I'm so grateful for those of you who have chosen to go on this ride with me! Here's the next chapter - enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think!
Peter was flown to North Platte from the small hospital they had reached first due to his head injuries. The neurosurgeon on staff there had a marvelous reputation, and it made the others feel a bit better to know Peter was in good hands. They sat in the waiting room of the ICU, taking turns pacing as the hours passed by with no information.
Four hours later, a weary doctor in surgical scrubs entered the room and let his dark hazel gaze wander over the rising occupants. "Are you all here about Mister Venkman?" he asked in a tired bass nearly as deep as Egon's.
"Yes, we are," Egon said quickly, stepping forward. "How is he? Will he be all right?"
"I'm Doctor Brett Stephens," he introduced himself. He paused as he took in the concern in all the faces watching him carefully, then asked a bit reluctantly, "Are any of you relation? Who signed his release form?"
"I did," Charlie offered, coming up to stand beside the tall blond. "I'm his father."
"And I'm his grandmother," Felicia said firmly, stepping over to the other side of the now-shocked physicist.
Egon and Winston shared a bewildered look, but before they could make a comment, the doctor continued. "Are you sure you wish to discuss this here? We could talk about this privately if you wish."
Both mother and son shook their heads. "No, these gentlemen deserve to hear about Peter's condition, probably even more than we do," the older woman replied.
"All right then. It took us a while to stop all the internal bleeding, but now that we have things look very positive for Peter's recovery. He'll be in intensive care until we're sure he's stable." He looked around and sighed. "I'm afraid hospital policy states that only relatives can visit a patient in the ICU."
"But isn't there any way we can see Peter?" Ray asked, stricken. He reached out a shaking hand and grabbed a hold of Winston's arm.
"Please, Doctor Stephens, there must be some way to make an exception," Egon added.
"I'm afraid not. The last time I tried that I was written up so fast my head spun. Look," Doctor Stephens said sympathetically, "if things were up to me you'd be there. I can see how much he means to you, and I can only assume you mean as much to him. That's exactly what a patient needs during his recovery. But I have to play by the rules here. I tend to rail a bit against authority as it is, and there have been a few things I've tried to get in place that the administration doesn't quite care for. They're watching me like a hawk."
"But what if we were to give our permission?" Felicia asked. Charlie shot her a slightly hostile look but kept quiet.
That made the doctor pause. "I'd normally say I'd try to work with that. But I think Peter's going to come along nicely, and once he's stable we'll be moving him to a regular room. You'll all be free to visit him there."
"How long do you think that will be, Doctor?" Egon queried.
"I can't say for certain, but I think within the next forty-eight hours," the dark-haired doctor said with a gentle smile. "I'll make sure someone lets me know as soon as he's ready, and let you know as soon as it's done. You have my word."
The blond returned the expression with a shaky smile of his own. "Thank you, doctor. I only hope you don't get into trouble on our account. You've been more than helpful."
"And you saved Peter. We couldn't ask for any more than that," Ray added, worry still quite prominent on his features.
"Hey, I only assisted our resident neurosurgeon. But you're welcome all the same. Now I suggest you all get some supper. Since Peter's just being moved into his room, I'm not going to allow any visitors until tomorrow morning. He wouldn't wake up before then anyway."
"We'll do that, but we'll be back in the morning" Winston insisted firmly. The rest of them nodded.
There was a laugh from the doctor at that. "Why do I get the feeling I shouldn't have expected any less? Go eat, lady and gentlemen. And when you come back tomorrow, I'll see that you're filled in on his condition. Now go!" He shooed off the reluctant crowd, relief that his latest patient had such a strong support system gleaming in his eyes. He'd have to see what he could do to help that along.
The dark mood that Doctor Stephens had managed to drive away for a while in the waiting room came back with a vengeance as they sat in a diner a block away from the hospital after Egon made time to call Janine to let her know what had happened. Each of the five people withdrew into their own little worlds, each lost in their own worries and fears. Sleep caught up with all of them quickly once they made their way to a nearby motel, where Felicia insisted on paying for all of the rooms, and slumber was a tempestuous companion.
When the three Ghostbusters woke up the next morning, a quick check revealed that they were the only ones still at the motel. "Where did Felicia and Peter's dad go?" Ray asked as he blinked away the last of what little sleep he had gotten when Winston came back from his search.
"My guess would be to see Peter, unless they're having breakfast," Winston replied, yawning.
Egon straightened his glasses, having already gotten dressed, and looked at his watch. "I would be inclined to agree with your first theory, Winston," he said calmly. "It's eight-thirty now, and with the two of them being relatives I'm sure it wasn't hard to convince the nurse on duty to let them in."
"Speaking of, what is going on with that? Felicia is Pete's grandmother? I don't get it." The black man shook his head in disbelief.
"I am unclear as to that connection as well. What do you think, Ray?"
They both turned to get the redhead's response and were surprised to see him gazing down at the floor guiltily. "I'm sorry, guys," he murmured.
"Do you mean to say you knew about this, Raymond?" The blond was thoroughly shocked.
"Why didn't you tell us? Or more importantly, why didn't you tell Peter?"
Stricken light brown eyes rose from their contemplation of his feet. "I only found out the night before last. While I was on my watch I stumbled across an old newspaper clipping. It was a picture of Peter's mom and dad on their wedding day, the publicity shot for the society section. That's when I realized Felicia was Charlie's mom, and Peter's grandmother. She had come downstairs while I was gawking, and she confirmed everything. We thought it would be better to tell Peter after we'd dealt with Trevaire so his reaction wouldn't distract him." The engineer shrugged sadly. "I guess we never got the chance."
Winston sighed. "I can see why you didn't say anything. But did she know all this time? Is that why she brought us out here?"
"She said it wasn't; she didn't even know our names," Ray explained. "That clipping was the last she had heard anything about Charlie until yesterday. A friend sent it to her, recognizing the name. She said she wasn't going to pry - if she was going to know anything, it would be because Charlie wanted her to know."
"Why do I get this feeling that wasn't going to happen anytime soon?"
"Because I believe the famous Venkman stubborn streak is not entirely rooted in that particular side of the family," Egon said wryly.
"Wow, guys, think about it. Peter just found out he has a grandmother after all this time. He's going to have real family he can depend on." Ray smiled as he thought about the possibilities.
"And I think I might even feel sorry for Charlie for the reaction Pete's going to have when he wakes up. That boy is going to be furious!" Winston raised his eyebrows and shared a look of dread with the other two. They all knew just how Peter would probably take this latest betrayal from his father, and they also knew it wouldn't be a pretty sight.
Inside Peter's room a little later that morning, it certainly wasn't, but not by any fault of Peter's, not directly at any rate. Felicia and her son sat on either side of the unconscious man glaring at each other over his chest. "How dare you blame this on me?" the woman snapped quietly in an attempt to respect her grandson's rest. "I didn't ask this demon to come after me and my kin."
"No, but you brought Peter out here where he'd be in the most danger. I don't know how I can manage to look at you!" Charlie's volume matched his mother's.
"Well, you're doing it. I'm not forcing you to. I was just trying to protect you, you know. I hadn't had a chance to tell you about the curse, and then you left. I had no idea you had even gotten married much less had a child." She paused, her eyes searching the man's face across from her. "Well, I knew you had gotten married. Lorraine sent me the picture from the newspaper. But since the only caption was Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Venkman, I didn't even know your wife's name. And I certainly couldn't have known about Peter."
"What, Lorraine didn't send you his birth announcement?" the balding man asked with a sneer.
"No, she didn't," was the quiet reply. "She died in a car accident about three months after I got the letter with the wedding clipping. I'm guessing it took you a little while to produce your son."
Charlie was taken aback slightly at the news. "I always liked Lorraine," he muttered under his breath.
"And she always liked you. That's why she sent me the picture. I certainly didn't ask for it. I figured if you wanted me to be in your life you would come to me yourself. I wouldn't pry before then."
"It's a good thing you didn't," Charlie said, the hostility back in his voice. "I wouldn't have liked that at all."
Felicia sighed. "You may think otherwise, but I'm not stupid. Although Jerry wanted me to find you, to talk to you. He knew how much it hurt me to have you so completely out of my life."
"Don't even bring up that man's name! You must have had him snowed to have him thinking that, though. How could I hurt you when I didn't even matter to you? You married him when you knew I hated the idea!" Anger flared in the man's eyes, almost concealing the flash of hurt that came first.
"Of course you matter to me! Do you think I took the chance of Trevaire's wrath for myself? I was in no danger, none whatsoever. As long as I didn't give that thing my soul I was fine. But you wouldn't be. And before you even think it, let me remind you I didn't know about Peter, so it couldn't have been for him. I'm glad it worked out that way, or at least I will be if he wakes up..." The silver-haired woman's voice trailed off as her gaze fell onto Peter's still face, the monitors flashing slightly out of the corner of her eyes.
Charlie inadvertently mirrored his mother's actions. "He wouldn't have fallen into this coma if you hadn't brought him here," he said quietly, unable to let go of his decades-long grudge.
A thought crossed Felicia's mind at that point. "Oh, no," she gasped as she raised her head, her eyes wide. "We haven't told the others. They don't know what happened overnight."
"Dr. Stephens will tell them, I'm sure of it. He promised." The man in the wrinkled polyester suit jacket sounded desperate to believe that. "I can't leave Peter. They'll understand."
The older lady looked at her son in disbelief. "They love him, too, Charlie. How can you leave them out like that? Fifteen minutes of time is not abandoning Peter, and they deserve to know. Dr. Stephens has been wonderful, but he's still a stranger. It would be better for one of us to tell them if they're here."
"You know," Charlie started as Felicia rose to do just that, "this isn't going to make up for Dad and the way you betrayed him. Nothing you can do will do that."
That statement made the woman freeze in her tracks. She turned around slowly, her eyes flashing with a fierce anger, but before she could say anything there was a polite knock at the door and it opened. "It's just me," a petite young woman dressed in a nurse's uniform said as she slipped inside the room. "It's time for Peter's ten o'clock check."
Felicia managed to give her a smile. "Of course, Nurse Kohlstedt. Are the other Ghostbusters here yet?"
"I told you before, call me Sarah. And yes, they've been in the ICU waiting room for a little over an hour." She moved over to the bed and began her examination.
"Thank you, Sarah." The silver-haired lady watched the strawberry blonde work for a moment then silently left the room, acutely aware of the glare her son was boring into her back as she did.
As she stepped into the waiting room she saw the three distraught men and shuddered at the news she had for them. She only wished she hadn't had to hear it in the first place. She wished even more that she didn't have to share it, especially with these men that so obviously cared deeply for her grandson. "Hello, boys," she said softly.
They all turned sharply at the sound. "Good morning, Felicia," Egon said in greeting while Ray and Winston nodded. "I see you were allowed in to see Peter early this morning."
"The nurse took pity on us and let us know we could visit whenever we wanted while he's in the ICU. That'll change once he's moved. We just had to stay out of the way while she did her hourly examinations."
"Us?" Winston inquired. "Does that mean Charlie's here, too?"
Felicia nodded. "He's still in the room with Peter. Has Dr. Stephens been here to talk to you?"
"No, there were just nurses at the station by the door. Why?" The black man narrowed his eyes as his companions grew tense.
"I don't want to say this." The older woman paused and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes briefly. She opened them as she continued. "But I have to. Boys, when we got here this morning we found out that Peter had slipped into a coma last night." The three men started in surprise. "He's still breathing on his own, but just barely. They're watching him very closely. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Egon said blankly, as if by rote. The petite lady had caught the flash of panic in the pale blue eyes before the mask of stoicism was put in place.
"The doctor said it wasn't entirely unexpected in a situation like this," the older woman said in an attempt at reassurance, making sure to direct the statement to all of them. "Considering the shock Peter's body went through, at least. Dr. Stephens said he doesn't expect it to last too long." The seated men merely nodded as they absorbed the new, distressing information.
"I most certainly don't," said doctor asserted from behind them as he walked up. "He doesn't appear to be suffering from any of the major underlying symptoms, although we'll continue to monitor for them. And this doesn't change what I said last night. As soon as I'm sure he's stable, I plan on transferring him to a regular single room where you can see him all you want - within reason, of course. I think it'll be even more important."
Ray turned around quickly, his eyes wide. "I wasn't expecting to see you until tonight, Doctor. Why are you here now?"
Stephens shrugged. "This is my regular shift. Your friend's arrival caught me just before I went off last night. He's recovering from the surgery quite well, by the way, aside from the coma. When he wakes up I expect him to bounce back completely."
"You're sure, Doc?" Winston asked.
"I swear on my Hippocratic Oath - that's exactly what I expect."
"Fair enough. So you'll let us know when Pete's moved?" the black man queried for all of them, having taken a glance around at the pale, frightened faces that surrounded him.
The young physician nodded. "As soon as I can. And now I need to get back to my rounds. I'll talk to you soon." He gave the quartet an encouraging smile and left.
Felicia's lips twitched upward in an attempt at the same. "From what I can see, they're taking good care of him. I think I'll go back in now. I'll be back to join you for lunch." She met each set of eyes briefly and headed back to Peter's room.
Once they were left alone, the concerned and scared friends shared a long look that communicated their thoughts and affirmed their united determination to be there for one another until Peter pulled through. Then they settled into their seats to wait.
Janine arrived from New York just in time to join the guys and Felicia for a late supper, leaving after Charlie came back up from the cafeteria. When they returned, they found that Peter's condition had finally stabilized, and he was in the process of being transferred to a regular room. The doctor on call informed them it would take some time, and that no one would be allowed to see him until visiting hours the next morning. Let down, the six of them made their way back to the motel and another restless night.
In the morning, the sunrise found the younger men and Janine up with first light, anxious for their first chance to see their friend since he had been flown to North Platte. They took their turns in the shower and went to the diner down the street for breakfast, trying to kill time before visiting hours started at nine. Felicia and Charlie had told them they would meet them at the hospital, and so it was just the four of them.
At quarter to nine, Egon, Ray, Winston, and Janine were asking the receptionist at the information desk in the front lobby where Peter had been moved to. They went up to the third floor, and Brett Stephens was waiting for them when they got there. "Good morning, lady and gentlemen," he greeted them cordially as they stepped out of the elevator and toward the nurses' station. "Thank you for following Dr. Worthing's instructions, as hard as I'm sure it must have been. If the other two members of your party are any indication, it was almost impossible."
"Mr. Venkman and Felicia are here?" Ray asked. "I thought they were going to meet us."
"Well, Mr. Venkman got here around eight, and I let him go in early when I saw how anxious he was. Mrs. Atkinson showed up about a half hour later and the nurse told her the same thing. There is something I wanted to speak with you about before you went in to see Peter, however." The doctor's look turned serious.
Four sets of eyes widened. "What is it? Is something wrong with Peter?" Egon asked quickly.
"No, no, nothing like that. I'm just going to have to ask you if you wouldn't mind seeing him in shifts. With his father and grandmother already in there, the four of you would cause overstimulation, and that could be detrimental to Peter's recovery. I don't want to stop you from going in, but I'd like you to take it easy on the man until he wakes up. Maybe one of you every hour, and if one of the others leaves, another one could take his or her place." The bright hazel eyes were softly pleading.
The three Ghostbusters and their secretary blinked and shot each other a speculative look. "I certainly wouldn't want to hamper Peter's healing in any way," Egon began.
"Definitely," Ray concurred.
"So how about we do it this way? Egon will go first, then Ray, me, and Janine. Then we'll start all over. That work for you guys?" Winston offered, a spark in the back of his eyes the only indication of what it was costing him to wait that long.
The other three caught it. "Thank you, Winston," Janine whispered, her expression lightening with a small smile as Ray blew out a tiny tense breath and nodded.
The tall blond also nodded his agreement and checked his watch. "I won't be any longer than an hour. Is it all right if I go in now?" he asked the waiting Stephens.
He gestured down the hall. "Be my guest, Doctor Spengler. And thank you again. You make this easy." He walked away without an explanation for his last comment.
"We'll be here in the waiting room, Egon," Ray called after the physicist with a barely raised voice. "Let us know if anything happens."
"Of course." Egon continued on his way to the room he had been told his friend was now ensconced in, pausing when he reached the closed door to gather himself for the sight he knew was waiting for him. As he stood there, he could have sworn he heard sharp whispered words from inside, but when he reached for the knob and turned it, the sound was gone. He slipped inside quietly, taking note of Felicia in the chair closest to him staring at Peter's lax features intently and Charlie on the opposite side doing the same. "Good morning," he said quietly. "Ray, Winston, Janine, and I will be taking turns joining you. We were warned not to overstimulate Peter." His pale blues had immediately returned to the brown-haired man's face after acknowledging the other occupants.
It was quite a shock to see the normally vivacious man lying almost lifeless under the white sheets, tubes and wires running from him to various machines on either side of the bed, and a thick bandage hiding most of the pampered brown locks. He'd seen his friend injured before, of course, but it never seemed this close to... final. Egon swallowed hard, doing everything in his power to remain in control even while his imagination took that last thought and ran with it.
"My boy's a fighter, Egon," Charlie added, as much for his own benefit as for his son's best friend, looking up and seeing the standing man's Adam's Apple bob up and down. "You know that." The blond nodded as he sat rigidly in the chair Felicia silently offered and took Peter's right hand.
"You're not the only one that can lay claim on him you know," Felicia whispered harshly over Egon's head.
"I've certainly got more right than you," Charlie snarled back.
"Now who's fault is that? You're the one that kicked me out of your life."
"You're the one that betrayed my father."
"Do you really need someone to blame that much?"
All three people surrounding Peter's bed snapped their attention to the head of the bed at the sound of the new voice. Eyelids hung heavily at half mast, revealing slices of dull green. Egon quickly looked from side to side, noting that none of the monitors seemed to be reacting to Peter's apparent recovery. "I... I don't believe that was Peter's voice," he said hesitantly, wishing that he were wrong.
"But... it has to be..." Charlie gave the blond across from him a pleading look.
"You worry about your son, but you spend more time blaming your mother for your pain. How is this well done?" Peter's lips moved with the words, but it was not the psychologist's familiar tenor that brought them to his listener's ears. This voice was deeper, a lighter baritone with a definite accent.
Confusion etched itself onto the older man's expression. "What can you know about it?"
"I know because I listen. And I am not the only one who hears your words. Why is it a father's pleas, a father's voice, cannot compel a son to return? Why is it this other man's voice that makes a spark inside the son? This, I do not understand." Egon barely felt a squeeze from the hand he continued to hold before it let go entirely.
"Who are you?" Felicia asked, coming closer to the bed.
The bandaged, brown-haired head turned slightly in her direction. "I can understand you better, although your actions were still not well done. But your motives were right. Love can lead us to do many things we would not normally do."
"I... I don't understand," the woman stammered.
Egon watched the interplay and pulled out his PKE meter as a suspicion occurred to him. Switching the device on, he was soon proven correct. "You're one of the Decker ghosts, aren't you?" he asked in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer.
A small smile formed on Peter's face. "You are very quick. I am Gerritt Decker to be precise."
"Fascinating," Egon said, making a slight adjustment to the meter. "Why are you still here and in Peter's body?"
"The battle Peter fought was hard won. Trevaire had drained his body and had begun on his soul. When he channeled all of our power, it left his own energy levels dangerously low. His soul could not recover its own life force and maintain his body at the same time. The rest of us agreed to keep his body alive while his soul healed. We would do him an injustice to do anything less."
"What makes you say that? Didn't you already get what you wanted out of this?" Charlie asked, bewildered by the whole turn of events.
"It is good to know the son learned what the father could not. Peter was willing to give up his life to save his family, the people most important to him. But why should death be the reward for such a brave and noble act? We had the power to save him; thus we used it."
"How long will he be like this?" Felicia asked quietly, unsure of how to take this.
"I cannot be certain. I never studied medicine, and neither has Peter."
"Is that how you can speak English?" Egon asked, intrigued by the spirit's story. "I thought I recognized a Dutch accent."
"Peter needed to open himself up completely to channel our energy in the battle against Trevaire, and thus we all learned things we did not previously know. We did warn him of this before he agreed - we would not have done anything against his will. I sense that is important to you..." Gerritt paused in an attempt to think of something.
"Egon," the blond supplied. "My name is Doctor Egon Spengler."
"A pleasure to meet you, Egon Spengler. Your face I have seen in Peter's mind, but we chose not to pry into his personal thoughts and memories. We only touched him enough to be able to communicate with him and to direct our energies through him. He is our kin; we would not violate his trust further than that."
"And I am grateful to you for that," Egon replied.
"Now I must go, for my power grows weak. There will be others here until Peter is able to awaken on his own. But remember, he must desire to wake before he will. Farewell, my kin, and you as well, Egon Spengler. Perhaps we will meet again." Peter's eyes shut and his head sank further into his pillows.
"Is... he gone?" Felicia asked warily.
Egon checked his meter. "Gerritt's readings have withdrawn, yes. But he was correct when he said there are others here. The meter still reads multiple entities."
"As long as they don't hurt my boy," Charlie said, a slight tremor in his gravelly voice the only clue that he was struggling to recapture his equilibrium.
"Weren't you listening?" the only woman in the room said in exasperation. "Gerritt just said they wanted to save him, not hurt him."
"Please, the both of you," Egon said, rising to his feet. "Remember that Peter can hear you. And we were just warned that Peter has to want to come back before he wakes up. Do you really think he'll want to come back to a never-ending argument? Would you?" He checked his watch as mother and son continued to glare silently at each other. "While my hour is not quite up, I believe Ray, Winston, and Janine need to be informed of the situation regarding Peter. I'll send one of them in as soon as we're finished with our discussion. Please, just think of Peter before you speak. That's all I ask." He gave them one last stern look and left the room.
Two days later, while Egon sat a little ways away from Peter's bed as Nurse Sarah ran through her hourly checks and daily exercise of Peter's unused limbs to prevent atrophy of the muscles and bedsores, talking to him softly but cheerfully, the blond man considered the medical staff he had witnessed at work, in particular Doctor Stephens. They were a caring, professional group that made him very glad his oldest friend was in their capable hands, but the physicist didn't think he'd seen any evidence of wrongdoing that would cause the administration's animosity toward the young doctor as the man had suggested was the case. It was the general opinion of the three Ghostbusters, Janine, Felicia, and even Charlie during the few, brief times he would actually be social with them that Brett Stephens was a wonderful doctor and all-around good egg. There had to be an answer to the little problem Egon had chosen to focus on to keep his mind off his more pressing issues.
As the young woman made her entries on the supine man's chart then headed for the door, Egon stood and followed. "Excuse me, Nurse Sarah? May I speak with you a moment?" he queried politely.
The strawberry blonde stopped with her hand on the knob and looked back over her shoulder. "Certainly, Doctor Spengler. What can I help you with?"
"If we could?" The tall man gestured toward the unopened door, and the pair slipped quietly into the hall, Felicia's curious gaze on them the entire way. "May I ask you a question about Doctor Stephens?" he asked once the door had shut behind them.
She blinked in surprise. "Doctor Stephens? What did you want to know?"
"When he introduced himself after Peter's operation, he mentioned he tends to get into trouble with the administration. Would you be able to tell me why?"
"Oh, you want to know about that." A subtle, wary look transformed her elfin features, and she glanced from right to left as though looking for anyone who might overhear. "Doctor Stephens is quite a forward thinker around here, Doctor Spengler. He's a believer in holistic medicine. You know, whole body?" Egon nodded. "Well, the higher-ups are older men, set in their ways, afraid of change. Doctor Stephens has been pushing to add programs and personnel that would be aimed at all the different needs a patient might require, including help for the patient's family and friends. He's even gotten the Board of Directors interested in some of them. That, of course, makes the admins look bad. They certainly don't want to be shown up by the junior-most member of the staff. So they watch him, take him to task for the little bends in the rules he makes when he thinks it's in the best interest of the patient or their families. You know, like letting people in before actual visiting hours have started, or staying for a short time after they're finished - like he's been doing for you. They're building their case on a lot of tiny infractions that would probably be overlooked in someone else." She gave a tiny pout.
Egon smiled slightly. "I take it you don't agree with that assessment."
"No way. He's the best one around here when it comes to dealing with the patients, and that's saying nothing about how he treats the nurses. We spend the most time with the people we're caring for, and a lot of the time we're expected not to offer any kind of opinion on their treatment. Now I understand that I'm not a doctor; I didn't go through all that training. But I know my stuff, and my opinion should at least be taken into consideration. Doctor Stephens does that. He doesn't always act on our advice, but he listens. You can't ask for more than that. But they don't like that either. I'm afraid of what could happen to him. He's too good a doctor, too good a man to lose." The young woman bit her lower lip as she considered the possibilities.
"I would agree. All of us appreciate what he's been doing for Peter, what all of you have been doing. Thank you for your time, Nurse Sarah. I hope I haven't kept you from anything."
She glanced at her watch. "No, I'm all right. But I should get going." She gave the taller man a bright smile and took a few steps down the hall. "Thank you, by the way. It's nice to be appreciated." She disappeared into another room.
Egon looked after her for a few moments, then sighed and shook his head. Politics. It figured that it all came down to politics. He stepped back into Peter's room and gazed at his comatose friend. Peter certainly would have had plenty to say on the subject if he had any idea what was going on. He always seemed to be fighting for the underdog. The blond's smile faded away at the thought. If anyone was an underdog right now, it was Peter himself. And he could only hope that the stubborn man who was such an important part of his life wouldn't back away from this particular fight. There was just too much to lose.
Another two days went by. Felicia and Charlie appeared to be wrangling at each other on a regular basis, but no one could prove it. Everything was quiet whenever someone else entered the room, both parties watching Peter intensely. They didn't really speak to each other; their civil words were all directed toward the man in the bed.
The guys and Janine did the same, minus the arguing. They only spent enough time in their motel rooms to shower and shave and catch what little sleep they could between the hours of time allotted for visiting. The rest of the time, when they weren't sitting quietly with Peter, talking to him in an attempt to bring him back, they were sitting and talking with each other, giving each other the support they needed to make it through this latest crisis.
The other thing that kept everyone on their toes was the appearance of various members of the Decker clan, usually in response to Charlie's more outrageous comments and accusations that he threw at Felicia while the guys switched places. Ray, Winston, and Janine had also been witness to the strange possession of Peter's body, and all of Peter's friends had been approved of. Each time they said that Peter was still recovering, but would only return if he wanted to. This led to Egon's latest threat on the fifth night at the hospital just before storming out to return to his motel room near the end of visiting hours.
"If we lose Peter when this is all over, I am holding the both of you completely and inexcusably responsible," the physicist said in a cold voice. "You have both been told on numerous occasions by your ancestors that your disagreements are detrimental to Peter's mental health and his desire to return. Yet, neither of you can refrain from goading the other into these meaningless squabbles. While I have noticed Felicia attempt to halt things before they go too far the two times I've caught you at it, you, Mister Venkman, have no self-control whatsoever when no one else is around. Your accusations and cheap shots seem to make up the entirety of your conversations with Felicia as of late. You both seem to forget that Peter is listening, and what he hears may make the difference between life and death for him. While I am confident that the Deckers will do what they can to keep his body alive long enough for his spirit to recover, that spirit can't want to just let go. And I know that Winston, Raymond, Janine, and I cannot allow him to go. No matter what you may believe, that is the fact of the matter, and I do not know what we would do if your pettiness, the pettiness of both of you, caused Peter to choose to leave." At that point Egon had obviously reached the end of his control and he turned on his heel and left without another word.
The next morning, the eighth they had been in Nebraska, Egon, Ray, Janine, and Winston arrived at the hospital just as visiting hours began. They had just taken their customary seats after greeting the desk staff when Doctor Brett Stephens walked up to them. "I hear you left in a bit of a huff last night, Egon," the young doctor commented with a sparkle in his eyes. "Wish I could have seen that. And it seemed to have left quite an impression on the happy little family. They haven't said anything."
"That may not be a good thing, doc," Winston commented wryly. "Peter needs to know someone's there. He's always hated being alone."
"Especially in a hospital," Janine added.
"Well, each of them may have been saying things while they had their usual time alone with him," Stephens amended. "Peter's father was in at his usual eight o'clock while his grandmother came in a half hour later. The receptionist at the front desk was startled by the way he stormed past to get his usual cup of coffee once she got here."
"I can't believe he won't let go of his anger, not even for Peter," Ray murmured.
"He's held onto it for too long I think, Ray," Winston said as he put an arm around the redheaded man's shoulders and squeezed. "I'm not sure he can let it go."
The occultist sighed. "I think I'll go check if Charlie's back yet. I wouldn't want Peter to think he was alone." He stood and went down the hall to Peter's room.
"This is hard on him, isn't it?" the doctor asked, looking after Ray with a sympathetic expression.
"He has a large heart," Egon said simply. "That, and I believe he's still feeling guilt over not having told Peter about Felicia."
Winston shook his head. "Man, only Pete's gonna be able to fix that one."
Janine nodded her agreement. "That's for sure. From what you guys told me, there's no way he could have done anything different. Doctor V will make sure he knows that." She looked at the doctor. "Is there any chance he'll wake up soon, Doctor Stephens?"
"I can't be sure. I'm still astounded about the presence of the ghosts. I'm not sure I can believe it. Don't get me wrong," he said hurriedly before any one of the three could lodge a complaint. "I've heard about you in the news and I think what you deal with is real. But it's a lot easier to accept when I'm in North Platte, Nebraska and you're in New York City."
The black man grinned and slapped the doctor on the back. "We get that kind of reaction all the time, even in New York."
"Would you say there's no medical reason for Peter to still be in the coma?" Egon asked.
"No, I'm not saying that exactly. It's always hard to tell when a coma patient will wake up; we don't know every why and wherefore there is to the human brain. But the tests we've run don't suggest anything major that would keep him in the state he's in. Your theory that his soul is healing is just as good as anything else I can come up with." Stephens smiled. "You know, life got a whole lot more interesting since you came to town. I think you're good for me."
Before Egon, Winston, or Janine could respond, Ray came running back up to them. "You gotta come see this!" he exclaimed. "He made her cry!" He took off again toward Peter's room with the others in tow.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Winston asked as the five of them reached Peter's room.
The scene inside answered his question, at least in part. Felicia glared silently across the man in the bed's chest at Charlie, who wore a scornful look as he continued to speak in low tones. The woman's face was tear-streaked and pale, and her form shook either from sorrow or rage.
Either way, it was a bad thing, and the group of them decided to stop it before it got any worse. "And you have no right, no right at all, to claim that you loved my father in the slightest. There's no way you could convince me it's true," the older man was saying as Ray led the others inside.
"What is going on here?" Doctor Stephens asked using his full authoritative tone.
"We... were just having a short discussion," Felicia said without making eye contact with any of the newcomers, turning away to furtively remove the evidence of her tears.
"I'll bet," Winston said skeptically.
"Look, just don't get involved, okay?" Charlie asked a bit desperately. "This is between me and her."
"It is family matter, thus involves me," a new voice said commandingly in thickly-accented, broken English from the head of the bed as Egon's PKE meter started beeping an alarm. The blond man turned down the volume as he checked the readings.
"Another Decker?" Ray asked, leaning over to look at the display.
"It appears so, but if that is the case, this is the most powerful we have encountered yet. I'm reading a powerful Class Four." Egon's brows drew together in contemplation.
"Another Decker?" Stephens parroted, frozen in stunned shock. "Are you saying those ghosts you mentioned are still here? And why did that voice sound like it came from my patient, the same patient that according to all of my monitoring equipment is still deep in a coma?"
"You said we made life interesting, Doc. Think what it must be like for us." The black man, who stood closest to the floundering doctor, laughed ruefully and shook his head. "Welcome to our world."
"The ghosts of Peter's ancestors have been occupying his body to support it while his soul regains the energy it lost during the battle with the demon that brought us out here. That's why they're here. Every now and again one will talk to us through Peter," Ray explained from his position at the far end of the line from the doctor to the right of Egon, his excitement over the odd situation coming through his worry. He shrugged and smiled. "It looks like this is one of those times."
"You mean he's possessed?" the doctor asked, jaw dropping.
"Not precisely," Egon corrected, still looking at the meter's display. "The meter is registering Peter's normal biorhythms with a strong overlay, yet they aren't exactly intertwined as they would be in the case of a true possession. This would be more akin to two spirits sharing the same host, the visitor not attempting to assert control. I believe the only reason we have been able to speak with any of these spirits at all is because Peter has withdrawn entirely." Only Ray, Janine, and Winston noticed how the physicist's voice shook with that pronouncement.
"But there's a ghost inside Peter Venkman's body," Stephens said in an attempt to clarify.
"That would be a big yes," Winston confirmed.
The dark hazel eyes narrowed as the physician contemplated his patient. "It's not hurting him, is it?" he asked protectively, obviously concerned.
"No, of course not," Ray protested immediately. "We wouldn't have let any ghost stay inside Peter if it was hurting him. They're just helping your machines sustain Peter's body until his soul is ready to do the job again."
"You can trust these guys. They definitely know what they're talking about," Janine assured the doctor.
"Oh, this is pointless," Charlie snapped, his eyes darting between the standing people's discussion and his son's face. "I just don't understand why they keep feeling the need to talk to us. This is my boy they're messing with."
"He is also descendant," the new voice added sternly, the pitch as low as Peter's normal range could go, usually when the psychologist was sick or tired. "And we speak to intervene when it is duty to do so. We hear your words, father of our line's champion, and do not understand them. Do you not understand importance of family? Do you not understand value of love found there? Why is it a father's pleas, a father's voice, cannot compel a son to return?"
At that, the elder Venkman jumped to his feet, the plastic chair he had been sitting in shooting across the room and into the far wall. "Why do you keep asking that? I don't know! I don't know why he doesn't listen! I beg and I beg, and he doesn't come back! I can't lose him! He's all I have left! I... I love him! He knows I do, just like I know he loves me, too. He's always there for me when I need him, so I just don't know why he doesn't come back now!"
"But you do not truly value it," the strange voice calmly replied. "You do not truly know what is threatened to be lost. You speak to him of trivial things, things that only hold importance to you, things that hold no interest for him. And you attack your mother, woman that brought you into this world, woman that was willing to face wrath of demon that would do her no harm if she remained silent, so that you would not have to face it without knowledge. She did this with no thought of reward, no thought of reconciliation. She did this out of love. And Peter stood his ground, used almost last of strength, to defeat demon Trevaire, to prevent him ever harming those he loves and holds dear.
"But what have you done? You nearly hindered actions, allowing petty hurts and concerns to endanger him you claim to love so much. You nearly prevented those Peter holds dear from completing spell that allowed final battle to take place. All for misplaced blame for something that has no source of blame. You take your mother to task even as your son lay here on brink of death, concerned only with hurting her as you felt she did you. And you claim to love so deeply? You who cannot acknowledge one may love again? You would condemn me then, and I would find you false, for you have closed mind to possibilities of such redemption for yourself."
Winston drew in a sharp breath. "Oh my god, guys, it's Hans Decker. This is Hans Decker himself!"
Egon blinked at the announcement. "I believe you are correct, Winston. That would explain the more powerful readings, as the patriarch of the family line."
The half-lidded green eyes, dull as they always were without Peter's true self to light them, shifted slightly to take in the standing witnesses. "Yes, I am Hans Decker. I commend you for insight. May I ask who you are and why you are here?"
The medical doctor cleared his throat and took a small, nervous step forward. "I'm Doctor Brett Stephens, Mister Decker. I... I'm Peter's doctor while he's here at the hospital. I..." His voice trailed off. "I can't believe I'm talking to a ghost," he muttered as he stepped back into line.
Winston grinned and patted the shoulder of the flabbergasted man as Ray cleared his throat. "Um, hi. I'm Doctor Raymond Stantz, but you can call me Ray. I'm here because I'm worried about Peter. He's one of my best friends, and I can't bear to think about losing him." The redhead stopped abruptly and bit his lower lip, tears threatening to overwhelm him as though he hadn't really accepted the possibility of that before.
"That's why I'm here, too," Winston added quietly but firmly, giving the physician one last squeeze while Egon put a comforting arm around Ray's shoulders. "Pete's too important to me to let him go. The name's Winston Zeddemore."
"Me too," Janine said quickly, taking a slight step forward. "My name's Janine Melnitz, and Peter and I may fight like cats and dogs, but underneath it all I know that he's one of the people out there I can really count on no matter what. There's no way I can let him go."
There was a brief bit of silence before Egon began to speak, his arm falling away from Ray. "My colleagues have done a more than adequate job of describing our reasons for our presence in Peter's hospital room. But I will add my own reason to theirs." The blond took a shaky breath to regain the composure he somewhat lost at the sight of Ray's near-breakdown. "My name is Doctor Egon Spengler, and I've known Peter for approximately fifteen years now. We met in college, and we have formed such a solid friendship that I do not know what I would ever do without it. Life would never be the same without him, and if there's anything I can do to prevent experiencing that loss, I will do it, as I know Ray and Winston and Janine would do as well." His three friends nodded their agreement. "We understand that the final step must be Peter's, but we are grateful to you and the others for providing him the chance to make that choice. Thank you."
Felicia watched the three men she had summoned along with her grandson as well as their secretary, and was deeply moved by the emotion she heard in their voices. She glanced to her left and saw Hans Decker, as he watched them out of Peter's eyes, weigh their responses carefully. Beyond him, Charlie stood, his fists clenching and unclenching, his form trembling, his whole demeanor unsure. But she had no doubt he would cover such insecurity with a blustering show of confidence if pressed. He'd done that since the day of his father's funeral so long ago.
"I see you speak truth, and it does you great credit. I have no objection to presence, and indeed, thank you for part in making defeat of Trevaire possible." The eyes moved on to the older woman in the room. "I am sorry for your son's harsh words in regards to your mother, although I am glad you were able to speak with her one last time. But she was correct in one regard: why did you not fight for son? I know how much he means to you, and I know your strength of spirit. But I am bewildered by your actions. Why did you let him go? Why did you not fight?"
The silver-haired woman stared at her ancestor that spoke to her through the lips of her descendant and struggled to find words. "I've often thought about that exact question," she said finally, so softly that the occupants of the room strained to hear her. "Jerry asked me that, too, knowing how it wasn't like me to give up like that. It took me a long time to understand, but I think I finally do. There's a part of me that agrees with him, that I betrayed Wallace by marrying Jerry. I know I didn't, that he would have been happy I could find it in my heart to love again - he always only wanted my happiness. I suppose that's the reason why I went through with my plans to remarry even though Charlie didn't approve. Another part of me felt betrayed and angered by my son's actions, and stubbornly dug my heels into the ground and decided that he'd have to come to me for us to make up. But most of all I was scared, scared of finding him and being rejected for things beyond my control, for a repeat of the scene he treated me to when he left the first time. I had lost my son once; I couldn't bear to lose him a second time, especially if it meant I'd lose even more if he'd made himself a family."
"It is good you know this, even if knowledge comes so late in life," Hans said approvingly. "It is unfortunate that you have known Peter for such short period of time. You might have been able to call him back from darkness. But that is not how things are." He sighed and returned his gaze to the ceiling above him. "I believe I have said all that can be said at this time. Nothing more would be heeded, and my energy grows dim. I must leave now, and with that will Peter be forced to make choice. I can only hope he has heard enough to compel him to stay. He has earned long, happy life with those he loves. Farewell. Perhaps we will meet again." With that, the emerald greens were shuttered once more and Egon's PKE meter ceased its silent flashing.
In the next moment, other alarms took the meter's place as all the medical equipment began sounding their warnings and Peter himself began thrashing about on the bed. He appeared to be going into violent convulsions, and for a few seconds everyone just looked at him, shocked. Doctor Stephens was the first to act, glancing at the nearest monitor and taking off out the door, calling for assistance.
This seemed to break the horrified trance the others had been in. Charlie stepped forward quickly, snatching his son's flailing left hand and gripping it as though that alone would stop the wicked motions. "Peter! Peter, it's me, your dad! Please, you have to come back. You have to! You're all I have left!"
Doctor Stephens and his medical team came rushing back in just as Peter unconsciously shook off his father's hold, causing the older man to take a couple steps back, stunned. The nurses began to move around the bed, putting equipment into place as Stephens took a closer look at the patient and the monitors and Felicia took her turn up to bat. "Peter, I know we haven't known each other very long, but please stay. Give me the chance to know you, and yourself the chance to know me. You're a special young man, and I can honestly say that I love you." Her voice nearly cracked as she finished her plea.
But it was for naught. While he held on a little longer than he had for Charlie, in the end there was the same result. Tears welled up in her dark brown eyes, but she nodded and backed away, allowing a nurse to move next to the bed. "All right, people, I need you out!" Doctor Stephens barked. "We need room to work!" He nodded to the nurse on the other side of the bed by Charlie.
The three Ghostbusters and Janine had backed against the wall opposite the bed in an attempt to get out of the way, and when the petite nurse began herding Charlie around the bed toward the door, she attempted to gather up them as well. They had taken a few reluctant steps, Winston noticing the same reluctance in Felicia as the other nurse did the same with her, when Charlie made an abortive move back toward the supine psychologist. With the nurse's attention focused on preventing that, Ray slipped by her other side with a choked cry and made a beeline for Peter's side.
"Peter!" he cried as he gathered up the hand that had just moments before shook off that of his father. "Peter, please! You can't go, you can't! What would we do without you? How could we be the Ghostbusters without you?" His voice caught on a choked sob. "How can I get a chance to say I'm sorry?" he barely managed to get out, giving a desperate squeeze.
As the rest of the room looked on, stunned at this latest development, the redhead's grip was returned and that arm stopped its thrashing. The rest of his body still twitched, slightly calmer than before. The other three took that as their cue and rushed over to join Ray, both noting the tears that streamed down their partner's cheeks. "Raymond is correct, Peter," the blond physicist said with only a slight tremor as he took Peter's right hand and held on tight. "You cannot go. You cannot choose to leave us. This team needs the four of us – five with Janine - to be whole. We've dealt a lot with bloodlines and family ties over this past week, but we made our bond by choice, and I will be very upset with you if you break it." He took a deep breath and bowed his head, bringing their joined hands up to touch his forehead. "Please, Peter. Stay."
"You better stay, Pete," Winston added, standing at Egon's right and gripping Peter's right shin as the brown-haired man's movements grew even more subdued. "Leaving now would be the coward's way out, and the Peter Venkman I know isn't a coward. Lazy, maybe, and definitely vain, but not a coward." He gave the leg a light shake. "Besides," the black man continued with a tremble in his voice, "you still have chores to finish at the firehouse, on top of your promise that you'd actually go to a couple of Jaguars games with me before the end of the season." He paused, his jaw clenching as he got his emotions back under control. "Don't go, Pete. Felicia's not the only one here who loves you."
"If you think you can leave without signing my last paycheck, you've got another thing coming, Doctor V," Janine tearily snapped from beside Ray, her hand mirroring Winston's on Peter's left shin. "Not to mention how lost we'd all be without you. Yeah," she continued with a sniff, her free hand swiping at her eyes under her glasses to keep the tears there from falling, "I'm including me, too. So don't you dare make me regret admitting that. You stay right here where you belong." Her jaw clenched as she gave Peter's leg another squeeze.
As the eight people in the room watched, Peter's form relaxed, settling back onto the pillow and under the disheveled covers. He gave each hand he held a squeeze and an acknowledging shake of each of his legs before completely going lax. Doctor Stephens moved forward, eyes wide, and checked Peter's vitals. "He's alive; he's still with us. He's fallen back into his coma, but not as deeply as he was before. In fact, I'd say he was on his way to waking up." He turned a gently smiling face to the four people holding vigil at the bedside. "I think he's made his choice, and he's chosen to stay. You did it, lady and gentlemen." He gave a nod to the two nurses and they came over to do a precautionary once-over before leaving the room.
Charlie stood back and watched the scene unfold, eyes stricken as the people his son had chosen as his family had done what he, the family his son had been born with, could not. His breath came a bit easier once Peter had relaxed back into unconsciousness, and the doctor's words were a balm to his soul. But they were also a double-edged sword. The questions of his ancestors haunted him as the two nurses returned to their other duties, having been repeated through the unsuspecting comments of the young physician. And he still could not answer them. Why wouldn't Peter hear him? Why wouldn't he respond to his pleas? They knew they loved each other, right? Why wasn't that enough? Unable to answer these queries either, the balding man, feeling older than he ever had, slipped quietly out of the room to escape the never-ending riddles.