Just a quick A/N. I would like to thank everyone who has read the story to this point; I also thank you all for the reviews and PMs. You guys are awesome. I will continue to post up two chapters a week until the story is complete.


It didn't take long for Buford and Baljeet to arrive in the backyard. "So, what are we doing today?" Buford asked. Phineas coughed, then replied. "Well yesterday, Isabella and I built a car for Ferb. Today we're going to finish with some of the extras. You know, personal satellite radio with cell service. The final touch will be a hot and cold beverage dispenser." Baljeet looked at the car that was in the garage. "That is the car you built for Ferb?" Phineas took a look. "No, that's Dad's car." He pulled a remote from his pocket and pressed a button, a set of ramps extended from the upper half of the garage and a black and chrome hot rod slowly made its way down. "Currently, we've got a 60 inch flat screen TV with DVD that extends out on a swivel arm and stows away behind the back seat. Here's the DVD storage..." Phineas points out the arm rest between the seats. "I could only find a 4 cylinder engine, but I was able to make sure that, if he wanted, Ferb could install a V8 or V12."

Buford looked around the yard. "So, dinner bell, where is the owner of this machine?" Phineas scratched the back of his neck. "Well... he's not... home... at the moment." He said slowly. The bully threw his hands in the air. "Well, obviously or he'd be here. I asked where is he?" Phineas looked to the ground. "He's at Gretchen's." He mumbled. Baljeet's eyes went wide. "He stayed the night there?" The red-head nodded. "He was invited to stay a few days."

Lawrence came out to the backyard. "Phineas, your mother and I are going to the shop for the day and Candace is out with either Stacy or Jeremy... I didn't catch which." Phineas glanced quickly at his father. "Okay Dad. I guess I'll see you later." Lawrence walked through the backyard to the garage. "What have we here?" He inquired as he saw the new vehicle that was parked beside the fence. Buford walked over to him. "Here we have the new model hot rod with chrome trim and accents, modifiable four-cylinder engine, 60 inch flat screen TV with DVD, satellite radio with cell service and a hot and cold beverage dispenser. You know, after we finish with it."

Impressed, Lawrence went into the garage. "Linda darling. Did you know that Phineas and his friends built a car?" Linda locked the door leading to the kitchen. "Really, Lawrence? Not you..." She then saw the car and her eyes went huge. "You built this?" Phineas stepped up beside the car. "Yeah, I built it for Ferb. You know... to say 'sorry'." Linda nodded. "That's nice dear." She said, obviously stunned, before she got in her car and drove away.

Just as everyone finished adding the final touches to the car, Isabella's phone indicated an incoming text. "Excuse me a moment guys." She said and walked out to the side walk.

Phineas and the guys finished polishing the chrome then let the car roll up the ramps into the garage. Isabella came back. "That was Gretchen." The three boys looked at her. "What did she want?" Baljeet inquired. Isabella looked worried. "She wanted to know if everyone wanted to meet up at the mall for a little bit. Apparently, she's there with Ferb already, and they've run into Ginger." Phineas, Buford and Baljeet quickly discussed amongst themselves, then Buford replied. "Sure, why not. I need more junk food in my diet." Baljeet looked strangely at him. "What? There's no better place for junk food than the food court of a mall. Everyone knows this." Buford explained.

Isabella pulled out her phone again. "Great, I'll text her back stating that we'll be there as soon as we can." Buford looked to Phineas. "So, how exactly are we getting there? Are we taking the car?" Phineas looked indignant. "That's Ferb's car. He's got to be the first to try it out." Isabella came up beside her neighbour. "Calm down Phin. I'll see if my Mom can drive us, or we'll just take the bus." She then called her mother.

Vivian brought her car out of her garage and everyone piled in.

Once at the mall, everyone got out of the car. "Isa, call me on my mobile when you need a ride home." Vivian called out. "Okay mama." Isabella called back.

Isabella and the boys walked into the mall and started looking around. "Hey girlie, where are they?" Buford all but demanded. Isabella shook her head and pulled out her phone and sent a text. "There, are you satisfied? I'm contacting Gretchen now." She retorted. It took a minute for the phone to signal a return message. The raven-haired girl looked at it. "Okay, the girls are shopping..." Buford groaned. "They're draggin' Ferb all over the mall? He must be bored out of his skull." She shook her head. "You didn't let me finish. Ferb's either in the book store or at the food court. They're meeting up in 15 minutes."

Phineas looked at his friends a moment. "I'll go check the food court, worst case, I'll grab a table for us." Buford unceremoniously picked Baljeet up and started walking away. "I want to check on some supplies." He announced. "Apparently, I am going with him." Baljeet squeaked. Isabella looked around for a second. "Hey Phin. Wait up!"

Isabella caught up to Phineas within four steps and reached for his hand. "Phineas." She started. "About last night." The red-head dropped her hand. "I'm sorry okay. It'll never happen again." He said. She grabbed his arm and made him face her. "It's not that I didn't... like it... We've just started going out, we're barely boyfriend and girlfriend." Phineas nodded. "I should have asked you first." He looked seriously at her. "If you give me another chance, I promise to never disrespect you again. You're a wonderful girl and you deserve to be treated as such." Isabella looked softly at him. "Of course I'll give you another chance Phin." She then kissed him on the cheek, took his hand and they walked to the food court.

On the way to the food court Phineas and Isabella spotted Ferb standing in line in the book store. "Hey Ferb." Isabella said as they walked up to him. Ferb nodded in reply and noticed that his brother was holding Isabella's hand, he raised and eyebrow at them. Both Phineas and Isabella blushed. "We've officially started dating." Phineas said quietly and his brother smirked in response then moved forward with the line.

Phineas tried to see what books his brother was purchasing. Ferb put his purchase on the counter. "How many books are you getting Ferb?" The taller teen glanced at him and fanned the books out slightly. There were two novels, two books on electronics and another on applied physics. "Just a little light reading?" Phineas joked. The green-haired teen nodded, pulled out his wallet and credit card. Phineas reached for the bag. "I'll carry this for you." He said and Ferb smiled slightly in response.

Once out of the store Phineas stepped in front of Ferb forcing him to stop. "Dad let you have a credit card?" He stage whispered. Ferb shook his head and replied. "Grandpa gave it to me."

The two brothers and Isabella made their way to the food court. "There's a large table we can all sit at." Isabella pointed out and walked faster. Ferb and Phineas soon caught up with her. "I need to rest my foot on a chair." Ferb said as he took a seat and swung his leg on to the chair across from him. Phineas put his hoodie on the back of the chair and took the seat next to it. "I'll go get us something to eat. Who wants what? Ferb?" Isabella asked with a smile. Ferb blinked, glanced around and shook his head. Isabella looked to the other boy. "Phin, what would you like to eat?" Phineas took a quick look around at the food stalls. "How about just a jumbo fries, that way we can all share." Ferb looked directly at his brother. "Thank you Isabella that's very generous of you." He said then flicked his eyes, indicating that Phineas shouldn't let her pay. The red-head got the message. "I'll come with you Izy." He said as he stood up and accidentally bumped into the chair his brother's leg was resting on. "Sorry Ferb." He said as he noticed the Brit wince slightly. Ferb waved him away.

Ginger and Gretchen were walking down the hallway towards the food court when they heard Buford and Baljeet. "Hey guys!" Ginger greeted. "Hello Ginger, Gretchen." Baljeet replied and Buford grunted in response.

The group then walked towards the food court and saw Ferb sitting at a table. As they approached, Ferb made a motion to stand up. "Don't be silly. Sit down." Ginger admonished him. He nodded a thanks and took Gretchen's hand and kissed it. Phineas and Isabella were walking back with a tray.

Everyone started sitting around the table. Buford put his hand on the chair that Ferb's foot was resting on. "Not that chair." Phineas said in a panic and put his hand on the chair. "Buford's sitting here." He said as he pulled the chair out. Everyone heard the 'crack' and saw the pained expression cross Ferb's face as he doubled over. "What was that!" Buford demanded. Ginger and Gretchen pulled the chair that Ferb was sitting on, away from the table and Isabella re-positioned another chair to rest his leg. Ginger helped Ferb to sit up straight. The raven-haired girl's eyes went wide. "Ginger?" She said as she pointed to the floor. Ginger shook her head. "That's not good."

Isabella was blocking Gretchen's view from what was under the table. "Phineas..." She started. "Call your parents. Tell them we'll meet them at the hospital." She said expressionlessly as she pulled out her own phone and called her mother. Gretchen looked at her friend. "Izy, what happened?" Gretchen looked at her boyfriend. "Ferb?" She tried talking.

Ferb appeared ashen, his eyes were closed tight and his breathing was shallow, yet rapid.

Baljeet and Buford looked under the table. "Who spilt the ketchup?" Buford said. Baljeet looked scared. "That is not ketchup Buford." Phineas' eyes went wide when he heard that. "Dad? We're taking Ferb to the hospital." He then walked over to stand beside his brother and saw blood dripping from the cast. Gretchen looked from Isabella to Phineas to Ferb. "He's..." Gretchen was eerily calm. "He's gone into shock." She said

Ginger stepped up beside Gretchen and placed her arm around her. Gretchen reached out for Ferb's hand. "It's okay, everything will be okay." She said and promptly dropped his hand. "What's wrong?" Phineas asked. Gretchen looked scared. "He's ice cold." She replied.

Isabella put her phone away. "Ginger, help me get him to the floor. Be careful of his leg." Phineas brought his hoodie over. "Should this go under his head?" Isabella shook her head. Gretchen knelt down then draped herself over him. "What are you doing? This is not the time to..." Baljeet started before Gretchen cut him off. "Body heat transfer." She said quietly.

Vivian came up to the group of teens and took the situation in. "I called for the ambulance." She told her daughter who nodded. "Thanks Mom." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro looked at each teen a moment. She then directed Phineas off to the side "What happened?" She asked him. He didn't take his eyes off his brother. "He was sitting at the table, Isabella and I went to get a snack... just some fries... Ferb's leg was resting on the chair across from him. Buford pulled the chair out and Ferb's foot crashed to the floor and started bleeding." The boy said numbly.

A large crowd had formed around the group. They didn't realise that one of the teens had gone into shock.

The paramedics arrived and Vivian directed them through the crowd. It took two paramedics and Isabella to pull Gretchen off Ferb. "He's cold, he needs to stay warm." She insisted. One of the paramedics draped a heavy blanket over Ferb. "You did what you could. We'll take care of him now." One of the medics told her. Gretchen didn't take her eyes off her boyfriend. The medic turned back to her. "What's your name hon?" Isabella held her friend up. "Gretchen." She supplied.

Ferb was placed on a gurney and another medic was talking with Vivian and Phineas.

"Is anyone going to eat these fries?" Buford asked as he stuffed some into his mouth. It happened so quickly, one second Gretchen was equivalent to a rag doll, being supported by Isabella the next she flew across the table and tackled Buford. "It's your fault!" She screamed at him. "It's your fault!" Her fists were hitting the large teen's chest. "It's your fault." Gretchen sobbed and sank to the floor. Phineas and Isabella went to her side. "Hey. It's okay." Isabella whispered. Gretchen's blue eyes pierced her friend. "Liar! Things are not okay." She shrieked. Phineas reached out for one of the brunette's hands and held it. "Gretchen." He said quietly. "Ferb wouldn't want you to lose control." The girl nodded and turned to face him before burying her face in his chest; sobbing uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms gingerly around her and rested his head against hers.

A paramedic came over to Phineas and Gretchen. "I'm told you are his brother and girlfriend. You may ride with him if you wish." Phineas rubbed Gretchen's back, pushed her to arm's length and looked at her. She nodded back and tried to stand. Phineas helped her up and with his arm around her shoulders walked with her behind the paramedics. They took a service elevator to the ground level.

Once in the back of the ambulance, Gretchen and Phineas sat on the slight bench while a paramedic hooked up an IV to Ferb's hand. "What's his name?" The paramedic inquired. Gretchen tried speaking. "Ferb." The name came out barely a whisper and she tried again. "Ferb." She said in a slightly stronger voice. Phineas looked at his brother's ashen face, the colour hadn't returned. "His name's Ferb Fletcher, he's 15-years-old and he's the best friend anyone could ever have." The medic squatted in front of Phineas and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He's going to be okay." Phineas shook his head. "This is the second time in three days he's gone to hospital." He said his blue eyes shinning with tears. The medic reached for his computer and input the information.

"It says he takes co-codamol for the leg. He's going to need more of those, though he'll get the American version." The medic said. The medic who was monitoring Ferb looked up. "BP stabilising. Core temperature slowly rising. Pulse and respirations regular."

At the Emergency Room doors, the two paramedics unloaded Ferb first and took him in. Phineas assisted Gretchen out of the back. Linda rushed up to them and enveloped them both in a hug. "What happened?" She demanded. Phineas looked to the ground. "He had his leg resting on a chair and someone pulled it out. His leg crashed to the floor, the cast cracked and it started bleeding. He then went into shock." The red-head recounted.

Linda and Lawrence sat in the waiting area with Phineas and Gretchen when Vivian walked in. "Oh Linda. I'm so sorry. I took the kids to the mall to meet up with their friends and then Isa called saying that there was an emergency. The Van Stomms are looking after everyone at the moment. I came to make sure you were okay." The three adults talked amongst themselves. Gretchen hadn't stopped crying, sometimes it was just silent tears, other times she had to leave for the washroom. Just when she was coming back from the washroom the emergency doors opened and she saw a little girl being carried by her father. The girl was screaming in pain and with good reason, her ankle was turned almost completely around. Phineas saw the little girl and then looked at his friend. He stood up and grabbed hold of Gretchen and held her tight letting her to, once again, bawl into his chest.

Lawrence came over to the two teens. "Gretchen my dear, why don't you come with me." He tried taking her hand but she only clung tighter to the boy. "It's okay Dad, I've got her." Phineas said calmly. Lawrence looked at his son. "Gretchen, it's Lawrence. Come on, let's go get some coffees for everyone. You too Phineas, I could use the extra hands." Phineas sighed and rubbed the girl's back. "Dad's right. Let's help him out."

Lawrence, Phineas and Gretchen arrived at the cafeteria. Numbly, Gretchen helped collect milk and sugar for those who wanted it. "Phineas, take these to your mother and Vivian. Gretchen and I'll be along in a few minutes." Lawrence said handing the boy a tray with three cups. Phineas nodded and left the cafeteria.

Lawrence took a tray with two coffees to a table. "Have a seat my dear." He said to Gretchen as he held a chair for her. Reluctantly, the brunette sat down and looked at the table. Lawrence took the seat across from her. "Look at me Gretchen." He said and she glanced up at her boyfriend's father. "I want to thank you for letting Ferb stay with you and your family last night." Gretchen's lips twitched in a slight smile. "That was my father's idea. He wanted to have a 'discussion' with Ferb." Lawrence chuckled. "I'm sure he did, and I'm sure that Ferb almost broke the record for the fastest mile; even on crutches." The girl clamped her hands over her mouth trying not to laugh at that mental picture. She then shook her head. "Why did this have to happen to him? It's bad enough he had a broken leg to begin with, now it's even worse."

"Lawrence, I was told I could find you here." Dr. Hirano said as she walked up to the table. "Hello Gretchen." The doctor said in turn to the young lady, before continuing. "Regarding your son. The cast was removed and further X-Rays were taken. He needs surgery to re-set the bones as they shifted during the incident." Gretchen visibly blanched, Lawrence only nodded. "I have a question." Gretchen whispered. The doctor smiled at her. "Where did all the blood come from?" Dr. Hirano took a breath before replying. "Part of the Right fibula broke free and punctured through his leg. Unfortunately, we have to wait to perform the surgery." Gretchen looked worriedly at Lawrence who voiced the question they didn't want the answer to. "Why do you have to wait?" The doctor took a seat beside him. "I understand your concern. Our concern is that he went into severe shock with substantial blood loss. As a surgeon, I would be negligent to perform surgery on someone in such a weakened condition." She then put her hand on Gretchen's shoulder. "You helped tremendously, you know that, don't you?" Dr. Hirano told the girl. "By keeping him warm you lessened the chance that he could have gone into cardiac arrest. You were also able to notice that he was still breathing." The doctor tried to put a positive spin on the events as she knew them. Gretchen only nodded slightly. "Thanks." She whispered.

After Dr. Hirano left, Lawrence patted Gretchen's hand. "Thank you for saving my son." The brunette sat still a moment before looking at him. "I didn't do anything." She said and Lawrence nodded in understanding. "He loves you very much." Lawrence said before finishing his coffee. "Come on, we should be getting back to the others." He stood up and offered a hand to Gretchen.

As they were walking back to the others, Gretchen paused. "Mr. Fletcher? It's not that I don't want to stay. I think I should head home, I'm not feeling very well." She said. He placed his hand on her back and guided her the rest of the way. When they got back to the group, Linda came up to Gretchen and hugged her tightly. The brunette went limp in her arms, Linda looked at her and held her tighter. Lawrence knelt down. "She said she wasn't feeling well." He looked around for a nurse but didn't see one. Linda lowered the girl to the floor and Phineas and Vivian came over. Gretchen's eyes fluttered open. "What happened?" She whispered. Linda moved some hair out of the girl's face. "You passed out dear. Lawrence will drive you home." Vivian spoke up. "It's okay Linda, I can take her home. Lawrence should stay with his son."

Phineas helped walk Gretchen to Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro's car. "Gretchen." He called as his neighbour got into the car and started looking for her sunglasses. As Gretchen turned to face him, he looked into her eyes. "Thank you." He said, as he hugged her and tried not to cry. "You mean the world to him." Phineas choked out. "I'll let him know that you tackled Buford on his behalf." He said with the slightest of chuckles. "I'll let him know you weren't feeling well, I'll call you as soon as I hear anything." The shorter girl patted his back. "Can I come back to visit him tomorrow, with you?" Phineas released her, looked into her eyes again and smiled softly at her. "Of course, it's a date." He said easily, then kissed her.