In the afternoon, Lincoln finished eating a provided meal while still in bed. Having a morning rest had done him good, but he would have to refrain from doing any strenuous activity for a long time, maybe a month or more, especially if he was to be in a wheelchair for most daily hours to save his strength. But an even greater damage had been done. Lincoln believed his family betrayed him, not once but twice in a row! Outside of that cursed costume, he was of no further use to them, suffering from one bad day after another. His family also removed all of his possessions from his room and sold them off, so he had to sleep in a sleeping bag each night until he was brought to the hospital. It was as if Christmas had been cancelled. Realizing the situation he was in, even though he would be discharged soon, he began to fall into a pit of despair and took a moment to cry. This isn't what I wanted, he thought. Why did this have to happen? He cried for about fifteen minutes and then he saw the door to his assigned room open just as he wiped away his tears.
"Good afternoon, Lincoln," said the doctor, stepping in. "You seem to be looking better physically, but we'll be keeping you here one more night just to be safe." Lincoln's eyes looked down and he nodded. "Now, I hope you don't mind, but I think it's time to tell us what might have gotten you sick. I... brought a guest in to speak with you." A policewoman entered the room, tipping her hat to Lincoln, whose eyes widened.
"How are you feeling, kiddo?" she said to him.
"I've... been better," Lincoln murmured, wiping his eyes again.
"I don't blame you." The policewoman did notice that Lincoln's were a bit red and slightly puffy from recently crying. "Sounds to me like you've been through a lot. Doctor Antilles here called the station, so we've decided to run an investigation. I'm Officer Schoffner. I work with the local police." Lincoln knew that his family was to blame, but he was not sure if the way he wanted to get even with them would result in spelling out big trouble for them. It seemed to be heading in that direction since the hospital called the police over the matter of his sickness. But after some careful thinking and consideration, he also knew that he had nothing to lose. The loss of all his possessions from the house that once sheltered him made him feel like there was nothing left for him. He might as well take his family down with him.
"Lincoln, we're here to help," the doctor reminded him.
"And if you think you're in an abusive situation at home, then you need to get yourself out of it," said Officer Schoffner. Lincoln nodded.
"Okay," he said softly. "It all started when I was attending one too many of my sisters' events and activities... and I really wanted some time to myself..." As Lincoln talked about his recent weeks, Schoffner was jotting down several notes. And of course, Lincoln didn't skip out on any details, bringing up the important bits - his sister Lynn Jr. threatening to hit him with a baseball bat, his room being boarded up and forced to sleep outside for two nights straight, his family selling everything he had, and of course being forced to wear that mascot costume on the beach during a hot day. At last, things came full circle for the doctor and he understood not only how Lincoln got sick, but why the boy's father didn't immediately answer him when he asked if Lincoln had been exposed to extreme heat or why a wild raccoon came into contact with him. It was also rather difficult for Schoffner to swallow, but as a police officer, she held her composure and wrote down in notes what Lincoln said, without missing a beat. Her eyes narrowed, going over her notes.
"This is serious, Lincoln," she said. "I should tell you that the station got a call the night before you were brought to the hospital. Your sister Leni reported what she called a confession, before Doctor Antilles put out his call, and most of what you've said is a perfect match to what she told the authorities. So there's no way any of this is fabricated."
"Leni?!" said Lincoln. "Doctor Antilles told me that she called for an ambulance!" This was the second act Lincoln heard of that Leni pulled off to his surprise. The last two weeks were undoubtedly a living hell for the white-haired boy, yet it was his seemingly scatterbrained sister coming to her senses first and might have saved him by calling for an ambulance.
"Might be the one sane member of your family left," grumbled Schoffner. "That is, if the rest of your family hasn't started feeling sorry yet."
"Maybe they do." Lincoln wanted to be a bit hopeful.
"Fact is, they shouldn't have even done it to begin with." Officer Schoffner made a justifiable point. "What were they thinking? As long as they outnumber you ten to one, they could just continue to walk all over you. We have to sort this out."
"I... I understand..."
"We'll be letting you out tomorrow," said the doctor. "I imagine, though, you don't want to face your family just yet. You...didn't want them to visit you once while you've been here."
"Even if I went home, there's nothing in my room," said Lincoln. "I don't even have a bed to sleep in."
"Is there someone you can call to stay with for a while?" asked Schoffner.
"There is." Lincoln retrieved his cell phone from the small table next to the bed. He thanked the stars that his family didn't strip him of his phone. Going through his list of contacts, he found what was now the most important one to him. "My best friend, Clyde McBride."