I tried clearing my throat. It was killing me ever since they took my feeding tube out. I have no idea why I'm in a hospital. I'm hurt I guess, that much is apparent. I remember… falling or something but after that everything is pitch. Waking up was the scary part. I had no idea what was happening. There were tons of things attached to my body and everyone was looking at me. Nothing felt wrong except a little soreness.
A teenage girl and a boy I think is my age come into my hospital room. She is very pretty and he has kind eyes. "Phineas," she says in a beautiful voice.
"Phineas?" I reply. The boy with green hair's brow furrows. I have a nagging suspicion that's my name.
"Yeah that's you?" Says the girl.
Shoot, that should have been easy. The boy puts his hand on my cast. He doesn't say a word but I understand him perfectly, Do you recognize me? "I, I'm sorry," I manage "who are you?"
The girl gasps and the boy looks heartbroken. He must be my friend. A man and a woman come in. The man looks strikingly like the boy and the woman has piercing red hair. "Ah, son, you gave us quite the scare," the man says in a British accent.
"Yes, yes you did," the woman adds.
Is that man calling me son in that funny sort of way adults do or?... Almost as if she's answering me the girl proclaims, "I don't think he remembers us," there is such sadness in her voice.
I want to tell her everything is alright.
"He did have a pretty nasty concussion," the woman remarks.
"Where am I? What's going on ?" I demand.
The boy looks wearily at his father. It has to be, they look so much alike. The man places a hand on his shoulder. They all exchange looks. "We're your family," the girl says gently.
Oh. My heart rate monitor spikes as I begin to panic."Y...you are?" I cry "why can't I remember anything?"
"Phineas? Phineas calm down, everything's gonna be alright," the woman sighs, putting her hand on my shoulder and stroking my hair.
She must be my mom. My sister looks like she's about to cry. This only furthers my panic. I'm making everyone upset. I should be able to remember, why can't I remember? A nurse runs in. The family, my family parts to let her through. She attaches a new iv bag. She then explains something to my parents (?) and a wave of calm rushes over me. It's instantaneous. I still remember I'm upset but suddenly everything doesn't feel so big. I feel so peaceful I could go to sleep. The girl, my sister is looking at me as my parents talk to the nurse. My brother is squeezing her hand. "You doing alright?" She asks.
"Yeah I think so," I reply.
I'm allowed to go home in the evening. I have to use a wheelchair because my hip hurts and my legs feel weak. My room is upstairs I guess, so I won't be up there unless it's night. Or I crawl. Why hasn't anybody invented a hoverchair yet?
Ferb keeps trying to make sure I'm comfortable, which actually makes me uncomfortable. He doesn't have to do that. My mom is making dinner and my dad is calling people, to tell them I'm ok I think. The nurse said my memory should come back, but we're not sure when. The idea that these lovely people love and care for me and that I can't even remember breaks my heart.
"Hey, bud…" Candace sits on the couch next to me. " Isabella says she's coming over after dinner."
Isabella, what a pretty name. "So, what do you wanna do until then?" Candace continues. I think. "I don't know." I say "what do I like to do?"
Ferb disappears upstairs. Our pet platypus, we have a pet platypus, that's so strange, waddles his way over to my wheelchair. His name is Perry, I'm told. He jumps on my lap and settles himself there. He nuzzles his bill into my shirt. He must have missed me. Ferb returns carrying a cardboard box. He sets it down on the coffee table. It's a jigsaw puzzle. We worked on it for a while before supper. It's really fun. I like to solve things, I think. We have supper and as my parents clean up the doorbell rings. Candace answers and it's a girl my age with beautiful black hair. "Hey Phineas, how ya doin'?" She says almost rhetorically I think.
She sits down next to me as I work on the puzzle and examines a piece. She laughs dryly, "you definitely cured my hiccups," she says bitterly.
Perry chirrs and she scratches top top of his head. "So your name is Isabella?" I hesitate.
"Yeah," she says, popping a puzzle peace into place.
"I like it," I tell her.
That seems to make her happy. Ferb kneels down by the coffee table and examines a peace. I hear Candace in the other room. "No, Stacy, it's alright, they'll come back."
We finish the puzzle and Candace turns on a movie. It's a good movie. I especially like the special effects. Isabella goes home which is just across the street apparently. Ferb brings me my toothbrush and Candace shows me the way to the downstairs bathroom. I wheel myself back to the den when I'm finished. Mom picks me up like it's effortless and carries me upstairs. So this is what my room looks like. It's nice. She helps me into my pajamas. Perry settles into my bed. It looks like a raft. That is so cool. Ferb comes in and gives me a tight hug. I wish I could remember. "Goodnight, Phineas," he says, settling into his bed and turning off the lamp.
"Good night, Ferb"