Spengler and Mr. Zeddemore were released from the hospital."
"Thank you. Do you by any chance know where they are now?"
"Yes. They are at Doctor Cyrus Spengler's lab. Here's the address." The officer gave her a piece of paper. "There's a phone over there if you need to call a taxi." She pointed to a nearby phone.
"Thank you." Janine hurried over to the phone, called the local taxi company and waited outside until it pulled up at the curb. She quickly got inside and Slimer joined her before she could tell him no.
"Hey! He can't come in here!" the cab driver exclaimed as he looked at Slimer with wide, frightened eyes.
Janine looked at Slimer. "Slimer, follow the cab. Okay?"
"Okay." The ghost floated outside the cab and hovered around it.
Janine shook her head and handed the cabbie the piece of paper containing the address. "Here's the address. Step on it!"
The driver nodded and left, pulling up to a large building a short time later. Janine paid him and got out, hurrying inside and skidding to a halt at the receptionist's. "Hi, I'm looking for..." she began breathlessly.
"Janine!"
Janine turned around and saw Egon standing in the middle of the hallway. She ran over to him and to her surprise, he pulled her into his arms and started crying silently. She hugged him tightly, saying over and over, "It's okay, Egon. I'm here..."
Days passed and still there was no word about Ray or Peter. The ghost they were asked to bust was the last thing on Egon's mind, but now he was at his uncle's lab looking for it. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. Janine had come along to help.
"Thank you for coming, Janine."
"Hey, no problem! Let's just get that ghost so we can deal with more important things"
"Yeah - like finding Peter and Ray."
Ray was still coughing hard and Peter didn't like the sound of them. They were very harsh – almost sounding like a mule's bray. "What if he has pneumonia?" Peter whispered to Tom. "That could be fatal! I want to get him to a hospital."
"We can't until the snow melts enough to try," Tom said. "I've made some more broth that might help him – if we can get him to swallow it."
Peter nodded and sighed. Ray's face was red and his cheeks looked swollen. "We better try."
Tom nodded as he gave the bowl to Peter.
"Come on, Tex. Take a little for me," Peter murmured persuasively. He managed to get a little in Ray, but most of it spilled onto the sick occultist. Peter sighed, placing the towel on Ray's forehead again. Ray shivered but he still felt warm.
"Stay with me, kiddo," Peter said. "We made it this far."
"Peter?" Ray asked hoarsely.
"Yeah, Tex?"
"I just wanted… to say... I love you guys…" Ray's eyes watered and he coughed once.
"Don't you dare!" Peter said. "It's not time to say goodbye."
"You guys were always there for me…" Ray coughed again, ignoring Peter. "Y-You were my big brother, Peter… I love you."
"Damn it Ray, I won't listen to this! You're not a quitter! What kind of big brother would I be if I let you go now?" Peter asked.
"So sick…" Ray muttered tiredly, his eyes watering again.
"I know you are, kiddo," Peter said, pulling him closer. "But you'll get better. I promise."
Ray nodded and coughed harder. He slowly closed his pain-filled eyes.
Peter pulled him close, praying for a miracle. He sighed as he took Ray's temperature again. He cursed softly at the reading: 104. This wasn't good. Any higher and they were going to have to worry about brain damage. He helped Ray lay back down on the bed and watched as he fell asleep. "Please... If there is a God out there... Please don't let him die," Peter whispered tearfully.
After the plane landed in Seattle, Janine took a cab and headed straight for the police station with Slimer trailing behind them. Telling the cabbie not to wait, she quickly walked inside the station. "Hello. My name is Janine Melnitz. I work for the Ghostbusters," she said to the dispatch officer.
"Yes, Miss Melnitz. I've been told that Doctor Spengler and Mr. Zeddemore were released from the hospital."
"Thank you. Do you by any chance know where they are now?"
"Yes. They are at Doctor Cyrus Spengler's lab. Here's the address." The officer gave her a piece of paper. "There's a phone over there if you need to call a taxi." She pointed to a nearby phone.
"Thank you." Janine hurried over to the phone, called the local taxi company and waited outside until it pulled up at the curb. She quickly got inside and Slimer joined her before she could tell him no.
"Hey! He can't come in here!" the cab driver exclaimed as he looked at Slimer with wide, frightened eyes.
Janine looked at Slimer. "Slimer, follow the cab. Okay?"
"Okay." The ghost floated outside the cab and hovered around it.
Janine shook her head and handed the cabbie the piece of paper containing the address. "Here's the address. Step on it!"
The driver nodded and left, pulling up to a large building a short time later. Janine paid him and got out, hurrying inside and skidding to a halt at the receptionist's. "Hi, I'm looking for..." she began breathlessly.
"Janine!"
Janine turned around and saw Egon standing in the middle of the hallway. She ran over to him and to her surprise, he pulled her into his arms and started crying silently. She hugged him tightly, saying over and over, "It's okay, Egon. I'm here..."
Days passed and still there was no word about Ray or Peter. The ghost they were asked to bust was the last thing on Egon's mind, but now he was at his uncle's lab looking for it. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. Janine had come along to help.
"Thank you for coming, Janine."
"Hey, no problem! Let's just get that ghost so we can deal with more important things"
"Yeah - like finding Peter and Ray."
Ray was still coughing hard and Peter didn't like the sound of them. They were very harsh – almost sounding like a mule's bray. "What if he has pneumonia?" Peter whispered to Tom. "That could be fatal! I want to get him to a hospital."
"We can't until the snow melts enough to try," Tom said. "I've made some more broth that might help him – if we can get him to swallow it."
Peter nodded and sighed. Ray's face was red and his cheeks looked swollen. "We better try."
Tom nodded as he gave the bowl to Peter.
"Come on, Tex. Take a little for me," Peter murmured persuasively. He managed to get a little in Ray, but most of it spilled onto the sick occultist. Peter sighed, placing the towel on Ray's forehead again. Ray shivered but he still felt warm.
"Stay with me, kiddo," Peter said. "We made it this far."
"Peter?" Ray asked hoarsely.
"Yeah, Tex?"
"I just wanted… to say... I love you guys…" Ray's eyes watered and he coughed once.
"Don't you dare!" Peter said. "It's not time to say goodbye."
"You guys were always there for me…" Ray coughed again, ignoring Peter. "Y-You were my big brother, Peter… I love you."
"Damn it Ray, I won't listen to this! You're not a quitter! What kind of big brother would I be if I let you go now?" Peter asked.
"So sick…" Ray muttered tiredly, his eyes watering again.
"I know you are, kiddo," Peter said, pulling him closer. "But you'll get better. I promise."
Ray nodded and coughed harder. He slowly closed his pain-filled eyes.
Peter pulled him close, praying for a miracle. He sighed as he took Ray's temperature again. He cursed softly at the reading: 104. This wasn't good. Any higher and they were going to have to worry about brain damage. He helped Ray lay back down on the bed and watched as he fell asleep. "Please... If there is a God out there... Please don't let him die," Peter whispered tearfully.
TBC