Chapter 2:

The nightmare

Friday Dec 1, 2000 4:30pm-12am

The guys jumped up out of their beds and ran over to him. They shook him gently side to side to wake him. He sat up holding a blue book and was sweating all over.

"What's up big guy? Have a nightmare?" Peter asked puzzled.

"Yeah, something like that, I guess." Egon looked around at the blurry objects in the room.

"Why are you dressed in a suit and tie?" Ray looked at him with a question mark on his face and scratched his head.

"Yeah, Homeboy. It looks like your dressed for a funeral." Winston added. Egon jumped up and ran out of the room crying. Winston shrugged his shoulders. "What did I say?"

"Follow him." Peter commanded as he followed Egon's footsteps down the stairs. Egon didn't see Janine at her desk. He turned to face Peter and asked what day it was and if Janine was here yet.

"No she's not here yet. Calm down bud." Egon looked at the book that he was carrying. He figured out it was her journal. "Why did you have a nightmare about her? It that why you're so upset?" Peter looked concerned for him.

"Somewhat." If this was a dream then why was he all dressed up and why was her holding her journal. He couldn't explain that one. He went to put the book back in her desk so she wouldn't find out about him reading it and know that it was missing. He opened the drawer as she opened the back door.

"What are you doing Egon?" she yelled at him. He didn't want to lie to her but he didn't know how to explain all this mess.

"I was looking for some uh…." After a pause, "papers that Peter had the other day. I thought they might be in your desk."

"No they're not! Not in that draw!" she screamed.

"Sorry." He slowly backed away from her desk. He felt like a thief being caught.

His heart was pounding on the inside of his ears. Did she notice anything? She grabbed the phone on the first ring. "There's a class five in the train station."

"We're on it." Ray called as he ran towards Ecto-1.

"I want to go." Janine pleaded.

"No! We don't need you there in the way." Egon Yelled out. It was like another person said that. He had never yelled at her before. He didn't mean too. He didn't know what came over him. She started to get teary eyed and walked towards the back door. Peter looked over at Egon and then ran up behind her. She turned around. "I'm going back home. I'm quitting. You will see my resignation papers this afternoon on my desk. Tell Egon bye for good." When she got in her pink Volkswagon car she busted into tears. She couldn't believe that Egon yelled at her that way. She felt unimportant to him. She didn't understand how she could get in the way if she was staying in the car. Well, that was her plan just to sit in the car. She never got to go with them anywhere. She thought that it would be fun to at least ride to see one. The guys went to the train station. Egon saw the same thing as he did in his nightmare but Janine wasn't in the middle of things. Then he started to feel really bad for yelling at her. I did it to protect her but she's never going to believe me. What have I done? Maybe she'll understand. I have to hope that she will.

After trapping the ghost, Ray asked why he yelled at Janine like he did.

He told the guys about the nightmare and how Janine was in the middle of things. "I don't know why I yelled at her though. It's not like me to get on to her like that. I never have before."

"It will be ok Egon." Ray said to comfort him. "She'll understand your actions."

"Oh Egon, I almost forgot. Janine wanted me to tell you that she's quitting." Peter added.

"It's all my fault." Egon stared out the window and tears started dripping from his eyes. He took his glasses off and rubbed his fingers across his eyelids.

"Pete." Winston called "Look what you did now."

"Yeah, Peter now he blames himself for her quitting." Ray answered.

"What have I done?" said an upset Egon. When they got to the firehouse Egon saw a note on her desk. He feared the worst that she really did quit her job because of him. What if this is really happening? What if she really did quit? He picks up the letter and begins to read it. "I reconsider. I need the job. Tell Egon I never want to speak to him again. I felt like I don't mean anything to him. I took a few days off. I hope you guys don't care. Thanks, Janine." Egon still felt bad. He stood there for a minute and then went up stairs. He knew he had to make things right or at least try to anyway. He called her up but all he got was her answering machine. "Janine, I was calling to uh….tell you that I'm sorry about yelling at you this morning. I had a nightmare about you last night. I will tell you about that someday, if you want to hear it. I was wondering if you uh…umm… wanted to go out to dinner tonight? Call me back. Egon." He hung up. He still felt like crap. What good was that going to do she's never going to call me back. I… I know it. He said to himself, as there was a knock at the door.

"Speges can I come in?" he knew it was Peter for he was the only one who ever called him that.

"Yeah, I guess." Peter slowly opened the bedroom door.

"You all right? You want to talk about it?" He shut the door behind him just in case that the others were following him up there.

"No, not really." Egon got up and straighten his bed. "She's never going to talk to me again."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Sure I do. I almost made her quit and for what? Cause I yelled at her." Just the thought of that made him sad. As he sat back down on his bed there was a surprising knock at the door.

"See there, Egon. You're answer awaits you." Peter went to answer it. "Janine!" He was so shocked he almost came out of his skin. He looked over at Egon and smiled, "I'll let you two talk."

"Thanks, Dr. Venkman." Janine said as she walked in the room. Egon was afraid she was going to yell at him some more. She sat on the bed next to him. Peter went down the hall and went in the bathroom. It had two doors. One, that went from the hallway and the other one went from the bedroom. The bedroom door was open, just enough so he could see and hear them though the crack. He sat in the dark and listened to Egon and Janine talk.

"I was there next to the phone when you called. I just sat there and listened to you. I'll forgive you only if you take me out and tell me about the dream you had."

"You really want to hear it?"

"Sure I do."

"Where would you like to go?" He said knowing it was a mistake but wanted to make things right with her. She had to think she really didn't expect he was going to do her request at all.

"Central Park sounds good. It's so peaceful out there."

"Deal." She jumped up and hugged him. "Thanks, Egon." She smiled at him. They went down stairs.

"We'll be back." Egon called to Ray.

"Ok." Ray really wasn't even paying attention to them. He was watching cartoons on the tube. They got in her car and drove to Central Park.

The end or just the beginning

To be continued……..