It was a lonely drive. Looking in the rearview mirror, Rita saw no one in the back seat, only a reflection of her own sorrowful expression. There was no sound but the engine. Even Lily in her booster seat said nothing, as if she knew the situation instinctively. She and her husband worked at well-paid jobs to keep their large family together, so when weekends came around, that meant more time to spend with their children. But for a whole month, one among them was absent. The only son in a family of ten other daughters - Lincoln Loud.

Rita knew that her family was capable of driving each other up the walls and then some, given the size and that each daughter had a different personality as well as different interests, likes, dislikes, and such. Often chaos reigned at the address known as 1216 Franklin Avenue in Royal Woods, Michigan. And far too many times to count, the only son of Rita and Lynn Loud Sr. was swept up in its rising tide, right into the thick of it. His endurance held surprisingly strong, like a rock, but despite being no stranger to the hectic lifestyle, even Lincoln could not hold out. He too had his own unique personality and interests, but something about him made him the odd one out, sticking out like a sore thumb. While he was considered to be the family's mediator and voice of reason, he was also sadly the family's punching bag. His role and thick skin had gotten him taken advantage of and was a constant target to the antics of his ten other sisters.

It was fair to say the parents were disappointed with their kids, but from her point of view, Rita felt the most disappointed in herself. It was not always Lincoln's job to be the family's mediator. He was wise enough to be a voice of reason, but it fell on the responsibilities of the parents to keep all their children in line, as with any family. Instead Rita and Lynn Sr. had allowed them to pretty much have the run of the place. Perhaps it was because of all the hours they had to work at their jobs to raise eleven kids. Perhaps it was because their eldest daughter Lori spent way too much time on her cell phone, talking specifically with her Boo-Boo Bear boyfriend Bobby, and their second eldest daughter Leni being seemingly too incompetent to take charge in Lori's stead. Maybe Lori wasn't being responsible because the free reign treatment had been ongoing for years and not as of the start of the current school semester. Lori, Rita thought. It's been a month, but it was still the meanest thing you ever said to... my son... It was like these parents were raising one too many kids, or way too many kids for that matter, and they for some reason decided to just let the kids raise themselves. The nagging feeling that one has when he or she feels like such an unworthy parent? Rita had it. And it was hard to say why it only now hit her. That is, apart from because of what happened to her baby boy. Her only son.

The family vehicle, Vanzilla, approached its destination. A one-story building was beautifully painted and the sign read "Royal Woods Child Care for Mental Health". At the wheel, Rita sighed, pulling into the building's parking lot. It was up to her today. Her husband still had to work at his own restaurant and the rest of her kids were just getting out of school for the day. Fortunately, Rita's own shift had ended at a reasonable time so she could go pick up Lincoln, having been instructed to bring none of her kids with her so there'd be no commotion in a quiet atmosphere. It took a lot of convincing to allow Lily to come along for the ride, but even though she was only an infant, she proved to be well-behaved enough. Having pretty much failed to keep their kids under wraps, the parents felt that it would be best to leave Lincoln in the care of professional people who were qualified and had experience with children. The daycare building was even specifically for children having trouble with their own mental health or just sensitive to the point of being fragile. Rita and Lily entered the building through the front entrance and approached the receptionist.

"Hi," Rita said softly. "I'm here to pick up my son."

"Lincoln Loud?" The receptionist pushed a buzzer on her desk. "Miss Lone, Lincoln's mother is here." She then spoke to Rita. "Room 413, down the hall and to the left."

"Thank you." Rita and Lily made their way there just as a white-haired young woman appearing to be in her mid-thirties stepped out the room. She wore a purple jacket over an orange shirt, light gray pants, and white shoes. Her white hair was long, down past her waist halfway to her knees.

"Good to see you again, Rita," said the woman with a very nice voice. She acknowledged Lily by raising her hand and mouthing the word 'hi' to her, but to keep things simple, that was it.

"How is he?" Rita asked, a bit nervous. The woman eyed the see-through glass panel on the door.

"He's been very good and attentive," she said. "And his wounds and bruises have healed nicely, at least. I've kept him company this whole time. Honestly, I wish he was my kid. But he's also been very quiet... He hasn't said much." Rita sighed, as if that was to be expected. Looking past the woman, she saw a larger room with other children either playing by themselves or on the laps of adult supervisors having children's stories read to them. "Now remember," the woman instructed. "Make sure he's not within reach of anything or anyone that could cause him harm. And make sure his sisters go easy on him. He's still somewhat fragile... emotionally."

"Will he ever socialize again?" Rita asked.

"In all likelihood, it'll be up to him to decide," answered the woman. "I've called his school. His teacher will be providing special work to help him catch up on anything he's missed. It has been a month of absence, after all."

"And what about the environment?"

"Mrs. Johnson has spent the last month personally seeing to it that Lincoln takes a single one-on-one class with her so he can learn undisturbed and hopefully safely." Rita peered through the glass panel and saw Lincoln sitting in a comfortable chair while staring out a window. The expression on her son's face was enough to break Rita's heart, but she tried to hold herself together as she opened the door. The sound made Lincoln turn his head and see his mom and baby sister there.

"Hey, honey," Rita murmured. Lincoln acknowledged her presence for a moment before turning back to staring out the window. He seemed to be rather glum, like the man with the plan inside him was dead... or almost dead. So Rita steadily walked over to him and gave him a minute before putting her gentle hand on his shoulder. She noticed that indeed his bruises had healed and were barely visible at all, but there was still likely having to walk on eggshells with him owing to how much he had been hurting inside.

"'Inkin..." muttered baby Lily, touching her big brother. The young white-haired boy said nothing, only letting out a miserable sigh.

"Lincoln, sweetie..." his mom whispered. "Time to go home."