Chapter 4

Night fell, and everyone was asleep. Well…almost everyone, Lincoln quietly came out of his room and tip-toed into the bathroom, but not without flinching in pain on his hand. Once he was inside, he pulled out a small flashlight since he didn't want to cause attention by flipping the switch. Lincoln went to the sink and washed off the make-up he applied earlier. Next, he shined the light on the cabinet, opened it and grabbed the medical kit.

Lincoln put the end of the flashlight in his mouth, carefully holding it in place and opened the kit. He grabs a tube of ointment and gently applied some to his injured hand to alleviate the pain. Finally he wrapped it in gauze to not let it get swollen.

After treating his injury, Lincoln put the kit back where it was, and left the bathroom. On his way back to his room, he heard moaning. Lincoln makes his way down the stairs and sees Luna tossing and turning her head a bit as well as some whimpering. He got concerned and thought, Luna, I got to help her. Lincoln doesn't waste another second going to his sister's side, completely forgetting about his injury. He used the bandaged hand and gently rubbed Luna's forehead to calm her down, and placed his other hand on her shoulder.

The method was working as Luna eventually settled down. She slowly stirred awake to see- "Lincoln?"

Lincoln quietly shushed her, "Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now," she replied with a small smile, then it turned into a frown, "Sorry if I woke you up. This cold is making it hard for me to catch z's."

"Don't worry about it. You needed help, so I'm right here," Lincoln told her.

Her smile returned, grateful for what he did. Then Luna realized Lincoln's hand felt different on her forehead, "Umm…bro, are you wearing a glove?"

Now it was Lincoln's turn to realize that he couldn't hide it any longer. He sighed, "No, not a glove." He took his hand off of Luna, pulled out his flashlight and reluctantly shined the light on his injured hand.

Luna sees it and gasps in disbelief, "You said it was asleep, what happened?"

Lincoln responded, "I promise I'll tell you, but for now, wait here." He temporarily leaves and goes into the kitchen. He grabs a small towel, soaked in water from the sink and wrings out the excess. He also grabs a glass of water and goes back into the living room to Luna. "Here's some water," Lincoln offered the glass to Luna.

Luna sits up and accepts the cup. "Thanks." She takes a sip and sets it down on the coffee. She then lied back down to the position she was before.

Lincoln placed the damp towel gently on her forehead, much to the latter's relief. "How does that feel?" He asked.

"Feels nice," Luna replied with a small smile. Then she looked at her brother's injury and got serious, "Alright Lincoln, you gave your word on your hand, take a seat and we'll talk."

Lincoln complied and sat down beside her. After a deep breath, the explanation started, "Okay, the reason why my hand's bandaged…is because during my trip to the comic store, out of frustration, I punched a wall."

Luna couldn't believe what she heard, but she tried to keep her voice down, "Dude, what were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't."

Flashback:

I told Clyde I needed to use the boys' room when I really just stepped outside. I walked down an alleyway, trying to clear my mind and figuring out why I've been feeling off. But I couldn't, and all of the frustration and anger inside of me was too much for me to take.

Lincoln, without thinking made a fist with his left hand and punched a brick wall.

That's when I lost it.

The wall was hard enough for him to let out an agonizing scream and fall to his knees.

End Flashback:

Luna was taken aback by the story, knowing Lincoln wasn't the kind of person to get angry. "What caused all those harsh vibes to you, bro?"

Lincoln hesitated, but mustered up the courage to tell her, "I've been…sad and anxious."

"Sad? Anxious?" Luna took a moment to let it sink in, "About what?"

Lincoln shook his head, "I can't tell you," he regretfully told her.

Luna's concern grew, "Lincoln, I'm your big sis, why can't you tell me?"

"That's just it; I have no clue why I've been like this."

"You don't know?" Luna asked to which her brother shook his head.

"I've just been like this for no reason at all," Lincoln admitted and sighed, "And it's been eating at me for a while."

She was scared to ask, but had to know, "How long was a while?"

"For about…three weeks I think," he responded tentatively.

Luna was shocked, "What? Three weeks?" She was in total disbelief. "Baby bro, why didn't you say something sooner? We could've helped you."

"No, you couldn't, Luna," Lincoln sighed, "I didn't tell anyone because I couldn't pinpoint the actual issue. And honestly, I thought I'd be wasting your time."

"Don't say that," Luna tried to reason with him, "Talking still helps, bro. Even if you can't nail the sitch, Don't hesitate to come find me; your other big sisters; or even Mom and Dad. Talk to us, you have all the help you need in this house, little bro."

"You'd help me?" Lincoln asked in a surprised manner.

"100%," Luna told him without a second thought, "And so will the rest of our family…" she smiles, "Because we love you, Lincoln."

Lincoln had a little hope, "I guess I was scared to open up because…I was afraid you guys would be disappointed."

"Linc, we wouldn't be disappointed. In fact, we'd be proud of you for being able to trust someone you know and talk it out," she smiled at him once again, "Just like I am right now."

"You're proud of me?" He asked in a surprised manner once again.

She nodded, "I am, bro."

Now it was Lincoln's turn to brighten up, "Thanks. I'll admit, it wasn't an easy decision for me to confide to anyone about what I've been going through."

"But it was the right one," Luna told him, sincerely, "Airing out your feelings is better than having them bottled up and feeling miserable when you absolutely don't need to."

"I did feel safe when I first told you about my sadness," Lincoln said, realizing it.

Luna yet again, smiled at her brother, "Well, I'm glad you felt that way. You there for me when I was in a pinch, I'm here for you now. And know what else?" Lincoln shrugged, not knowing the answer. "You're not the only one who's had the same emotions you were feeling. I know what it's like to be sad and scared out of the blue, and not know the cause."

"Luna?" Lincoln spoke.

"Yes, bro?"

He smiled, "Thanks for listening to me, and opening my eyes."

Luna smiled back in response, "You're welcome. And thanks for the little treatment you did for me."

"You're…welcome, Lincoln said drowsily, "Sorry…I'm really tired."

Luna chuckled, "It's cool, Linc," she yawned, "I think it's time we both catch ourselves a nice round of z's."

The last thing Lincoln did was getting up from his seat, and taking a couple steps towards his sister. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the side of her forehead. "Goodnight Luna, feel better soon, and I love you."

Luna gave him one last smile, "Thanks, baby bro. I love you too. Night'," and with that, she closed her eyes and slept peacefully.

Lincoln smiled at the sight for a moment then stood up and went back to his room, upstairs. Lincoln closed the door behind him and climbed in bed. Just like Luna, he too closed his eyes and dreamed the night away.