GB: Taken

Ch 14: Waiting

After the police were done with the scene, Janine, Jenny, and Kylie were escorted to the hospital where the guys had been taken to. Mel and Detectives Ross & Scott went with the police back to the station to settle some paperwork and to notify Mayor Lenny that the Ghostbusters had been found. After 20 minutes, the ladies arrived at Hunter Memorial Hospital where they were informed that all four Ghostbusters were in surgery. While waiting for updates, Janine called Dana and Tiyah to inform them that Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston had been found alive and were being examined and taken care of. Dana and Tiyah assured the receptionist that they would be there as soon as possible.

While waiting for Dana and Tiyah to arrive and for an update on the injured team, the ladies sat in the waiting room. Even though they were relieved that the guys had been found after three and half days, they were worried that they had arrived too late and that the guys weren't strong enough to survive intensive surgery. Kylie had been escorted back to New York City with Detective Scott so she could get some sleep while Janine and Jenny stayed behind. Janine sighed and put her face in her hands.

"You ok Janine?" Jenny asked.

"I've been better. So much better." Janine replied mournfully.

"Me too." Jenny said just as sadly, "You want some coffee or tea?"

"Can you see if they have any chamomile tea?"

"Of course." Jenny replied. She got up and headed over to where the coffee was. She came back a few moments later with two steaming cups.

"Surprisingly, they did have chamomile tea." Jenny remarked as she handed Janine one of the cups.

"Thanks Jen, you're the best." Janine said gratefully.

"You're welcome." the blonde responded, "And don't worry, the guys are stronger than most people give them credit for."

"I know..."

Two and half hours passed by with little talk and no updates. Then, around 11:30, Dana and Tiyah burst through the doors. Janine and Jenny stood up to meet them and gave them both hugs.

"Hey, we got here as soon as we could." Dana said.

"The mayor had a couple of his aides drive us up here." Tiyah added.

"Y'all are good." Jenny reassured, "The guys are still in surgery so you two haven't missed much."

"How were they when you found them?" Dana asked anxiously.

Janine and Jenny glanced at each other. They decided it would be best to tell the truth because trying to sugar coat it would be a waste of time.

"Well ladies, to be honest...they were not in good shape." Janine replied truthfully, "They were unconscious and looked like they had been beaten pretty good. They were covered in cuts, bruises, lacerations, and blood. And their jumpsuits were ripped, bloody, and covered in dirt."

"Not to mention Peck and Hardemyer had hit them with their car and probably made things so much worse." Jenny added.

Dana and Tiyah stood in shock. The description that Janine and Jenny had given them was much worse than they originally thought. They had prayed that the guys hadn't been too badly hurt but injured to the point where they were close to death was more than they could handle. The two women sank into chairs with heavy hearts and on the brink of tears.

"Jesus..." Tiyah muttered as she buried her face in her hands.

Dana simply shook her head in sorrow and disbelief. "Peck and Hardemyer deliberately hit them?" she asked, her voice cracking.

All Janine and Jenny could do was nod mournfully in reply. Dana buried her face in her hands as tears began to fall. The redheaded receptionist and blonde liaison sat down next to the distraught musician and teacher and wrapped their arms around them.

"Why? Why does this keep happening?" Tiyah asked as she wept, "Why do these types of things keep happening to me and Winston?"

"Wish I knew Ti, wish I knew." Jenny replied sadly, "Ever since I was brought back, I was looking forward to actually having a life with Ray. When I got torn apart by that banshee, I thought that I would never have that opportunity again. And of course, when it came back, stuff had to keep getting in the way."

"I know that Peter and I had had our troubles in the past, but even after we separated, I couldn't help but think of him." Dana added as she wiped away her tears, "I know that despite his tough exterior and eccentricities, he deeply cares for those he loves and would do anything to protect them."

"I waited years for Egon for finally tell me how he really felt about me." Janine replied sorrowfully, "Hearing him say those words and kissing me for the first time made me realize my wait was worth it. Not even four months into our relationship and already the prospect of us having a life together was almost taken away by those bastards."

"But we shouldn't give up our hopes of having lives with them." Jenny reassured, "The guys are strong, stubborn, and resilient. They would walk through hell and back in order to be with us. Hell, they walked through the forest for a day injured and exhausted to get back to civilization and us. If they can survive crossing proton streams in order to defeat Gozer, getting kidnapped by the Collectors, possessions, and even come back from the dead, then they can surely survive this."

Janine, Dana and Tiyah were silent for a few minutes before Dana spoke up. "You know Jen, you'd make a great motivational speaker."

"Yeah, you've helped lift me out doubt a bunch over these past few days." Janine added.

"Heck, you could even teach a class on it." Tiyah said with a small smile, "I could put in a word with my boss, and you could teach a class part time."

"Thanks for the compliments ladies, but I think I'm good with being a liaison and occasional Ghostbuster." Jenny replied as she took a sip of her now cold coffee.

The night dragged on past midnight and into the early morning hours with no updates on the injured Ghostbusters. There was very little activity in the waiting room, but considering Hunter was a small town, it was not surprising. The ladies dozed off from time to time but tried to stay awake in case there were any updates. While sitting in chairs in a hospital waiting room was not the best way to sleep, they were still able to catch a few minutes of sleep. Finally, at around 3 AM, about six hours after the guys had been found, two doctors, one was a tall, sandy-haired man and the other was an Asian-American woman with glasses, dressed in scrubs and white lab coats came into the waiting room.

"Excuse me, are you ladies associated with the Ghostbusters?" the man asked.

"Yes." Janine replied as she bolted up from her chair, "I'm Janine Melnitz, I'm the receptionist and head of staff for the Ghostbusters. I'm also Dr. Spengler's girlfriend. Are the guys ok?"

"Nice to meet you Ms. Melnitz." the woman said as she shook Janine's hand, "I'm Dr. Alice Kim and this is my colleague Dr. Evan Spence, and we've been assigned to the team's case. And yes, all four survived the surgery."

"They're alive?" Tiyah said as she shot up from her chair. Dana and Jenny overheard and quickly stood up to meet the doctors.

"I'm Jenny Moran, I'm the PCOC liaison to the Ghostbusters and also Dr. Stantz's girlfriend." Jenny said, "And this is Dana Barret, Dr. Venkman's girlfriend, and Tiyah Clarke, Mr. Zeddemore's fiancée."

"Nice to meet you all." Dr. Spence replied, "Yes, as Dr. Kim said, all four survived their surgeries but they're all in critical condition."

"How bad?" Dana asked tentatively.

"And don't sugar coat it, we want to know." Janine boldly said.

To be continued...