Ferb couldn't say a word, and the silence was painful. He needed to speak, needed to be able to convey to the police what had happened, but at the hospital, all he'd been able to do was listen to Phineas give his statement and nod or shake his head to the policeman's questions. Frustrated, the man had left and Ferb heard him talking about his 'unwillingness to cooperate with the investigation' and felt awful. Phineas had heard it, too, and he'd gone right up to them while the others had been checking them out of the hospital.
"Just because he can't talk doesn't mean he's unwilling," Phineas said, his voice cold. "He is unable. There's a difference, sir, and I suggest you learn what it is." The man had looked abashed as Phineas turned away and grabbed Ferb's hand. "Let's go home."
And they had. Now he was waiting for Phineas to finish his shower and come to bed. Ferb sat in his desk chair, spinning it around and around. The sensation of spinning was a comfort, and Ferb spun until he was too dizzy to continue. By then, he could hear that the water was off. His hands twisted together anxiously. Why had it been this morning that he and Phineas had fought?Though Ferb knew in his gut that it wasn't Phineas's fault. It was his own. He'd been upset after Linda's conversation with him about his mother, and Phineas wouldn't stop probing about it. This was something he didn't feel ready to share yet, and Ferb had snapped at Phineas, getting in a sharp dig about his clumsiness that he'd immediately regretted. But Phineas had gone quiet and left. Then he'd gone with Linda to pick up the family from the airport. And then Emily had paid her visit. Now Ferb was faced with the guilt of what he'd done knowing full well that he couldn't say a thing to Phineas about how sorry he felt.
"Hey, Ferb?"
Ferb turned to see Candace, and he waved a little then looked away. Candace came over to sit on his bed, staring at him.
"You doing okay?"
Ferb shrugged, hesitated, then shook his head.
Candace nodded. "I know it's rough. You'll be okay though. We're all here for you. And don't worry. You don't have to testify. I have video evidence." When Ferb raised his eyebrows, Candace grinned. "Oh yeah. Got the whole thing on my phone. She won't get away with it this time. I promise."
Ferb's eyes filled with grateful tears and he hugged Candace tightly. Candace squeezed him tight then pulled back.
"Love you, bro," she said.
Ferb signed that he loved her too, and Candace grinned then walked past Phineas on her way out. He watched her go, then he shut the door and finished toweling off. Ferb watched the ceiling as Phineas got dressed without speaking.
"Guess it's gonna be hard to talk about this morning," Phineas finally said.
Ferb nodded tiredly. Then he sighed and scooted up to his desk and pulled out some paper and markers. Phineas padded over and plopped on Ferb's bed. "Okay. Let's talk. What happened earlier?"
Ferb bit his bottom lip and thought for several moments before he picked up a pencil and sketched out a basic scene of his conversation with Linda earlier. He surmised the conversation into the panels, marked a single dot of color on each bear then slid it over to Phineas. Phineas took and studied the comic for several minutes, the tick of the clock the only noise in the room. Then Phineas sighed.
"I should have guessed it was about your mother. With the comic you showed Mom, I'm not surprised she would worry. I'm sorry, Ferb."
Ferb nodded and wrote out what he wanted to say before he passed it over. "I'm sorry, too, Phineas. You might be a bit clumsy, but you're not an oaf of any sort. Please don't worry. You'll grow out of it. And until then, we'll be careful."
Phineas read the paper several times. Ferb was startled when he noticed Phineas's hands begin to shake. Ferb sat up quickly and reached over, concerned. Phineas shook his head and set the paper aside before running his fingers through his hair.
"It was so bad, Ferb," Phineas said shakily. Tears glittered in his eyes but didn't fall.
Ferb tilted his head and leaned forward, encouraging Phineas to go on.
"Everything was fine on the way to the airport. Everybody was safe and had a good trip, and then in the middle of the drive home, Mom got this look on her face and started driving crazy. I think she knew something was wrong. But I just thought it was fun. Then I saw the glass. She broke the sliding door. I don't even know how."
Ferb turned and wrote a few words then passed it over. "Father's missing golf club."
Phineas paled and shivered. "That means she was digging around in our garage."
Ferb shrugged. It didn't surprise him at all that his mother would do something like that. Phineas stared at him in shock and the tears did fall now, two glittering streaks down his flushed cheeks.
"How are you okay?" Phineas asked.
Ferb held up a hand and made a 'go on' gesture. Phineas gulped but did.
"When I got into the house, it was such a wreck. There was water all over the floor, and it was still hot, and I think there were potato chunks everywhere. The bookcase was on the floor and there was glass and papers and everything. How did you do it?" Phineas asked.
Ferb frowned and rubbed his forehead. It was a clear blur, and that was the best way to put it. He shrugged and looked at the ground, kicking the floor to rotate his chair back and forth.
"Well, you should write it down for when we go to court."
This time it was Ferb who began to cry. Phineas watched in bewilderment. Ferb had just sat through Phineas telling him the horror story of coming into the house and finding it wrecked, and that hadn't bothered him a bit. But one mention of court and he was weeping so hard that he couldn't breathe. Phineas knew a lot of what had happened between Ferb and his mother. Ferb had made over two dozen comic books with his signature bear characters, exploring his time before Lawrence and Emily had gotten divorced. Phineas tugged Ferb to sit beside him on the bed and hugged him.
"Can I keep going?"
Ferb nodded, gulping in air as he scrubbed his eyes.
"I found Mom upstairs. Their bedroom was a wreck, and… and I found…"
Ferb glanced up and raised his eyebrows, sniffling.
Phineas got up and grabbed the shirt Ferb had been wearing. Ferb was vaguely surprised to see blood had soaked into parts of it, and he frowned as Phineas held it up to reveal a large piece had been torn out.
"I thought you were dead, Ferb," Phineas said, tears falling down his cheeks again. "And we'd fought before that. I didn't know what to do, and Mom was muttering about gardening supplies, and it just… It was awful. I thought I'd never get to talk to you again."
Ferb nodded to show he understood then embraced his brother. Phineas was the reason he could talk. Yeah, his father and mum and sister and their friends had helped, but Phineas was the only one who could understand him even if words wouldn't come. To think that Phineas had been so distraught over losing him only confirmed that he loved Ferb, even if they did fight.
"I'm sorry, man," Phineas moaned, hugging him back. "I love you so much, and I'm sorry."
Ferb longed to tell Phineas that everything would be okay, but he couldn't say a word. So he got up and tucked Phineas into bed, sitting by him until he fell asleep. Once Phineas was dreaming, Ferb sat very still and looked around. This was his home, and he longed to feel safe again. But with his mother out and free, he wouldn't. He needed to put her away, but how? Would the video really be enough?
Restless, Ferb stood up and slowly stretched his sore body. He hadn't missed the feeling of aching muscles and burning pain from scratches, though once the pain had been a constant companion. Phineas knew all about that. He'd written it into one of his comics, and they'd talked about it after Phineas had finished reading. As that thought crossed his mind, an idea suddenly glimmered like hope. Ferb hurried to his desk and pulled out the drawer to find all of his finished comics at the back. He pulled them out and began to flip through them. Would this be admissible as evidence? He'd have to ask a lawyer. Or have somebody ask for him. Because if it was admissible, Ferb would have a voice, even if it was just images on a page.
With a sudden, firm determination, Ferb set aside the comics, sat down, and began to sketch out what he remembered of the afternoon while it was still fresh. Everything fell away as he sketched then drew then colored in the scenes. Usually it took a week to finish one of his comics, and that was if he was focused. But this time, the entire thing came together as the hours ticked away and the night wore on. As he set down his markers, his hand aching and cramping, he noticed the rays of dawn spreading over the sky. Ferb was so tired, but he had to show his family that he wasn't silent anymore.
Ferb padded downstairs, clutching his comic in his hand, and he waited as the smell of coffee filled the room. He hesitated for awhile before he poured himself some coffee. Technically, the rule was you had to be fifteen, and Ferb was old enough while Phineas was not. So he made some coffee and sat at the table, waiting for somebody to get up. He heard noises from upstairs and began to tap on the wood, wondering who it was. After a few moments, he was pretty sure it was either his mum or his father. Then he was knew it was both of them as he heard their voices coming down the stairs. Ferb tensed and clutched at his mug of coffee as they got closer. His father abruptly stopped talking when he saw him.
"Ferb?" he asked, and Linda paused beside him. "Ferb, my boy, are you okay?"
Ferb shook his head then yawned and shivered.
"No sleep?" Lawrence asked, his voice resigned.
Ferb shook his head then hesitated and pushed over the comic he'd made. Both of his parents looked surprised, but it was Linda who moved first. She poured coffee for herself and her husband then sat down and pulled the comic in front of her. Linda studied the front then began to read. Her expression was serene but her hands trembled a little as she turned the pages. Lawrence sat down and waited for her to pass it over. Linda did then scooted her chair closer to Ferb.
"I'm sorry," Linda said.
Ferb gazed up at her and opened his mouth to try and talk. He tried and tried, feeling it was important to say three words because he'd promised. Linda waited as Lawrence read the comic, and finally Ferb wilted and signed what he wanted to say. It was simple enough that Linda knew what he was saying.
"I saw Mother."
Linda smiled and nodded then embraced him. "I know. And thanks for telling me."
Ferb relaxed as Lawrence sat back, running his fingers through his hair.
"So this is what happened?" he asked.
Ferb nodded then tapped his temple and shrugged.
"It's what he remembers," Linda said. She paused. "We need a lawyer," she said quietly.
Lawrence nodded but he didn't look happy. "I suppose. Though what we can do when Ferb can't speak, I don't know."
Linda stared at Lawrence, frowning at him. He noticed and sat up straighter. "Something wrong, dear?"
She picked up the comic and held it up. "This is him speaking, Lawrence. It's all he can do. And we need a lawyer who understands that and who will fight for him."
"Is one comic enough for that? Or two?" Lawrence asked. "It could be construed as imagination, not reality, and I'm not putting him through that."
Ferb got up and went upstairs as they continued talking. He came back down with his entire stack of comics and grunted as he heaved them onto the table. Lawrence and Linda both went silent as they stared at Ferb's secret projects. Ferb sat down and grabbed his coffee again, taking a fortifying sip. After a moment, Linda and Lawrence began leafing through the stack.
"There's thirty-one of them," Linda said after a moment. She paused then looked at Ferb. "Can we read all of these? It will help us know what to do."
Ferb nodded tiredly, and he heard feet on the stairs. Candace and Phineas came in, both of them looking exhausted. They froze when they saw the stack of comics on the table.
"Ferb?" Phineas asked in shock.
Ferb looked at Linda and made a reading gesture, pointed at the comics, then pointed at Phineas and Candace.
"They can help, too," Linda agreed. "You two, get some coffee and sit down. We have some reading to do."
"I get coffee?" Phineas asked.
"Well to be quite frank, son, you look like you need some," Lawrence teased.
"A cup of coffee won't kill you," Linda said. "But you don't need too much."
Phineas was thrilled as he got some coffee and sat down with them. "What do I read?" he asked. "I've finished them all."
Ferb shook his head and pushed over his newest comic. Phineas went pale, took a big drink of coffee, then grabbed the comic.
Candace sat down, gazing at Ferb. "Where should I start?"
Ferb began flipping through the comics and frowned. Then he did it again, sat back, and scratched his head. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at Linda then at his comics then made a reading gesture and pointed upstairs.
"The one you gave me?" Linda asked.
Ferb nodded and pointed at Candace. So Linda retrieved the comic, which had been left intact only because Emily had tossed it aside and it had been buried under ruined clothes. With that, all of them settled in. Ferb sat there as they read his books and saw his younger life through his own eyes, and he prayed that even if he couldn't talk, he could still have a voice in the courts.
