The Loud House - Wild Card

Chapter 17 - New Life

She wasn't the only one. Lincoln was practically babied by the rest of his family. Everything he could ever want was provided for him. Whenever he needed something, someone was right there to help him with it. They were always asking him to spend time with them, but wouldn't be pushy if he wasn't interested, and would always consider him first when it came to things like movie night, dinner, or various other things. In truth, Lincoln found all the attention overwhelming, and tended to keep to himself more. The family was concerned, but knew that his healing wouldn't be an overnight process. In fact, according to what Clyde had told them, he would most likely suffer from this in some way for the rest of his life.

One day, Lynn had come to pick Lincoln up from Clyde and Haiku's house after one of his therapy sessions. The couple had seen Lincoln off, with Clyde giving him a fist bump and Haiku a kiss on the cheek. Lynn felt her heart swell, as they had both become surrogate older siblings for Lincoln, even though technically they could be considered the same age, in a way. The thought of it made Lynn's head hurt, and decided she would leave this timey-wimey stuff to her. Lincoln silently stepped into the car next to Lynn, buckling his seat.

"Hey, bro," said Lynn cheerfully. "How was it?"

"Fine," said Lincoln simply. An awkward silence stretched between them, which was pretty normal. Usually they would ride home in silence and he would retreat to his room until dinner. Lynn tried to find things that she could talk to him about, but what could she possibly say? And she didn't dare press the subject of "The Incident" for fear of sending him into a spiral. Lynn sighed and started the car, proceeding to drive off.

"Wait," said Lincoln. "I want you to take me somewhere."

"You do?" Asked Lynn in surprise. "Of course, where?"

Lincoln and Lynn stood silently next to each other in the quiet cemetery. They gazed at the headstone before them, reading "Lincoln Albert Loud, beloved son and brother, taken too soon." Lynn hadn't been back here since saving Lincoln, and was stunned when he asked her to take him here. He didn't say a word, only continuing to stare at the words on the gravestone.

"Are you okay?" Said Lynn uneasily.

"Yeah. Well . . . no, not really," he admitted with a sigh. "I never thought I'd find myself looking at my own grave."

It was a surreal experience for Lynn as well, but she could only imagine how he felt. Not only that, but she couldn't even begin to understand how he felt about them all. From his perspective, they betrayed him in the worst possible way, making him feel abandoned and unwanted. And after enduring a week of hell at the hands of a psychotic scientist, it must have only solidified his hatred for them. But Lynn couldn't let it go on any further. She couldn't sit on the sidelines anymore waiting. She had to say something. She had to make this right.

Lynn let out a deep sigh, placing her arm around him. "Look, bro," She said. "I understand if you never forgive us for what we did to you. To tell you the truth, I don't think I can ever forgive myself. We didn't really think you were bad luck, we just. . . no, I made a mistake. The worst mistake of my life." Lincoln didn't reply, continuing to stare at the gravestone. Lynn felt her stomach drop, but expected this kind of response.

"Why?" Lincoln asked.

Lynn looked at her brother questioningly, unsure what he meant. "Just. . . why?" Lincoln said again, finally looking at her. He had tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why did you do it? You were always picking on me, hurting me and making my life miserable. I didn't even want to go to that game, but you threatened to beat my head in if I didn't. I know I kept the lie going, but I just wanted some time to myself. Did. . ." his voice began to shake. "Do you hate me?"