A/N: Hello everybody! It's been a while hasn't it? Well, I am back again! And this time (just because it's been so long since I updated this story) I present to you, not one, but two chapters! When I was working on this chapter, I ended up having so much in it that it was going to be a bit long. So I decided to split it into two chapters, both of which I uploaded at the same time! I won't say more here, but look for the Author's Note at the end of the next chapter for more info. Enjoy!
Ch. 6 – The First House Visitors
When he returned to the master bedroom, Lynn Sr. started preparing for his trip to Detroit. It was very strange. He was looking forward to this trip because he was going to be reunited with his wife and spend the day with her. But at the same time he was not looking forward to it because they were going to spend their time in the hospital visiting Lincoln. Moreover, he was still feeling worried about leaving his daughters home alone despite the fact Lori agreed to stay behind to look after them. Lynn Sr. thought back to the conversation he just had with her and one thing she said in particular came back to him. 'Maybe some of the girls would like to come with me,' he thought.
These thoughts played on Lynn Sr.'s mind as he spent the next few minutes getting changed. During this time he heard Luna come downstairs and he could hear her and Lori's muffled conversation through the closed door. After he finished changing he felt the urge to walk out and join his daughters, mostly to see Luna. But before he could, he heard his cell phone start to ring. Picking it up Lynn Sr. saw Rita's name on the screen. He quickly answered.
"Hey Rita," he said.
"Hello honey," she replied. "How's everything there?" Lynn Sr. sighed. "Honestly not that great," he said. "Oh no, what's going on," Rita asked. "Well, I was talking to Lori earlier. She told me about that phone call she and the others had with you yesterday."
There was a slight pause on the other end before Rita responded. "She did?" "Yes." He let out a sigh before continuing. "I'm not happy about it, but considering what happened yesterday I really didn't want to push it." "No, I get it," said Rita. "Though speaking of which how is Lori? How's she doing?"
Lynn Sr. pursed his lips. He thought for a moment before answering. "Well, she's still upset about Lincoln; and from the looks of it she didn't sleep well." "I would think so," Rita said understandably. "Did she say anything else?"
Lynn Sr. spent the next few minutes detailing the conversation he had with Lori. From the time Lori spent with the other girls to Lynn Sr.'s phone call with Harold McBride. Rita was horrified when Lynn Sr. mentioned Clyde had talked to Lincoln before the shooting occurred and she realized Clyde had to have been devastated when he heard the news. The conversation moved on to Lynn Sr. telling Rita he relayed their plans to Lori.
"So she knows what's going on?" "Yes, I told her she would be in charge until you come home. I asked her if she wanted to come with me, but she decided to stay here."
"Wait, hold on. Lori agreed to look after the others? Like, actually agreed? Without question or complaining," Rita asked, slightly surprised. "I know, right," Lynn Sr. replied as he and Rita laughed. Afterwards Rita asked "So, where is she now?"
"She's talking to Luna. I heard her come downstairs a few minutes ago." "All right," Rita replied. But then she asked "Hold on, I know you asked Lori if she wanted come with you, but what about Luna? Do you think she would be joining you?"
"I'm not sure about that, but I did tell Lori I would ask the others before I leave. If any of them decide to come with me I'll let you know." "All right," Rita said. "Now as for your trip, do you have everything ready?" "Yes, I do," Lynn Sr. replied. "Everything's all packed. I'll be leaving in a few minutes."
"OK," said Rita. "See you later honey. Drive safe." "Thanks. See you later," Lynn Sr. replied. "Love you." "Love you too, bye." "Bye."
Right after hanging up a sudden feeling came over Lynn Sr. She may not have actually said anything, but Lynn Sr. could sense Rita was still nagging him to make sure he really did have everything ready. Not wanting to risk copping it from Rita later, he went and rechecked the bags. He had just finished double checking everything when he heard a sudden knocking on the door. It took him by surprise as it was rather quick. "Come in," he said. Almost immediately the door opened revealing Luna.
"Dad," she said as she walked in. "Oh hey there Luna," Lynn Sr. replied. "What's going on?"
"Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran are here."
Lynn Sr. blinked in surprise. "They are? When did they get here?" he asked.
"Just now; Lori just went out to see them," Luna replied as she pointed behind her. Lynn Sr. looked out the door through the front window. Sure enough, he saw his in-laws outside talking to Lori.
"Huh, so they are." As he watched a thought came to him. Lynn Sr. turned back to Luna and asked "How come you're not out there?"
Luna turned to her father and said "I was gonna go upstairs and tell the others." But then she looked away. "But I wanted to tell you first." The sad tone in her voice made it obvious to Lynn Sr. what she really had in mind. He just smiled and stretched out his arms.
"C'mere, kiddo." Luna did not hesitate to hug her father. They savored their embrace momentarily before Lynn Sr. asked, "So how are you feeling?"
"Better. The talk I had with Lori helped a lot." Lynn Sr. broke off the hug to face his daughter.
"I'm glad to hear." A flash of movement caught Lynn Sr.'s eye and he looked out the window. He saw Lori, Albert and Myrtle walking up to the house. "Looks like they're about to come in," he said. "How about we say hi to them?"
Luna looked at her father and smiled. "Sounds like a good idea," she said. The two walked out of the bedroom just as the front door was opening. The first one inside was Albert, who was glad to see Luna walking up to him.
"Luna!"
"Pop-Pop!" Albert reached out to offer a hug to his granddaughter, which she immediately accepted. As the two held their embrace, Luna heard her grandfather let out a small sniffle and her face fell. "You OK Pop-Pop?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm OK sweetheart," said Albert. He let go of Luna, seeing Lynn Sr. had just greeted Myrtle.
The two men greeted each other with a simple "Hey" as they shared a quick hug. As Luna went to greet her grandmother, Albert pulled Lynn Sr. aside.
"Hey Lynn, can we talk for a minute?"
"Uh, yeah sure," Lynn Sr. replied, slightly puzzled. As they stepped into the dining room, Luna went back upstairs and Lori and Myrtle went to the couch. Albert and Lynn Sr. stopped by the partition leading to the kitchen and began to talk.
"So what's going on?" asked Lynn Sr.
"Lori said you were going back to the hospital today, is that right?"
"Oh yes. I am. In fact, I just got off the phone with Rita. I was actually just about to leave when you got here."
Albert's eyes widened slightly. "Oh; well, good thing we got here just in time." The two shared a small chuckle before Albert continued.
"But seriously Lynn, I wanted to ask. I know Myrtle and I just got here and all but, would you mind if I came with you? Don't get me wrong I do want to see the girls, but I also want to see Lincoln; and I really need to see Rita too. I mean, she called me last night and told me what happened to Lincoln. I just feel that I need to…"
Albert trailed off and looked away sadly. Lynn Sr. simply smiled and said "It's all right Al, I understand; and I agree. You should come with me."
Albert looked back up and smiled. "Thanks a lot, Lynn. So, what's the plan?"
"Well, the first thing is to pick up Rita from the motel. I have to drop off some stuff for her before we go to the hospital."
Albert raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff?"
"Just a change of clothes and some toiletries," Lynn Sr. replied. "Our decision for her to stay at that motel was last-minute."
"Ah I see," said Albert as he nodded. "How long were you two planning on staying with Lincoln?"
Lynn Sr. grimaced slightly. "Well, we planned to stay until visiting hours ended." Now it was Albert's turn to frown.
"I was afraid of that. I still have to be back at the retirement home before it's too late, so I don't think our visit would be that long."
Lynn Sr. gave a reassuring smile. "That's all right, Albert. We'll stay there as long as you want; and we will make sure to get you back in time."
Albert smiled. "Thanks Lynn. So, shall we head out?" Lynn Sr. nodded. But then he paused and looked in the direction of the living room. The whole time they were talking they could hear the muffled sounds of footsteps and voices on the second floor as the rest of the girls woke up. At some point they all came downstairs, and now their sounds of conversation coming from the living room could be heard more clearly.
Lynn Sr. looked back to Albert and said "Actually, maybe it'd be better if you saw the girls first." Albert looked towards the living room briefly before turning back to Lynn Sr.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
Lynn Sr. nodded again and replied "All-righty then; let's go see how the girls are doing." Albert nodded and followed his son-in-law to the living room.
When they came into the room they saw the girls were all sitting around Lori and Myrtle on the couch, talking amongst themselves. As Lynn Sr. went to the master bedroom to grab the bags, Lola turned around and saw Albert.
"Pop-Pop!" she exclaimed and ran up to him. As Albert brought Lola into a hug the rest of the girls (save for Lori and Luna) got up and joined them. After spending the few minutes talking and exchanging hugs with his granddaughters, the elderly man held up his hands.
"Kids, listen up," said Albert getting the girls' attention. When they quieted down, Albert put his hands down and continued. "I was just talking to your father. He told me he was going back to the city to pick up your mother; and that they were going to visit Lincoln in the hospital."
"We were actually just started discussing that," Lisa said. "In fact," she turned to face Lori who was still sitting on the couch. "Lori, what was that you were about to say?"
Lori's eyes widened slightly before she looked up to face Albert. "Oh yeah; Pop-Pop, I was just telling the others that dad asked me if I wanted to go with him." The rest of the girls, except Luna, blinked in surprise as they looked at their eldest sister. "I told him I decided to stay home. But," she looked at Lisa briefly before continuing. "I told him that maybe the others would like to if dad asked."
Now it was Albert's turn to blink in surprise. Lynn Sr. didn't mention that in their conversation. "Is that right?" he asked. Lori just nodded. "I see." He looked to the rest of the girls. "Well kids? What do you say to that?"
There was a long silence as the girls thought it over. "I'd like to," Luan finally said. "But I think I better stay here. I talked to Benny last night and told him what happened. I want to be here in case I hear from him again." Lori exchanged a look with Luna, who had a slightly surprised look on her face. Talk about similar minds thinking alike. Albert just gave Luan a sympathetic look. "That's all right Luan," he said. He then turned his attention to the rest of the girls. "So, what about the rest of you?" he asked them.
One by one the rest of the girls responded. They ultimately decided to stay home giving various reasons. Leni mentioned she was supposed to work on the day of the massacre. She really wanted to see her work friends since she talked to them last night. Lynn and Lucy didn't feel like going back to the hospital so soon and the twins simply didn't want to go back (as did Lily), no doubt because seeing Lincoln in the state he was in was too much for them. Finally, Lisa claimed she felt more at ease being home.
During this time, Lynn Sr. came out of the master bedroom with the bags and stood by listening with the others. When the girls finished, Albert just nodded. "Well, all righty then," he said. "Well kids, you may not want to go; but I do." This got a chorus of "What?!" of disappointment from the girls, except for Lori who just exchanged a knowing look with Myrtle. Their suspicion had been confirmed.
The house was filled with voices of protest from most of the girls, especially the little ones. For a moment there was a clamor of voices saying things like "but you just got here" and "I wanted to do something" before Lynn Sr. stepped in to help Albert quiet down the girls.
When they managed to do so, Albert said a quick "Thanks Lynn" to his son-in-law. Then he turned back to address his granddaughters, in a solemn tone. "Now girls, listen. I know you're disappointed that I'm leaving right after I got here, but as I told your father I also want to see Lincoln. I only found out what happened to him last night when your mother called me." The girls exchanged a look that was tinged with guilt. They only found out about that a few minutes ago when they were talking to Myrtle, but hearing it from their grandfather in that tone made it worse.
This did not go unnoticed by Albert. He exchanged a look with Myrtle, who gave him a look that said she told them that. He then crouched down to their level and gave them a reassuring smile. This time when he spoke, it was in a more gentle tone. "Look, I know you feel bad about not telling us sooner. But as I told Lori, we understand; you were worried about your brother, we all are." The girls just nodded, they were still frowning but were glad to know their grandfather was so sympathetic.
"Now," Albert continued, "like I said. I'm going with your father to see Lincoln. But I promise you, I'll stay with you when we next visit." He then looked up to get a better look at everybody in the room. "And from the looks of it we'll be stopping by more often for a while." That comment actually managed to relieve the tension as everyone chuckled.
Satisfied that the girls' guilt was diffused, Albert stood up. "So, you all think you'll be OK with Gran-Gran while we're gone?" The girls answered with a chorus of "We will!" Albert laughed and said "Great!" He then turned to Myrtle and asked "You'll be all right with the girls for a while?"
Myrtle nodded and said "Of course Al." She then turned to Lynn Sr. and said "if it's OK with you Lynn."
Lynn Sr. just smiled and said "Of course it is Myrtle" as he nodded. He then turned and asked "So Al, shall we head out?"
"All right, then. Let's go," Albert replied. The men spent a few minutes saying their goodbyes to Myrtle and the girls. When they finished, Albert grabbed one of the bags Lynn Sr. brought out and followed him to the door.
The girls waved and kept saying goodbye to their father and grandfather as they walked out the door and to Vanzilla. They gathered by the open door and window to watch them drive away. It wasn't until after Vanzilla disappeared did they turn back into the house. Since Lori was the last one by the door and she closed it before joining the others. As she walked back to the couch, she couldn't help but have mixed feelings. Even though she told her father she didn't mind looking after her sisters, she was secretly relieved that their grandmother was here. Lori wouldn't say it but she was glad to be relieved of babysitting. Besides, it was good to know there was someone else here at the house to keep them company and give them some reassurance.
"OK so, who wants breakfast?" Myrtle asked. Many of the girls let out a chorus of "I do!" as Myrtle got up and went into the kitchen. Some of the girls went too to help. Lori watched them go; still relieved they were in good hands. Turning back the living room, Lori saw only Luna, Lucy and Lisa stayed by the couch. With nothing else to do she went over and joined them, sitting on the end close to the fireplace. At some point Luna grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, quickly changing the channel when she saw the news station running another update on the massacre.
They spent a few minutes channel surfing before finally settling with cartoons. Although after a few minutes of watching Lori had lost interest. Instead she decided to look over to see what her sisters were doing. On the other end of the couch was Lisa, with Lucy sitting on the floor just in front of her. Both seemed just as disinterested in the show as Lori but they still watched. Sitting next to Lori herself was Luna, who had an arm around Lisa. The little genius didn't seem to mind as she was leaning against her older sister.
Lori sighed quietly and turned away, leaning her cheek against her hand. Even though she was sitting quietly while giving a thousand-yard-stare towards the corner of the room, her mind was racing with everything that had happened over the past 24 hours. The worry she had for her brother's health (which deprived her of sleep for most of the night), the well-being of her sisters and the conversations she had with her father and Luna earlier this morning.
That was when it crossed her mind. There was still the issue of what to do if anyone from the media came to the house. Now that everyone was awake, it would be better if they had their sibling meeting about it sooner rather than later. 'But wait, Gran-Gran is here now. Should she be included?' Lori thought to herself. 'Technically that would make it a family meeting but still.' Similar thoughts came and went from Lori's mind as she tried to think of a way to bring up the topic to everyone. She was so deep in thought she didn't even notice Luna was talking to her until she felt her grab her by the shoulder and shake her.
"Yo, Earth to Lori! You OK dude?" Lori shook her head and turned to see Luna and the others giving her a slightly worried look. She cleared her throat before answering. "Oh, sorry Luna; I was just thinking."
"Given the look you just had, it seems as if you were doing more than just thinking," Lucy said, still sitting in her spot on the floor. "I agree," said Lisa. "Is there something troubling you, eldest sibling?" Lori could only stare back at her sisters, who were all giving her concerning looks. But before she could say anything Lucy asked "Was it about Lincoln?"
Lori bit her lip sadly as she looked to the young goth. There was a pause before Lori said "Well, I was thinking about him. I mean, who literally isn't?" Lori paused again as the others looked away and shrugged sadly. It certainly went without saying that their brother was on all of their minds. "But that wasn't the only thing I was thinking about." Luna, Lucy and Lisa quickly looked back to their eldest sister when she spoke, giving her perplexed looks. "Oh? What else were you pondering about?" Lisa asked.
Lori looked up, but she only focused on Luna. She took a breath and said "I was thinking about that conversation you and I were having earlier." Lucy and Lisa exchanged a look, wondering what Lori meant. Luna gave Lori a slightly bewildered look and asked "What about it?"
"I was thinking about what we were talking about before Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran pulled up," Lori replied, narrowing her eyes in emphasis. "You know; the media?" Luna let out an "oh" in realization as Lucy and Lisa exchanged another confused look. "The media?" "What about the media?" they asked. Lori and Luna quickly recounted their earlier conversation to the younger girls, focusing on the part regarding the media.
"We were going to call for a meeting to tell the rest of you later," Lori said as she and Luna wrapped up their explanation. Lucy and Lisa nodded understandingly. They had to admit this was definitely a subject which had to be discussed. There was a pause before Lisa looked to Lori and asked "Still, just how exactly are we going to broach this discussion with the rest of our siblings?" Lori gave a quick glance to the dining room. She could hear the buzz of activity coming from the kitchen as everyone else was preparing breakfast. Then she got an idea.
"I think we should tell them while we're having breakfast," she said. Then she quickly added "And since Gran-Gran is here, I think it will be better if we told her about it too." Luna, Lucy and Lisa nodded as they voiced their agreements. Having their grandmother take part in the conversation was a good idea. The girls spent the next few minutes figuring out how to bring up the topic.
"All right," said Lori. "So we are in agreement on how to do this?" When the others responded with a resounding "yes," Lori continued. "OK. Now we just wait until breakfast is ready." The others nodded and, since there was nothing else they could do, looked back to the TV. 'I just hope nothing else happens until then,' Lori thought to herself.
Then, all of a sudden, there was a knocking on the door. The girls jolted. Lori cursed to herself as she exchanged a look with her sisters, who looked just as nervous as she was. "Who could it be this time?" Luna asked.
"No idea," Lori replied with a hint of concern in her voice. The knocking came again. This time it was louder and faster. It forced Lori to quickly get up from the couch, calling out a quick "I'll get it" as she did so. Lori briefly looked back to the others on the couch as she got to the door. She could tell from their facial expressions they were just as uneasy about who was there as much as she was. Turning back to the door again, Lori grabbed and turned the doorknob with a shaky hand. When she opened it, the person who was on the other side would come as a big surprise to not only Lori, but to everyone else in the house.