Family Bond

4

 The Louds stood together, each one of them anxious as they waited for the doctor to allow them to see Lincoln. Lily was confused as to what was going on; all she knew was everyone was sad.

"You guys can come in now," Luke announced, exiting the room. "If you need me, let me know." The kids were about to rush inside until Lynn Sr. and Rita stopped them.

"Listen up, girls. Lincoln's hurt. He's not just feeling unwell, he's not tired, he's hurt. That means you cannot jump on him, yell at him, ask him questions, or be loud in general. Okay?"
All the kids nodded impatiently. They moved past them and stared in shock at their limp brother.

Lincoln's head and nose were heavily bandaged, and one of his arms was broken, along with both of his legs. His other arm was badly bruised, but otherwise okay.    A moan of pain escaped his lips, making  Rita choke out a sob.

Lincoln turned to the door, smiling softly. "Hey, guys..." His voice was so weak. Crying, the twins ran over to the side of his bed.

"We don't want you to die, Linky!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Girls, Lincoln's not going to die," Lynn Sr. interrupted, noticing Lincoln's fearful expression.

"But Luna's going to," Lynn Jr. spoke bitterly, pounding her fist into her palm. The girls began to talk about how they would fight Luna.

"Why're you going to fight Luna? As a matter of fact, where is Luna?" He questioned, seeing his big sister wasn't in the room. 

"Uh- s-she went to the bathroom," Lori lied, covering Lana and Lola's mouths before they could blurt the truth.

"No, she didn't," Leni frowned. "She r-"

"-eally had to pee," Luan smiled nervously before Leni could finish. Lincoln looked confused, but he accepted this answer nonetheless.

"How do you feel, sweetie?" Rita asked, changing the subject as she rubbed Lincoln's arm.

"Terrible," he replied, his weak grin faltering. "As a matter of fact, could I have some-"

He suddenly stopped talking, a blank expression on his face. 

"Lincoln?" Lynn Sr. whispered. 

Lincoln looked to the general direction of his family, drool going down his neck. He started to shake furiously, making some of the younger kids scream, while the adults shouted his name. This didn't help at all; Lisa jumped into action.

"Everybody remain calm," she spoke softly. She walked over to Lincoln and put his flailing arm down. 

"Lynn, go get a nurse," she instructed. Lynn quickly took off, wiping tears from her eyes as she ran. She found Luke and dragged him towards Lincoln's room.

In the hospital room, Lincoln was still jolting about harshly; Lisa held his arm, and she had the twins hold down his legs, until he passed out. The entire family was crying once again as Luke entered, staring sadly at the scene before him.

"Lori," Rita sniffled, "here are the keys. Take everybody home."

Lori wiped her eyes and hugged her parents before taking the keys and leaving with her younger siblings.

When they arrived at home, everyone was silent, going their separate ways. Luan spotted a stack of paper on the table, and read the first one, covering her mouth in disbelief.

Lori was trying to text Bobby everything that had happened, but her mind was elsewhere. Leni was sobbing loudly on her bed. Luan burst through the door, crying as well.

"Lori..." She blubbered, tossing her big sister the letter. "She's gone."

Leni hugged Luan as Lori read the letter.

Terrible doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. Hurting Lincoln was one of the worse things I've ever done. Not only did I hurt him, but I hurt you guys as well.

I've always considered myself one of the closest siblings to Lincoln. After this, I don't even know what to think.

I remember Lincoln was one of the main reasons I got into music. I would sing him to sleep, and when he got old enough, he would sing with me. As he got older, we sorta stopped singing together, but we'd still do it every once in a while. When I went to that Mick Swagger concert, that was the turning point. 

That guitar was signed by Mick Swagger, and it was my prized possession. When Lincoln destroyed it, every logical thought in my body was replaced by rage. I never, ever meant to take it that far. 

I'm starting to ramble a bit. I think it'd be best if I just left for a while. I'm scared...of myself. I sorta blacked out when I attacked Lincoln; what if it happens again? What if it's worse? I mean, seeing Lincoln so hurt and bloody, and to know it was my fault...it's heartbreaking.

This is really just a foreword; I wrote each and every one of you a letter. Maybe, if life goes right, we'll meet again.

Love,

Luna

Lori stared, wide-eyed, at the letter. Only once before had she dealt with a sibling running away; and even then, it was from a 4 year-old. She joined her sisters, and the three of them cried together.

After 15 minutes, Lori heard the doorbell. She ran to the door, yanking it open. "Luna!" She screamed, hugging the figure.

"Uh..." 

She backed away and saw it was a scrawny teenage boy. He held up two pizzas.

"Pizza from Rita Loud?"

She thanked him and accepted the food. 

"Guys, here's some food!" She called. Everyone appeared, looking as if they'd been crying, no surprise, but they all sat down, gathering in the living room. Lori didn't bother arguing.

"Wait..." Luan counted the children. "Where's Lisa?"

"I'll get her," Lori volunteered, standing up. When she got upstairs, she grabbed her phone and went to Lisa and Lily's room and stumbled a bit at the sight before her.

Lisa was on the floor, giggling like a little girl as she clapped her hands together childishly.