Loud Visions

Chapter 3

            Lincoln fell asleep by the time the rest of his family came to visit. He woke up the following morning in the hospital feeling stiff. The nurses and doctors filled him in on what had happened. Lincoln, at first, was surprised to hear that his sisters revived him and called 911, and then he felt somewhat happy, feeling that they loved him.

He remembered vaguely when he passed out on the basement floor and just before waking up in the living room. He remembered Lori pressing his chest and Lynn's lips on his as she breathed air into his lungs. While alone, he checked on the future visions to see if anything would change. Sadly, the one about him being accused of bad luck was still there, but it was foggy and not colorless. If it was colorless, it meant it wouldn't happen. Clouded or slightly blurred visions told it was undetermined, so there was a chance that it could change.

Although, Lincoln was still unsure if it was worth trying to avoid or change it. Even if he did, what were the chances of something similar happening again? Or something worse? Even the bad luck incident starts with Lynn losing her game and blaming Lincoln like a sore loser; what if it's someone else on a different topic? Like Lola losing a beauty pageant or Lana losing a go-kart race or Leni not being able to buy a specific dress, or Lori getting into a fight with Bobby? What if his parents blamed him for something he didn't do? It'd be easy for them to do something like that to their son since they hardly spend any time with him and mostly spend it with his sisters. The thoughts filled the void with dread and anxiety.

'I'm trapped in a prison with 12 wardens. Leaving for college or death would be my only ticket to freedom,' Lincoln thought.

The doctors ran a few more tests to ensure he was all right. At the end of the day, his whole family visited him. While they were relieved and gave him big bear hugs, Lincoln still dwelled on the possible futures he knew were yet to come.

"Hey, Linky, how are you doing?" Lori asked.

"As well as I can," Lincoln replied.

"You really gave us a scare. I'm surprised I didn't faint myself when you weren't breathing," Lori said.

"That's why I kept telling you girls I love you, and also, I feel like we don't say it enough to each other," Lincoln said.

Those words brought a small realization to the Loud family. They know they love each other, but how often do they say it? How much do they actually say those three words?

"Well, we're gonna be saying it to you a lot more, little bro," Luna said, rustling Lincoln's hair.

They brought in some outside food from the Burpin' Burger with the hospital's permission. They also brought some of his Ace Savvy comics and his sketchbook. Lincoln had become quite the artist. Although, some of his artworks showed his feelings. One was a drawing of a person in a tunnel of darkness running toward a light. Another drawing was a boy in bed, but inside the bed looked like a pool of water, and the boy was slowly drowning. His best drawing was of a boy trying to get out of the house through the front door, but he was covered with chains holding him back. Knowing they'd ask questions, he didn't let his family see them. Lincoln didn't know that Lucy already peaked inside his sketchbook and saw his drawings. Lucy had a knack for telling when people were telling the truth and when they were lying. She knew something was up with her brother, but she was still trying to figure out what it was.

Throughout the visits, Lincoln spoke briefly at the beginning. Once he started drawing and everyone else chatted with each other about what was going on in their lives, Lincoln didn't say a word. He was even quieter than Lucy. With his whole family in the room, Lincoln felt like he was in the wolf's den or a room full of highly toxic chemicals. The only peaceful moments he found were when they all left, and his room at the setting sunlight cast its orange light everywhere. In that small moment, Lincoln felt peace, as if everything else was gone for a while, and he didn't have to worry.