Chapter 35:

Helpless

Dec 8, 2000 9am-10p

The guys went on a late bust.

"What about Egon?" Ray questioned after they got the address.

"He's sleeping like a baby." Janine responded smiling.

"Let's let homeboy sleep some." Winston said. "We have Israel."

"What? I…" Janine stared at him with that pleading look on her face. "Alright I'm in." Winston gave him a high five. "Thanks we could use you."

"Yeah, come on Ray." Peter winked at Janine, "Janine will take care of Egon."

"You can count on that."

30 minutes later, Slimer came zooming down the stairs at high speed. He ran into Janine, which slimed her.

"Yuck Slimer." She slid her hands down in the slime. Now she knew what Peter feels like every time they go on a bust. "Why did you slime me?"

"Bad ghost with Egon."

"Bad ghost? What bad ghost?" She looked at him confused.

"One we tried to trap today. Need to hurry. Egon trouble."

"Right." She slowly followed Slimer upstairs to the bedroom. She heard the doors downstairs close. "Slimer, go get the guys." The green ghost was down there with in a mill second. Slimer ran up to Peter.

"What's wrong spud?" Then they heard Janine's cry for help. "Up stairs guys." He yelled. "Now." They all raced up stairs to her call.

"What's up?" Ray asked as he busted in. Janine grabbed Peter and started crying.

"Take her out of here, Peter. To much stress." Peter took her to the den and told her to stay.

"But...But.." She tried to argue with him, but he kept shaking his head.

"No buts big J." Israel could be heard crying. "I have to go. Now stay. It's just for a few minutes." He smiled at her. He had an uneasy smile and Janine got more worried.

"What is it Israel?" Winston inquired as he looked at Egon.

"Well,"

"He's not responding to touch…" he was cut off by Ray. "Or voice. It's like he's..."

"Don't say it Ray." Peter cried and raced over to Egon. Slowly shook him. "Wake up big guy. Wake up. You can't leave me now." Peter took Egon's hand in his and started crying. Winston stood behind him. "The last thing we did was," he swallowed, " have a fight. I never wanted it to end this way." Now all of them had tears in their eyes. Janine walked in and looked at the guys.

"Slimer said that some bad ghost was here with him." Janine voice was trembling.

"Bad ghost? What bad ghost?" Ray looked up at her and wiped his eyes.

"Something about an earlier bust." She just stared past the guys to Egon. Her heart sank she just got him back and then this happens to him. Maybe it wasn't meant to be.

"Egon was right." Peter sniffled. "It's all my fault the ghost came back to..." A pause, "finish him off." Peter buried his head in his hands and cried.

"We have to find Slimer. He knows what happened." Ray called out. He found Slimer hiding under the table in the kitchenette. "Slimer talk to me about bad ghost." Ray pleaded.

"Bad ghost up with Egon. It hold him and I called Janine. When got back ghost gone." Peter, Janine and Israel watched Egon all night.

"Go home Janine and get some sleep." Peter tried to convince her.

"I don't think so. Dr. Venkman. I'm not leaving." she yawned.

"I don't think there's going to be a change in him overnight." Israel assured her. She just sighed at the comment. Peter knew she wasn't going anywhere. When it got really late he picked her up in his arms and laid her in Egon's bed. He pulled the sheets around her. She sighed and smiled. He knew that was her "thank you."

Israel settled down on the couch.

"Are you sure about this? I mean. You are…"

"I'm use to getting sleep when and where I can, don't worry about me."

The next morning the guys went on a bust and had 4 traps to empty. Peter and the guys didn't wake Israel up.

"What a morning!" Ray called out as Winston came back with the empty traps. More calls came in. There work was never done. They took off again.

Inside the containment unit Skibo coughed up Egon's soul and left. The ghostgirl looked at his limb body just lying there. "Poor Egon." She picked him up and was going to the cave when ghosts tried to fight and chase them. They hid in the cave but Binko shut them in with a rock at the entrance. The ghostgirl went though the top to stand by the window to wait to tell Slimer. Slimer had been watching her since they brought her there. Slimer watched the containment unit he saw the ghostgirl, and smiled. Peter was watching the whole time form the stairs. He remembered Egon talking about the ghostgirl and felt bad all over again. Slimer touched the window with his hands. Peter knew that Slimer was in love with her. "How can he be in love, he's dead?" Peter mumbled to himself.

"Guys another bust this time it's the bad one." the guys came running to Janine.

"Where at?" Ray inquired.

"City Hall." by the time the four of them got there the ghost was waiting on them.

"You will never find Egon's soul unless you let me go and give me what I came for. Ha Ha Ha."

"Where's Egon?" Winston called looking at the ghost.

"What did you do to my brother you useless slimeball?" Israel yelled out the back window.

"I'll never tell you. Ha ha ha." and with that he was gone. The guys speeded up to catch up with the ghost but it was no good. He was nowhere in sight. Just vanished without a trail.