Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. This is a belated b-day gift for my co-author, Sabrina06/SabrinaSM, on Life Goes On.
Lawrence Fletcher stared at the small child who was snuggled into his chest. The boy had a high fever, the bright red contrasting the boy's green hair. Lawrence hummed softly as he stared out the apartment window as the rain provided a soft tapping against the window while the lightening lit up the Danville skyline.
He was lost in his thoughts when his son's small voice broke the silence.
"Father?"
Lawrence blinked and looked down into his son's dark blue eyes, "Yes son?"
"I have to use the loo," the boy stated.
Lawrence gave a nod and walked over to the bathroom and set the boy down.
"Do you need any help Fredrick?" Lawrence inquired.
Little Fredrick made a face at his full first name, and Lawrence amended, "I mean Ferb."
Ferb shook his head and went inside the bathroom. The door however remained opened at Lawrence's insistence. A loud boom of thunder caused the lights to flicker and sent young Ferb scurrying out of the bathroom with dripping wet hands.
Lawrence bit back a chuckle and scooped up his son, "Don't worry son. It's just thunder. Just noise."
Ferb stared at his father seriously, "After thunder comes lighting. You have said lighting is dangerous."
Lawrence nodded, "It is very dangerous."
Ferb's eyes went to a nearby covered outlet, "Is it because it's more powerful than if you stuck a fork in an outlet?"
Lawrence blinked and nodded once more, "That's right."
"Why do you keep the outlets covered? I'm not daft enough to put a fork in an outlet," Ferb inquired of his father.
"It's more for when your Uncle Adrian and Aunt Lucy visit with Eliza and the boys," Lawrence replied with a smile.
Ferb gave a slight frown, "Eliza likes to grab my face."
Lawrence laughed at this, "You put up with it."
Ferb blinked, then stifled a yawn.
"It seems a certain young lad is tired," Lawrence remarked.
A raised eyebrow was what Lawrence got in reply.
"Ferb, if it'll make you feel better you can sleep in bed with me," Lawrence offered.
Ferb considered this for a moment, then flinched when the thunder boomed once more, before he finally nodded.
"All right, go get changed for bed and then come into my room," Lawrence said and allowing the boy to go down the hall to get his pajamas on.
By the time Lawrence finished everything in the kitchen and went into his room, Ferb was sitting in the middle of his bed, with a book and an old stuffed animal. Lawrence smiled, quickly changed for bed, then sat on his side of the bed, pulling Ferb into his lap for a story.
Once Lawrence was finished with the story, Ferb had clambered out of his lap and under the covers. He was sound asleep by the time the storm got to it's worst. Lawrence set the book and his own glasses on the bedside table, clicked off the lamp, and joined his son in sleep, relieved to know that he didn't have to be alone in a new place.
