I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.

Chapter 3

Lincoln fell asleep by the time the rest of his family came to visit. He woke up the following morning in the hospital feeling stiff. The nurses and doctors filled him in on what had happened. Lincoln, at first, was surprised to hear that his sisters revived him and called 911, and then he felt somewhat happy, feeling that they loved him.

He remembered vaguely when he passed out on the basement floor and just before waking up in the living room. He remembered Lori pressing his chest and Lynn's lips on his as she breathed air into his lungs. While alone, he checked on the future visions to see if anything would change. Sadly, the one about him being accused of bad luck was still there, but it was foggy and not colorless. If it was colorless, it meant it wouldn't happen. Clouded or slightly blurred visions told it was undetermined, so there was a chance that it could change.

Although, Lincoln was still unsure if it was worth trying to avoid or change it. Even if he did, what were the chances of something similar happening again? Or something worse? Even the bad luck incident starts with Lynn losing her game and blaming Lincoln like a sore loser; what if it's someone else on a different topic? Like Lola losing a beauty pageant or Lana losing a go-kart race or Leni not being able to buy a specific dress, or Lori getting into a fight with Bobby? What if his parents blamed him for something he didn't do? It'd be easy for them to do something like that to their son since they hardly spend any time with him and mostly spend it with his sisters. The thoughts filled the void with dread and anxiety.

'I'm trapped in a prison with 12 wardens. Leaving for college or death would be my only ticket to freedom,' Lincoln thought.

The doctors ran a few more tests to ensure he was all right. At the end of the day, his whole family visited him. While they were relieved and gave him big bear hugs, Lincoln still dwelled on the possible futures he knew were yet to come.

"Hey, Linky, how are you doing?" Lori asked.

"As well as I can," Lincoln replied.

"You really gave us a scare. I'm surprised I didn't faint myself when you weren't breathing," Lori said.

"That's why I kept telling you girls I love you, and also, I feel like we don't say it enough to each other," Lincoln said.

Those words brought a small realization to the Loud family. They know they love each other, but how often do they say it? How much do they actually say those three words?

"Well, we're gonna be saying it to you a lot more, little bro," Luna said, rustling Lincoln's hair.

They brought in some outside food from the Burpin' Burger with the hospital's permission. They also brought some of his Ace Savvy comics and his sketchbook. Lincoln had become quite the artist. Although, some of his artworks showed his feelings. One was a drawing of a person in a tunnel of darkness running toward a light. Another drawing was a boy in bed, but inside the bed looked like a pool of water, and the boy was slowly drowning. His best drawing was of a boy trying to get out of the house through the front door, but he was covered with chains holding him back. Knowing they'd ask questions, he didn't let his family see them. Lincoln didn't know that Lucy already peaked inside his sketchbook and saw his drawings. Lucy had a knack for telling when people were telling the truth and when they were lying. She knew something was up with her brother, but she was still trying to figure out what it was.

Throughout the visits, Lincoln spoke briefly at the beginning. Once he started drawing and everyone else chatted with each other about what was going on in their lives, Lincoln didn't say a word. He was even quieter than Lucy. With his whole family in the room, Lincoln felt like he was in the wolf's den or a room full of highly toxic chemicals. The only peaceful moments he found were when they all left, and his room at the setting sunlight cast its orange light everywhere. In that small moment, Lincoln felt peace, as if everything else was gone for a while, and he didn't have to worry.

However, he felt the blankets turn over. He looked over to see Lola getting some nail polish.

"What are you doing?" Lincoln asked.

"What? Hospitals are always so depressing. Their favorite colors are white and grey. I'm adding a little color to this; the best colors are the ones we put on our nails," Lola replied before turning to her older sister, "Leni, care to help?"

"I would totes love to!" Leni said happily, "So, are we going with pink and purple or purple and pink?"

"Let's have some glitter on them."

Lincoln didn't object and only shrugged. The two painted Lincoln's toenails in purple and pink glitter, making his toes look fabulous. Then after a while, visiting hours were over.

"Okay, it's time for us to head out. Come on, girls. Let's go. We'll be back tomorrow," Rita said.

Lincoln was reading one of his Ace Savvy comics. Without looking at her, he replied, "Okay."

"Tomorrow, they'll do more tests to ensure you're okay. Then you'll be able to come home. You sure you can handle one more night here?" Rita asked.

Lincoln nodded, "Mmm-hmm," again without looking at her.

"Are you sure? You won't get spooked by the dark? Maybe we can get Bun-Bun," Rita said. Then she spoke in a silly teasing tone, "To keep all the monsters away!"

She playfully tried to tickle Lincoln. Lincoln didn't smile or laugh. Instead, he looked annoyed and irritated as he rolled his eyes. Rita continued this, and Lynn Sr. added some playful commentary which was getting on Lincoln's nerves. Rita tried to stick her finger in Lincoln's ear to tease him, but he swiped her hand away. Her eyes were closed as she was giggling to herself so she didn't see the glare Lincoln was giving her.

As the parents left the hospital room, Lori leaned over.

"Do-do you need anything, Linky?" Lori questioned.

Lincoln shook his head, "Nope."

"Okay. Well . . . we'll be in touch. So, don't be afraid to call or text us," Lori said.

Lincoln nodded.

As they were about to exit, Lincoln called, "Lori! Lynn!"

They both turned to him.

"Thanks for reviving me with CPR. Thank you," Lincoln said.

They both smiled and went over to hug him.

"Thank Lisa as well. She guided us on how to do it properly," Lori said.

"Thank you, Lisa. Thank you for helping me," Lincoln said.

"Oh, it was quite simple, really, but it was needed to provide oxygen to your brain," Lisa said, blushing.

After a few days, Lincoln was clear from the hospital and free to go home. The doctor prescribed some meds for him to take to keep his blood flow and blood pressure under control. His mother picked him up from the hospital while his father was at home preparing dinner. Lincoln didn't say much along the ride home while his mother went on about her days at the dentist. She might have noticed something was bothering her son if she had stopped for one moment.

At home, everyone greeted Lincoln in a big group hug. Lincoln smiled gently as he hugged them back but was not excited. His sisters did most of the talking while Lincoln sat quietly. Luan cracked some jokes and even pulled a few pranks on the parents, which definitely made her laugh and her sisters laugh a little. Lincoln, however, was indifferent. He didn't even crack a smile. This did not go unnoticed by his sisters, especially Lucy and Luna. After dinner was over, Lincoln brushed his teeth and went to bed but was stopped.

"Lincoln," Luna called.

Lincoln stopped just as he was about to go into his room. He glanced over to see Luna, Luan Leni, and Lucy behind him.

"Hey Link, you feeling okay?" Luna asked.

"Why do you ask?" Lincoln countered.

"It's just that you seem really down lately, even before you went to the hospital. You're not your usual bright and happy self. I can't even remember the last time I heard you laugh," Luna said.

"Yeah, even one or two of my jokes get a chuckle out of you, along with my pranks on Mom and Dad, but you seem as gloomy as Lucy. No offense Lucy," Luan said.

"Sigh, but she is right. I'm usually the dark one. So it's weird seeing you in darkness," Lucy stated.

"Is there something going on, Lincoln? Is something bothering you?" Leni asked.

Lincoln left a long pause before replying, "No. It's okay, girls. I'm just tired, is all. I just took my meds, and they make me feel funny, so I need to lie down."

"Lincoln . . . you know you can talk to us, right? You know you can tell us anything, right?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, we're your sisters. So, you know, you can count on us," Luan added.

Lincoln wasn't so sure of that. He knew they meant well, but his future visions were never wrong, at least no event entirely different from what his visions warned and predicted.

Lincoln turned around to face them and said, "Yeah . . . I know. I'll talk to you if I need to, but really . . . I'm fine."

Lincoln opened his bedroom door, but before he went in, Luna called again, "Lincoln!"

Her brother stopped.

"Are you . . . sure there isn't anything going on that you want to talk about?" Luna asked.

Without looking at her, he answered, "I am sure."

He went inside and closed the door.

"He's lying," Lucy said.

The other sisters turned to her.

"Something is bothering him, but he doesn't want to admit it," Lucy said.

Leni started, "Are you guys sure? I mean, he said he's fine. I know he doesn't look like his normal self but—"

"Come on, Leni! Did you not see him? Didn't you hear his voice? Something is up!" Luan spoke.

"Also, I looked into his sketchbook and found these," Lucy said, pulling out her phone.

Lucy took photos of Lincoln's drawings. Leni, Luna, and Luan stared at the drawings, wide-eyed at the dark and depressing sketches. The tunnel of darkness, the drowning bed, the chained-up boy, it all gave them chills and goosebumps.

"Okay, that's it! Sibling meeting, now!" Luna ordered.