Reversal of Fortune: Chapter 9: Loud's Anatomy

(Scene Change: Royal Woods Hospital, Waiting Room)

As Brian and Linda cuddled Lincoln, the receptionist called, "Lincoln Loud."

When Brian heard Lincoln's name, he ruffled Linda's hair as he told her, "Hey, doctor's ready." Linda then ruffled Lincoln's hair, "Linky... time to see the doctor." With that, the three of them got up from their black rubber chairs and began walking to the wooden front desk. When they reached the front desk, a fair-skinned woman with light brown hair, square glasses, and red lipstick with a nametag of "Karla" on her chest, handed Lincoln a slip of paper with the number, "611".

Lincoln read the paper and asked Karla, "What does this mean?"

Karla clarified, "So, it's like in apartment buildings: the first digit or 2 digits of the room number represents the floor number of your hospital room. Your room will be on the sixth floor, down the hall from the elevator, to the right. The number's on the room door."

Lincoln smiled at Karla, "Thanks", before walking with Brian & Linda to the elevator. As they waited for the elevator, Lincoln briefly glanced at the hospital directory, and learned that a "Dr. Charles Chase" would be examining him in the pediatric wing of the hospital. Lincoln paled when he saw the last name, "Chase", prompting Linda to ask Lincoln, "What's wrong?"

Lincoln squeaked, "T-t-that l-last name, C-C-Chase. I-is h-he…", before Brian sighed, "Afraid so. He's Cristina's dad."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow before asking Brian, "Wait, how do you know?"

Brian told Lincoln, "Our families are longtime friends." Lincoln gulped and fell faint, prompted Linda to hold him upright while gasp, "Lincoln!"

At that moment, the elevator chimed, and Brian prompted Linda and Lincoln, "Come on, elevator's open."

Linda dragged Lincoln into the elevator while following Brian, after which Brian pressed the "6" button to send them up to Floor 6. After the elevator door closed, Lincoln fretted, "Please! Don't take me up there! I-I'll be a good boy! ANYONE but him!"

Linda tightly hugged Lincoln, gently stroked his hair, and tried to soothe him, "Lincoln… it's going to be OK. It's going to be OK."

Brian added, "Yeah. For one, you have us. Also, doctors aren't supposed to hurt people, or else they'll get in trouble."

Lincoln sniffled, "T-t-they do?"

Brian nodded as the elevator stopped. When Brian saw the elevator open its doors, he again urged his family, "Come on… let's go."

Brian then walked out of the elevator and waited for Linda, who was holding Lincoln's hand, to walk out. As Linda and Lincoln emerged from the elevator, Brian took Lincoln's other hand as the three walked to Room 611 together.

Brian and Linda tried to assure the trembling and sweating Lincoln, "You'll be OK," but an overwhelmed Lincoln couldn't truly take in what they were saying. When the trio finally arrived at Room 611, Brian sighed, "OK. Here we are."

Brian then opened the door, revealing Dr. Chase, a tall, fair-skinned man in a white lab coat with dark auburn hair showing the first strands of grey smiling at him, his wife, and Lincoln. Dr. Chase greeted, "Ah, Lincoln, Brian, Linda, come on in. I've been expecting you."

Brian greeted, "Hey, Chuck!", before tightly bro-hugging him while smiling, "Man, it's so nice to see you again!"

Charles laughed, "Alright, Bri, sit your crazy self down on that chair before you hurt somebody."

Brian chuckled, "I will," before sitting down the side of the room.

Chuck then saw Linda, and pulled her into a hug, "And you… Linda… my wife's gonna flip when I tell her about this! How are you?"

"Like Brian said, I'm great!", Linda replied before asking, "How's Scarlett?"

Chuck replied, "Oh, she's good. You know, same old, same old."

Linda then invited Chuck, "You know, we should totally get coffee sometime, the four of us!"

Brian concurred, "Hey, that's a great idea!", before asking Chuck, "You still have our number, right?"

Chuck smiled, "Yeah, I do!"

Brian cheered, "Perfect!", before Chuck asked him, "And how are the kids?"

Brian blathered, "You know, doing their thing. We're looking at colleges for Becky, Paige is starting fifth grade, as you know, and Lindsay's starting first grade!"

Chuck then playfully groaned, "Please don't tell me you're trying to steer Becky to Michigan."

Brian joked, "Well, a man can dream, right?", causing the three adults to laugh before Brian asked, "How are Sandra and Cristina, by the way?"

Chuck updated Brian, "Kids are good. Sandra's off to college now, and you're gonna hate this Bri, but... she went to Ohio State."

Brian deadpanned, "Oh yeah... that school. I don't know if we can be friends anymore, Chuck."

Chuck laughed, "I'll tell her that when I see her. And speaking of Cristina... are Paige & Cristina really in fifth grade? Where did the time go? Seems like they were just kindergarteners playing with dolls yesterday!"

Brian replied, "I know, right?"

After laughing with the Sweetwater parents once more, Chuck noticed Lincoln trembling in the opposite corner of the room. He walked up to him, and warmly assured him, "Relax, kid, I'm not gonna bite ya. Besides, my daughter, Cristina? She told me everything. With that crazy scientist sister of yours in that house, I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened earlier. Now, take a seat and let's get to it."

Lincoln gulped before shuffling over to the operating table and sitting there. As Lincoln sat, Dr. Chase introduced himself, "So, I bet you noticed the lovely people that brought you in here call me Chuck." After hearing Brian and Linda chuckle, "Oh, you!", Dr. Chase laughed before continuing, "You can call me that, or by my professional name, Dr. Chase."

Lincoln stammered, "Y-y-yes, D-Dr. Chase, i-it's nice to meet you."

Dr. Chase smiled, "Pleasure's all mine. Now, Brian and Linda here said that Lisa implanted a tracking chip in your brain, is that correct?"

Lincoln nodded, to which Dr. Chase replied, "Good, now where exactly do you think this chip is in your brain?"

Lincoln answered, "I-I don't know. All I know is that it's in my brain."

Dr. Chase assured Lincoln, "It's fine. We'll just take you to the operating room to do the brain scans, and then, assuming everything's good, we'll haul you right off into surgery."

Lincoln paled as he stammered, "S-s-s-surgery?!"

Dr. Chase nodded, "Yes, surgery."

When Dr. Chase saw Lincoln gulp in terror, he explained to the boy, "Look, it's totally painless. We're going to give you some sedatives and anesthetics that'll knock you right out. It'll be like sleeping. And besides, your sister, Lisa, gave us the instructions for removing the tracking chips just in case one of you wanted them removed… you know, long before your family went crazy."

Upon hearing Dr. Chase mention Lisa, Lincoln ran into the Sweetwaters' arms before wailing, "PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME! PLEASE DON'T LET HIM TAKE ME! I'LL BE A GOOD BOY FROM NOW ON, I PROMISE! JUST DON'T LET HIM TAKE ME!"

As Lincoln cried into the Sweetwater parents' arms, Brian rubbed his back while Linda gently stroked his hair.

As Dr. Chase watched Lincoln cry, he sighed to the Sweetwater parents, "Poor kid."

Brian and Linda sighed back, "Yeah."

Dr. Chase then walked towards Lincoln and gently prodded him, "Lincoln."

Lincoln briefly glanced at Dr. Chase with a look of utter despair and terror that caused Dr. Chase's jaw to drop in horror. As Dr. Chase watched the Sweetwater parents cuddle Lincoln, he inwardly pondered what to do.

When Dr. Chase remembered Brian mentioning that Lincoln was an Ace Savvy fan, he gently yet firmly said, "Lincoln, look at me."

As Lincoln maintained eye contact with Dr. Chase, he gently lectured, "Lincoln, I can't imagine what you're going through right now. But I want you to imagine: if Ace Savvy faced those monstrous sisters of yours, what would he do? Would he cry for his parents? Or would he use his superpowers and save you from that house?"

Lincoln sniffled in realization, "H-h-he would s-s-save me."

Dr. Chase nodded before asking Lincoln, "When Ace Savvy faced Wild Card Willy when he was about to blow up Godham and had him hanging over a shark tank filled with acid, what did he do? Did he cry to his mommy?"

Lincoln recalled, his confidence growing as he continued to remember that Ace Savvy issue, "No. He bit down on the rope to escape, then swung off the rope and dropkicked Wild Card Willy before shutting down the system just in time!"

Brian shouted, "Exactly!"

Dr. Chase chuckled, "That's the point I'm trying to make. Do you think Ace Savvy was scared when he faced that situation?"

Lincoln stammered, "N-no."

Dr. Chase explained, "Kid, of course he was scared. While he is a superhero, he's still human. And even the strongest among us can get scared in scary situations. But he still found the strength to do what needed to be done and save the city! Lincoln, you're a brave boy, like Ace Savvy. And it's OK to get scared. But remember, courage is not the absence of fear: it's facing the fear and doing it anyway. And if you go through with this this, and come out on the other side, you'll be able to tell your friends you faced a big, big fear, and came out victorious. Just like Ace Savvy! So what's it gonna be? Are you going to sit like a lame duck, waiting for Lisa to inevitably take you back for more torture in that squirrel suit? Or are you going to take a chance at freedom? And before you answer that question, remember: this is America."

Linda promised Lincoln, "And remember, you don't have to be Ace Savvy. We'll be by your side all night if we have to."

Motivated by the words of both Linda and Dr. Chase, Lincoln stood up, put his hands on his hips, and belted, "Dr. Chase, let's do this," to approving cheers & applause from the Sweetwater parents.

Dr. Chase smiled, "Alright, then. Let's get you set up. Now, is there anything you need to do before this surgery? You're likely going to be bedridden all night. So, for example, if you need to use the bathroom, do it now."

After mulling it over internally, Lincoln asked, "Brian, can I use your phone?"

Brian immediately replied, "Sure," before handing Lincoln his phone.

After Brian handed Lincoln his phone, Lincoln thanked him before asking, "Hey, what's the passcode?"

Brian answered, "1992."

Lincoln replied, "Thanks!", which Brian acknowledged with a thumbs-up gesture.

After successfully unlocking Brian's phone, Lincoln told Dr. Chase, "Alright, I'm gonna use the bathroom."

Dr. Chase responded, "OK," before joking, "But be sure not to take all night in there, huh? I've got a schedule!"

Lincoln chuckled, "I won't. Hey, where's the bathroom, by the way?"

Dr. Chase informed Lincoln, "At the end of the hall, the first door. You can't miss it."

Lincoln replied, "Got it," before walking off to the bathroom. After Lincoln left the room, Dr. Chase complimented, "Such a brave, well-mannered boy."

While hugging Brian, Linda gushed, "I know, right?" She then assured Brian, "And honey, don't worry about the kids. I already told them Lincoln's in the hospital, and when they can visit."

Brian relievedly said, "Thanks, dear."

Linda smiled, "You're welcome."

As Lincoln walked to the bathroom, the spark of inspiration that came to him when Dr. Chase asked him if he needed to use the bathroom had blossomed into a full-blown idea. Lincoln realized that if he died on the operating table, this would likely be his last chance to say what he needed to say. To get his message about the Louds out to the world. To maybe… just maybe… ensure that justice was finally dealt to his tormentors. After doing his business, Lincoln then surveyed the bathroom to find that thankfully, he was alone. After confirming to himself that he was indeed, alone, he unlocked Brian's phone, looked for the camera app, flipped the camera to be a front-facing camera, and pressed record.

Within 10 minutes, he had recorded a speech that would let anyone who listened know exactly what to do in case he died on the operating table. He immediately took some extra time to rename the file, "In Case of Lincoln's Death." When Lincoln tried to send the file out to have it backed up, he quickly managed to find the Sweetwater family groupchat as the first option after he clicked the "Share" button. He clicked on it, pressed "Send," and walked out of the bathroom satisfied.

As Lincoln re-entered Dr. Chase's office, Dr. Chase joked, "Oh, good, you're back. I was about to fall asleep waiting for you," which Dr. Chase, Brian, and Linda laughed at.

Lincoln chuckled, "Nah, don't worry about it, I had some important business to attend to."

Dr. Chase quipped, "Oh, I'm sure you did."

Everyone in the room heartily laughed at the toilet joke before Dr. Chase asked Lincoln, "You ready?"

Lincoln struck an Ace-Savvy like pose as he confidently said, "Oh yeah."

Everyone chuckled before Dr. Chase told Lincoln, "Alright, so I'll just send over the information for your operation."

Dr. Chase then walked over to his laptop, typed in some information that his patient couldn't clearly make out, and appeared to send it out to a printer. He then walked out of the doctor's office, presumably to pick up said papers.

When Dr. Chase returned with the papers in his hand, he explained, "OK, so the brain scan section of the hospital is on the second floor. Lincoln's room will be room 208. Second floor, fourth door to your left once you get off the elevator… can't miss it. It's got the big numbers. I'll walk with you."

After Brian and Linda smiled, "Thanks," Brian urged Lincoln, "Come on, son, let's go," as Dr. Chase led the four of them out of Room 611. As they walked to Room 208, Dr. Chase, Brian, and Linda reminisced about old times while Lincoln reflected on what his visit to Dr. Chase meant for his future school life.

(Time Skip: 5 minutes later)

By the time Dr. Chase opened the door to Room 208, Lincoln realized that he effectively couldn't control Cristina's reaction to his predicament. This allowed him to calm down enough to confidently approach the bed that would scan his brain.

As Lincoln sat down, Dr. Chase joked, "Looks like someone's ready to get this started."

Lincoln blankly said, "Yeah, let's get this over with."

Dr. Chase nodded, "OK," before telling Lincoln, "But before you do, you're gonna need to change into a hospital gown. So, if you'll just take off your clothes, we'll get you changed, and we will get you ready for your CT scan."

Lincoln gulped before asking, "T-take off my clothes?"

Dr. Chase confirmed, "Yes. We need you to take off your clothes and change into the hospital gown to go for the surgery."

Lincoln stammered, "B-but can't I wear the hospital gown over my clothes?"

Dr. Chase shook his head, much to Lincoln's disappointment, before explaining, "Lincoln, for the surgery and scan to work properly, you're going to have to wear the hospital gown, and the hospital gown only. I know this is uncomfortable for you, but trust me, you'll have your underwear on and there's no one else other than the three of us to see anything." Dr. Chase pointed at Brian and Linda as he finished his lecture, who reassured Lincoln, "Hey, it's OK."

After Lincoln gulped, "OK, here goes nothing," he took off his shirt, legs, socks, and shoes. The moment Lincoln did so, Dr. Chase and the Sweetwater parents screamed in alarm at what they saw. Linda broke into a fresh wave of sobs, collapsing into Brian's arms and weeping while Brian tried to comfort her.

Across Lincoln's back and belly, everyone could see a rather large splotch of what was supposedly sunburn, which seemed to cover a large portion of his torso. Everyone also saw scars and bruises scattered all over Lincoln's body. Brian and Linda nearly vomited yet again in disgust, but ultimately managed to swallow their food down.

After overcoming his initial horror, Dr. Chase muttered, "Wow, Lincoln. OK, so just put on this hospital gown and we should be good to go."

Lincoln nodded before putting on his hospital gown and lying down on the CT scan medical bed.

After Dr. Chase started up the CT scan machine, he asked the Sweetwaters, "the sunburn, scars, and bruises... how did Lincoln get those?"

Linda kept her head buried in Brian's chest while Brian sighed, "Dr. Chase, there's a lot you need to know. While the scan gets done, I'll fill you in."

Brian then gently told Linda, "Pumpkin, I'm going to tell Chuck everything about Lincoln's situation. You sure you're going to be OK?"

Linda thickly swallowed before stammering, "Y-yeah."

Brian soothed Linda, "OK, good. Now take a seat if you need to. I love you," before kissing her on the cheek, which Linda returned before taking a seat in the operating room and continuing to cry silently.

As Chuck and Brian walked out of the room, Chuck asked Brian, "So, how did Lincoln get those scars and bruises, and that sunburn? Because I'm just saying, man, it's not looking good for you."

Brian sighed, "True. But everything I say, you heard from Lincoln, not from me."

As soon as Brian said that, Chuck noticed, "Oh, Lincoln's scan is done!" He then rushed to his computer to check if the pictures had come out as intended. When Chuck looked over the pictures, he nodded in satisfaction before informing Lincoln, "OK, I'm gonna take these to the lab for analysis. Wait about 10 minutes."

Lincoln nodded, "OK," as he watched Dr. Chase and Brian walk out of the room together before Linda rushed to his side to comfort him with hugs and kisses.

Meanwhile, just outside of Room 208, Chuck asked, "Brian, please walk with me. I still want to hear everything as to how Lincoln ended up in this situation."

Brian replied, "OK," before starting to explain everything that had led Lincoln to receive all the marks that he had on his body. Meanwhile, Chuck handed over Lincoln's CT results to be analyzed by other doctors.

Back in Room 208, Linda received a text from Paige in the family groupchat, which she promptly checked. The text read, "OMG. Returned squirrel suit to coach. Lynn Jr came out. Junior and Coach threatened to have Lincoln me and my sisters arrested and sent to 5 years in juvie because the squirrel suit was $5000. Pls help".

Upon reading Paige's text, Linda gasped in horror and fury before crying into Lincoln's shoulder.

As she did, Lincoln asked, "Mrs. Sweetwater, what's wrong?"

Linda sniffled while holding out her phone screen for Lincoln to see. When Lincoln read Paige's text, he seethed to himself, "That bitch," causing Linda to tighten her hug on him while smothering his face with kisses.

(Time Skip: 10 minutes later)

When Brian finished explaining to Chuck everything he knew about Lincoln's situation, a shocked and horrified Chuck weakly asked Brian, "S-so all that stuff Cristina told me… is true?"

Brian sadly said, "Yes".

Chuck gasped, "My god," before asking, "B-but he's out of there now, right?"

Brian informed Chuck, "Yes. He's staying with us for the time being."

Chuck asked, "Have you considered calling the police? I mean, this is one of the craziest cases of child abuse I've ever seen."

Brian explained, "No, we're not going to do that. I mean, with Lisa's tech and those siblings' resourcefulness, who's to say they don't bust out?"

Chuck mused, "True." He then sighed, "I know this is tough, Bri. But knowing his situation, there are options for you and Linda", before recalling, "There was a case... about a decade ago... similar to this."

Brian gasped, "What happened?"

Chuck sighed before revealing, "The child escaped to her best friend's house. After she arrived, the best friends' parents performed an 'emergency adoption' for the child."

Brian inquired, "An emergency adoption? How does that work?"

Chuck explained, "Well, when a living situation is unsafe for a child, and it's clear the child is in danger, or the parents are unable to look after the child for whatever reason, the child is usually temporarily placed either in foster care or with a safe relative immediately."

Brian replied, "Oh," before pressing Chuck, "Whatever happened to that kid, by the way?"

Chuck disclosed, "She spent the rest of her years as a minor at her best friend's house before going off to college and starting her own life. It also helped that the best friend's family was much more socioeconomically advantaged than the one she came from."

Chuck then theorized, "In similar circumstances, like the ones you and Linda have set up for Lincoln, he could thrive. However, his situation is a little more complicated. As you know, due to a combination of Lisa's tracking devices and apparent general instability within the Loud family, it's pretty clear that Lincoln can't stay with either his 'Pop-Pop', Granddad, Great-Aunt Ruth, or even his Aunt Shirley. He might not be able to stay with his best friend due to the possibility he might be chipped as well. Reports say his name is... let's see... Clyde McBride?"

Brian confirmed, "Yes," before Chuck continued, "His situation also seems to be too urgent for foster care, and he seems to already be staying with you. On top of that, you, your wife, & your daughters seem to like having him around. If you want him to stay, we'll get the papers, and you can fill them out tonight."

Brian gasped, causing Chuck to ask, "Uh, Brian… you OK?"

Brian panted, "Umm… yeah. I mean… adoption? Tonight? Wow… this is a big decision. I mean, we do love having him around, but still."

Chuck told Brian, "It's your choice. I mean, it makes sense, but, you and your family have to decide that for yourselves."

Brian agreed, "You know what, Chuck, give me the papers. When this is all over, I'll talk this over with my wife and kids, and we'll make that decision."

Chuck nodded, "OK, then. Now let's get back in there and meet up with that special little guy."

Brian chuckled, "OK," as he and Chuck walked back into the CT scan room to give Lincoln his test results.

When Brian returned, Linda ran into Brian's arms, hugging him before sniffling, "H-honey… Paige texted me. Junior and Coach Williams threatened to arrest Lincoln for the luck incident."

Brian silently whispered, "What?"

Linda cried, "They wanted to send Lincoln to juvie for f-f-five years."

Brian and Chuck gasped before Brian groaned, "Oh my god… you're telling me we're gonna have to deal with the RWPD now?"

Linda sadly murmured, "Yes," before crying into Brian's arms again. Brian quickly kissed Linda on the cheek, broke free of the hug and growled, "Come on. Linda, Lincoln, let's go."

Linda whimpered, "W-what?", as Brian clenched his fists and tried to stomp his way out of the room. However, he was blocked by Dr. Chase, who urged him, "Brian, listen! The police can't arrest Lincoln if he's going through surgery!"

That caused Brian to stop dead in his tracks, as he & Lincoln both asked, "What?"

Dr. Chase explained, "Yeah. It's Michigan state law. If a suspect is going through a medical procedure at the time of his/her arrest, they can't detain the suspect until his/her surgery is finished."

As Brian realized that this essentially gave him an opening to convince the RWPD to drop the charges against Lincoln, he calmed down and returned to his seat in the corner of the room next to Linda. As soon as Brian sat down, Linda leaned against his chest and cried into his arms, and Brian rubbed her back and hair soothingly.

Meanwhile, Dr. Chase sighed before smiling at Lincoln, "Hey, how's my special little man?"

Lincoln replied, "Good. The CT scan tasted like metal, though."

Dr. Chase and the Sweetwater parents chuckled at Lincoln's frankness before Dr. Chase explained, "OK, so good news: we found the tracking chip. It was lodged deep in your amygdala… which would probably explain why you reacted to several situations the way you did."

Brian and Linda gasped in outrage as they realized his sisters essentially manipulated Lincoln's emotions to make him more submissive to them. The livid, red-faced parents clenched their fists and gritted their teeth as they jumped out of their seats to take Lincoln out of the operating room and fight the Louds themselves. As the Sweetwater parents stood up, Linda's wallet fell out of her pocket. Linda stopped to pick her wallet up, and opened it, checking if everything was there. When she did, the first thing that she saw was a picture of her, Brian, and their 3 children, all smiling.

Linda immediately gasped before crying, "Honey, come look!"

Brian turned around at Linda's request, curious to investigate what could possibly stop them from dealing with the Louds themselves. When Brian got close to Linda, she showed him the family picture they had taken the previous year. Upon looking at their smiling faces, the Sweetwater parents immediately imagined Lincoln's smiling face alongside them. Brian and Linda then imagined that same picture, but with their own faces behind prison bars as Lincoln and their own children sadly and pitifully tried to hold their hands through the bars of their jail cells. Contrasting these two images in their minds' eyes caused the Sweetwater parents to slump into their seats as they tried to calm themselves down.

A worried Lincoln asked Dr. Chase, "Why did Mr. and Mrs. Sweetwater look so angry? And what's the amygdala?"

Dr. Chase explained to Lincoln, "The amygdala is the part of your brain that controls and regulates your emotions. Whenever you get happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, any of that… that's what makes you feel that way."

Lincoln's eyes widened at Charles' diagnosis as he mused, "So that means Lisa…", before gasping, "Oh my god," and yelling, "THAT BITCH!" Lincoln was so livid at this revelation that his fists balled up, his face grew red, and he jumped out of the bed. He would have punched the wall in rage had Brian not physically restrained Lincoln at the last moment.

As Brian bear-hugged Lincoln, Linda cried, "Please… honey… stay calm! The doctor's here to help you!"

Lincoln roared, "LET ME AT THOSE BASTARDS! THEY WILL PAY! THEY WILL FUCKING PAY!"

Brian begged, "Lincoln, please! I know you're angry at those monsters, but that's not going to help you! They literally have police looking for you because you stole the squirrel suit!"

Lincoln snarled, "They what?!"

Brian sighed, "It's true. Lynn Jr. and her coach threatened to have you and our daughters arrested, you for stealing a squirrel suit, and them for being 'accomplices' to the crime. They threatened you with 5 years in juvie, as it was a $5,000 suit. The police are likely at your house now, asking questions. And you know that family, and consequently the police, will likely side with them over you."

Brian's explanation immediately made Lincoln remember all of the visits the RWPD had previously paid to the Loud House.

Lincoln recalled in anguish, "L-L-Leni... a-always failing her driving test... no arrests. N-n-no one c-called t-the police on them when t-they l-locked m-me out. M-M-Mr. Grouse... s-s-saying... 'S-s-s-erves y-you RI-IIIII-GHT!", before crying into Brian and Linda's arms in utter despair.

The Sweetwater parents immediately started comforting him, with Linda consoling, "Hey, sweetie, it's gonna be OK, remember? We love you… no matter what."

As Dr. Chase watched the scene unfold in front of him in horror, disgust, and rage, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Lincoln. Knowing that he had to remain professional while still getting on a common wavelength with Lincoln, Dr. Chase urged, "Come on, where's Ace Savvy?"

Lincoln gave a tearful look to Dr. Chase, who remained unfazed as he smiled, "I want to see Ace Savvy! Where's Ace Savvy?"

Surprisingly, Lincoln giggled before whimpering, "A-A-Ace Savvy is on the case."

Dr. Chase put his hand to his ear and joked, "I can't hear you! Speak up, Lincoln!"

Lincoln repeated himself a little more confidently, "Ace Savvy is on the case."

Dr. Chase chuckled, "A little louder this time, please."

Lincoln smiled, stood up, put his hands on his hips, spread his legs apart, puffed his chest out, and triumphantly said, "Ace Savvy is on the case!"

As Brian and Linda cheered, Dr. Chase laughed, "There's Ace Savvy! Now, take a seat."

After Lincoln sat on the scanning table, Dr. Chase explained to him and the Sweetwater parents, "Again, we have a procedure that can remove this tracking chip safely, and Lincoln, you'll be going for it whenever you're ready. I'll walk you there to the operating room, room 502, on the fifth floor. Lincoln, once you're there, the neurosurgeons will lay you down on the operating table, and we can commence surgery."

Dr. Chase then gently said, "But it's up to you, Lincoln," before asking him, "Are you ready?"

Lincoln put his hands on hips as he smiled, "Yes. Yes, I am!"

Dr. Chase chuckled, "Good. We'll walk you there right now."

Chuck whispered, "Brian filled me in on everything, and I suggested that maybe you guys could look into giving Lincoln an emergency adoption…", to which Linda immediately interrupted him, "Yes."

Brian gasped before whispering to Linda, "Honey, we can't go through with this without it being OK with the girls!"

Linda softly urged Brian, "You've seen how the girls interact with him. They adore him! Come on, all we have to do is tell them we'll adopt Lincoln and they'll scream 'Yes' at the top of their lungs! In fact, I'll text them right now!"

As Brian watched Linda frantically text the family groupchat to get their opinion on an emergency adoption, he chuckled to himself and shook his head. When Chuck saw this, he elbowed Brian and whispered, "What a woman, huh?"

Brian smiled, "Yeah. That's why I love her." He then explained, "We've got Lincoln staying in one of our guest bedrooms. Full ensuite bathroom and everything. So, we can set Lincoln's room up. I can tell my wife wants to, and if the girls are anything like her, which I know they are, they'll…", before being interrupted by the text tone of his phone. When Brian pulled out his phone, he saw Linda's text: "Dr wants us to adopt Lincoln. Should we do it?"

Immediately afterward, Brian's screen flashed with replies from Becky, Paige, and Lindsay that read, "YES", complete with large numbers of heart and kissy-face emojis. Upon noticing the enthusiasm and speed with which their kids replied, Brian and Linda glanced at each other and chuckled.

Lincoln noticed Brian and Linda's laughter and asked them, "What's so funny?"

Brian and Linda glanced at each other, wanting to keep it a surprise, before laughing heartily once more. Linda then ruffled his hair while Brian exclaimed, "Those girls man… they love you!"

Lincoln guessed, "Who, Becky, Paige, and Lindsay?"

Brian and Linda nodded, "Uh-huh."

When the Sweetwater parents, Lincoln, and Dr. Chase finally arrived at the operating room, Dr. Chase handed all of the necessary files over to the main neurosurgeon, who introduced himself, "Good evening, I'm Dr. Nguyễn, I'll be presiding over Lincoln's surgery today."

Brian and Linda exchanged handshakes with Dr. Nguyễn and pleasantly replied, "Nice to meet you."

Dr. Nguyễn assured them, "Pleasure's all mine," before Dr. Chase approached Dr. Nguyễn and told him, "Hey, here's those files that you're looking for."

Dr. Nguyễn replied, "Perfect."

After Dr. Nguyễn reviewed Lincoln's files, he introduced himself, "Hey, Lincoln, I'm Dr. Nguyễn, how are we doing today?"

Lincoln smiled, "Good."

Dr. Nguyễn told Lincoln, "Alright, I'd spend a little more time getting to know you better, but considering your… uh… situation, let's get right to it."

Lincoln nodded, "Alright, let's go," as he lay down on the operating table.

Dr. Nguyễn joked with Brian and Linda, "Gets to the point, doesn't he?", causing the Sweetwater parents to laugh. Dr. Nguyễn then told Lincoln, "Alright, your sister told me how to do this, so you should be OK. So, I'm gonna give you this pill because you're a big boy now," before presenting a red pill to Lincoln.

Lincoln inquired, "OK, what does that pill do?"

Dr. Nguyễn explained, "It'll knock you out for the rest of the night. You won't feel a thing from this surgery."

Lincoln asked, "No pain?"

Dr. Nguyễn confirmed, "No pain."

Lincoln immediately snatched the pill from Dr. Nguyễn's hand and opened his mouth to swallow it, but Dr. Nguyễn stopped him, "Uh-uh-uh. You have to drink water with this."

Lincoln groaned impatiently as Dr. Nguyễn walked to the cabinet, grabbed a cup for Lincoln, took it to the sink, and filled it up with the sink's water. Upon filling the cup, Dr. Nguyễn returned to Lincoln and handed him the cup.

To lighten the mood, Lincoln playfully said, "Bottoms up," before swallowing both the pill and the entire cup of water, making Dr. Nguyễn and the Sweetwater parents chuckle.

Once Lincoln was done, he handed the cup to Dr. Nguyễn, who promptly washed the cup as Lincoln started to notice himself falling asleep.

"Aahhh…", Lincoln yawned, stretching his arms out, "this pill is really… doing… the…" before falling asleep on the operating table.

Looking at the sleeping Lincoln's form, Dr. Nguyễn smirked, "Now, we can begin the operation."

As Lincoln fell asleep, another neurosurgeon walked into the room. He dimmed the hospital's ceiling lights while turning on the surgical lights, which amazingly, still allowed the Sweetwater parents to see him come in. The neurosurgeon introduced himself to the Sweetwater parents while extending his hand, "Hi, I'm Dr. Figueroa, MD, Neurosurgeon. I'll be helping with this brain surgery today."

Brian and Linda introduced themselves before returning Dr. Figueroa's handshake. Drs. Nguyễn & Figueroa put on their medical equipment and gathered on each side of a sleeping Lincoln. Once they did, they began the surgery to remove Lincoln's tracking chip from his amygdala. As Brian grasped Linda's shoulder, Dr. Chase, who watched the whole thing, told them, "Come on... let's go."

Dr. Chase then told a watery-eyed Brian and Linda, "Come on, let them work."

Linda whimpered, "But Linky…", before Dr. Chase interrupted her, "I know, but for a surgery as delicate as this, it's best we leave them alone."

Brian tearfully corroborated, "H-he's right. Come on, let's go. Chuck knows more about this than we do," as he followed Chuck out of the room. Shortly after, Linda followed the two men out of the room.

Once they were out of the operating room, Chuck informed Brian and Linda, "That thing about the surgeons needing to work… that was half the reason I escorted you out of the room."

Linda tearfully demanded, "W-what was the other half?"

Chuck explained, "I talked with Brian, and well, those emergency adoption forms aren't going to fill themselves out."

Linda and Brian gasped before Brian exclaimed, "Well, what are we waiting for? I thought I told you to hand me the papers!"

Chuck and Linda laughed before Chuck said, "Alright, Bri. Just follow me, and I'll hand you the papers. Then, you can go home and fill them out, OK?"

Brian and Linda smiled, "OK!"

Chuck laughed before telling Brian and Linda, "Follow me."

As the trio of adults walked back to the first floor, Chuck reminded Brian and Linda, "Hey, remember, this weekend… we get together for coffee!"

Brian and Linda confirmed, "Yeah, definitely!", with Brian adding, "I'll text you!"

Chuck laughed, "I know you will."

(Time Skip: Waiting Room, 5 minutes later)

As Chuck handed a stack of papers to Brian and Linda, he instructed them, "Alright, here are all the papers you'll need to formally adopt Lincoln. I recommend you fill them out as quickly as possible," before joking, "I don't think that should be a problem for you, though."

Brian and Linda laughed before assuring Chuck, "We will!"

Chuck smiled, "Alright. And remember, coffee! Don't be a stranger, OK?"

Brian and Linda replied, "We won't!", before waving, "Bye, Chuck!"

Chuck laughed while waving back at Brian and Linda.

As Linda and Brian skimmed the adoption forms, Linda groaned, "Jesus, we're going to have to get lawyers involved. This means we've got to deal with those monsters a few more times."

Brian skimmed the adoption forms before explaining, "Honey… this doesn't appear to say anything about not letting Lincoln stay with us while we wait to officially adopt him. And you and I both know we can't let him be taken in by foster care. And as much as we love him, we're not trying to be foster parents. It's adoption or bust."

Linda agreed, "Yeah, you're right. It's just that there's so much information we don't know about the Louds. Lincoln's in surgery, so he can't explain it to us until he's out, we're definitely not going there, for our own safety, and the only place we can pull data about them is…", before she gasped in realization. Turning to Brian, she immediately puckered her lip out and widened her eyes pathetically, giving her husband the "puppy-dog" look. She then leaned in towards him, and said in a babyish tone of voice, "Bri-ee-Bear, you wuv me, wite?"

Brian knowingly chuckled before pulling Linda's head into his chest and smirking, "Mm-hmm."

Linda babbled, "Bwia… can you pwease do some computuh wuk to find Linky's info? My sweet, baby Linky."

Brian laughed, "Alright, alright… I'll see what I can do. But in the meantime, we'll fill out what we can of these adoption forms."

Linda hugged her husband tighter, chirping, "Thanks, honey!", before giving him a kiss on the cheek. When she let go, she and Brian shuffled through the adoption forms before reaching the first page. As they did, they remembered that to make sure the Louds didn't suspect anything, they needed the Louds to retain parental rights and CPS to stay out of the way until they completed their plan. So, they skimmed the adoption application form for an "Additional Considerations" section. Fortunately, when they found an "Additional Considerations" section on the last page of the Adoption Application form they were given, they filled it out with everything they knew about Lincoln's situation and the danger the Louds posed to his health and safety.

(Time Skip: 5 minutes later)

As the Sweetwater parents wrote Lincoln Loud's name down at the beginning of the Adoption Consent form, Linda's phone buzzed in her pocket, making her yelp in alarm. When Linda pulled out her phone, she saw Becky's name and picture, and pressed the answer button.

Linda answered, "Hey, sweetie, how's it going?"

Becky said, "Mom… while I was passing by Lincoln's room, I saw some cardboard boxes in the corners of the room."

Linda murmured, "Oh… cardboard boxes. Wait… how do you know that?"

Becky explained, "The Pingreys came by to drop off Lincoln's clothes. That the Louds sold to them. We had them put his clothes in Lincoln's room."

When Brian noticed Linda gasping in horror, he asked Linda, "What is it, sweetie?"

Linda stammered, "T-t-the Pingrey family. They unintentionally bought Lincoln's clothes when the Louds sold his possessions."

Brian muttered to himself, "My god," before asking Linda, "The Pingreys? How do you know this?"

Linda explained, "Becky's on the phone with us. She said the Pingreys came over to the house to drop off cardboard boxes that had Lincoln's clothes in them. And they put them in Lincoln's guest room."

Brian gasped before whispering to Linda, "No." Linda sadly nodded her head, making Brian mumble, "Oh, dear."

Becky, who heard Brian's worried murmurs, asked, "What's wrong, Dad?"

Linda sighed, "Bring Paige & Lindsay to the hospital right now. We have something to tell you. It's urgent."

Becky stammered, "O-O-Okay, see you there Mom, love you."

Linda whimpered, "Love you, honey… bye," before hanging up.

(Scene Change: Sweetwater Manor)

After Becky put her phone back in her pocket, she knocked on Lindsay's door, telling her, "Lindsay, come out!"

Lindsay opened the door yelling, "WHAT IS IT, BECKY? CAN'T YOU SEE I'M PRIMPING?"

Becky sighed, "Get ready, Linds… we're going to the hospital right now. Mom said it's urgent."

Lindsay gasped before whimpering, "I-is it about Linky?".

Becky murmured, "I hope not. Now come on, we're going to go get Paige."

Lindsay squeaked, "O-O-Okay, Becky," before following Becky to Paige's room. When they arrived at Paige's room, Becky knocked on the door while informing her, "Paige! Lindsay & I are going to the hospital. Mom said it's urgent."

Paige immediately opened the door and trembled, "I-Is it about Lincoln?"

Becky sadly replied, "Probably."

Paige murmured, "OK," before following Becky downstairs.

When the Sweetwater siblings got to the driveway, they got into Becky's car and drove off in the direction of the hospital. Becky drove, Paige rode shotgun, and Lindsay sprawled herself across the back seats to take a nap.

As they drove to the hospital, Paige cried, "I-is Linky going to be OK?"

Becky sadly sighed, "I hope so… I hope so."

Closing A/N's: Whoo, after going through all the Guest Reviews, this story's up to over 150 reviews! Most of the new ones absolutely hate Lynn! Dang… reading these reviews… I know I did my job well. I mean, it humbles me that I can move people like that with the words that I write. Always a good feeling. Also, it's so nice to know a lot of you like "Cool Clyde." It's funny because I laugh to myself every time I think about it. I was worrying, would it work? Is it gonna be cringe? Turns out it worked… in spades. And now… Lincoln's in brain surgery, trying to get his tracking chip removed, fighting for his life, thanks to that ding-dang Lisa. But hey, at least the Sweetwaters are gonna claim him, no matter what. But man, I wish more of y'all could favorite & follow my fanfic, so you can get that notification whenever I release a new chapter. I'm also proud of myself for once again, getting 2 chapters out on a long weekend!

A/N 2: I know, I know, I ripped off the scene where Lincoln took off his hospital gown & revealed his scars from Gal Pals. But Alexpv22 wrote it so much better than I could. Shoutout to Guest6973 for the idea, BTW. And don't worry... Lincoln's not the only one with scars & bruises. All will be explained later.

A/N 3: You know how in the Loud House canon, some of the staff's writers are recycled as characters? I've also recycled some of them here.

A/N 4: I took the "Dr. Chase being Cristina's dad" idea from Requiem for a Loud. Thanks, UnderratedHero!

A/N 5: A lot of Easter Eggs in the hospital room numbers. Room 611? Lincoln is the sixth child out of 11? Room 208? The production code for NSL was 208a. Room 502? Refers to the Loud House's premiere date, May 2, 2016.

A/N 6: Look at the names of one of the doctors closely. The family connections are becoming apparent in this plot. So the kids have already told their parents, one of which happens to be helping Lincoln now. MWAHAHA!

A/N 7: To try to make this a good plot, I watched some videos where medical offices outline what happens during a CT scan, having never been through one myself. Of course, given that there's probably never been a medical case where someone had to remove a tracking chip from someone's brain before, I was pretty much using my imagination a lot of the time. I just tried to remember what I went through with previous doctor's appointments, and then translated that into Lincoln being whisked into surgery. I wasn't giving him the ambulance treatment… too obvious.

A/N 8: To those who suggested the Sweetwater parents should adopt Lincoln… I hope you're happy. They're interested, and with any luck, the process has begun.

Anyway, will Lincoln survive his surgery? Who, if anybody, will visit him in the hospital? Will the Sweetwaters adopt Lincoln? And will Lincoln and the Sweetwaters spend their first post-surgery moments in jail? Stay tuned to find out!