Siblings' Quest |Phineas and Ferb Story|

Part Twelve: You're My Last Hope

"Isa, honey!"

Isabella continued wiping down one of the tables and asked, "Yes, Mom?"

Her mother responded, most likely from the kitchen, "We're closing early tonight, would you flip the sign for me?"

"Sure, gimme a sec!" The teen responded. It had been a pretty slow day at the café, and honestly Isabella was glad to hear that they were closing earlier than usual. Not but a few people had come in to eat today and she was exhausted from all the work she had been doing all week.

As she was about to flip the sign to signify their closing time, she was taken by surprise when someone practically stormed inside, then quickly shut the door, almost as if to block something from coming in after them. She felt wary seeing the person quivering and hyperventilating, unable to breathe or look up from the floor.

And then her concern grew further when seeing who it was.

"Phineas?" She asked, setting down the pitcher she'd been holding.

The panicked boy looked up, seemingly overcome with shock and realization. "I-Isa..bella?" He asked through his breaths.

"Phineas, what happened?! Are you okay?" She asked as she carefully walked over to him. He just continued to pant and shake his head, not making any eye contact with her. She knew for sure this was a panic attack, which was odd to see from Phineas of all people.

"Hey, hey." She said as soothingly as she could, very cautiously putting a hand to his shoulder, "It's okay, just breathe. You're alright, it's alright."

Phineas just shook his head, "N-no, no it's not. I— I tried..a very bad thing. I'm horrible!"

"Hey, hey, look at me," She said, trying to calm him from his anxious state, eventually getting him to make eye contact, "You're alright, you're okay. I'm right here. Just breathe, you'll be okay."

Phineas stared deeply into her ocean blue eyes, his quickened breath soon decreasing to a normal pace. The way she spoke so softly, the reassurance in her eyes, it was all enough to help him calm down. Not to say he was completely relaxed, he was still in shock and horror at what he just tried to do to himself—and to his loved ones.

He sobbed harshly, bowing his head in shame, "I'm such an idiot."

Isabella took his hand in hers and led him over to sit at one of the tables. "Hey, you're not an idiot." She said firmly, "Whatever happened, I'm sure it's not you're fault. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Phineas put a hand to his head, "It's a long story."

"I've got time." She shrugged.

The redhead hesitated, but he decided that she had a right to know what he just did, and why. He started by explaining what happened three weeks ago, from when he and Candace tried figuring out who their dad was, all to when she walked out and hadn't returned since. Admittedly, it felt quite relieving to explain how miserable he felt the past few weeks—scared for Candace, frustrated with Ferb, and overall depressed and mentally exhausted.

He finally got to explaining what happened moments ago; his suicide attempt. He really didn't know any other way to tell her other than, "I saw a truck coming, I stood in front of it for a while, then I couldn't do it."

Isabella began to tear up halfway through his story, but she did her best to hold it back. She didn't want to make Phineas feel any worse by letting him see how badly it would've affected her if he actually went through with it. But she had no idea what she would've done with herself if he did.

"Oh, Phineas." She said, frowning. "I- I'm..I'm so sorry that's happened to you."

"It doesn't matter." He sighed, finally able to stop crying after a minute. His face was still red, his eyes still puffy, but dry enough for his satisfaction. "It's no excuse for what I tried to do. I'm such a dumbass. I know it's not the answer and I almost did it anyway."

"Well, it's normal to feel that low when you've been struck so hard." Isabella said solemnly, putting her hands on top of his, causing him to make eye contact with her. "I know nothing I say will make this better, or easier. But I've seen your family dynamic for years. I've felt apart of your family. I know you guys will get through this."

Phineas stared deeply into her eyes, trying to ignore the blush rushing to his already red cheeks. "I wish I could believe you, Izzy." He said sadly.

"It doesn't matter if you believe me." She said, "It matters if you believe in your family's unconditional love. No matter how bad things seem right now, things will work out. A bond that strong can't be broken by one fight between Candace and your mom. Trust me, Ferb will speak to you again, Candace will come home, your parents will work things out. And as for your dad, honestly if he hasn't bothered to come meet you after all these years, is he really worth all this drama?"

Phineas pondered her words for a moment. She had a point. If his father was really the hero Candace saw him as, then he would've at least come back someday after 17 years. Maybe Linda did have a good reason to kick him out. Maybe he just needed to hear her out.

"Thanks, Izzy. For everything." He said, a small smile finally forming on his lips.

Isabella returned the smile and sniffed, "Of course."