AN: When I wrote my Eulogy fic a while back, the story focused on Lori's tribute to Lincoln and glossed over Lincoln's death itself, so I decided to write this prequel. Set right at the end of Lincoln's life, this story goes into more detail about what happened to him and focuses on Lori's emotions as she struggles with the reality of saying goodbye to her baby brother. It's even more of a tearjerker than Eulogy, so definitely have the tissues handy.

And as always, I don't own Loud House.

Lori focused completely on the golf ball in front of her. This was the last hole of the match between Fairway U and their archrivals Sand Trap U, and Sand Trap was narrowly ahead. If Fairway was going to win, Lori needed to get the ball to the hole in two strokes or less, and she was determined to pull out the victory for her school.

Tension was high as she struck the ball. Everyone watched as the ball flew right towards the hole and, after seeming to teeter near the edge, finally fell in. It was a hole-in-one!

Lori's teammates burst into wild cheers—and, despite the rivalry, even Sand Trap's players cheered for her as well. Not enthusiastically, to be sure, but some things were bigger than sports. And everyone on both sides knew what Lori had been dealing with.

Once Coach Niblick had accepted the trophy for the victory, he came over to congratulate Lori. "Lori, I knew you could do it! You won the match for us!"

"Thanks, Coach."

"I should be thanking you. To be honest, I'm a little surprised you competed today." His voice lowered a little. "Remember, you can always take time off if you need to."

"I appreciate that, I really do. But the golf course is a place where I can get away from everything, and it really helps me to cope. Besides, Lincoln's literally my biggest supporter and would never want me to skip a contest."

The coach gave his star player a compassionate look. "How is your brother?"

Lori bit her lip. "Not good at all. There's so little the doctors can really do for him, and right now we're just taking things one day at a time. But I do want to say that this literally means the world to him." She pointed at the ribbon logo on her uniform, a logo that each member of Fairway's team had. "I really, really can't thank you enough for dedicating our season to Lincoln."

Bad News

Lori's world had been turned completely upside down five months prior, when she had gotten an emergency phone call from home in the middle of golf practice. A sobbing Leni had told her "Linky's shaking!" which left Lori baffled and assuming Leni was just being Leni—until an equally sobbing Luna had gotten on the phone and explained that Lincoln was having a full-blown seizure. As soon as Lori heard THAT, she had frantically rushed home without even bothering to change out of her golf clothes.

It turned out that was only the tip of the iceberg. Tests had revealed that Lincoln had an aggressive brain tumor, and his prognosis now was grim. The cancer couldn't be surgically removed without damaging his brain and killing him, so the only option was trying to keep it in check. Lincoln had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment with some limited success, but all it could really do was delay the inevitable. Even Lisa had been completely unable to find a solution. Lincoln, sweetheart that he was, tried to put up a brave front and encourage the rest of the family, but it was obvious he was in incredible physical and emotional pain.

As Lori made the long drive back to Royal Woods, she wondered for what seemed like the millionth time just why Lincoln had to go through this. She was biased, of course, but she was thoroughly convinced that her brother was the sweetest little boy in the world. He would bend over backwards to help anyone who needed it and had done so much for her and the other Loud sisters over the years. It was horribly, indescribably unfair that he of all people had this disease and was suffering so much. No one deserved that, but especially not her Lincoln.

Lori's thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone going off. Glancing at caller ID, she saw it was her mother. She pushed a button to answer. "Hello?"

"Honey?" Her mother sounded on the verge of tears, which was never a good sign. "You'll need to meet us at the hospital when you get home. Lincoln's taken a turn for the worst."

Oh God. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Mom. How—how bad is it?"

"He's starting to reach the breaking point. The doctors are doing what they can, but they're telling us that-that-"

Rita couldn't finish the sentence, and Lori didn't want her to. "I literally just crossed into Michigan," she said, quickly changing the subject. "I'll be there in about thirty minutes."

"I'll let everyone know. Oh, and sweetheart?"

"Yes?"

"Lincoln wants to know how your match today went."

Lori couldn't help but smile. Lincoln Loud, you wonderful little brother. Even now, he was still making the effort to support her instead of focusing on himself. "We won. I hit a hole-in-one to win it for Fairway. Tell Lincoln that was for him."

At Lincoln's Bedside

Lori drove right to the Children's Hospital of Detroit and hurried to the cancer ward on the fifth floor. As she got off the elevator, she was greeted by a brunette in a ponytail.

"Luan!" she gasped in surprise. Her comic sister, normally jolly as could be, had such a devastated look on her face that Lori hardly recognized her.

"Lincoln's dying," Luan tearfully told her sister. "The cancer's done so much damage that his body's starting to shut down. The doctors said he probably won't even make it through today. He just has no strength left to fight."

Lori felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Deep down, she had known that this was coming, but she had never completely given up hope that somehow, through some miracle, Lincoln would pull through and be okay. Now any such hope was gone. "Can—can I see him?" she managed to ask.

Luan nodded. "I'll take you to his room. He's still awake and alert, but he's in a lot of pain." She bit her lip and sadly shook her head. "Like he usually is."

The two girls headed into a waiting room where their parents and other sisters were seated, some already in tears, and Luan pointed to Room 532. Nodding gratefully, Lori stepped into the room. Inside, lying on a bed with numerous tubes sticking into him, was Lincoln.

Lincoln looked absolutely terrible. He was completely bald now—his distinctive white hair had long since fallen out courtesy of the cancer treatments—and he was much thinner than any twelve-year-old boy should have been. He seemed so frail and so weak to Lori, who couldn't hold her tears back as she sat down next to the dying boy. Despite that, she smiled at him as she gently took his hand in hers. "Lincoln? It's Lori."

Lincoln turned his head and weakly smiled back when he saw her. "Oh, hi Lori. Mom told me you got a hole-in-one at the match today. Congrats."

"Thanks, little bro." Lori took a deep breath, trying and failing to hold her emotions back. "Lincoln, Luan filled me in on what the doctors said. I—I literally don't even have any idea what to say right now. But I want you to know that I'm here and that I love you. So, so much." Hot tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't even notice. "And I want you to know that you're literally the most wonderful little brother a girl could ever ask for and I am so proud of you."

Lincoln, starting to cry himself, squeezed her hand in appreciation. "Lori, that means more than you know," he told her. "I'm—I'm so scared right now."

Lori bit her lip, struggling not to completely break down. When Lincoln had been very young, she had always helped comfort him when he got scared of monsters under his bed. She had assured him that monsters were only make-believe and he was safe. But that wouldn't work this time. Lincoln was terrified of something very real, and she was powerless to protect him from it. Knowing that was killing her.

"I mean, at least the pain is going away" Lincoln went on. "Dying means I won't be having these seizures or headaches anymore. But leaving all the people I love—I mean, you're supposed to be happy in heaven, but I'll miss you no matter what." He wiped his tears away with his free hand. "You know, I've always been the man with the plan. But—but there's just no way to plan for something like this."

"You're right, Lincoln. There isn't." Lori was biting her lip so hard it was starting to bleed. "Life can be incredibly unfair. But I've learned that even when there's awful stuff in the world, there's also plenty of good. You taught me that."

"I did?"

Lori nodded. "You have an amazing heart, Lincoln. And all through this, you haven't lost that. You've kept trying to help us out and you attended our activities until you physically couldn't anymore. I know I've literally told you this umpteen times, but you really are my little hero. And so many people have been inspired by your story. Remember how much money Lynn's softball team raised for cancer research?"

"That was incredible," Lincoln agreed. He squeezed Lori's hand tighter. "I—I just wish I could have beaten this."

There was nothing Lori could say to that. She had wished with every fiber of her being for the past several months that Lincoln would make it. It was beyond horrible to know that he wouldn't.

"But I'll never stop watching over all of you. And now I'll be able to see all of your golf tournaments. Next week I'll be screaming my head off for you in heaven with the angels."

Lori had been doing a decent job keeping her composure up to that point, but Lincoln bringing up her next golf contest made her completely break down. It hit her, fully for the first time, just how soon her baby brother would be gone from her life. And she was so touched that even now, as Lincoln faced his own death, he was still thinking of supporting her. "Oh, L-Lincoln, I-" was all she could say before she began to sob.

Lincoln, who had always hated seeing any of his sisters upset, managed to push himself up and put his arms around Lori, much to her surprise. "It's—it's okay, Lori," he whispered.

"Lin—Lincoln," Lori wept as she returned his hug. "I'm s-supposed to be c-comforting you."

The brother and sister stayed like that for a minute, both openly crying and hugging each other tight. Neither wanted to let go, but Lincoln simply didn't have the strength to stay in a sitting position for very long. "L-Lori," he said weakly after a minute. "I-I need to lie down."

Lori quickly broke her embrace and gently lowered Lincoln back down into a laying position. He looked up at her, seeming weaker than ever. "I—I love you, Lori."

Still in tears, Lori kissed Lincoln's forehead. "I love you more, Lincoln."

They stayed there for another minute or so, silently comforting each other and simply being thankful for one another. They both knew that very soon they'd be separated forever, and they wanted this moment to continue as long as it could. Before long, though, the doctor came in. "Ma'am, I don't want to interrupt, but we have to run some tests."

Lori did not want to leave Lincoln's side. At all. But right then she didn't have a choice. She reluctantly got up and slowly headed to the door. Turning around, she silently waved good-bye to Lincoln, privately suspecting she had just seen him alive for the last time. As it turned out, she was right.

He's Gone

It happened only fifteen minutes after Lori left Lincoln's room.

Lori had taken a seat in the waiting area next to Leni, who had her face buried in her hands. She turned to look at her older sister, tears running down her face. "Lori, how could this happen to Linky? I always thought only old people like Nan-Nan got cancer." Nan-Nan was Pop-Pop's first wife, who had died ten years earlier.

"Most people with cancer are old, but sometimes kids and young adults get it, too," Lori explained. "Not very often, but it happens."

"It's terrible!" Leni took out a handkerchief as she started to cry harder. "I totes wish cancer didn't exist!"

Lori couldn't have agreed more with Leni's sentiment. Wiping away her own tears, she gave her sister a hug. "I do, too, Leni. I do, too."

As the sisters hugged, they suddenly heard an alarm coming from Lincoln's room. Everyone in the family immediately turned to stare in horror as doctors ran to the room. Rita, who had been holding Lily, quickly handed her off to Luna and rushed to be with her son. The Loud sisters had no idea what was going on, except that it was very bad. They sat in frozen silence for a couple of minutes, and then the doctors came out of the room followed by Rita. Somehow, she looked even more upset than before.

"My precious girls—" she whispered as she rejoined her daughters. "Your brother had another seizure, and it was too much for his body to take." She fell to her knees, clearly overcome with grief. "He—he died in my arms."

Gasps and cries filled the waiting room. Luna, still holding Lily, completely broke down. Lola and Lana ran to Luan in tears, who tried to comfort them despite openly crying herself. Even Lucy and Lisa, both normally the least emotional Louds, broke down at this horrible news. But Leni took it worst of all.

"LINKY!" she screamed. Before Lori or anyone else could stop her, she got up and ran into Lincoln's room at top speed, leaving the others a little stunned. "Honey, wait—" Rita called after her.

"It—it's okay, Mom," Lori stammered through her own tears. "I—I'll talk to her." Slowly getting up, Lori took a deep breath and nervously went back into Lincoln's room. Normally she wouldn't have wanted to see Lincoln's body this soon, but right then she had to get to Leni.

The machines surrounding Lincoln's bed were now turned off, but his eyes were still open and he lifelessly stared at Leni as she knelt by his side. "Linky, you've got to get up!" she tearfully pleaded as she tried to get his attention. Of course, he made no response whatsoever. Growing more frightened and desperate, Leni grabbed his chest and began shaking him. "Linky! LINKY! Why won't you—"

"Leni," Lori whispered, putting a hand on Leni's shoulder. She was trying to keep her composure for her sister's sake, but she was on the verge of a total breakdown herself. "Lincoln's never getting up. He's dead. When people die they don't get up."

An utterly horrified, devastated look came over Leni's face as the reality of what Lori said sunk in. "He's—he's just gone? F-forever?"

Too heartbroken to speak, Lori could only nod.

Leni let out a scream and began to sob harder than Lori had ever seen her cry before. "I WANT LINKY BACK!" she bawled as she practically threw herself at Lori to hug her. It was all Lori could take, and she began to hysterically sob herself. "Oh, L-Leni!" she blubbered. "I w-want him b-back, t-too!"

The sisters wept and held each other for a while, and after they calmed down a bit Leni went back out to rejoin the rest of the family. Lori, though, stayed just a bit longer. Being the oldest, she had always felt responsible for her siblings, and there was one last thing she wanted to do for her precious younger brother.

She closed his eyes.