T

he hospital was lively with hundreds of nurses and doctors attending their patients. The smell of meds, illness, and alcohol saturated the air as people sat in the waiting room. Lola, Leni, Lincoln, and Luan sat with their eyes glued to the door that led to Luna's room. Lincoln supported his arms on his knees, hands clasped as he mentally prayed to every god in existence for his sister's survival.

Lori entered the waiting room after a smoke outside. She sat beside Lincoln and placed a comforting hand on his back. "Relax, she's going to be okay," she said, voice low. "I'm sure it's not that bad…"

"Not that bad?!" Lincoln snapped, standing abruptly. Lori flinched. "She nearly died, for fuck's sake! She hit her head on concrete and fractured her skull!"

Luan stepped forward, her big eyes softening. "But she's alive. We should focus on that. And you, Link—Lina needs you. She wasn't hurt, but she thinks it's her fault."

Lincoln froze. In his panic over Luna, he'd forgotten Lina had been there too—that his daughter would've died if not for Luna. He sank back into his chair. "I'll talk to Lina… but I need to know Luna's okay first."

"She will be," Leni said, squeezing his hand. "She's, like, totally tough. She'll probably try to walk out of bed the second she wakes up."

Lincoln managed a half-smile. The clock on the wall ticked, each minute stretching like an hour.

Luna had been admitted hours earlier, rushed into emergency surgery. The operation was treacherous—a punctured lung, ruptured vessels, a fractured skull. But she'd stabilized, now confined to a sterile room for observation.

Lina, meanwhile, bore only bruises. Physically, she was fine. Mentally, guilt gnawed at her. She'd been the one to climb into the attic after Aunt Lucy's warnings, the one who scrambled onto the roof to chase a bird. A misplaced toy had sent her stumbling. If she hadn't caught Leni's windowsill, she would've died. If not for Luna—

Lincoln shuddered. He'd ridden in the ambulance, eyes locked on Luna's broken body, a primal need to protect burning in his chest. He'd handled the paperwork, paced the waiting room, and spiraled into nightmares of her dying with their last words being his rejection.

How could he face losing her now?

Memories flooded him: fleeing home to avoid his sisters' confessions, marrying Sam, building a life. Yet an emptiness lingered—a craving for the chaos and love of ten sisters. Now, with Luna hovering between life and death, that buried part of him roared to life.

"Please don't go," he prayed, forehead pressed to his clasped hands. "You're Lina's favorite aunt. You're… important to me. I can't lose you too."

Night fell. His sisters dozed in chairs. Sam arrived, ushering a sleepy Lina into Lori's arms.

"Take them home," Lincoln said, rubbing his eyes. "I'll stay here and wait until she wakes up."

"I can't leave you alone," Sam argued. "We're your family, and Luna's. We'll be here with you."

Lincoln rubbed his temples. "Please Sam, trust me, I'll be fine. My sisters are the ones who need-"

We're not the only ones who are tired," Luan said. "You're just as tired as we are, but you're also too stubborn to admit it." In reality, Luan understood he needed to be here, he needed to talk with Luna and thank her for saving his daughter. "We'll take turns," She offered. "I'll come to relieve you in the morning."

Lincoln smiled, feeling relieved for the first time in hours. Eventually, Sam kissed Lincoln goodbye. "Call me if anything changes." She said, walking to the exit with the Loud sisters behind her.

Alone, Lincoln sat at the waiting room, near a window that let him watch the city. He stared at the highway lights. The cacophony of the hospital faded—the yelling woman angry because the vending machine took her dollar, the snoring old man at the other side of the room—until all he heard was the echo of his own fear.

His eyes slowly closed, the cup of coffee Luan bought him laid now cold on the floor. Good memories of him and Luna in their youth played in his mind, bringing him a welcomed sense of peace.

A part of him—long buried—cracked open.

Past 3 AM, Lincoln jerked awake, drool smeared on the window as a doctor stood before him. His feet accidentally knocked the coffee cup and spilled all over his left shoe.

"Mr. Loud?" A doctor stood over him. "Your sister…"

Lincoln's heart stopped.

"…will need a few days to recover, but she's stable." The doctor flipped a chart. "The rib missed major vessels. Her skull fracture was minor and her arm was put back in place. She's awake now."

Lincoln sprinted to her room.

Luna lay propped up, her arm in a cast, wires snaking from her gown. She grinned weakly.

"Calm down, bro. One of your hugs and I'll be using my ribs like drumsticks."

"Sorry," Lincoln choked out, embracing her gently. "I'm just… so glad you're okay. And I can't thank you enough for saving Lina…"

"Don't mention it," Luna said, thumbing his tears away. "I'd do anything for you—and my lil' dudette."

Lincoln let out a sigh of relief, his eyes locking with hers. "I love you," He whispered.

"I love you more, lil' bro."

Something shifted. Lincoln cupped her cheek, their faces inches apart. "I don't know what's happening," he admitted.

"Me neither," she whispered. "But… d'you wanna find out?"

Lincoln's common sense screamed at him to stop, to sit down at the chair next to the bed and talk like normal siblings would do. But he lost control of his body the moment he entered the room. Inch by inch, the barrier he put between him and his sisters finally crumbled down.

And for the first time, it was Lincoln who made the first move. He closed his eyes and closed the distance between them with a soft, lingering kiss. It felt like an explosion, like time stopped for them, and he realized he wanted to kiss her more and more.

Luna wrapped her good arm around his neck and pulled him closer. It was the best moment of her life, the man she loved finally loved her back. She enjoyed every single second, She feared that it might just be a dream, that she was still unconscious. But the warmth that irradiated from his body felt very real. She wouldn't let him go, not this time.

When they broke apart, her tears glittered. "I love you, Lincoln. So much."

He hugged her again, heart pounding. "Did I really kiss her?" Lincoln thought. "I'm glad she's okay, I'm glad she's alive. I'm thankful she saved Lina…but is this love? Do I love Luna?"

The questions could wait. For now, Luna was alive. And for the first time, he let himself feel what he'd buried for years.