I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Chapter 7
The trial continued the next day. Future Lincoln was disguised as the Loud Family's lawyer.
They moved on to talking about the alligator attack. This shook Lana as she squeezed her twin sister's hand. They called Lynn Sr. to the stand through a video call. They played a video recording of the whole event. Everything from Lana trying to escape the big bull gator, Lynn Sr. cowering on top of the truck in a feeble position, Lana screaming for help at her father, and Lincoln killing the gator to save her. Lana teared up and squeezed her eyes shut. Lori held her baby sister close and planted a long, tender kiss on her head while whispering comforting words in her ear.
"The video shows Lynn Sr. looking in the direction of his daughter, Lana, as she's desperately crying for help when her life was in critical danger," the prosecutor said and then turned to Lynn Sr., "You saw your daughter in the pin, didn't you?"
"I-I guess. It's all blurry to me," Lynn Sr. said.
"Let's say for argument's sake that you didn't see her clearly. Your vision wasn't fully focused. Regardless, you knew your daughter, Lana, was in there. She was wrestling little gators that kids like her can handle. You and your son went there to watch her. So, you know for a fact that she was in there. She wasn't at the port-a-johns. She wasn't getting a hot dog, pretzel, or cold drink at the food stand. She was in the pin, right?" the prosecutor asked.
Lynn Sr. teared up with his lip quivering with guilt, "Yes."
"And yet, you did nothing. Didn't you ensure your children were out of danger when the gators broke out? You just stayed up there on top of the truck?"
Lynn Sr. teared up again and said, "I'm so sorry. Dear God, I am so sorry."
"Nothing further."
Future Lincoln stood up and opened a folder, "Mr. Loud, is it true that you went to Ericson's Boarding School when you were a kid?"
"Objection, relevance?"
"The answer will become clear."
"Overrule, proceed," the judge ordered.
Lynn Sr. wiped his tears, "Yes, I did."
"This school is private. It's for students with learning disabilities and difficulty focusing, correct?" Future Lincoln asked.
This got everyone's attention, including the Loud family.
"Yes, they help kids who struggle to learn," Lynn Sr. answered.
"And you were diagnosed with ADHD when you were nine, is that right?"
Lynn Sr. nodded, "Yes, growing up, I had a hard time staying focused, and I had to take medications to concentrate along with therapy at Ericson's."
"You especially had difficulty focusing when you were afraid or panicked, correct?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Loud, most studies say that around 9-11% of kids outgrow ADHD. Did you outgrow your difficulty to stay focused?"
"I-I wouldn't say I fully outgrew it. There are times when I sometimes forget what I'm doing. There are periods when I can't focus, especially when I'm scared, but it's not as bad as when I was a kid."
"But even to this day, when you are scared, you can't focus and get your bearings, is that right?"
Lynn Sr. nodded, "When I get terrified, yes."
Future Lincoln opened another file and looked at it, saying, "You don't like to hunt, do you, Mr. Loud?"
"Objection, relevance?"
"This has to do with the gator attack."
"Overrule, proceed," the judge ordered.
"No, I don't," Lynn Sr. answered.
"Why is that?"
"My father and older brother Lance like to hunt, and they tried to get me to hunt when I was eleven, but I had a really bad first experience."
"You mean when . . . wolves attacked you?"
Everyone's eyes widened at that as they looked at Lynn Sr.
The father of the family shivered and nodded, "Yes. We went hunting for moose, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. My brother Lance called me names, I got angry, and we fought. I stormed out of the cabin to prove myself. So, I went out to hunt for the moose, but a pack of wolves attacked me. I narrowly escaped after they bit my leg and my arm, but I lost my rifle. I managed to get inside an old abandoned shed, but the wood wasn't strong, and I was so scared they'd break through. They tried to get in from all sides, and it wasn't that big of a shed either."
"And you were stuck in that shed for nearly two whole days, in the freezing cold, alone, with no food, no water, your arm and leg bleeding with a pack of hungry wolves outside. Did your father and brother find you?" Future Lincoln asked.
Lynn Sr. shook his head, "No, my father and brother looked for me, but they didn't find me. The wolves took off, and I walked all the way back to the cabin. I never went hunting ever again, and I've been terrified of large predators ever since."
"You're also scared of Halloween stuff, right?"
"Yes."
"Is that because your brother Lance tricked you into walking into a haunted house maze meant to scare adults when you were five years old?"
"Yes, it traumatized me."
The Loud family's eyes widened at that. They always knew their father and husband were terrified of Halloween, but they never knew why.
"Mr. Loud, let me ask you something. When the gators broke out, did you think you were back in that shed in the woods with the wolves growing and barking as they tried to break through the shed to kill you and eat you?" Future Lincoln asked.
"For a moment, I did," Lynn Sr. nodded.
"So, you suffered PTSD from that event with the wolves and with the Halloween incident?"
"I did."
"Did you ever get therapy for that?" Future Lincoln questioned.
"Not really. I talked about it to my teachers at Ericson's, but I had to move on, all on my own," Lynn Sr. answered.
"Nothing further."
The people and jury talked among themselves while looking at Lynn Sr. They talked more. The prosecutor spoke about Lincoln's convincing suit and how he has to wear that and put on a presentation to have something good, like having his friend over for a sleepover or seeing a horror movie, etc. However, Future pointed out that Lincoln's sisters messed things up, affecting his parents' judgment like the sleepover, because the sisters either nearly destroyed the house or caused a blackout in their sleepovers. The horror movie because it was intense, etc. Still, the jury wasn't pleased that Lincoln had to put on a suit to ask for something.
Before the day ended, Lincoln asked, "Your honor, may I please say something to you and the jury?"
"You may," the judge answered.
Lincoln stood up, unfolding paper from his coat pocket, "I wrote a speech. It's not long so that I won't waste your time."
Lincoln cleared his throat, and everyone in the court gave him their attention.
Lincoln started, "I know these last several days have been hard for everyone, and many of you are disappointed in my family, especially my parents. If I'm being honest . . . so am I. I've lost confidence in my parents to be proper parents and set things right in our house. I'm angry at my sisters for the bad things they've done to me. They've bullied me, neglected me, belittled me, used me, made fun of me, and walked over me. As angry as I am at them, I'm even more angry at my parents for allowing such things to happen. I'm angry that I've gotten blamed and even punished for their actions while they've gotten off easy."
The sisters and parents looked down in shame. The guilt left a hole in their chest mixed with dread and sorrow.
"However, I believe in second chances."
They looked up at their white-haired boy.
"I humbly request that you, your honor, and the jury find it in your hearts to give my family another chance to be a proper family and provide a safe home environment. My family is truly sorry for the error of their ways, and even now, they are doing everything in their power to make things right, and I believe they will. I know many of you are asking how any of us know that we can trust them to do that. The truth is I don't know. That's why I'm asking to give them a chance. If they mess up again, then I will have no objections for the law to bring down the hammer. I'm willing to give them a chance, and that's all I'm asking for you to give them," Lincoln stated.
The judge stared at Lincoln for a while before glancing at the jury and then back at him.
Then the judge said, "The jury will take in Lincoln's speech. Tomorrow, you will deliver your final verdict."
Everyone left feeling like they were holding their breaths, eager for the jury's decision. Once they got home, Lori pulled her brother into her room, but Lincoln didn't like what Lori wanted.
"No!" Lincoln replied.
"Yes, Lincoln!" Lori shouted.
"No, Lori! It can't happen! It won't work, not like this," Lincoln argued.
The girls ran to Lori's room, where she and Lincoln were.
"Dudes! What's with all the yelling?" Luna asked.
"Tell them, Lincoln," Lori ordered.
"Tell us what?" Lola asked.
"Lori wants to adopt me and take custody of you girls," Lincoln answered.
The girls gasped, "What?!"
"It's happening, Lincoln. I'm not risking your well-being. I don't trust Mom and Dad anymore, especially Dad. I can't believe how blind I've been all these years. I know we let you down, but that ends. We're going to be better, and I swear I'll give you more than what our parents will ever promise and not deliver," Lori stated.
"Lori, it can't work. I've seen it. You can't let one bad day in court change your whole perception of our parents. You have to give them a chance," Lincoln said.
"They've had eleven years to have a chance to bond with their one and only son!"
"Lori, didn't my speech mean anything to you?"
"Of course, it did! I want a second chance as much as our sisters do, but I don't think Mom and Dad should get one."
"Okay, everyone, get in here. Sibling meeting!"
All the sisters got into Lori and Leni's room. Lincoln brought his projector and Lisa's whiteboard.
"Okay, you've all been waiting for me to explain some things. Tonight's the night," Lincoln started.
"Oh, this ought to be good," Luan said.
"I knew that Dad was going to try and prove himself with that stunt and end up in the hospital. I needed that to happen so that Dad will be out of the way," Lincoln explained and summoned the light stream, "We can knock out a few problems. The biggest problem is this one."
Lincoln pulled out a light orb, showing Lori in the hospital. She had a broken leg, a broken arm, a neck brace, and had bandages all over. The sisters all gasped.
"O-M-Gosh! What happened to Lori?! Or what is going to happen to her?!" Leni exclaimed with worry.
"She gets into a car accident. Vanzilla's engine dies on her as she's crossing an intersection, and an eighteen-wheeler plows into her from the side. She lives, but her golfing days are over," Lincoln explained.
Lori's eyes widened at that as Lincoln continued.
"I needed Dad out of the way because he has an irrational and inseparable attachment to Vanzilla. This is prior to him being stupid and stubborn. With him in the hospital, we can convince Mom to get rid of it without Dad pressuring her to keep it for his sake. Even with showing my powers, Dad will try to keep her and one of us ends up in a car accident. Now, we can avoid this by having Lori not drive that day, but Vanzilla is an old, old, old van. She's going to die no matter what," Lincoln showed other versions of the future, showing Leni or Luna and even all the kids in the hospital, "No matter how much Lana works on her or even the most skilled mechanics work on her, no one can make an old engine not old. We keep driving her; someone is going to get hurt or killed. No offense, Lana."
"None taken. She's got to go. I love Vanzilla, but she's an accident waiting to happen," Lana said.
"Also, not to make Dad look worse than he already is, but Dad wants to give Lincoln Vanzilla when he's old enough. I'm sorry, but that is downright insulting. He doesn't want to leave his only son a greater legacy," Lori stated.
"That ain't happening. Not on my watch. So, what do we do, Lincoln? Set Vanzilla on fire? Put her in a compactor?" Lynn asked.
"No. The bad news is Vanzilla is our only ride and we don't have enough money to buy a new one even if we trade her. Thankfully, I know how to get more money fast. You're not going to like the idea, but if you let me explain, it'll work," Lincoln said before inhaling deeply and exhaling while leaving a long pause, "A lottery ticket."
As predicted, his sisters' eyes widened, and they jumped at him with angry and determined looks.
All the sisters instantly roared, "NO WAY!"
"Girls," Lincoln spoke.
Lori grabbed and held his face, "No! No! NO! We're not doing that, Lincoln! You've shown us the vision. You get this through your head, you beautiful white-haired dummy! You are not a crystal ball. You're not a payday. You're our brother, and we love you!"
Lola stepped in, "We are not using you to get money! As much as I would love a luxury yacht and a private limo, I love you more, and I will not let greed corrupt us!"
Then Luna said, "It's not happening, little bro!"
"N-O means no, Lincoln!" Leni added.
"Girls! Please let me explain!" Lincoln pleaded.
They let him down and eased up.
"Explain," Leni ordered while narrowing her eyes.
"We're listening," Lucy said.
"Okay, so the problem with that other vision with the lottery tickets is your greed got the better of you, and you didn't care about me. We bought things we wanted but didn't need. That was then, but now you girls have opened your eyes and care about me. So, instead of buying a bunch of lottery tickets, we buy just one ticket to buy what we need. However, there lies another problem," Lincoln explained.
"What are you talking about?" Luan asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"What do we need besides new cars? Well, a lot," Lincoln started writing on the whiteboard, listing all the things they needed, "New cars, one for Mom, one for Dad, and one for Lori when she goes to Fairway. We need a bigger house with more space and more than one bathroom. I don't want to sound needy, but we need more than one bathroom, and I need to get out of that closet. I hope that doesn't sound selfish."
"Lincoln, it's not selfish to have needs, and you're right. You do need a bedroom, a real one. It's high time we got you out of that closet. I was going to ask if we can remodel the basement into a bedroom, but a bigger house works too," Lucy said.
"Right," Lincoln agreed before returning to writing on the whiteboard, "New cars, new house, money for college, and to provide us with home expenses. So, how much would all this cost? This is a math problem for our brilliant sister, Lisa," Lincoln said, handing her the marker.
Lisa took the marker and tapped it on her chin as she thought.
"A good state college is roughly $45,000 a year, plus four years that's $180,000. Lori's covered for Fairway, so that leaves just the rest of us. I can get a scholarship, but assuming that I don't or if something goes wrong, that means $180 x 10, that's $1,800,000," Lisa calculated as she wrote on the board.
Everyone groaned at that significant number.
Lisa continued, "Ten girls, one boy, and two parents. Two girls in a bedroom, Lincoln in his own, plus the master bedroom of our parental units, so that's seven bedrooms. There are houses like that, and they usually have five bathrooms to go with that, sometimes six. To pay for it in total is usually somewhere between five to ten million, so let's just say ten million dollars. However, it may be cheaper to build a house depending on the market, so let's just stick with ten – ten million dollars. A good van big enough to hold all of us is around $55,000. Times two is $110,000 plus a brand new SUV for Lori, which is around 70 grand, so that's $180,000. The cost of living to provide for one kid with expenses like food, clothing, and other things is roughly $500 a month. So for eleven kids for a month is $5,500, plus our parental units, two grand makes it $7,500. That times twelve is $90,000. So, to provide that for, say, ten years is $900,000."
All those numbers made everyone shiver while giving pensive looks.
"So, that's eleven million plus eight hundred thousand, plus 180 plus 900. That sums it up to . . . $13,880,000."
Everyone's eyes were wide open, and the younger sisters' jaws dropped. Lincoln stood up and walked over to the board.
He tapped on the circled total, "$13,880,000. $13,880,000; that is what we need. That is what we need. We don't need a helicopter. We don't need a limo. We don't need a yacht. We don't need a bunch of fancy crap. In terms of what we need in life. That's what it'll cost. One lottery ticket to get us that, then no more. That's what I propose."
"Dude, there is no way we'll find a lottery ticket of exactly that amount of money. In fact, most lottery tickets only go up to five million. If we're lucky, we'll find one that reaches ten million," Luna said.
"No, I've seen ones that go up to twenty or twenty-five million. I know a gas station that sells it," Luan objected.
"What are we gonna do with that extra money?"
"Let's just hold that for emergency money, like if one of us gets into a car accident and we need surgery or something," Lori pointed out.
"Plus, textbooks and school supplies for college are outrageously expensive," Lisa added.
"Also, we can use it to pay for Mom and Dad's education," Lincoln said.
"Wait, Mom and Dad?" Lynn asked.
"Yes. Dad, for his study to be a paramedic and Mom to become a registered nurse. That's more income than a dentist's assistant. I have a plan to convince her."
"Ah."
"There are a few factors to consider," Lisa said.
Everyone turned to her.
"One: you have to be 18 in order to buy a lottery ticket. They don't sell them to minors. Two: even if we get a ticket and win the lottery, can we trust our parental units not to spend the money all at once?"
"Oh, crude! That's right. Our parents are morons, especially Dad. What do we do?" Lana asked.
"There's one of two options," Lincoln stated while having his hand to summon vision orbs, "One: we make up an excuse to go to this gas station, convince Mom to buy a lottery ticket, and I tell you guys which spots to scratch and win the lottery ticket. We present our case of what we need in life to Mom and convince her not to buy useless crap. However, convincing her to buy a ticket is the most difficult part. I was going to say three options, one of which is where we dress Lori up as Mom and buy the ticket, but that won't work."
"What's the second option?" Lori questioned.
Lincoln held up the other light orb, "We show Mom my powers."
The sisters' eyes all widened at that.
"The conditions will be right for her to listen. Although, she'll be very upset at us, especially at herself. However, after we show her my powers, we can put her on the right path to be a better mother for all of us," Lincoln explained as the light showed the possible future.
"I'd say we go with the second option," Lori said.
"Me too," Leni said.
"Whoa, whoa, wait. Guys, are you sure that's one we should go with?" Lynn asked.
"Trust me, this is better than all other options," Lincoln answered.
"If it'll put her down the right path, then let's do it," Lucy added.
"How upset will she be?" Lynn asked.
"Uh . . . it's probably better you don't know. Makes the timeline less complicated," Lincoln answered, making the light orbs disappear.
The Next Day
Everyone waited patiently for the jury to come out. Finally, they did.
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked.
"We have, your honor," a jury member answered, "We members of the jury find Rita and Lynn Loud Sr. . . . not guilty."
The crowd's reaction was mixed. Some sighed in relief, while others groaned in disappointment.
"Mr. and Mrs. Loud, despite the jury's decision, you have displayed behavior and actions that are unsafe for a child. I find your parenting skills highly questionable. Frankly, I would have both of you locked in prison and your children in separate foster care homes. However, Lincoln Loud is willing to give you another chance, but heed this. If anything happens, anything at all, one screwup, one hiccup, one foul up . . . that is exactly what will happen. You two will be placed under arrest for child abandonment, neglect, and abuse. Your children will be placed in separate foster care homes, including your son, Lincoln. For now, I am placing you both under probation. Every month, there will be a report on the status of the family and how well they're doing. As part of your probation, you two will take mandatory parenting classes to improve your skills as responsible parents," the judge stated.
The parents shivered at those words and got goosebumps.
"Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, your honor."
"Mr. Loud, if you're serious about becoming a paramedic, you must commit and step up. It's the real deal, and you must show that you are willing to show you mean business. I want your daughters disciplined and under control. The upcoming reports better say that your daughters are on the road to becoming model citizens. No more shenanigans and no more fights."
"Yes, your honor," Lynn Sr. said.
The judge pointed his mallet to Lynn Sr., "New job," then he pointed it to the daughters, "Model citizens," the judge ordered before clacking the hammer, "Court adjured."
As they left the courtroom, Bobby called out, "Hey!"
The Loud family turned to him, who had his little sister, Ronnie Anne, and his mother, Maria, close by. Bobby walked up to Lincoln.
"Just so you know, if you had gotten to our apartment that night . . . we would have adopted you on the spot . . . and the offer still stands if they hurt you again," Bobby stated.
"Thank you, Bobby," Lincoln said.
"I'm serious," then he turned to Rita and the sisters, "If we hear anything, anything at all, we're calling the cops, and either Clyde's dads adopt him, or we do. You do right by this boy, you hear me?"
Rita nodded, "Yes, we will."
Bobby looked back at Lincoln and rustled his hair. Ronnie Anne gently punched his arm, "Smell ya later, snowflake."
Booby and Lori looked at each other briefly before he walked away. No doubt the separation was hard on both of them.
They headed home, and everyone felt relieved they were given a second chance, but they knew they weren't out of the woods – it was quiet in Vanzilla. On the way home, Rita spoke, "Lincoln."
Lincoln looked up.
"I promise we'll make things right with you. I don't know how long it'll take, but after a few weeks, maybe next month, we'll have enough money to go to Dairyland. If you want, we can go to a different place, like the beach or maybe the Weeping Willow Resort. That'll be nice, right? Get to spend more time together?" Rita said.
Lincoln hesitantly replied, "Yeah, it'll be nice."
"And I know more about your art. We can talk shop about comics and such."
"Sure."
Some of the sisters rolled their eyes, thinking it was a bit late to bond with him. Once they entered their home, Lincoln nodded to his sisters.
"Mom," Lincoln spoke.
Rita turned to face him.
"We got something to tell you, and it's a lot. Perhaps you should sit on the couch," Lincoln said.