Chapter 5: Sue & the others meet Ghostbusters

(Later at the Apartment…)

In an apartment, Sue played her cello. She was about two to three minutes into performing Joseph Haydn's "Cello Concerto No. 1" in C Major, the first movement (Moderato). Erika fed Rachel in the kitchen. Tommy and George were laughing. There was a knock on the door. Tommy, George, & Erika turned to the door.

"I'll get it." Sue replied.

Sue placed her cello on her stand, walked over, and opened her door to Abby, Holtz, and Patty.

"Hi Sue." Abby replied.

"Hi Dr. Yates." Sue replied.

Abbey handshake Sue.

"How good to see you. Thanks for coming." Sue replied.

"Hey, no problem. Always glad to help. Sue, this is Dr. Jillian Holtzmann and Ms. Patty Tolan. Jillian, Patty, this is Sue Snell." Abby replied.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Holtzmann." Sue replied, as she handshake to Holtz.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sue." Holtz replied.

Sue shook Patty's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Tolan." Sue replied.

"Nice place." Patty replied.

Abby tried to tell Sue about Erin but Sue pushed the door to close it… Erin slipped in through the door and stopped it.

"Well, I know I'm just asking for the big hurt but I thought I'd give us one more chance." Erin replied.

Abby and Holtz rubbed her palms. Patty glared at Erin's back.

"Your aunt tortured me. She pulled my ears." Holtz replied.

Sue greeted her aunt, Erin.

"Hello Aunt Erin." Sue replied to her aunt.

Erin turned around to them, modulated her voice.

"Hello Sue." Erin replied to her niece.

"Good see to you." Sue replied.

"Good see to you, too." Erin replied.

Sue hugged her aunt happily.

"Okay. Aunt Erin, this is my husband Tommy Ross. Tommy, this is my aunt Dr. Erin Gilbert." Sue replied.

"It's nice to meet you, Erin." Tommy replied, as he handshake to his aunt-in-law.

"It's nice to meet you too, Tommy." Erin replied, as she handshake to her nephew-in-law.

"Erin has a nephew-in-law." Patty replied.

"Yep." Holtz replied.

"Ladies, this is my friends George Dawson and Erika Gogan. George, Erika, this is my Aunt Dr. Erin Gilbert. This is Dr. Abby Yates, Dr. Holtz Holtzmann, and Ms. Patty Tolan." Sue replied.

"It's so nice to meet you three." George replied.

"It's nice to meet you two." Holtz replied.

"Nice to you guys." Abby replied.

"Hello." Patty replied.

"Hello." Erika replied.

Ghostbusters handshake to George and Erika.

"So, what would you like to do first?" Sue asked in concern, as she turned to Holtz.

"We'd like to examine the baby." Holtz replied.

Erika handed the baby to Sue then went back into the kitchen.

They walked over to a round table.

"Yeah, and anything associated with the baby, especially stuffed toys." Abby replied.

"Then we'd like to see the buggy." Patty replied.

"All right. Can I put him here?" Tommy asked in concern.

"And wherever she sleeps." Abby replied.

"Yes." Sue replied.

"This'll be fine." Holtz replied, as she pointed to the table.

"This okay?" Abby asked in concern.

"That's fine." Tommy replied.

"Okay." Abby replied, as she laid a blue pad over the table.

Holtz placed his briefcase on a chair at the table.

Abby and Patty took off her jacket.

"We'll have to lay him down flat." Patty replied.

Erin took her jacket off and tossed it. She looked around at the bookshelves.

"Okay, sweetheart, now they're gonna take a look at you." Sue replied, as she reassured Rachel.

"We'll do a cursory medical examination." Holtz replied.

"What do you say? Gammel and Pross Infant Acuity Test?" Patty asked in concern.

"Sounds good. We'll finish with an Apgar score." Holtz replied.

"It's nothing that's gonna hurt her, right?" Tommy asked in concern.

"No. No, I don't think so. She'll be fine." Holtz replied.

Abby handed Holtz calipers. Sue, Tommy, George, & Erika became concerned from the look of them. Erin played Sue's cello like a guitar. Holtz looked away. Abby & Patty also held back. Sue & Tommy turned to Erin. Sue walked over to her aunt.

"You ever done this before?" Abby asked in concern.

"On a chimp." Holtz replied.

"So whatever happened to you guys? I heard he ditched you and ran off to Chamberlain." Erin asked in concern.

"We are still alive. We had some problems and we got a very good job offer from an orchestra in Chamberlain and he took it." Sue replied, as she placed her cello back on its stand.

Erin held a mini-snow globe upside down.

"So Tommy ditched you." Erin replied.

Sue smiles and turns to her aunt. Abby spoke into a tape recorder as she, Holtz, & Patty checked out Rachel.

"Okay. Subject is a male Caucasian, approximately..." Abby replied.

Holtz measured Rachel. "Twenty four inches."

"Twenty-four inches in length." Patty replied.

"Subject weighs approximately 18 pounds and is about 8 months old." Abby replied, as she moved on to Rachel tests.

"Okay. Rachel?" Patty asked in concern.

Holtz shined a small flashlight at Rachel.

"Pupillary response normal." Holtz replied.

Holtz placed her flashlight back into her pocket protector.

"Auditory." Abby replied.

They snapped their fingers. Rachel moved her head around in reaction to them.

"Appears normal." Holtz replied.

"Apillary reflex." Patty replied.

They tickled Rachel.

"Appears to be ticklish." Holtz replied.

"Yep. Baby ticklish." Abby replied.

"You know, you'd have been better marrying Tommy." Erin replied, as she held the miniature snow globe upright.

"You never asked me. And whenever I brought it up, Tommy get drowsy and fall asleep." Sue replied.

Erin placed the globe back on the shelf and walked away. "You never got it, Sue. I'm a woman. I'm sensitive. You need to feel loved. You need to be desired."

Sue placed her left hand on her shoulder. "It was when Tommy started introducing me as "the old ball and chain." That's when I left."

Erin grimaced and turned her head.

"Well, I may have a lot of personal problems, but I'm a total professional when it comes to my job." Erin replied, as she walked over to Abby, Holtz, & Patty before Sue & Tommy could get there.

Holtz was using a Grafco fetal stethoscope on Rachel as she lay on her back. Abby scanned her with a P.K.E. Meter.

"Hey, Holtz." Erin replied.

"What?" Holtz asked in concern.

Holtz looked up at Erin, who spoke up close right into the stethoscope.

"What are we doing?" Erin asked in concern.

"She seems to be fine, Sue." Holtz replied.

"Mm-hm. She's very healthy." Sue replied.

"She's okay." Erin replied.

"When she does sleep, where do you put her?" Patty asked in concern.

"Right around here. I'll show you." Sue replied.

Holtz turned to Erin and handed him a specimen jar and walked away with a new device, the Giga meter.

"Erin, would you get a stool specimen, please?" Holtz asked in concern.

"Business or personal?" Erin asked in concern.

Sue & Tommy picked up a ring stacking toy in Rachel's bedroom.

Sue told them the room. "It's a little messy."

"Well, we don't wanna play with anything, we just wanna sweep for valences." Abby replied, as she picked up a small yellow Stegosaurus stuffed animal and swept it the P.K.E. Meter.

Holtz thought of the room. "Mm. Very cheerful. My parents didn't believe in toys."

Holtz picked up a rattle. Patty looked around. Erin smiled down at Rachel.

"You wanna play with a big kid? You know, I should have been your great-aunt. I mean, I could have been." Erin replied.

Rachel held out a hand to her great-aunt shook it.

"I understand." Erin replied.

Erin picked Rachel up and started singing "Dixie." Rachel bit her softly on the nose.

"Help! She's gone completely berserk. Help!" Erin replied.

Sue, Tommy, Abby, Holtz & Patty heard Erin. Sue & Tommy left the room. Abby, Holtz, & Patty exchanged concern.

"Uh-oh." Abby replied.

"Uh-oh." Holtz replied.

"Uh-oh." Patty replied.

Holtz shook the rattle. Abby & Patty walked over to Holtz.

"You mean you never even had a Slinky?" Patty asked in concern.

"We had part of a Slinky. But I straightened it." Holtz replied.

"Help! Help!" Erin's voice returned to normal once she saw Sue & Tommy.

"She…" Erin claimed Rachel. "She had some sort of clear liquid coming out of her mouth."

"Yeah, well, that happens." Tommy replied.

"Well, what do you think?" Sue asked in concern.

"Well, she's ugly. I mean, she's not Elephant Man ugly, but she's not attractive. Was it her parents?" Erin asked in concern.

"Don't listen." Sue replied.

"And you guys stinks. You're ripe, señor." Erin replied.

Rachel giggled.

"Did you guys stink? Yeah. Aunt Erin was a smelly, huh? What's your name?" Erin asked in concern.

"Her name is Rachel." Tommy replied.

"Named after a hot dog. You poor us. You poor, poor us." Erin replied.

"But seriously, there's nothing... unusual about us, is there?" Sue asked in concern.

"Well, I don't have a lot of experience with babies." Erin replied, as she turned to Rachel. "But you're excited now, because Mom and Dad's here to get your stool sample. Right, Mom and Dad?"

"Stool sample?" Sue asked in concern.

"Yeah." Erin replied.

They laid Rachel down on the table.

"Sue, where is your mother?" Erin asked in concern.

"Mom with my gym teacher Rita Desjardin. They are going to New York Airplane. They meet Alison." Sue replied.

"Who's Alison?" Erin asked in concern.

"Rita's niece." Tommy replied.

"Alison Desjardin?" Erin asked in concern.

"Yes. Rita's brother's daughter." Sue replied.

"Okay. I'll tell your mother, okay." Erin replied.

"I will." Sue replied.

Abby was lying down his back and swept the underside of Rachel's crib with her P.K.E. Meter when Erin entered.

"Nothing." Abby replied.

"So, what, brainiac?" Erin asked in concern.

"I'd like to run some gynaecological tests on the parents." Holtz replied.

"Who wouldn't?" Erin asked in concern.

"Let's check the street." Patty replied.

(A short time later…)

Sue & Tommy showed Abby, Erin, Holtz, & Patty where the incident happened on First Avenue. Then, the corner shop was selling trees.

"It stopped right over there, in the middle of the crosswalk." Sue replied.

"All right, I can get us out there." Erin replied.

Erin took charge, dashed into the middle of the street, and started directing traffic. Cars honked at them.

"Hey. Erin." Abby replied.

"Hold on." Erin replied, as she in vain.

"We're scientists, excuse us. Get out of the way!" Holtz replied.

A taxi driver braked and honked.

"Thanks a lot. We gotta do an inquiry here." Erin replied.

"Hold on." Patty replied.

"Thanks. Appreciate it. Thanks." Erin replied.

"You gonna move out of there or what?" The man asked in concern.

"Relax, you're on the meter." Erin replied.

"Come on, hey!" Patty replied.

"We're scientists, get out of the way." Erin replied.

Holtz used a P.K.E. Meter on the spot where the carriage stopped. Abby used the Giga Meter. Both were lit up. Holtz laughs.

"I think we hit the honeypot." Holtz replied, as she turned to Abby. "There's something brewing under the street. I've got 1118 on the PKE."

"Two-point-five GEVs on the gigameter." Abby replied.

"Well, what does that mean?" Sue asked in concern.

Abby and Holtz exchanged looks…

Suddlney, the phone rang… Erin pockets up her iPhone & picks it up and answers…

"Hello Dr. Gilbert here? Oh, hello Kevin. What? What happened? Where? Thank you, Kevin." Erin replied, as she answered the phone.

Erin pockets down her iPhone.

"Guys." Erin replied.

"What is it?" Patty asked in concern.

"Bad news." Erin replied.

"When?" Holtz asked in concern.

"The dark alley." Erin replied.

"You sure?" Abby asked in concern.

"Yeah." Erin replied.

"Who?" Patty asked in concern.

"The girl." Erin asked.

"The girl?" Holtz asked in concern.

"The homeless girl." Erin replied.

"The homeless girl?" Patty asked in concern.

"She saw the ghosts." Erin replied.

"Are you sure?" Abby asked in concern.

"Yeah." Erin asked.

"She got in trouble?" Holtz asked.

"Yeah." Erin replied.

Abby turned to Holtz and Patty.

"All right, we got a suit up." Abby replied.

"Who's the girl?" Tommy asked in concern.

"I don't know." Erin replied.

To Be Continued…