Hospital Night Chapter 2
Lori opened her eyes to the unfamiliar white ceilings of a hospital room, a stark contrast to her bedroom. "What happened? Where am I?" she murmured, her gaze darting around as she tried to piece together the events that led her there. At that moment, a nurse walked in, a clipboard in her right hand and a pen poised in her left. The nametag pinned to her uniform read 'Emily.' "You're in the hospital, dear," Nurse Emily explained gently. "Your parents called the paramedics. You, your sisters, and your brother are all here, just resting."
"Did anything bad happen to me?" Lori inquired. "You're fine, dear, but you have an extremely high temperature," Nurse Emily added. "How high is it?" Lori pressed, eager to know. "A 400-degree fever," the nurse announced. "What the what?" Lori exclaimed in surprise.
"We are still conducting some tests on you, as well as on your sisters and brother," said Emily. Lori, still reeling from the shock, was eager to know their condition. "How are my siblings? Are they all right?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry. "Your siblings are doing fine," Nurse Emily began, then paused, causing Lori's anxiety to spike. "Are they okay?" Lori pressed, needing reassurance. The nurse inhaled deeply before continuing her update.
All the siblings are doing fine, though Luna's voice becomes high-pitched when she speaks loudly or is upset and even angry. Oddly, electronic devices began to malfunction; lights flickered on and off unpredictably, the TV switched channels without a working remote, and our phone's battery drained unexpectedly and wouldn't recharge, even after changing the battery. Lisa started suffering from severe headaches and claimed to hear a voice that no one else could hear. Objects around us are moving without explanation, which is becoming concerning. Leni feels drafts of air even with the windows closed and locked. We attempted to give Lynn Loud Jr. a needle injection, but the needle broke unexpectedly. Furthermore, she didn't react to other tests. Lily's health is excellent, with no injuries or health issues; she is completely healthy.
Luan claimed to see something watching her in the mirrors, or someone just staying there, but when we checked, there was nothing. Additionally, some of our items are missing. When we checked on Lucy, we were frightened because she seemed to have disappeared, and we thought she had left the hospital. We searched every room and even the vents, but found nothing. We were about to inform the parents that their daughter was missing, only to discover she was still in her room, sleeping. We're unsure if she's playing tricks or just had a stressful day at work, but we're relieved she's okay. Regarding the twins, when we went to check on Lana, we found a Burmese Python Snake on her bed instead of her. We closed the door, knowing we needed to find Lana and also get Lola out of the room. As we prepared to confront the snake, it vanished, and Lana was back on the bed. As for Lola, she was having trouble moving her arm and said it felt stiff. After measuring her height and weight, the machine broke under her weight with just one step.
Lori was taken aback by the news, yet relieved to know her siblings were safe. However, she realized no one had mentioned Lincoln, and concern quickly clouded her thoughts. "What about my baby brother Lincoln?" Lori inquired. Nurse Emily glanced at Lori, then back at her clipboard, letting out several sighs. "Your brother is okay, but..." Emily trailed off, pausing momentarily. Lori's worry intensified, prompting her to press further, her voice quivering and eyes welling with tears, "Is my little brother okay?"
Emily took a deep breath and began to speak. "Your brother is alright, but he's in the same condition as you; his temperature is low, yet he has no fever." "How low?" "Negative 32 degrees," Nurse Emily replied. Lori, taken aback, was about to interject, but Emily halted her. "I'm not finished," Emily said with a hint of sorrow, and Lori sensed something ominous was about to be revealed. After a brief pause, Emily continued, "When we checked on him, he seemed fine, but his vision was no longer clear. He will need to wear glasses for the rest of his life," Emily informed her.
After Emily informed her, Lori was in shock and upset with Lincoln, who had a low temperature and needed glasses to see properly. Lori, with a sad tone, asked the nurse, "Can I see my sibling?" "Not until we're done testing them," Nurse Emily replied before walking out. After about half an hour, Lori felt the urge to sleep, and the noisy children did too. Unbeknownst to them, they began to glow in colors similar to the orb, each radiating a different hue. Lori glowed in light blue, Leni in seafoam green, Luna in dark purple, Luan in greenish-yellow, Lynn Jr. in red, Lucy in black, Lana in dark blue, Lola in pink, Lisa in dark green, Lily in lavender, and Lincoln in white and orange.
The next day, the Loud children were finally able to return home. As they emerged from Vanzilla, the Loud sisters expressed their relief to be back; Lori, visibly exhausted, fanned herself vigorously. However, their joy turned to concern when they noticed Lincoln, the last to exit the van, staring down at the ground as he walked toward the house. "Lincoln, can you look at us?" Lori implored, but he continued to gaze downward. "Please, Lincoln, look at us," Lola and Lana pleaded in unison, their voices tinged with sadness, yet Lincoln remained fixated on the ground. "Link, can you look at us? We're worried," Leni said, her voice cracking as tears began to form. Finally, Lincoln lifted his head, revealing his glasses resting atop his nose.
"It doesn't look bad, and it will help you see again," Lisa said to her older brother. Lincoln sighed, "Yeah, it does." Looking upset, he added, "If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to be alone in my room." The Loud sisters wanted him to stay with them, but they respected their brother's wish. "Sure," Lori replied. With that, Lincoln headed upstairs and back to his room. Before he could open the door, he noticed a green arrow. He stared at it, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. Shaking off the thought, Lincoln opened the door and went to his bed, lying down and yearning for sleep.
In a mysterious location, four spy agents stood beside an eight-headed dragon, each head lacking a stone. "You have misplaced the orb of power," declared the dragon statues. "I apologize, sir, but it has been found by someone else, and we lost both them and the orb during a chase," reported the middle agents. "That is fortunate, for I always have a contingency plan, or else I would obliterate you all," the dragon statues threatened. Frightened, all four agents spoke up, "Where should we search for Master Deker?"