A BLIP is a word Lincoln Loud has grown to fear. The very word itself sends a chill up his spine. A sort of post traumatic stress activates within him & he immediately goes into cold sweats. He couldn't remember the last time he had a BLIP.
Oh yeah.
Luna…
It had happened after the funeral. Lincoln has spent five whole days convinced that he was talking on the phone to his angel in purple.
They were just… talking…
About nothing in particular. Lincoln would ask how she was going with her career in the spotlight. She said she missed him. That she'd be home soon.
This continued for days. It had worried Clyde that his best friend was so traumatized. So desperately in love with someone that he was convinced she was still alive.
Lincoln's last interaction with this version of Luna came in the form of a text message. He had been so adamant to prove to Clyde that she was still alive that when he showed him his phone with the context of a new message, he was baffled to find there was no message.
It was as if he had woken up from a trance. His vision expanding back to its proper state. And he was his normal self again.
Same old depressed Lincoln.
BLIPS, as they were called in psychology, are brief states of psychosis caused by excess stress. Something that Lincoln knew only too well.
Which is why his latest BLIP caused him undue pain. He had screamed at his daughter.
Screamed at her.
He had somehow gotten it in his mind that she wasn't really his little girl. He remembered the bright-eyed little girl full of wonder that him & his love were raising their baby.
He remembered her first word.
'Daddy' she had called him one day.
Daddy… she hadn't even said it right. It came out as more of a "Dae-dy". As if she was some kind of southerner.
It was a memory he cherished to this very day.
He didn't even care that she had pronounced "Mommy" before she could "Daddy".
He missed that apartment. It was just him & his family. Against the world.
The smell of stale apple sauce & pine scented air freshener laid thick in the air. The way they just sat around the table, eating their dinner, & just talking. Lyra, in her own way, sat in her highchair babbling away as if she knew exactly what they were talking about.
Mind you, she did say more than he did.
But when he saw the look of satisfaction in her eye when they told him about Ronnie-Anne…
That wasn't the girl he knew.
It wasn't his daughter.
She had been replaced.
That thing wasn't his baby girl.
'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?'
He screamed. He screamed until his lungs hurt. He screamed until the thing that replaced his daughter left his apartment. He screamed until his neighbors had called the police. He screamed as he was being forced into the ambulance by paramedics. Then he screamed some more.
It wasn't until they sedated him that he could get air back into his lungs.
Until he realized how much of a fool he had been. It had been twelve years since she officially recognized him as her father. She had to have changed in some respects. Especially personality-wise.
And she did.
She probably hated him for what he had done to them.
But for some reason…
She didn't.
She couldn't bring herself to hate him after what she had done. She caused this. If only she had been less malicious & more benevolent with the way she had expressed things.
God would shun her for what she had done.
Commandment No. 4:
'Honor Thy Father & Mother'
She had failed her God. And…
She supposed she had failed her father as well…
She kept on thinking that she had him dead to rights. That she could leave with her brother the very moment they left the hospital. To see their father…
But then she thought of the look in his eyes when he had screamed at her. The tears he shed when he realized a false truth.
He could have sworn that she wasn't his spawn.
In that very moment she realized something.
Maybe it wasn't entirely the fact that she needed a father figure; maybe it was the fact that he needed them. She couldn't imagine a life where her brother wasn't in the picture.
Lisa was the first to show up. It was strange how truly close she was to the man. Lyra was pretty sure the woman knew the man better than he knew himself.
When she told her what happened she was baffled by what she had said. She had told her the truth.
Rather than change the truth to suit her situation, she had told her exactly what had happened. Her guilt was ever present in her tone.
Lisa was ever emotional in lecturing her niece. A spark contrast to her usual demeanor, her voice was shifting with extreme emotion.
'What makes you think you can treat your father like this?' she stated in her cold voice. She had extreme contempt towards her niece & nephew. Why would they do this to such a wonderful man?
Lulu, on the other hand, had snuggled up to Lincoln, who himself was strapped by belts to his hospital bed for his own safety, & the safety for his family, friends & the hospital staff. Lulu, of course, paid no attention to this, & strangely enough began to pad at his chest with her fingers.
Lemy himself was heartbroken to find his father in such a state. He could only focus on the form that was his sleeping father, the straps that held him down, & the muzzle that covered his face. It was as if he was a danger to them.
Why would anyone try to bite anyone? Let alone his dad…
He felt like he should probably hit something right about now. Probably the wall or something. Or maybe he should headbutt one of the asshole doctors that strapped him to the bed.
Or maybe his sister…
No. No he couldn't do that to her. Even though she caused this whole mess, & that she was a total bitch…
He still wouldn't fall to her level of bad.
Lyra's grief couldn't be any lower. At least that's what she thought.
Until she found out about the BLIPs.
'Your father has a few problems. He is going to need your full support when this is over'
The next three days were something of a blur; & at the same time, were the longest of Lyra's life.
Lincoln would not say a word to Lyra when he was finally released. It wasn't really much of a struggle to let him out considering his sister was the renowned Dr. Lisa Loud.
It strangely hurt to not hear her father talking to her. Although it hurt even more for her brother to say nothing more than a 'Goodnight' & a 'Thank You' when the situation demanded it. She
felt like she was pure evil. Jesus would make her the first to be sent to hell.
'So… how's your dad?'
Muffy felt weird talking to Lemy about this. She hardly knew the boy & yet she felt inclined to at least make small talk with him. She owed him at least that much.
She was worried about the family in Apartment 3C. Lincoln had oddly enough been the father figure she needed in her life. He was someone who she could confide in, although he wasn't exactly one for talking back; more nodding & being a shoulder to cry on when she needed it.
So, when she heard screaming coming from across the hall, her mother had immediately called the ambulance (as opposed to what the other proprietors of the third floor did), knowing exactly what was happening in the "Loud" household across the way.
And it scared her beyond all belief. Lincoln was in pain.
Her own dad wasn't really there for her when she needed him. He swore a lot & smelled terrible most of the time; what her mother had stressed to Lincoln pertained from his addiction to a certain drink.
She watched the boy as he made his move in Trivial Pursuit. He was terrible at the game, knowing only two answers, one of which related to video games. Didn't stop him from trying extra hard though.
He tried so very hard playing the game. He needed something to get his mind off his situation; unfortunately, the game required an number of smarts which he did not own.
Not that it mattered in the long run. He couldn't keep his mind off his father's situation.
Aunty Lisa had said something about his dad having "Skits-O-Friendia" & being prone to these things called BLIPS.
He wished he could actually understand what his dad was going through. And if he were honest, looking at the girl in front of him was the first thing that came to mind when he thought of the word "distract".
Lyra's brain hurt. She was pretty sure there wasn't a single person on earth that could feel as guilty as she did at that moment. She watched her poor father as he sat in his chair looking dead in the eyes.
She wished for any distraction to take her away from her accountability.
A knock at the door wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but she supposed it would do for the time being.
'Linky!' she heard a voice behind the door cry. She could already tell that it was one of her aunts.
The single moment Lyra opened the door, her aunt Leni burst in with extreme vigor, & a single purpose:
Find her brother & give him the biggest hug he had ever felt.
Lincoln himself had pretty much fallen asleep with his eyes open on his recliner as he was lifted up by his seemingly unbreakable sister; her grip on his frame squeezing both air & life out of his spindly body.
She had a strength in her unmatched by anyone he had ever met. In fact, he was pretty sure his sisters set her on his primary school bullies; a strange determination in her being to kick anyone's ass who messed with her brother.
Although he lacked oxygen, he took solace & comfort in her embrace. He even managed to squeeze out a small greeting.
'Hi Leni…'
Leni had called her family over fifty times, without exaggeration, about the situation involving her little brother. Seeing him strapped to the hospital bed once more had caused her immense stress unlike any she'd felt before.
She was one of the first to find out about the illicit love affair between brother & sister. And in her truest fashion, she saw it as nothing but pure love. She saw absolutely no reason for anyone to stand in the way of such a relationship & supported it full throttle when the rest of the family found out.
So, when she sat down to finally have a conversation with her wonderful brother, it remained what it was always destined to be. One sided in the favor of Leni.
By which, of course, Lincoln hardly spoke a word, & Leni's mouth when into twelfth gear wondering if Lincoln was okay or not.
However, this quickly devolved into a conversation about fashion, & what new clothes Lincoln should wear on his next outing. Which he quickly established that it would be an odd thing to happen if he were to leave his house.
Time passed quicker than Leni would have appreciated, mostly because she was driven by Lori to see her brother.
Lori had a sort of love-hate relationship with her brother. If one were to ask her, she would immediately state that she didn't have a brother, or that he was dead to her. However, the very moment she heard news of Lincoln's hospitalization; she was almost as hard to deal with as Leni. So, when the time came for her to pick Leni up, a silent agreement was made between Lincoln & Lori.
A sort of "I Love You" look. The kind that, without words, says "I still want you as my brother".
Lincoln didn't smile, but his eyes told the whole story.
He was broken, but he was content.
He had his sister back. Sort of…
Lyra hadn't made her presence known while her aunts arrived & left. She didn't exactly feel like it was the right moment to talk to them.
Especially considering her crimes against her father.
So, when they finally left, she decided to do something that she hadn't done in the entirety of the time she was here.
She was going to have a conversation with her father. Without the presence of her younger brother for support.
She didn't realize this, but this was the first time that she had ever recognized that Lemy was supporting her, rather than the other way around.
Looking around the room, she tried to find something to fill her mind while she thought of a topic.
She found a clock.
There were three of them in the living room, & in a strange sense of revelation, she thought she finally shared something with her father. Their enjoyment of clocks. And while it might not be the same reason, it was something in common at the very least.
They were just so soothing to look at.
'I'm sorry' she blurted out without too much more thought. The mentally hit herself in the head, wondering if there were a nearby crowbar to beat herself with for such a stupid statement.
Lincoln himself looked up to his little girl. He could actually see her now, for the first time in what felt like forever, he saw his little girl. He thought back to when she was in her third year of life. She had knocked over a tall chair & broke one of the legs on it. This was just the kind of way she apologized.
So, he did as he had done all those years ago…
He played dumb.
'Oh? And what are you sorry for?'
He had a familiar smugness in his voice that had both an air of parental authority & fatherly love. She felt so much joy in hearing such a familiar tone.
'I'm sorry for causing you a psychotic breakdown'
He could have laughed. Out of context that sentence felt ridiculous. Who would simply apologize for something so extreme? But he forgave her. Hell, he felt she didn't even need his forgiveness. There wasn't even a reason for her to be apologizing. He should apologize to her.
But he didn't.
It was a sort of unspoken agreement between the two. In a strange way, her apologizing to him was a way for him to say it back. His eyes said it all, & she was totally fine with it.
They had both made huge strides in their relationship. He just needed to finish it with a bang.
'I forgive you'
And there it was. Three simple words. Most people would feel appalled by the basic structure.
But not Lyra.
The sentence was more than enough for her.
She felt like she could hug the man, but they didn't feel like they were quite there yet. Not yet.
But their smiles said it all. That was all the hugging they really needed for the moment.
That & the tears that dripped out of her eyes, leaving mascara trails down her face. This made her happy, knowing that while this man wasn't really the ideal parent she could have wanted, he'll do. At least for now.
And it wouldn't exactly stop her from expressing her issues with his parenting.
She chuckled at that thought. She supposed she hadn't changed all that much. She just felt a familial bond with the man on the reclining dark green lounge chair.
It felt familiar. As if she were a toddler again. It was sad knowing her mother wasn't with her anymore; but she supposed a piece of her would be in her father.
And that was enough for her.
The next day was a simple one for Lincoln. He decided he would try working from home, at least a little bit so he wouldn't be behind on his next commission for his company.
Lyra was reading her Bible for what may have been the sixteenth time, reciting several passages in the hope that either Lincoln or Lemy would take them into consideration, or at least memorize one or two of them.
Lemy himself found solace in video games as per usual. He started school tomorrow & wanted his mind as open as it could be for the day to come. Which was why he ended up playing a game about Nuclear Annihilation.
Lincoln for once, actually felt pleased with the way his home life had become, somehow, someway, his apartment had become livelier. Homier. This was his life now, & although he felt like something was missing, he supposed he could get used to it.
A knock at the door, however, spurred him out of his thoughts.
'Hello?' he approached the door with a careless visage.
'Lincoln? Is that you?' He heard the voice behind the door & stopped dead in his tracks.
The very woman who caused all the panic he had received in the past week was standing just behind this door. She had come all the way from Great Lakes City just to arrive at his apartment.
His sanctum.
His home.
Violated.
No. He steeled his will. He wasn't about to have another BLIP. Not now. He calmed himself down & opened the door.
There she was. Ronnie-Anne Santiago. Dressed entirely in a waitress getup, looking as beautiful as he remembered. He almost lost it then & there, remembering their failed relationship in full detail.
'Bobby told me everything' she shuffled awkwardly in her shoes.
'Can I come in?'