Author's notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter two of "Turnaround." This chapter introduces Janine, Podcast, and Phoebe. There is some Podcast/Phoebe. I consider Janine an important member of the Ghostbusters as she handled all their calls. It is understandable she got irritated sometimes, but I believed she enjoyed her job. That was after she got used to it following the first movie. Stay tuned for chapter three.

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Chapter 2: Musings of a Secretary and Teens

Janine sat at her desk at the Firehouse thirty minutes later. She was reading Born Free. She finished a page and turned to the next one. She glanced at her mug. She picked it up while mouthing words. She was about to drink coffee from it when she found it was empty. She rolled her eyes before setting it down. She took off her glasses and grabbed her forehead.

Janine tried not to chuckle, but she couldn't help herself. She remembered all the times she attempted to drink from an empty mug in the early days of the Ghostbusters. She felt embarrassed every time, especially when a call came right after that. She slammed it down on a few occasions, but it was never hard enough to break it.

Her thoughts shifted to Podcast and Phoebe. She believed they made a lovely couple. She was looking forward to Gabrielle's birth. She liked the name very much. She recalled watching Gabrielle grow from a naïve farm girl to a fierce Amazon queen in Xena: Warrior Princess. She loved how the bard kept Xena on the straight and narrow during her quest for redemption. She saw the duo as the perfect role models for women and girls.

She started thinking about the Ghostbusters' latest assignment. She was grateful they had more members than they did in the past as it allowed for rotating, so everyone could catch a break. She was aware some would be temporary like Oscar, Jeanette, and Ronnie were. That was unless they decided to become permanent. She did not mind Peter, Ray, and Winston helping from time to time, though she was concerned about their health due to their age.

Janine jumped in fright when the phone began ringing. She put her glasses back on as she groaned annoyingly. She may have been glad business was booming, but she wished the calls wouldn't come so much. This was especially true during the summer. There were times she felt like she would faint because of the heat and humidity. She was grateful the last several days had been quite comfortable. She picked up the phone and placed it to her ear.

"Ghostbusters," Janine said.

"Congratulations! You are a finalist to win tickets to a Rihanna concert!" a young man shouted in great glee.

"Huh?" Janine asked confusingly.

"It's no joke. I am telling you the truth," the man insisted with a laugh.

"No, you are not," Janine said, shaking her head rapidly.

"The tickets can be yours if you answer these three questions correctly," the man responded and clicked his tongue twice. "Just hold on. I will get them in a minute."

"Give me a fucking break," Janine blurted out angrily. She saw Podcast and Phoebe coming her way in the corner of her eye. "This is just a prank call. I never entered a contest for Rihanna concert tickets. Your friends must've put you up to this. Please, never call here again."

Podcast and Phoebe were startled when Janine slammed the phone on its base. They stopped before the desk. He had a coffee-filled mug in his hand. She laid her hands on her stomach. Her baby bump was smaller than that of most mothers. Janine curled her hands into fists so tight that she'd break glasses if she were holding them.

"If there is one thing that hasn't changed in forty years, it's kids playing on the phone. That includes making prank calls," Janine griped and uncurled her hands. She laid them on the desk. "It will never end."

"Parents just want to be their kids' friends. They refuse to parent them," Podcast mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"It's disgusting," Phoebe added.

"I got several Bart Simpson-type prank calls after The Simpsons premiered on Fox in 1989," Janine admitted with a heavy sigh. "Not all of the calls came from kids. Adults were involved too."

"I got a Bart Simpson-type text on my phone three days ago," Podcast said, scoffing irritatingly. "It said 'Mayabutt Smells.' I didn't know the number it came from because it was masked as private."

"What is it with people playing around with phones, whether they are mobile or landline?" Phoebe wondered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"They think people are easily entertained by prank calls," Janine commented and cleared her throat. "It is not entertaining when one is made to 911 and ties up emergency services. It is very dangerous."

"Prank callers should be arrested for pulling that crap," Phoebe suggested bluntly. "Only if they aren't kids, that is."

"I agree," Janine said, nodding slowly. "Anyway, how is breakfast coming along?"

"It's going good," Podcast admitted and handed the mug to her. "Ronnie and Jeanette took over, so we could take a break. We wanted to bring you some more coffee."

Janine smiled at the boy and sipped the sugar-filled coffee. She nodded in approval before looking at him. She put it down with a contented sigh. She glanced at him.

"It's perfect, Podcast," Janine complimented.

"Thank you," Podcast said and gestured toward the other mug. "May I?"

"Sure," Janine said, nodding slowly. She propped her head up with her elbow as he grabbed it and placed his other hand on it. "How is the baby doing?"

Phoebe giggled. "Gabrielle is moving around like crazy."

"She's been like that ever since we got up," Podcast said while slipping his arm around her. He laid his hand on her stomach. "She just won't stop."

"Come to think of it," Phoebe said, reaching into the pocket of her blue overalls and pulling out a plastic bag containing two pickle spears. "She is making me crave these things."

"You just had to hide that in your pocket, huh?" Podcast teased.

"Yes, I did," Phoebe admitted and poked him with the spears. "You will never stop me."

Podcast chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't."

Podcast kissed his girlfriend's temple. She opened the bag and pulled out the first spear. She took a big bite out of it. She proceeded to chew at a slow pace. Janine rubbed the back of her neck with both hands. She placed them behind her head.

"I never thought we would be welcoming a baby in this place," Janine whispered, sighing softly. She suppressed a yawn. She tried again with another one, but she couldn't help herself. "Oscar is the only other baby who has been in here."

"I am sure he stunk up the place with his dirty diapers," Podcast commented and wiggled his eyebrows.

"His dirty diapers did smell, but it wasn't never that bad," Janine admitted while laying her hands on the desk. "Of course, Ray, Egon, and Winston refused to change him. It always fell on Peter to do so." She tried to hold back a giggle, but she couldn't help himself. "Oscar never fussed when he did that, whether it was here or at home."

"Oscar is a temporary Ghostbuster now. He loves his job," Podcast said, warmth echoing from his voice.

"Jeanette and Ronnie love their jobs as temporary Ghostbusters as much as he does," Janine added.

"I don't blame him for going on this assignment. He was eager to see the interstate dragon," Phoebe said and swallowed. She bit into the spear, this time being a smaller bite. She chewed steadily. "Since there is never much traffic on the interstate on Saturday mornings, he, Trevor, Mom, and Dad should catch it quickly."

"That is unless it behaves differently from the sewer dragon," Podcast pointed out and rubbed his nose.

"That is true," Phoebe agreed softly. She swallowed with a loud gulp. "Every ghost is different. You never know what you will get."

Phoebe finished off the spear quickly. She groaned painfully and gave the bag to her boyfriend. She took hold of her back with both hands. She rubbed it slowly as she clenched her teeth.

"I will be glad when these damn back pains are gone," Phoebe said, going over to the chair and sitting down. She took three deep breaths before shaking her head in disbelief. "My baby bump may not be as big as that of most mothers, but it still feels like I am carrying a bowling ball."

"No two pregnancies are the same. That's for sure," Janine admitted.

"It's murder on the neck too," Phoebe grumbled and rubbed the back of her neck.

Podcast went behind her. "Let me get rid of that pesky pain for you."

Phoebe giggled. "Be my guest. Thank you."

Podcast handed the bag to Phoebe, who opened it and pulled out the second spear. He laid the mug on the desk. He started massaging her neck. He rubbed deep circles into it. She sighed warmly at the pain vanishing.

"That feels so good," Phoebe whispered and bit into the spear. She chewed quickly and swallowed with a loud gulp. "I admit I am a little scared of being a mother at such a young age."

"I admit I am a little scared being a father at such a young age," Podcast said and moved over to her shoulders. He increased the pressure somewhat. "I don't care. I am determined to be the best father I can be."

"I am determined to be the best mother I can be," Phoebe said, looking up at him. "We will never have a shortage of babysitters. That's for sure."

"No, we won't," Podcast agreed and kissed her forehead. He chuckled when she looked at Janine. "Just don't expect me to do all the diaper-changing."

Phoebe took a big bite out of the spear. "Duly noted."

"You two are so lucky to have teen parenthood resources at your disposal. They did not exist when Egon was a kid. You were expected to marry young and have kids back then. Being a single mom was a no-no unless she was widowed or divorced. It is estimated four million American mothers had their babies put up for adoption from 1945-1973. Many have said they were coerced or forced into giving them up," Janine explained sadly as Phoebe chewed in a steady manner.

Podcast cringed in disgust. "That's horrible."

"It may have been hard for Mom to make ends meet, but she has always been there for Trevor and me," Phoebe said and swallowed.

"Now, you have a dad who actually loves you," Podcast commented while sliding his hands over to her upper back to massage it.

"I don't want to see that bastard who gave me life ever again," Phoebe hissed bluntly. "Neither does Trevor. He hurt us badly when he walked out on us. He never formed a connection with me, anyway."

Janine sighed. "It is a well-known fact that children need their fathers. When they are raised by single mothers, girls are more likely to have trouble with men while boys often end up in prison. You and Trevor may have gotten in trouble a few times, Phoebe, but you have never done anything horribly wrong. You are good kids."

"Thank you," Phoebe said, nodding. "Thank you so much."

Phoebe finished off the spear and ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth. Podcast laughed softly in which it caused her to look up at him.

"What?" Phoebe asked with raised eyebrows.

"You downed those two spears like they were candy," Podcast responded with a smirk.

"You are lucky I didn't send you to McDonalds to get me a milkshake in the middle of the night," Phoebe said, hitting him in the forehead with the bag. She tried to do it again, but he caught it and pulled it away from her. "Hey!"

"You know the rules. You can't hit me with anything unless you want it snatched away from you," Podcast teased and tickled her nose.

"Oh, you," Phoebe responded in mock annoyance. She ruffled his hair before letting out a soft laugh. "I love you."

"I love you too," Podcast said, kissing her lips. He laid the bag on the desk before clearing his throat. "Now, let me finish massaging your back."

"Go for it," Phoebe commented and whistled. "Get going on the double."

Phoebe looked ahead as Podcast began massaging her middle back. She laid her hands on her stomach. She smiled at the baby's moving against them. She licked her lips.

"If there are some things I will not miss while being pregnant, they are throwing up in the mornings, having swollen ankles, feeling back pain, and craving the weirdest food combos," Phoebe said seriously.

"Don't forget the bad mood swings," Podcast added. "You've thrown pillows and stuffed animals at me."

Janine made a funny noise. "I nearly got hit by an apple that Phoebe threw at me when she had a really bad mood swing a month ago."

"You are not the only one, Janine. Gary and Callie came close to getting hit by fruit she threw at them," Podcast commented, rubbing deep circles into his girlfriend's back.

"The thing is I have regretted how I acted every time," Phoebe pointed out matter-of-factly.

Podcast nodded in agreement. "That you have. It doesn't matter. We are willing to deal with it."

"Thank you," Phoebe responded gratefully.

"Always remember kids are not a one-size-fits-all package. Every kid has their own wants, needs, likes, and dislikes. They can look like one parent, both parents, or neither one," Janine said.

"That's what Mom said," Phoebe replied with a giggle.

"Great minds think alike," Janine said, giving the expectant mother a high five when she held up her hand.

Phoebe smiled. "Always."

Podcast increased the pressure on Phoebe's back. He began talking about the time he put a rubber frog in Gary's bed.