Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty-two of "Turnaround." This chapter introduces Walter and Ryan. I am glad to have finally done this after mentioning them several times. Another stalking incident is coming very soon. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-three.

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Chapter 32: In the Mayor's Office

Walter and sixty-six-year-old Ryan watched an anchorman give a report about the Ghostbusters catching the trash-throwing ghost in the former's office. The latter stood next to the desk. A video of the team helping to clean up the neighborhood was shown. Walter folded his hands and laid them on his desk. He titled his head somewhat.

Ryan placed his hands behind his back. He happened to be African-American. He was rather tall and possessed a slightly muscular frame. His head had no hair whatsoever. His eyes were brown and contained bags underneath them. His face had wrinkles here and there. His forehead contained a scar going across it. His eyebrows were thin to the point being invisible. He heard Walter chuckle. He adjusted his glasses.

"This is unbelievable, Ryan. We've had prank-pulling ghosts," Walter said and gestured toward the TV. "Now, we have a trash-throwing ghost."

"Many ghosts only cause a little mischief. That doesn't mean they can't disrupt everyday life," Ryan responded.

"You and I know that quite well. That prank-pulling ghost did all sorts of wacky things. For example, it took my suits and stashed them somewhere. When I accidentally spilled coffee on my shirt before an important meeting, I rushed to change it. I couldn't find anything. I looked everywhere. I had to go to the meeting with a stained shirt. I was so embarrassed until an aide said they found my stuff stashed in his office. I was relieved and was given a clean shirt," Walter explained.

"Another example is me attempting to sit at my desk. I was getting ready to sit down when the chair suddenly moved back. I ended up on my ass on the floor. I wasn't hurt, but I was embarrassed," Ryan admitted.

"You are lucky you didn't hurt yourself and spend months recovering. That is rather common for people our age," Walter pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Some politicians have died in office," Ryan added and frowned a bit. "It sucks, but it is what it is."

"Life doesn't stop when you govern a town, city, state, or country," Walter said, his eyebrows raising. "Julie fixes me coffee and breakfast every day before I come here. When she is sick, I do the cooking."

"Max and Peta live in Oklahoma. He goes storm-chasing every tornado season. She works as a meteorologist," Ryan said, a small smile forming on his face.

"I worry for my kids, but they are hardy like me. They can handle life very well," Walter said proudly.

"They have their own Twitter pages. Max has even uploaded a few videos of tornadoes he had been chasing this year," Ryan whispered, licking his lips.

"I remember when the 1999 Moore tornado occurred. Julie and I were shocked at hearing the words 'tornado emergency.' Such a warning had never been issued before," Walter said and stroked his chin. "Gary Englund and his fellow meteorologists did the right thing issuing it. Otherwise, it would have been a mass casualty event. Max was six when it happened. Peta was four."

Walter and Ryan observed the anchorman finishing his news report. A picture of Gary, Callie, Trevor, and Oscar with their arms around each other was shown. Walter leaned back in his chair somewhat. He picked up the remote to turn the TV off. He laid it down.

"I remember when we first noticed that Phoebe was not with the Ghostbusters. We found that rather odd. She was so dedicated to being part of them," Walter said, looking at his friend.

"I know," Ryan agreed. "Then rumors started flying around about why she was absent from the team." He tried to stifle a snicker, but he couldn't help himself. "We heard one where she was abducted by aliens."

"It's a tale as old as time. Someone claims such-and-such happened. No one believes the story," Walter commented.

"Then Gary, Callie, Trevor, and Oscar came to bust the ghost that had been terrorizing us and the rest of the staff," Ryan added.

Walter scratched the back of his neck. "I met with the team. Oscar introduced himself. He revealed his last name was Venkman. I was very surprised. He admitted Peter was his father through adoption. He mentioned his sisters. I wasn't surprised Peter had children with Dana after marrying her. I told everyone about the rumors, including the alien abduction. We all laughed our heads off at that one."

"It was very funny. Besides, alien abduction stories are almost always hoaxes. Even after they are exposed, the culprits continue to believe aliens abducted them," Ryan asked, giving a shrug.

"When I was a kid, people told the craziest stories. Most of them were bogus, but others were very real. Sometimes, the impossible is actually possible," Walter admitted.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed with a nod. "Anyway, Gary and Callie admitted Phoebe was pregnant. We were quite surprised to learn she had actually benched herself. She did it without being asked because she was concerned about harm coming to her baby."

"It was obvious she had matured a bit since the Garraka incident. Learning she was to be a young mother gave me the courage to reveal Mom was a survivor of the Baby Scoop Era. It was an unfortunate time period in America. So many mothers had their babies taken from them simply because they were unmarried. Julie and I conceived Max before we married. He was no different from babies who had been conceived within the bounds of marriage," Walter explained.

"Unfortunately, that didn't stop people from calling your son a bastard," Ryan said, shuddering in disgust. "I hate that word with every fiber of my being."

"I do too," Walter said with a heavy sigh. "It doesn't matter now. My children are healthy and strong. That is what truly counts."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it does."

Walter turned his chair and rose to his feet. He went to the window and looked out at it. He observed a peregrine falcon flying by it.

"It's hard to believe it has been thirty-two years since Andrew Carly was arrested and convicted of stalking and kidnapping. It feels like only yesterday," Walter whispered, his voice filled with solemnness. "He was a real terror in my and Julie's lives."

"I was twenty-five when you left the EPA after the Gozer incident. You moved to Upstate New York to work for OSHA. Then you went to live with your mother in Connecticut because she was very ill and needed someone to take care of her full-time in 1988," Ryan explained sympathetically. "I remember meeting her myself during a visit there. She was a very lovely woman."

"That was when I met Julie. She was dating Andrew at the time. He was very abusive to her. When I caught him berating her during a grocery shopping trip at Kroger two years later, I confronted him. He attempted to punch me. We got into a fight. An employee called 911. The police came and arrested him for assault. He was bailed out of jail by his parents. Julie broke up with him and filed a restraining order. It was allowed to expire after he stayed away from her," Walter added. "Mom died in late 1990. Julie and I started dating a year later. It was my first real relationship with a woman."

"When Andrew found out, he wasn't happy in the least bit," Ryan commented. "He began stalking and harassing both of you."

"He followed us everywhere. Not even the hospital that Julie went to for appointments while she was pregnant with Max and Peta was safe," Walter replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "He got worse when we married on February 23, 1993. Julie was four months pregnant with Max at the time."

"I imagine you two being quite scared," Ryan suggested.

"Oh, we were," Walter admitted and turned around. "We filed a restraining order against Andrew. When we caught him close to us, we called the police. They never arrested him, but they gave him warnings. That ticked us off. Max was born on July 29, 1993. I went home thinking they would be safe at the hospital as the receptionist told me they would get security if anyone tried to come see them posing as a relative or friend."

"Talk about being wrong," Ryan said, clicking his tongue.

"You bet. Andrew sneaked into the hospital. He disguised himself as a doctor. He ambushed Julie in the elevator as she was taking Max to her room. He threatened her with a gun if she didn't comply, so she did. I went crazy with worry after they were reported missing. The police conducted a huge search. They were found within twenty-four hours. She was shaken, but she was unharmed," Walter said and cleared his throat. "Andrew was sentenced to forty years in prison. He must serve every bit of his sentence. He will be eighty-four when he gets out."

"Even elderly people can be dangerous. Andrew could come looking for you and Julie," Ryan pointed out matter-of-factly.

Walter nodded in agreement. He approached his chair and sat down with a light grunt. He turned it around and moved it up to his desk. He propped his head up with his elbow.

"I never thought I'd make peace with the Ghostbusters. I was ready to blame them for Garraka when that reporter forced me to reverse my stance. I came to realize the world would be under a layer of ice if it hadn't been for them," Walter said, his body shaking some.

"You did the right thing, sir. Of course, it wasn't very easy for you," Ryan responded gently.

Walter sighed heavily. "I regret forcing that containment unit to be shut down back in 1984. Of course, you can't blame me for wanting to inspect it. It was my job to do so. My biggest problem was I was overzealous with that."

Ryan exhaled. "Look at you now. You managed to change that part of yourself. I have no doubt your mother is proud of you."

Walter couldn't help but smile. He started talking about his mother, Alexis, beginning to suffer heath issues.