The backyard

The two Lincolns

 Lincoln looked at Lynn. "What do you mean I'm dead?"

"C-car crash," Lori stuttered. Lincoln turned his attention to Lori. "Lori," he said slowly, "I didn't get into a car crash. I've been here the whole time."

"But, but you were there! In Great Lakes City! You and Ronnie Anne on the skateboards! And then-," She started sobbing again. The mass of sisters moved towards Lincoln and they collectively broke down crying. They tightly embraced him as if determined not to let him go again.

He tried to squirm out of their grasp but they only held on tighter. "At least let me put some pants on," he said. They eventually let go and dispersed around the edges of the living room. He grabbed his jeans from the coffee table and placed them back on.

"You, you guys are saying that I died in a car crash?" he asked as he pulled up his zipper.

"B-brain dead," Lisa corrected. "But yes."

"That's not possible. I was here this whole time."

"No, you weren't," Lori said. "You were literally there with me! I saw you get hit!" Lori stopped talking and started taking deep breaths.

"Linc, do you not remember any of it?" Luna asked.

Lincoln began to respond, but he stopped himself. He could remember visiting Ronnie Anne in the city. He remembered them scooting along on their skateboards and how they had started their race... but nothing after that.

"I, uh..." Lincoln started. "I'm not really sure how to say this... but I think I do remember. But I couldn't have done that! I just dozed off or something. I woke up in the backyard and you guys were gone. It was only a dream."

"Lincoln, we saw you in the hospital, tied up to the machines! How can there be two of you?" Lynn said.

Two of me? "Wait, wait, what? You're saying that there are... two of me?"

"Yes I am," Lynn answered. "We all cried over you in the hospital."

"But shouldn't there only be one Lincoln?" Leni asked confusedly. Everybody looked over to Leni realizing what she had just pointed out.

"Yeah," Lola said. "How are we going to explain this?" They all looked at Lori.

"I literally don't know what to do," she said.

"What if we didn't have to explain it," Lucy said. "What if they never found out?"

"But how would we do that?" asked Lynn.

"We could sneak him into the hospital and switch the two. Everyone would think he made a miracle recovery."

"But, uh, what about the... other one?" Lincoln asked.

"I could sneak it into the graveyard and take care of the rest," Lucy said emotionlessly. Lincoln felt unnerved at how little the situation seemed to bother her.

"Uh, weren't they going to unplug the other Lincoln from the machines tomorrow?" Luan asked.

"Oh, that's not good," Lynn said. "We have to switch him today!"

"You guys get in the van," Lori said. She turned and ran up the stairs as the rest made for the door. Lincoln stood up from the couch and followed. Luan held the door open and the rest walked outside. They dashed for the van trying to get out of the rain as fast as possible.

Lincoln sat in the middle of the van between the twins who leaned on him. A minute later Lori entered the van and threw him a hoodie and sunglasses.

"What's this for?"