A/N Man, I said that I was gonna take two weeks to get this written, but instead I pulled this off in less than a single one. It really does feel strange getting back into the flow of things. But I suppose that's just part and parcel of going on long hiatuses. I thank LoudAutomata16 and JamesSunderlandsPillow for all their help!
I hope you guys enjoy! R&R!
Chapter Two: And Then There Was One
"This is all my fault," those words repeated in Lana's mind as her tears stained Lori's light blue shirt. "If I hadn't… if I had left Lola alone... if I hadn't hugged her…" she pushed her head forward, desperate to hide her shame in her sister's chest.
And yet, Lori simply took a deep breath and continued rubbing her head. Lola would call what she was doing 'headscratchies' or something along those lines. "Don't worry, Lana. Lola's is going to be all right…" her voice trailed off in uncertainty.
Despite the reassurance, Lana simply leaned in closer, unwilling to acknowledge her sister.
"Lana…" Lori whispered, shaking Lana slightly. "Lana?"
"Lana?"
"Huh?" The young girl snapped back to reality as her sister shook her shoulder.
For a moment, Lori held a concerned gaze upon her younger sister, before she averted her gaze to refocus upon the road ahead once the stoplight signaled for them to continue. "You spaced out a bit there," she paused. "Are you thinking of Lola?"
Lana moved to lean against the window, using her elbow to support her head, choosing not to reply to her sister's question.
"Of course she is," the young woman sighed in defeat, before mentally kicking herself for not figuring it out. "Lana… you know what mom and dad said."
"Yeah…" she whispered. "Lola's going to come back when she's better." Her voice filled with disappointment.
Lori nodded in affirmation. "That means she's going to wake up soon, you've just gotta stay strong for her!" She did her best to feign hopefulness in her voice, though Lana could feel her doubt seeping through.
"But it's been three days since she got knocked out! People wake up sooner than that in cartoons!" The young girl immediately turned to face her sister and flared her arms in emphasis, her voice filling with despair.
All the young woman could do was sigh in response. "Lana… life isn't like those cartoons," Lori struggled to fight the desire to attempt to comfort her sister in order better."
"I know, but…" Lana looked away, taking her chance to gaze out the window once more and allowing her voice to trail off.
"Maybe it's a good idea to change the subject," the young woman put on a warm smile and placed her free hand on Lana's shoulder. "How'd you enjoy the hardware store?"
"It was all right I guess…" she sighed and looked down, upon the small bag of supplies she had bought, before turning away once more.
Leaving Lori to just shake her head in defeat. "I hope Lola wakes up soon. I hate seeing Lana like this. It's just… not like her." And with that, she pulled Vanzilla into their home's driveway.
"Come on," Lori looked to Lana with a hopeful gaze. "Lola's gonna be fine, don't you worry," she then pulled the keys from the ignition, and turned. "All you've gotta do is stay strong for her and she'll be back before you know it!" With that, she hopped out of the van and stretched her arms out, before motioning for Lana to follow. "Dad should have dinner ready, I'm sure you'll like it."
"I hope you're right, Lori," Lana gave a small nod, before stepping out as well and following Lori into their home.
"All right everyone, we're having spaghetti and meatballs tonight!" Lynn Sr. did his best to put on an excited tone as he placed the tray filled with his home-cooked food in the middle of the table, before he took his seat at the head.
"This was Lola's favorite…" Lana slowly took a plateful, before passing it over to Lucy, who in turn passed it over to Lynn, just as they had done for years in order to make sure everyone got a plate before everyone started eating.
A moment of silence passed once the food was distributed evenly, with no one sure just what to do besides eat, though some were considering their appetites given the circumstances.
Suddenly, Lynn Sr. took a breath and began to look around the table, doing his best to ignore the empty seat left next to Lana. "All right everyone, I know that we've had a rough past few days, but that doesn't mean we can't try to make the most of our time together," his voice filled with a desperate hope. "So, what did you all do today?"
No reply, no doubt because no one wished to talk about the elephant in the room.
Realizing this, the man adjusted himself in his seat, before he continued. "I had an interesting day at the restaurant," he paused to collect himself. "We got overwhelmed with orders during the dinner rush and Sergey passed out from exhaustion, meaning that I had to run everything by myself," he pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. "I don't know how I pulled it off, but I did," he then turned to his side. "How about you, honey-"
Only to realize that his wife wasn't paying attention; rather, she was focused on the article she had pulled up on her phone.
"Rita… what're you reading?"
"Huh?" The woman snapped back to reality.
"What's on your phone?" Lynn Sr. tilted his head in curiosity.
The woman replied by refocusing on the device. "Nothing really. I'm just getting up-to-date with the latest neurology news.
For a moment, Lynn Sr. hesitated, considering pushing further into his wife's sudden fixation with neurology, only to take a breath and decide against it. "What about the rest of you?"
Immediately, Lori glanced around the table. Normally, it would be at this point where someone would speak up, trying to one-up the mundane days everyone else would have had. And yet, this time, no one felt like speaking up.
At least, not without some encouragement.
Lori took a breath and dropped her utensils, before speaking up with a nonchalant voice. "Well, I took Lana to the hardware store today."
Her father raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh? You didn't spend too much there, did you?"
"Nope," the young woman shook her head, before glancing at the young girl whom had accompanied her. "All we bought were a pair of scissors," she leaned in close to her father and whispered. "She said that they reminded her of Lola, or something…"
Lynn Sr. looked upon his young daughter in concern, before replying. "Watch her carefully, ok? I know she's not the type to do something like… that… but given the circumstances, I think it's better safe than sorry."
Lori nodded. "All right."
"Well, uhh…" Lincoln spoke up, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. "My class got a pet bunny today!"
"Oh?" The man feigned interest. "What'd you name it?"
Lincoln shrugged. "We haven't picked one yet, but we're coming up with ideas…"
It was at this point that Lana stopped paying attention to the conversations starting around her, the young girl deciding instead to focus on the plate of food resting in front of her.
A moment later, she found herself clutching Lori once again, wiping her tears with her favorite shirt, though she doubted Lori would mind.
"Lana…" Lori held her close and pushed her chin up, allowing her to look into the older girl's eyes. "Why don't you go get some water? You've been here for a while now and I don't want you to get sore."
Lana hesitated for a moment. Would it really be a good idea to leave the safety of Lori's arms just to go for a walk? What if something happened along the way?! Of course, the Louds were no stranger to the ER, but still, there was so much that could happen along the way, and then they would have two children in need of medical care!
And yet, when looking into her older sister's reassuring gaze, the young girl found herself taking a breath and simply nodding along in understanding. "All right Lori… I'll go get some water…" before she broke free of their embrace and turned, making her way into the hallway that led to the emergency room.
The emergency wing of Royal Woods General Hospital was a maze-like set of corridors with beds crammed in wherever there would be enough space to walk in their presence, all connected to a single waiting room. Its walls were painted a sterile white, with some colored tiling along the floor in order to guide those whom would walk through them. The old fluorescent lighting fell harshly upon those who would make the trek, with years of lack-of-maintenance leaving some broken and in need of replacement.
For the next few moments, Lana found herself wandering through the emergency wing, seemingly ignored by the chaotic world that followed life in the hospital. Doctors, nurses and aids simply rushed by looking for their next job, with some even buried in their phones, oblivious to the child in their midst. "I doubt any of them know about Lola…"
Soon enough, Lana found herself standing at the end of the first corridor, with arrows and a sign directing towards either of the two branches. "What did I hear the doctor say? Blue is for low-priority cases, red is for medical emergencies," she gulped, before turning left and making her way down the blue corridor.
For the next few minutes, Lana found herself walking through what amounted to an oversized room with several beds lining the sides, while several computer stations filled the middle of the floor.
Only for her efforts to come fruitless.
Soon enough, she found herself standing in the entrance corridor once more, only this time, slowly stepping in the direction of the red sign. "Medical emergency…" she had to fight the fear building in the pit of her stomach as she made her way down the hall. Unlike the blue section, the red corridor was a single hallway with beds on either side, leading to a round central space connecting other halls to it
"Lola can't be here, right? I mean, she was knocked out, but it couldn't be that serious, could it? I mean, that happens to Lynn all the time and she comes out fine!" Lana had to fight the fear building up inside of her as she made her way down the hall, each bed showing all manners of sick and miserable patients. No doubt they would soon be moved to upstairs care units when more beds opened up.
"I have to find-" Lana began to think, only for a familiar voice to stop her in her tracks.
"Hello doctor."
"Mom?!" Lana stepped over to the source: a nearby bed with the curtains already having been pulled around it in order to separate it from the rest of the emergency room. Slowly, she made her way around and peaked inside from the corner, careful as to not allow the occupants to notice her. And inside, she found the doctor: an old, slightly balding man with tan skin, standing before her parents and sleeping twin.
"Lana?" Lynn Sr. called out to his daughter, prompting her to snap out of the trance she had fallen into.
"Huh?" She stammered, focusing her attention on the man as she did so. "What?"
"It's your turn to share… if you have anything to," the man continued, a soft, reassuring smile overtaking his face as he did so.
Lana shook her head in reply. "No… I just spent the day with Lori…" she looked away from her father with that, choosing instead to focus on her plate once more. "I'm not hungry…" she looked to her side. "Hey Lola, you want-" only to realize that the chair still stood empty, reminding her that what she had heard and seen wasn't just her imagination.
She paused for a moment after that. "It's my fault Lola's in the hospital," before she found her gaze wandering while her mind began to hasten in thought. "When she gets back, I'll have to do everything I can to make it up to her."
"All right then, so, there I was-" Luan spoke up with a nonchalant tone, though no one seemed to be paying attention to the prank that she had come up with.
"Mom, dad, when's Lola coming back?" Lana's voice filled with a soft, naïve heat, cutting Luan off and breaking through the tense air that had formed around the Louds.
The table fell quiet after that, with the Loud Children immediately turning towards their parents, silently begging for a hopeful response. And Lynn Sr. replied by gulping, no doubt trying to ignore the elephant in the room for as long as possible, while Rita didn't even bother to look up from the article she was reading.
"Well, uhh… you see…" the man began to stammer, carefully nudging his wife to help him as he did so, only to find that she wasn't even paying attention to the situation at hand.
"What our father is currently struggling to say is that we do not know when Lola will cease her cessation of consciousness," a young voice cut the patriarch of Louds off, causing all present at the table to turn towards the source: Lisa, pen and notebook already at her side, prepared to write down everyone's reaction to the news. "Given the extent of the trauma she had endured, it is entirely likely that may never wake up."
"Dude!" Luna shouted, flaring her arms as she did so. "Not cool! We don't know anything about-"
Yet, Lisa simply cut her off by waving her hand. "I feel that this situation can only be improved upon if we peel off the Band-Aid sooner rather than-"
"Shut up!" Lana's voice cut across the room.
"Huh?" Lisa turned to her sister in confusion. "What do you mean 'shut up'? I am merely-"
"Lola is going to be all right! I just know it!" Lana slammed her fists against the table and pointed at Lisa. "Stop lying to everyone about her!"
"Lana, calm down," Lori spoke with a soft, motherly voice as she reached for the young girl, only for her to push her away.
"No! Not until she tells us the truth!" Lana glared at Lisa, before slamming her hands once more, sending a loud *thump* through the room. "When is Lola gonna wake up?!"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know and neither does Lisa," Lynn Sr. spoke up, his gaze falling softly upon his daughter. "But, she's going to wake up Lana, you just have to calm down…"
For a moment, Lana stared into his eyes, seemingly judging him for what he had done, before soft tears began to stream down her cheeks. Then, before anyone could react, she turned and hopped out of her seat, wasting no time running out of the room afterwards.
"Lana!" The Louds shouted in unison.
In the next moment, the young girl found herself turning and bursting out the front door. At this point, the once cloudy sky had fallen dark, with rain now falling down upon the quiet town, leaving a wet mess in its wake.
From the time she could first walk, Lana would go outside to play in the mud when she was upset…
And this time was no different.
It took her a short moment to search for a puddle, but when she found one, she found herself dropping into the liquid, allowing the cool earth to overtake her. "Just calm down. Lisa didn't know what she was talking about. Lola's gonna be all right. She's just gotta be! She's gonna be home before our birthday!"
She rolled back in forth, covering herself in dirt, while more tears began to stream down her cheeks. "She's in the hospital because of me…" she stopped on her back and outstretched her arms, allowing her gaze to move up, passed the leaves of the oak tree she had found the puddle under and into the stormy sky above.
So what's the news, doctor?" Lynn Sr. spoke with a concerned voice as he rubbed Lola's cheek, taking only a short moment to look up at the man.
The doctor paused for a moment, checking his charts once more, before standing up straight with his hands held at rest behind his back. "The emergency surgery we performed was successful according to initial results," he collected himself. "We were able to release the intracranial pressure caused by-"
"So when will my baby wake up?!" Rita cut the man off, despair filling her voice, while she looked into the doctor's eyes, urging him to tell her the truth.
The doctor sighed and shook his head, before returning the favor and looking into Rita's eyes with a begging gaze. "I'm sorry… but the trauma your daughter received was… severe," he stood up straight and pulled his arms in front of him, attempting to seem more professional and open. "An adult would have had a better chance when taking the hit, but a child, like her…" his voice trailed off, before picking up again, this time more controlled than before. "I can't say anything for certain until her test results come back."
"I can't say anything for certain until her test results come back," those words echoed through Lana's mind, causing her to stumble back. "We don't know when Lola is going to wake up…" in that moment, Lana had no idea of what to do next. And so, all she could do was weep, before running off, back to the waiting room. "It's all my fault…"
"She's in the hospital because I just had to give her a muddy hug…" Lana closed her eyes and sobbed, before curling up in the puddle of liquid dirt.
"Lana!" Lori shouted into the darkness. "Come back inside before you get sick!"
She slowly opened her eyes and pulled herself up, taking a moment to look at her mud-covered body. "This is what caused Lola's pain…" she stood up straight and wiped the tears from her eyes, before she approached her waiting family.
"Lori?" She whispered.
"Yes?" The young woman squatted down to her height. "Don't worry Lana, everything's gonna-"
"I want a bath," Lana cut her off.
Lori was taken aback for a moment, seemingly unable to believe her ears. "W-what?"
The young girl looked into her eldest sister's eyes with a begging gaze. "I want a bath. Please, get this stupid mud off me…"
"Oh… ok," Lori hesitated, before stepping aside and motioning for Lana to follow.
And with that, they stepped passed their siblings and walked upstairs.
9-20-'19 20-9-13-5 6-15-18 12-1-14-1 20-15 20-1-11-5 1 2-1-20-8. 8-15-16-5-6-21-12-12-25 12-15-12-1 23-9-12-12 1-16-16-18-5-3-9-1-20-5 20-8-5 7-5-19-20-21-18-5… 9-6 19-8-5 5-22-5-18 23-1-11-5-19 21-16.
A/N Man, writing while having this story planned out is a really strange feeling to me, given how most of my stories are free-written with just a simple goal in mind. But overall, I'm enjoying how this is turning out! How about you guys?
Anyways, classes start this week for me, so the 2-3 week update schedule will probably begin with the next chapter.
As always, feel free to R&R and PM me anything! My inbox is always open to new ideas!
Guest Replies (C1):
Guest 1: I'm assuming you mean the artist, she's a YouTuber who's song inspired one of the most important scenes in this fic.
Guest 1-2: I'm gonna assume you're guest 1, it's all right mate.
Guest 2: Heh cool, which one?
Guest 3: Because I didn't feel like Luna would have the same impact as Lola would. Plus, Luan's older and would have better coping mechanisms than Lana.
praradox me here: Hi mate, thanks for translating!