Forever Forever Forever Summer
Chapter 11: So, Anyway (Epilogue)
Ferb should be happy. He should be relieved. He should be more relieved than anyone had ever been. The empty bed on the other end of the room was no longer a reminder of who had been taken away, it was a reminder of who they had rescued. It was a reminder that, without his friends, Phineas would still be getting exploited for his talents and used as nothing more than a money making scheme without even knowing it.
Phineas was alive, safe and in capable hands, Isabella and the troop were preparing to handle as much of the legal side of things as they were able to keep the pressure off the family, in theory Ferb had nothing rational to worry about. He was a logical thinker, he should be happy. At the very least he should be calm.
Instead of living in the garage or at the drafting table, Ferb spent most of his time on top of his covers staring at the ceiling. To anyone except Phineas this would look like relaxation, in reality it was anything but. On this particular early afternoon only a few days after Phineas’ rescue, he was accompanied by Perry curled up beside him. Each time he ran his hand across his fuzzy teal back he was reminded that he did, indeed, break multiple bones in his hands in the process of rescuing Phineas. Morbid curiosity made him wonder how much it would have hurt if they weren't already numb from the adrenaline when he broke them.
The lone, single benefit of his brother still being in hospital was that, with no motivation to build anything, there was a much lower risk of worsening his injuries before they had a chance to heal. On the flipside, this meant he somehow felt more useless than he did the day Phineas was kidnapped. Go figure.
“Hey, you little lifesaver.” Candace, back to spending most of her time at home, appears in the doorway. “You haven’t taken down your conspiracy board yet?”
Ferb doesn’t sit up, he instead only raises his hands, showing off his brand new splints.
“Right.” She chuckles as she perches on the edge of his bed. “Hey Perry. Glad to see you’re home, at least.”
The sleepy platypus chitters softly. Ferb returns a hand to his back and tries not to overthink it.
“Mom just got off the phone with the hospital, they’ll let us know when we’re allowed to visit. They said Phineas is doing better than expected, all things considered. Like, he’ll still be there for a while and miss his birthday but they weren't even sure if he'd consistently be lucid this soon and he is.”
That's Phineas for you, nothing can keep him down for long, Ferb thinks but doesn't say. If they let him, he’d be living in that hospital room alongside his brother.
“How’d you end up breaking bones, anyway?” Candace asks, her random topic change reminding him of Phineas a little too much for his liking. “You told me it was a stealth rescue.”
“Punches.” Ferb mutters.
“Oh, that’ll be why you didn't mention it in front of mom and dad, then? Don't sweat it, those creeps deserved it.”
“I could’ve killed them.”
Candace goes quiet.
It was the closest Ferb had gotten to speaking without thinking in a long, long time. All the rage had subsided, he thought everything brash was behind him. He thought all the anger and borderline bloodlust didn’t matter now that Phineas was safe. He thought...
“But you didn’t.” She eventually says, straddling the line between being a statement and a question.
Ferb sits up and attempts to put his head in his hands, recoiling away when he hits the splints instead. He emptily stares down at his wounded limbs. They weren’t useless but it made everything a hell of a lot more difficult. He just had to keep reminding himself it was worth it.
“Hey, it’s only been a few days, I’m sure there’s a whole lotta feelings in there.” She playfully ruffles his hair, something she rarely does these days. He almost smiles. “You don’t have to work them out immediately. Like, sometimes emotions get messy and trying to fix them immediately just makes everything way worse. Trust me, I’d know, thanks to you two dorks causing me all kinds of stress.”
He looks up, finally making eye contact. It sticks for a little longer than he’d like, but the message gets across regardless.
“Me? Don’t you worry about that, I’m a lot better at this whole stress management thing than I used to be. Promise.” She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.
“He’s your brother too.”
Candace pauses, her expression tensing. Ferb looks away again.
“You’re too good for your own good sometimes, you know that?” She teases, her hand once again landing on the top of his head. “Just focus on taking care of yourself, and Phineas when he’s home. You too, Perry.”
Perry lazily chatters in response.
Ferb lays back down a little clumsily. It wasn't the first time he'd been told he was too nice, too smart or too observant for his own good, it had always felt like a backhanded compliment more than anything else, or maybe a failed attempt at reigning in a young, adventurous mind. It was a phrase he was always glad to respond to with silence.
“Anywayyy.” She changes the topic with the grace of a thrown brick. “The thing I actually came up here to ask. What do you want for lunch?”
~~~~~
Phineas’ plan had not been to spend his 14th birthday in hospital recovering from getting kidnapped, but on the bright side, he could now say he spent his 14th birthday in hospital recovering from getting kidnapped, and how many people could say that?
He had never been a fan of hospitals, though he supposed no one was, really. It always reminded him of insufficient safety measures and pure bad luck, both things he also wasn't a fan of. Being stuck in an unfamiliar room meant he had no easy outlet for his need to create so he doodled on just about every piece of paper he got his hands on to scratch the itch. At least it was something nice to keep his brain occupied and pass the hours between all the tests and appointments.
Much like the rescue itself, Phineas’ memories of the first few days in hospital were fuzzy at best. He vaguely remembered Ferb carrying him in, then the next thing he knows he’s alone again on his hospital bed, where a very kind nurse would explain where he was (Badgertown Hospital), what happened to him (malnourished and underweight but stable), what happened to Ferb (several broken bones in his hands, otherwise fine), and to just focus on resting for now.
That had been the worst part. Just resting. Phineas knew the benefits of a good rest but that's when it was on his own terms, not when it was a professional’s orders. It reminded him of the many, many times teachers had told him to sit still.
He sighs, lifting his pen away from the notepad his family had given him after they heard he was getting close to doodling on his bedsheets each time he ran out of paper. On the latest page was a shaky drawing of their backyard tree with Perry napping against its trunk. It would be a while until he got to see them again. He was learning it’s apparently very possible to miss a plant almost as much as you miss your family, and also that platypuses aren't allowed into hospitals.
Mostly, it was strange being away from Ferb for so long. It wasn't very often they were physically separated for half a day, let alone several or more in a row. An unsettling guilt-like feeling rose every time he remembered how long Ferb had been without him, by the time he was rescued it had been almost a month since he was kidnapped. At least he thought he was with Ferb for the majority of that time...
Phineas rapidly taps his pencil on the edge of the notepad. Feeling selfish wasn't quite the correct word. He smiles when he realises Ferb would know exactly how to describe what he was feeling if he was here, regardless of whether he actually expressed any of these thoughts out loud.
Luckily for him and his looming anxieties, it was visiting hours, and he knew his family would be arriving any moment.
Just as he prepares to begin a new doodle, the door swings open and a bundle of familiar faces walks in led by a newer familiar face, Dr. Manich. Candace was carrying a few clearly birthday related goodies that she quickly tries to hide when she notices Phineas looking. Most obvious of all was a very unsubtle pair of brightly patterned foil balloons, one happy birthday, the other get well soon.
“There's the birthday boy!” Mom beelines to his bed, arms spread and ready for a tight, motherly hug. There was still a tinge of grief in her voice, Phineas hated the thought of how stressed she must have been while he was missing. “Oh, sweetie, our little miracle...”
“Hi guys!” He sets the notepad aside and eagerly accepts the hug.
“Happy birthday, son.” Dad comes over next, and they all exchange hugs one by one. A little slice of home. “How are you feeling?”
“A lot better, thanks! Still a bit weak.” He playfully wiggles his arms. “But better.”
“Oh, he’s been an absolute delight.” Dr. Manich says. She had the perfect voice for a hospital worker; calm and loving. It reminded him of mom. That familiarity was much appreciated in the time before he could actually see her again. “His optimism is really something special, he’s taken absolutely everything in his stride. Considering the state he was admitted in, this is just about the best case scenario so far.”
“That's our boy...” Mom goes in for another hug, though it’s moreso just a squeeze as she gives him zero time to react. He suppresses a wince - sure, it did hurt a little, but there was no chance he was going to deny a hug.
Speaking of pain and injuries...
“Oh, Ferb, that reminds me, how’s your hand?”
Ferb blinks and gives the closest he currently can to a thumbs up. It was a bit more sluggish than usual but since his pain tolerance was borderline inhuman Phineas guessed it probably didn't bother him that much, if it hurt at all in the first place.
“Nice! And, hey, at least you get a cool cast out of it.”
Technically, it was a splint, but saying cast sounded more exciting.
“Hey, we have gifts, and not just from us.” Candace chimes in, presenting the stack of boxes and letters she had poorly been hiding. She flicks through it, carefully avoiding toppling the whole thing. “Garcia-Shapiros, Van Stomms, Tjinders, Johnsons, Murphys, Browns... Irving. Even Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher sent a letter. There's pretty much something from, like... everyone we know.”
“Whoa! I don't think I'm gonna have space for all of that!”
Dr. Manich chuckles. “Don't worry, we can sort something out. I think it's wonderful that you have so many people who care about you.”
“Yeah.” He grins warmly. “I wouldn't be here if they didn't!”
~~~~~
“-and as cool as flying wheelchairs sound, that would mean wearing a helmet all the time. Don't get me wrong, helmets are great, but it gets uncomfortable after a while. That could always be a side project, though.”
Phineas had finally been released from hospital, and, being Phineas, he was already back to discussing plans for new inventions before they’d left the parking lot. Candace and Ferb had gone to pick him up while their parents stay home for reasons they couldn’t yet tell him, and the vast majority of the trip home was accompanied by him talking. Candace had never been so glad he was seemingly incapable of being quiet. After so long without it, or only hearing it sporadically, it was delightful to hear him so excitedly talk on and on and on with no hint of poorly disguised fatigue in his voice. Ferb knew what his forced smiles looked like and these ones were as genuine as could be.
Thanks to physical therapy and a diet that didn't consist solely of vaguely evil IV fluids he was able to walk further than a single step, but he was still weaker than before and wasn't completely stable on his feet. His new wheelchair was a precaution more than anything, just for a little while until he got back to his usual strength. Of course, being Phineas, it being hopefully temporary didn't stop him from pondering how to trick it out.
“Hey Ferb, do you still have those mini ultra lightweight propulsion jets?”
Ferb nods.
“Great! They’d be handy for hops to get over one or two steps without making the chair too much harder to move around. Add a gyroscope and some swiveling in there and it could keep itself upright! Oh, I can't wait to be back at our drafting table...”
His siblings share a knowing look. Ferb still hadn't taken down his conspiracy board. He rolls his eyes as Candace smirks at him.
“Sure, I made plenty of things at the table while I was in there but the existential dread of it all being fake really gets you down.” He shrugs with the joyous morbidity they’d missed so dearly. “Ignoring all the horror, it was actually pretty impressive!”
After finishing his thought, his brain finally listens to his eyes telling it they’d arrived.
Home sweet home. What a wonderful relief it was to see the house, the real house, finally in front of him after far too long. It was a comfort like nothing else to be back home. As kind as the doctors and nurses had been they weren't his family, and as lovely as it was to see his family when they visited, it wasn't home until they were truly back together again.
Except... it was looking a little more vibrant than usual. Colorful ribbons of all sizes decorated the exterior, and despite it being the middle of a sunny late summer’s day there were definitely rainbow lights on inside.
“Whoa, hey, looks like someone's having a party without us in there.”
“Not yet they're not.” Candace replies, proudly letting her mischievous streak show. With Ferb following just behind, she leads Phineas through the front door, into the main room, and-
“WELCOME HOME, PHINEAS!!”
A crowd of familiar faces erupts in cheers and party poppers as Phineas comes into view, all wearing striped party hats and smiling kindly. Friends and family, all together again.
The interior of the house was just as decorated as the outside - banners, more shiny ribbons, bunting, balloons... this must have taken hours to set up.
Phineas’ brief bewilderment easily becomes unrestrained glee, and before he knows it Candace is snapping a party hat to his head. He looks over to find she and Ferb already have one on too.
“Welcome home, honey...” Mom, as everyone else, emerges from the crowd and holds him tight. “We’re so sorry you couldn't spend your birthday at home this year. We hope this makes up for it, it was your father's idea, everyone contributed a little something.”
Dad’s arm briefly appears, waving from the back of the crowd.
“It’s amazing. Thank you, mom, and dad, and Ferb, and Candace, and everyone!“ He turns to face the crowd, smiles aplenty. “I’m so honored you all came. It's been a weird summer, even for us, and we’ve had some weird summer shenanigans! A classic not-birthday party is all I could want right now and I'm glad it's with all of you.”
Perfectly in sync with him as always, Ferb hands him a party popper.
“So, friends, family and everybody in between, let’s have a great time!” He wraps the string around his finger and pulls, adding even more confetti to the growing pile on the floor.
Everyone cheers once again, but as Phineas properly scans the crowd’s faces, he notices a special one is missing.
“Hey, where’s Perry?”
As if by magic, Perry, sporting his own mini party hat, appears from nowhere and trots towards Phineas. Without missing a step he jumps onto his lap and chirps happily as if no time had passed at all.
“Hey, boy! Long time no see!” Phineas ruffles his fur, only barely avoiding knocking the party hat off. “Looks like you’re getting in on the festivities too, huh?”
Perry blinks and chatters. What a delightful little creature he was.
This is family, this is home, and for the first time in far too long, Phineas knows everything is just as it should be.