Chapter 7 "Relax" The Next Day

(Song Suggestion: Frankie Goes To Hollywood, "Relax")

Janine

While Egon lightly snored at my side, I peeked at my alarm clock on my nightstand. Luckily, it was only five-thirty in the morning, and we could sleep for a couple more hours. I blithely reflected on Egon's amorous surprise and how outstanding he made my thirtieth birthday.

"I am truly blessed," I thought with a large smile on my face as I recalled last night. Rolling over to cuddle Egon's thin body, I remembered how we blissfully made love into the wee hours of the morning, attempting to be quiet as Egon peacefully slept. Regrettably, a significantly sharp pain tore through my stomach, requiring my attention, and I noisily whined, "Oh, owwwww."

"Janine, what's wrong? "

I realized I had failed in my mission to be silent with Egon's question. Troubled, he examined my face after brushing his lips against mine to bring me a little bit of comfort. I winced and hesitantly explained through gritted teeth as I held my stomach with my hand. The last thing I wanted to do was concern Egon about it because he still had to solve yesterday's appearance of the possessed Vinz Clortho, key master of Gozer, and the much larger looming problem.

"Is it a premonition?" he inquired, rubbing my back lightly with his left hand, "do you want an aspirin?"

"Yes, I think it is related to Monday. No to the aspirin, but thank you, darling. I wanted to be quiet and not to wake you," I sighed, grabbing onto Egon tightly to relieve some of the tension.

As a result, my caring boyfriend delicately sang to me until I fell back asleep, and we didn't wake up until our alarm sounded two and a half hours later. The pain left my body for now. Since Egon didn't have any clothes to change into, he made breakfast as I showered.

Slowly, I dressed in a long-sleeve red blouse and a black skirt paired with a matching vest. A nagging sensation in my heart urged me to bring my lucky coin from the World's Fair from 1964 at Flushing Meadows with me to work, the one that my Dad gave me. I detached it from its secret place and then relocated the coin in my skirt pocket.

"Please keep the Ghostbusters safe today and always. Give them the knowledge, strength and courage to combat the evil that is coming here. Thank you for reuniting us," I prayed.

Returning to the bathroom, I needed to put my contact lenses in my eyes. There was an irritant in the air that regrettably wouldn't allow me to do so, probably allergies. I found my pink rectangular glasses on my nightstand and put them in my blouse's breast pocket. Distractedly, I pulled on my red pantyhose onto my legs as I noticed the lovely trail of roses on the floor from last night. Warmth filled my heart as I recalled Egon's surprise.

With all of the excitement from last night, I hadn't moved them. I wanted to take a picture of the most romantic gift I ever received and keep the roses and the tags forever in a scrapbook. Adoringly, I lowered myself to the floor to read them.

"Breakfast's ready, my Angel Janine," my boyfriend called in his deep voice from the kitchen, but I was too enthralled in reading the sentimental notes.

With his shirt uncharacteristically untucked, Egon discovered me gleefully rereading the notes and requested my presence again. He kissed the top of my head first; then, Egon clasped my open hand to pull me up.

"Oh, Egon, your gift is so precious! I love it and you so much," I gleefully gushed, feeling so very loved by him. Tears sprang to my eyes but didn't fall on my face.

"I am extremely glad that you love it. Come on, my dear, you need to eat. We burned a substantial amount of calories yesterday. You can read this later, I promise," Egon assured me, and I nodded as he pulled me up from the floor.

On purpose, I fell forward onto Egon's body so that I could embrace him, and he chuckled in his sexy, husky voice. Then my lover guided me to the table and pulled my seat out for me before I sat down.

"We will torch even more tonight," I alluringly hinted with a bright grin, "because we have five months to make up for."

Egon's face flushed red, and he seductively whispered into my right ear as I lowered myself in a chair at the kitchen table, "You better believe it, Janine Louise Melnitz."

Simpering, I winked at him then I turned my attention to the food.

On the table, there were two plates with toast and scrambled eggs, half of a banana and two bowls of cheerios with two cups of hot coffee. Egon sat down, we ate our breakfast then we left for the subway station, hand in hand. Although we were sleepy, our faces displayed radiance from the love-making from the previous night.

My time-conscious boyfriend had set the alarm on his black Casio watch for eighteen minutes, remembering that it took fifteen to reach the subway station near the Firehouse. After Egon and I found two seats together on the subway, we rested our heads on each other and closed our eyes, respectively.

Yawning, I blinked rapidly and lifted my head when it sounded what seemed like five minutes later.

"It's going to be a long day," I commented, and Egon agreed silently. I seized his hand when we rose from our seats and exited the train. He kissed mine tenderly, generating a smile on my face.

Once again, it was eerily silent when I entered the building, but Egon was there to mention it this time.

"Where is everyone," he inquired, puzzled as we strolled to my desk. Egon walked to his office to retrieve a notepad and a PKE meter.

Egon

After I retrieved my items from my office, I halted instantly when I saw my girlfriend on the floor with her eyes shut. I kneeled on the floor, frightened, next to her in order to revive her.

"Janine," I frantically called, shaking her right arm softly, and I felt my blood pressure rose as I scrutinized my girlfriend.

"Ohhh, owww, my head," my girlfriend muttered from the ground.

"What happened, my Angel? Are you feeling well?"

"I-I-I don't know," our beautiful red headed secretary stammered, dazed, "I felt light-headed out of the blue, and then I was out."

Pulling Janine into my arms, I held her closely for a long while while and she whispered, "Be extra careful today, please."

" I promise, yes," I responded, rubbing her back, knowing she was distraught, and I felt that way, too.

We spent some time locked in an embrace and then kissed.

"I love you, Egon," Janine confessed after we kissed with a melancholy smile on her face.

"And I adore you, my lovely Janine, but I am worried about you- a phantom pain earlier and now the fainting," I frowned while stating.

"Don't worry about me; worry about you guys! Egon, something horrible is going to happen," Janine almost started to weep.

"Shhh, everything will be fine," I responded, trying to sound more confident than I felt. Honestly, I wasn't sure that my reassurance was even true. I hoped so.

Janine

Our possessed weirdo guest, Vinz Clortho, obtrusively snored as he laid horizontally on the leather sofa in the landing when Egon and I ascended the stairs holding each other's hands and whispering for a second until Dr. V. interrupted us.

"Good morning, Janegon," Peter pleasantly greeted us without a hint of sarcasm, pouring coffee into his cup, "it's great to see you together again."

Egon didn't argue with Venkman about the nickname even though I knew he disliked it. Instead, we grinned then kissed until our fearless leader with thinning brown hair on top of his head cleared his throat sonorously. Dr. V. seemed genuinely happy to see us together.

"Dr. Spengler, I believe we have more tests to complete on this subject," he suggested, raising an eyebrow. We halted our make-out session, and I reluctantly stepped away from Egon with a thousand-watt smile on my face.

"Uhm, yes, Dr. Venkman," my favorite physicist drily remarked.

"I will be back in fifteen minutes after I take a shower and change clothes, then you can administer something to Vinz to wake him up," Egon informed Peter.

When my true love left, I knew that my boss wouldn't be able to prevent himself from teasing me; however, I was so rhapsodic I could barely care, and I strode into the kitchen to retrieve a cup of coffee.

"Get lucky, Brooklyn," he craftily asked with an impish half-grin on his pale face.

"Hell yeah, I did! Three times too! We have much more making up to do for our five months of separation," I answered emphatically.

My attempt to overshare intimate details like my boss did with his dates did not seem to phase him. That irked me, but I let it go.

"Nothing can ruin my mood," I thought.

"I'm euphoric for you two, really. Both of you have that 'I had a really mind-blowing sex last night' blush on your faces," Peter playfully teased.

"Is there any other kind ?" I joked, raising an eyebrow at him and he laughed.

"Fair enough," Dr. V remarked, conceding the point with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Silence ensued for a second as he commenced reading the New York Times.

"Today's the day, Dr. Venkman, " I fearfully whispered to him, my blue eyes widening in terror.

"For what?" He carefreely replied without looking up from his reading.

"This is serious," I replied irritatedly, my voice rising a bit higher out of exasperation.

" I woke up doubled over with a pain in my gut this morning and fainted about ten minutes ago. Something is going down today."

"Pregnant already? I knew that you two were doing it before yesterday," Dr. Venkman joked, but he continued to read The Times.

Crossing my arms across my chest, I felt annoyed that Peter wasn't taking me seriously. I knew that he was bothered by Dana/Zuul's appearance yesterday on his date with her last night, but he was trying to play it off. While I sipped my coffee, the Ghostbuster asked,

"What did Romeo say, Brooklyn?"

"Egon is perturbed, too," I responded softly, "I know you are concerned about Dana because you care about her."

Finally, Dr. V. turned his attention away from the paper, and his blue eyes displayed distress and worry. He didn't say anything for a long time then he used humor to cover his emotions like he often did.

"By the way, how did you get the brilliant Dr. Spengler's mind off of the key master and Zuul?"

"Are you kidding? I am woman, hear me roar," I reported confidently, and winked at him.

Sneakily, my handsome Dr. Spengler strolled in the room behind me and he put his arms around me in a backward hug,

"That is 100 percent the truth."

Chuckling, Peter knew he was beaten and stayed quiet finally.

"Dr. V., what would you like me to complete today first," I questioned after Egon kissed my cheek, and I returned to the table with more coffee in my favorite mug.

"Since you are so worried about something happening, go to the bank and deposit the stack of checks we have in the safe," Peter smarted off and he went to retrieve something to wake Vinz.

"Everything will be fine," my boyfriend promised.

I felt doubtful as I looked at the sleeping key master, but I followed Venkman's instructions after drinking the rest of my coffee.

"Such a peculiar fellow," I thought, shaking my head from side to side.