Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.
Who Love Chooses
By Lola Presents
Chapter 4
Lori pulled her little red car up to her parent's house a few minutes before midnight and yawned as she parked. The trip took a bit longer than the typical three hours due to making a couple of pit stops along the way, and Lori was exhausted.
Lori spent most of the ride home reliving the evening and fighting back her tears. However, the closer she came to the house, the better she felt. Bobby managed to crush Lori's trust and shatter their daughter's innocence, and nothing would ever be the same for either of them.
After silencing the engine and wiping her tears away, Lori carried the two large suitcases to the porch, set them down, then returned for Lorianne. The girl's head lolled forward as Lori opened the door, her sleep unchallenged.
Sighing, Lori struggled to pick her daughter up. Being twelve years old, Lorianne was challenging to lift, but Lori somehow carried her to the house. She gave her daughter one good heave upward to ensure that Lorianne didn't fall, then knocked on the door.
When nobody answered, she knocked again. The porch light didn't come on until after the third knock, followed by the door opening. Lori's father, Lynn, peered out into the night, shielding his eyes from the bright porch lamp.
"Lori-Lu?" he asked, surprised to see her this late at night.
"Hi, Dad," Lori whimpered. "I'm home."
He looked his daughter up and down, but it wasn't until his eyes landed on her bags that he realized something was wrong. He glanced back up at Lori and looked closer, only to see that she had wept. Quickly, he picked up her bags and hoisted them inside.
"Come in, honey," Lynn said, setting her bags by the foot of the stairs. "I see Lorianne is down for the count. Your old room is free if you want to tuck her in. I'll put us on some coffee so we can talk."
"Thanks, Dad," Lori whispered. "I'll be right back."
Lori carried her child up the stairs, which creaked a little more than she remembered, and entered her childhood room. Not much had changed except for the noticeable absence of personal items.
Reaching down as best she could, Lori pulled back the covers on Leni's former bed, then laid Lorianne down and covered her up. She then kissed her head and left, turning out the light on the way.
Lori could smell her father's special coffee brewing before reaching the stairs. The scent brought back so many beautiful memories she couldn't help but smile.
She partially wished she could go back in time and do it all again, save for one noticeable difference; no Bobby. But doing so would've meant that Lorianne wouldn't exist, and that's something Lori would never give up.
"Gosh, Dad," exclaimed Lori as she entered the kitchen, still sniffling back her mucus. "That coffee smells better than usual. Did you add something to it?"
"Just a little chocolate and cinnamon," he replied, setting two mugs on the table and taking a seat. "Now, why don't you tell your old man what's happened?"
Lori sat with a resounding plop into the nearest chair and started explaining everything that had happened. She began with herself, arriving home to find Lorianne alone, and continued. Of course, she left the visual details of the videos out, including only the necessary information.
"I understand," Lynn said as he shifted his expression from shock to support. "You're free to stay as long as you need. Our home is your home."
"Thanks, Dad," Lori said. "I appreciate it. But I'll try to find a new place soon. I'm sure Leni will give me a job in one of her stores."
Lori took up her mug and blew across the top, feeling how much it heated her breath. Confident it was safe to drink, she took a sip and let the warmth cascade over her.
"So, where is everyone?" Lori asked, taking another sip of her coffee.
"Well, your mother's asleep," reported her father. "Lisa and Lily are probably in their rooms, either sleeping or pretending to be asleep. You know how rebellious teens can be."
Lori chuckled, just then remembering how much everyone had grown. It seemed like only yesterday that she left home. Now, only two remained. What wouldn't she give to have them all present right now? Without them, the house seemed overly large and lonely.
"Such a huge house for so few people," Lori commented, gazing around the kitchen, despite nothing special to see.
Lynn sighed. "I know," he admitted reflectively. "I wish we all lived closer together, so everyone could bring the grandkids to visit. I miss the mayhem."
For the first time in years, Lori sat before her father alone. She took in his visage and began to notice things she hadn't before. Her father had always been Dad to her. Now, he was a grandfather, a few times over.
"Dad!" she declared, noticing some white in his hair. "You're going grey!"
Lynn chuckled and struck a profile, waggling his brows.
"What do you think?" he asked his daughter. "Do you think your old man could pass as a silver fox?"
Lori nearly spat out her coffee, laughing hard, and the two of them chuckled for some time. But eventually, things settled.
"Thanks, Dad," said Lori, relaxing in her chair. "I needed the laugh right now."
"I could tell," Lynn responded. "Your cheeks are blue."
"Blue?" Lori asked quizzically.
"Yeah," explained her father, drawing a line from his eye to his cheek. "Crying. Blue eye shadow."
"Oh, right," sighed Lori after a long yawn. "Well, thanks for the coffee, Dad. But I should go to bed. I don't want Lorianne to wake up not knowing where she is and freak out if I'm not there."
"Alright, honey. Goodnight," Lynn said. "Oh, and it's great to have you home."
Lori headed upstairs with her bags as her father locked the front door and disappeared into the master bedroom. Quietly, Lori stepped out of her clothes and into her nightwear, then pulled her covers back and slipped into bed.
It was the most comfortable she'd been in years. The old mattress still perfectly contoured her body and had just the proper support. Lori closed her eyes and let the comforts of being home sink in, and it wasn't long before Lori fell deeply asleep.
Lori remained still throughout the night. Not even the cacophony of Lisa and Lily arising stirred her. She didn't even budge when Lorianne sat up, looked around, smiled at her mother, and left the room. It wasn't until the smell of breakfast came wafting up through the ventilation that Lori began to wake.
Lori sat up and stretched, her entire body vibrating, then yawned, licked her lips to moisturize them, and swung her legs out of bed. Time for school, she thought. Wait, no. The girl squinted her eyes for a moment. Lorianne!
Standing, she looked toward Leni's disturbed bedding to find that Lorianne had already awoken and was most likely downstairs. Lori felt a great deal of relief, knowing her daughter felt comfortable in her parent's home. Donning her robe, Lori made her way to the restroom, then walked downstairs to the kitchen.
"… and then Lucy pulled the ball away at the last minute. Lincoln went flying!" Lily was telling Lorianne. "It was hilarious!"
"I see nothing humorous about the possibility of intentionally hurting someone," Lisa retorted. "Especially a family member."
Lorianne giggled, understanding the parallel drawn against a familiar Sunday Funny Paper strip.
"He be's like in the small story..." Lorianne tried to say, using hand gestures to assist her, "... fweew, plomp!"
The three girls continued giggling as they gobbled the meal of fried eggs, hash browns, and jelly biscuits, not noticing Lori enter.
"Good morning, everyone," the latter said as she pulled up a chair and sat across from her daughter.
"Lori!" cried Lily, leaping half out of her seat to hug her sister.
"Salutations, elder sibling," Lisa stated. "Would I be correct in assuming you and Bobby have, shall we say, split up?"
Suddenly, the room grew quiet, and Lori was saddened, but her siblings deserved an answer, so she obliged them as much as she was ready to.
"I'm afraid so, Lisa," Lori announced. "A lot has happened, and I will explain it all later. For now, I'm home, and that's enough."
Lisa nodded in comprehension and abandoned her line of questioning.
"Look at it this way," Lily added. "Lorianne has built-in friends now."
"Yay! Me gots play people this time!" Lorianne squealed.
Lynn set a plate before Lori and a tall glass of sweet tea before joining them.
"There you go, honey," Lori's father said. "Extra helpings for the exhausted mother."
Lori smiled at her father, happy to be among the family again. Soon, Rita came padding in, adding to the merriment.
"Oh, goodness," Rita declared. "I wasn't expecting to see you this morning, Lori. Oh, and Lorianne too? What's the occasion?"
"I'll tell you later, honey," Lynn announced, wanting to head off any further discussion on the matter.
Thankful for the respite, Lori turned the conversation towards the others and used it as a chance to catch up with them since her last visit. It took nearly two hours to get through all the stories, but as one might expect, people began slinking away to other pursuits.
Lorianne and Lily headed upstairs to play on the computer, Rita began clearing the table, and Lynn retreated to his room while Lori and Lisa migrated to the living room.
Lori sat in her favorite seat near the fireplace and flipped through the channels looking for a distraction. Locating an old rerun of The Dream Boat, she settled in for some eye candy, now unashamed to ogle the men on the show. She was enjoying such a view when Lisa's face blocked the way.
"Lori, may I have a moment of your time?" asked Lisa in a way that suggested Lori had no choice.
"Sure, Lisa," Lori conceded. "What's up?"
"I couldn't help but notice that your progeny, Lorianne, has not improved in her vocal skills since the age of seven," the tall and gangly scientist announced. "Now that you have ample time, with little commitment, perhaps it is time to call Dr. Lopez for an evaluation. I would do it myself, but psychology is not my strongest suit, though I dabble."
Lori blinked as she considered her sister's advice.
"You know, that sounds like a great idea, Lisa," Lori admitted, pulling out her phone. "I can also get her opinion on Lorianne's current mental and emotional state given… never mind. I'll call her now."
"Very well," Lisa acknowledged, pushing her glasses up before walking off. "I shall leave you to that."
Lori looked up Dr. Lopez's number, surprised that she was still practicing, and dialed. Soon enough, someone picked up.
"Hi, yes, this is Lori Loud and…" began Lori, only to be cut short due to her odd reception. Lori grimaced and rolled her eyes at the reply. "Yes, ma'am. THAT Lori Loud. Uh-huh. That's nice, but I'm not calling about Clyde. I do need a favor, though."
Lori briefly explained the situation, once invited to do so, then waited for the reply.
"You can?" gasped Lori excitedly. "Now? Well, sure. We'll be there as soon as we can. I can't thank you enough."
Lori hung up her phone and moved to the bottom of the stairs, calling her child.
"Lorianne!" she bellowed. "Change into some clothes! We're going into town!"
Roughly forty-five minutes later, they sat in Dr. Lopez's waiting room. Lori was pleased that someone finally showed some interest in her daughter's case. Lorianne, however, was fidgeting non-stop.
"What's the matter, honey?" asked Lori, bumping her daughter's shoulder.
Lorianne shrugged, still looking at her lap.
"Me has no likes for this," the young girl said. "Me wants to not get shotted."
"Oh, it's alright, baby," Lori said, trying to relax Lorianne. "Dr. Lopez isn't that kind of doctor."
"Oh," sighed Lorianne. "Me has thanks for that."
After about fifteen minutes, Dr. Lopez appeared and beckoned Lorianne inside. It took a little coddling from Lori to get her child to go, but eventually, she did. The session ran for about fifty minutes before Lori got called inside. Sitting beside her daughter, Lori waited patiently for Dr. Lopez to say something.
The doctor took off her glasses, which hung from a chain around her neck, and leaned back. She did so partially for her comfort and partially to appear relaxed to those in front of her. Such postures helped ease any tension.
"Alright, Mrs. Loud," Dr. Lopez said calmly. "I've had an excellent, long talk with your daughter, and I believe I can come to a diagnosis. What Lorianne is experiencing is something called Aphasia. It's a neurological disorder where the brain's lobes' connections are damaged or developed incorrectly. In her case, she suffers from Verbal Aphasia."
"I'm sorry," pleaded Lori. "Can you explain further?"
"In short, the part of her brain that processes word associations and the lobe that translates thoughts into speech are miswired. She understands what people say, as well as what she reads. However, when she says something, things become garbled on their way to the speech center."
Dr. Lopez paused to let Lori digest things, then continued.
"This is not an uncommon occurrence, though. Many people suffer from it and live completely normal lives. We can do things to help, but a lot depends on the cause and whether or not we can reverse the condition."
"Do you mean there's a chance you can fix it?" Lori asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Possibly," Dr. Lopez confirmed. "But first, we need to discuss possible causes."
The doctor looked over Lorianne's medical history before continuing.
"I am going to assume that she hasn't undergone any brain surgery," she stated questioningly.
"Uh, no," Lori replied. "No surgeries at all."
Dr. Lopez nodded. "That leaves two possibilities: tumor and head trauma. If it's alright with you, I'd like to walk you to Dr. Chavez's office before you leave to get a quick MRI. That is if you're amenable."
"Uh, yeah," Lori agreed. "What'll that show?
"They'll tell us if she has a tumor or has experienced head trauma," Dr. Lopez explained. "If it's a tumor, we can locate it and have it removed. Typically, patients who have tumors see nearly immediate results following the procedure. However, it's much more difficult to treat those with brain damage. We need to know what we're dealing with before we make plans."
"Well, that makes sense to me," Lori said, then turned to Lorianne. "Do you understand everything? Do you have any questions?"
The young girl looked up at her mother with consternation and put her hand on her mother's knee.
"Go now, Mommy?" pleaded Lorianne. "Me has no wants for head crack."
Lori smiled and hugged her baby. "Don't worry, honey. They're only going to take a picture with a special machine. It won't hurt a bit. I promise you'll be able to see me the whole time."
Frowning but relenting, Lorianne stood. "Me plus you is gonna do this."
Dr. Lopez escorted them down the hall to her coworker's office and introduced them. After some formalities, Dr. Chavez showed them to the MRI chamber and explained how the machine worked. Once Lorianne was satisfied that she wouldn't be ground into a pulp or have her head cracked open, she did as instructed and lay on the table.
The ring began spinning as Dr. Chavez said it would, slowly gaining speed. Soon, it began moving up and down the length of her head and neck. The experience was slightly discomforting and made Lorianne feel like she would vomit, but she was expecting it and resisted. After a final pass, the machine began powering down, the hum slowly fading, and the ring came to a stop.
"Alright, dear," Dr. Chavez announced, re-entering the small chamber. "You can get up now. Come see the nice picture we took!"
Lorianne walked with the doctor back into the control room, where several monitors showed images of her brain from various angles. The girl didn't completely understand what she was seeing. However, it was interesting enough to gain her attention.
"Well…" the doctor said as his gaze moved from shot to shot, applying different filters and highlighting various things. "I don't see any indication of a tumor, which means she won't need a medical procedure."
Lorianne finally released a deep breath she never realized she was holding.
"Good," she chirped. "No head crack!"
The doctor again fiddled with the dials, sliders, and knobs, bringing the cross-section of Lorianne's cranium into focus.
"Unfortunately," the doctor continued. "There does appear to be some evidence of head trauma, perhaps a fall or accident in the past. From the amount of deviation and scar tissue, I'd estimate the event occurred about seven years ago."
"I see," acknowledged Lori, on the verge of tears.
Dr. Chavez may have given them the information they needed to treat Lorianne, but it also highlighted how far back her abuse went.
After reconvening in Dr. Lopez's office for a recap and a chance to make Lorianne's first speech therapy appointment, Lori left the office with her daughter, hand in hand.
Sighing as they headed out into the midday light, Lori asked, "So, where to, baby?"
Lorianne considered all the places she could go; Flips, Gus's, the mall, the playground, and more. Eventually, the pre-teen made her decision.
"Me go with fun to house of Nova," she said. "Please?"
