It was hard to imagine Lincoln ever getting homesick, owing to what he had endured from his sisters and that he preferred to be away from them until they settled down from their recent disappointments, but about two weeks into his stay at the Royal Woods Child Care for Mental Health, he did start to feel the pinch. One night, Lincoln was in bed and Lyra sat next to him on top of the bed. The white-haired boy hugged his stuffed rabbit Bun-Bun and sniffled.
"What's the matter, Lincoln?" asked Lyra. "Are you homesick?" Lincoln sniffled again and his face showed that he was about to cry. His eyes clamped shut as tears started to run down his face and he nodded.
"Mm... Mm-hmm!" he murmured. Lyra put her arm around him and held him close in a hug as he cried.
"It's okay to miss your home, Lincoln," said Lyra.
"It's complicated," Lincoln choked.
"Come again?"
"It's complicated for me." The white-haired boy's voice was so hitched that his speaking was a little incomprehensible. "I didn't think I'd be missing home... because of my sisters and... because of why I'm here..."
"No one's going to think any less of you," Lyra assured him. "You know I won't. Sometimes it's just... hard... being a kid."
"It's even harder having nine out of ten sisters upstage me constantly," sobbed Lincoln. "And sometimes all ten... if I'm really wimpy..."
"Lincoln, you're not-"
"Why am I even crying?! I still feel like my family's better off without me!"
"Oh, Lincoln," said Lyra, hugging him a little tighter, but not too hard. Rather than try to argue, she saw that it was just easier to let the boy vent. And even though his parents were the ones to check him in, she still thought to at least ask how Lincoln might really be feeling about his family despite his homesickness. It seemed hard to tell what was making him sadder. "Lincoln?" asked Lyra. Lincoln looked at her. "Do you really feel like you've been... the black sheep in your family?" Now Lincoln knew what that meant and there were several moments where he felt like he didn't even belong in his family. And while Lincoln had his own fair share of causing mischief and trying to do things for his own selfish gain, at the most he tried his hardest to make up for these things and it seemed like maybe he had done his own antics because he felt like he had to. It was like if a comedian didn't perform just to make money or even because they loved doing it, but rather felt like they had to. Maybe Lincoln was the black sheep of the Loud family and so he was motivated to earn his place only for several things to fall out of place and fail spectacularly. And then, the darker memories came crashing down on him all at once and he starting crying heavily, his tears beginning to drip onto his pajamas as he squeezed his precious Bun-Bun. "I'm so sorry, Lincoln," said Lyra, hugging Lincoln and attempting to wipe his tears away. Lincoln sniffled and let out a hiccup.
"I am... I... I-I...I am..." he cried, his speaking almost incoherent.
"You're what?"
"I am the black sheep of my... my..." He let out another fresh sob.
"Lincoln," Lyra said gently. "I don't know what kind of family you come from or the whole extent of what they're like... but there are crazy people upon this Earth and some can be cruel."
"Maybe I deserved it..." Lincoln said suddenly through his tears. "To be-"
"No!" said Lyra firmly. "Do not say that, Lincoln. Even if you did your own fair share of bad things, that does not make you a bad person. And you certainly did not deserve to be cast out of your family or go through anything else they put you through. A truly bad person would not see themselves as bad and they choose to be self-centered and arrogant, thinking the world revolves around them and expect others to be beneath them. That's not you, Lincoln. I see you as more caring and selfless, putting other people's wants and needs ahead of your own. It's just that where you come from, you were taken advantage of for who you are. And no one deserves that." Lincoln sniffled, wiped his nose with his sleeve, and nodded. "Now then... try not to let all this bother you. Get a good night's sleep and I'll be back tomorrow morning. Okay?"
"Okay." Lincoln knew Lyra was right. No family was perfect, but what he was put through at the hands of his sisters and even his parents was just too much. He deserved to be his own person, with or without them.
In spite of Lyra's comfort, the next week proved to be a little more difficult for poor Lincoln. He became bed-ridden as a result of his depression, which meant that he couldn't get out of bed on his own, at least not without feeling either sick or dizzy. Fortunately, Lincoln was not the first child to be going through this kind of phase, so Lyra had meals provided directly to Lincoln's assigned room and his condition didn't spoil his appetite. Poor Lincoln, she thought, a tear in her own eye. When it came to taking showers, Lyra was at least able to help him out of bed and guide him to the nearest bathroom. She didn't have to carry him and he could still stand upright while taking a shower. And if anything, the warm water spraying down on him like a fountain was like a heavenly blessing. By the time Lincoln was halfway through his stay at the institution, he was able to leave his bed each day once again, but sadly, he still ended up confining himself to that chair near the window and staring out that window. And apart from his talk with Lyra that one night, he rarely said anything, mostly letting out sad murmurs and sighs. And almost every other day, he had moments where he cried, but each time he did, Lyra was there for him. Many times, she provided plenty of her motherly affections by stroking his white hair and and even kissing the top of his head.
And then one day, Lyra decided to talk to both the receptionist as well as the current manager on duty, apparently agreeing to a proposition.
"Thank you so much," said Lyra to the manager. "I promise I'll take good care of him." She returned to Lincoln's room and sat down on his bed next to him, putting her arm around him and holding him close. "Lincoln," she said. Lincoln looked up at her. "Would you like to come to my place... this afternoon?" Lincoln blinked and although he had no words to respond with, a small smile etched itself onto his face, which seemed to answer Lyra's offer.
Lyra led Lincoln into her one-story home in Fern Valley for the first time. Lincoln looked around in amazement over how clean and tidy the place was, though it was probably to be expected since she lived by herself. Most of the interior color was white while the floor was a wooden shade of brown.
"Wow..." he said. "What a nice place. It's so clean."
"You come from a large family," said Lyra. "So I guess you must be used to the occasional chaos at your place."
"Maybe... Or maybe I wasn't..." This might have been true, as there may not have been another ulterior motive for checking him into a child care center, especially one that dealt with mental health issues. After Lincoln had a quick tour, they sat at a kitchen table and drank some tea. Lincoln savored every sip, as it was refreshing feeling the hot liquid wash down his throat, as if to wash away his own woes.
"You wanna know what I put in it?" Lyra asked. Lincoln nodded. "Love," she simply said, rubbing Lincoln's hand. "Sometimes, it's a powerful ingredient." Lincoln blushed and briefly looked away, but his eyes quickly looked back to the woman taking care of him. There was no doubt in his mind, Lyra was becoming like a second mother to him. She truly cared about him almost like no other. They finished their tea. "Would you like to sit out on the porch with me?" Lyra asked, to which Lincoln nodded. Moments later, they sat on a sofa big enough for two people out on the house's porch. The fresh air and small breeze was quite a feeling of bliss to the white-haired boy, realizing these little things in life were far too precious to pass up on. He cozied up to Lyra, who had one arm around him. "You know," she spoke softly, getting his attention. "The day we met, I wondered if I would ever get to know you properly. Something about you just drew me in and I've worked with my fair share of kids. I'm glad we were able to have a moment like this... side by side. There's no doubt in my mind... you're the closest person I have to a son." She kissed his forehead and Lincoln blushed, but he could tell that their relationship amounted to nothing more than a mother-son connection. He started to think that maybe if anything happened to his family, or anything between him and them for that matter, he'd run to her. A little later on, Lincoln had dozed off, his head resting on Lyra's lap as she gently stroked his white hair. It was a pleasant afternoon for the both of them. After Lincoln's nap, they were in Lyra's vehicle, on the road en route back to the Royal Woods Child Care for Mental Health.
"Um... Lyra?" Lincoln suddenly said in the front seat.
"Yes, Lincoln?" the white-haired young woman replied.
"Do you... live by yourself?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah... I do. And yes, it does get lonely sometimes."
"You don't have a family?"
"I'm not raising one at the moment, if that's what you're asking, but my parents still live in Pleasant Greens. It's the next town up just north of here, so I visit them often when I can. Helping look after the children when I'm at work who come and go makes my life worthwhile. ...And then I met you." Lincoln blushed again. He knew that Lyra loved him way more like her own son, but he came to realize that he loved her too.