Ray drove to the hospital in silence. Being alone in the iconic hearse felt eerie, as if he had left his friends behind or like he forgotten something. The drive was longer than usual as traffic had thickened during the afternoon and early evening which gave Ray time to himself to sit and think about everything. As much as he wanted to believe that everything was a tragic accident he couldn't help but feel as though everything was actually Peter's fault.

"Why did Peter let him go?" Ray wondered as he sat at a red light. "It wouldn't have been difficult to pull Winston back up out of the hole or just hold on until me or Egon got there... It doesn't make any sense."

A loud 'honk' of the car's horn behind the hearse startled Ray. The light had turned green but he hadn't moved.

"Sorry, sorry!" Ray waved his hand toward the driver behind him apologetically as he continued the drive to the hospital.

Pulling into the parking lot Ray watched as a large ambulance pulled away from the emergency entrance and a somber looking couple walked inside shortly thereafter.

"I feel your pain." Ray muttered as he parked the hearse. As he climbed out of the car he realized he was still wearing his dirty jumpsuit. "Should've showered before I came here."

Unzipping his jumpsuit Ray slipped the tarnished garment from his arms and legs and tossed it into the back of the hearse before shutting the door. Now sporting his blue jeans and black t-shirt Ray looked less conspicuous but just as disheveled.

"Better than nothing." Ray decided as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the driver's side mirror and tried to fix his hair again.

As he walked into the lobby of the hospital Ray approached the desk and the kind faced nurse sitting behind it. "Excuse me..."

"Oh, Dr. Stantz." The nurse recognized him right away. "Please come with me, you've been expected for a while now."

"Uh, since when do hospitals take reservations?" Ray asked in a silly manner.

The nurse smiled as she escorted him to Winston's room. "Dr. Spengler asked that you be shown to your friend's room as soon as you arrived. I was happy to accommodate since you so kindly helped get the ghost out of my grandmother's attic last fall."

"Glad we could be of help." Ray blushed a little. "How is Winston doing? Do you know anything about his condition?"

"I'm sorry Dr. Stantz," the nurse lead him to an elevator and pressed the call button. "I don't know anything more about his condition than you do. But Dr. Robinson is one of the best doctors in the city, your friend is in good hands!"

"I hope you're right."

The elevator doors opened and the two stepped inside together.

Egon was standing beside Winston's bed with his keenly observant eyes trained on his friend's face. Edward was encouraged to take a moment away from Winston's bedside to get something to eat and to rest. Of course Egon volunteered to stay with Winston until his return.

Winston was hooked up to a cardiac monitor that beeped rhythmically with his slowly beating heart. A tube was snaked down Winston's throat to keep him breathing. Leads from an EEG were strategically placed along Winston's head to monitor his brain activity and oxygen levels to ensure no further brain damage took place during Winston's slow recovery.

The strong former Marine seemed so weak and helpless laying in the hospital bed with wires and machines monitoring his every vital sign.

"It's widely believed that people can still hear and understand all that is taking place around them while in a comatose state." Egon instinctively spoke softly to keep other people from eavesdropping. "If this is true then I would like to take the opportunity to inform you of how much I value your friendship and have been most appreciative of everything you've contributed to the team over the years."

Taking a seat beside the bed Egon wrapped his fingers around Winston's wrist and compared his pulse rate to the cardiac display on the monitor.

"It may not show but I do consider you one of the closest friends that has ever been my privilege to establish. The same can be said for Ray, Venkman and Janine." Egon wasn't one to get emotional but the moment was becoming too painful to withstand without his voice betraying the hurt he was feeling. "I do not believe that you will submit to your injuries as you've proven yourself much stronger than anyone could have anticipated in the past, but if for whatever reason you do not, or cannot, wake up I want you to know how much I respect you and how much I will miss you if you... if you leave us."

Winston remained just as still and quiet as he had been all that morning and previous night.

There was a light knocking on the door as Ray found his way to the room. "Egon, has there been any change?"

"None." Egon despondently replied. "While there has been no improvement in his condition there hasn't been any deterioration as well. He's stable."

"I guess that's all we can really ask for." Ray admitted as he walked over to the bed. "Hey Winston, it's me. Janine said to say 'hi'."

"Now that you are here I will return to the firehouse and deal with Venkman."

"Deal with him?" Ray sounded genuinely confused by the statement.

"If he is unwell or has been compromised by the ghost then he must be examined. If he will not cooperate for you then I will convince him to cooperate with me."

"Egon," Ray shook his head sadly. "you know that Peter is just as upset as we are. Try to-"

"I'll handle this." Egon reaffirmed as he passed by Ray, briefly putting his hand on the engineer's shoulder as he walked. "Mr. Zeddemore will be joining you shortly. Please ensure that he doesn't worry himself into a collapse."

"Yeah, sure..." Ray hated seeing Egon in such an aggressive state of mind. "No problem."

Peter sat up on his bed and stared at the hardwood floor with a dull blankness in his eyes. Guilt and anger weighed heavily on his heart and he didn't know how to make it go away.

"If I do this then you have to let Winston live." He whispered knowing that Alvis was still watching him from somewhere unseen.

Throwing his legs over the edge of his bed Peter put his feet on the floor and stood up slowly. As he walked toward the door of the bunk room he heard the garage door open up and Ecto-1 return.

"Damn. I was hoping I'd have more time alone..."

Egon slammed the door of Ecto-1 and approached Janine's desk somewhat hastily. "Where is Venkman?"

"Upstairs." Janine was unsettled by Egon's unusually angry disposition. "He hasn't come down since he returned from the hospital."

"I'm going to go speak with him." Egon looked toward the stairs and adjusted his glasses while doing so. "Please don't be alarmed by anything that may transpire upstairs."

"Do you need me to-"

"No, just stay down here please." Egon requested as he pocketed the keys to Ecto-1 inside his jumpsuit.

"Okay. Do what you need to do."

Egon approached the stairs and began ascending with a stern attitude on his face and steeled determination in evident in his posture. Peter knew that Egon was coming up the stairs with the intent to question him about his experience at the hotel and knew that he couldn't even begin to explain his actions.

"Venkman." Egon stood at the top of the stairs and focused on the doorway of the bunk room. "Please come in here. We need to talk."

Quietly and hesitantly Peter appeared in the door frame. His shoulders were slumped and his arms were crossed over his chest defensively.

"Before you say anything Egon-"

"Stop." Egon held up his hand as if he could force Peter to pause in both sentence and place. "Sit down, you need to be examined."

Peter took one step forward gave Egon a very serious look. "No."

"Why not?"

"It's... complicated."

"Explain it to me."

"I can't."

"Venkman, now is not the time to play games or be stubborn. Whatever happened to you at the hotel has resulted in Winston's life threatening injuries."

Peter felt himself turn red at Egon's words. "Are you blaming me for what happened?"

Egon folded his own arms over his chest mirroring Peter. "Until we have more information; yes."

The accusation turned Peter's stomach. "I thought it was innocent until proven guilty."

"Only the guilty try to hide." Egon defended his remark.

"I'm not hiding!"

"You've isolated yourself from us repeatedly and won't even stand in the same room with me. What is it you're hiding?"

"Nothing!" Peter bitterly defended himself. "Who in the hell do you think you are? Do you really think I would let something like that happen to any one of us on purpose?"

Egon straightened his posture but didn't say a word.

"Son of a... What is with you Spengz? Why don't you trust me?"

"Because you're hiding something. Peter what is going on? What happened at the hotel?"

Before Peter could respond Alvis's voice cut into his mind with a painfully loud screech. Peter put his hands to his ears and fell to his knees as Alvis began relaying a new command. "To the hotel. Now is the time."

"Venkman?" Egon unfolded his arms and approached the downed man curiously. "What is-"

Peter looked up and glared angrily at Egon. But Peter's eyes weren't his normal blue, they were a dull gray and full of hatred. Standing up quickly Peter pushed Egon out of his way and bolted down the stairs and into the garage.

"Venkman?!" Egon shouted after the fleeing psychiatrist and watched from the top of the stairs as Peter pulled open the driver's side door to Ecto-1, only to find the keys missing. "Venkman! What's going on?"

Peter ignored Egon's question and rushed through the door of the firehouse and disappeared from sight.

"Venkman!" Egon sprinted down the stairs but couldn't keep up with obviously disturbed man, losing him at the door. "Come back!"

Janine left her desk and hastily joined Egon at the opened doorway. "Egon! What's going on?"

"I'm not sure but, I do know now that Venkman is in danger. There was something very strange. Something in his eyes."

"What should I do?"

"Call Ray at the hospital." Egon returned to Ecto-1 and started the engine. "Tell him to keep a very close eye on Winston."

"On Winston?" Janine paled at the request. "But why? What could happen to him at the hospital? Egon, is Winston in danger?"

"It's just a hunch. Please, do this for me. I'm going to look for Venkman."

...to be continued...