October 23, 2010 (Present Day)
Be brave and strong
Strive for the sun
And when the moon comes out
I'll be here with you
"My dearest Little one…" Luna concluded her story with her lullaby, keeping her eyes closed as usual to ward off her timidity, but maintaining a much greater sense of tranquility to her confidence than when she had initially been asked to tell her tale.
Once the song ended, she let her shoulders relax, dipping back to their regular levels, and slowly opened her eyes to look upon her audience.
"WHOOOOOO!"
"WONDERFUL AS ALWAYS, LUNA, DEAR!"
"YOU HAVE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SINGING VOICE, SWEETPEA!"
Luna went positively scarlet in the face, clasping her hands together and averting her gaze towards them on her lap. "Thank you, everyone…" She mumbled. She gathered her courage and forced herself to look back up at Reggie. "Did you like my story, Mr. Reggie?"
Reggie was grinning ear to ear as he scratched off his final sentences in his notepad. "Like it?" He said, taking his pen off the pad with a final flourish. He beamed at Luna as he sat up and spread his arms out. "Luna, I loved it! That was an awesome story! You really made up those lyrics on the spot? That's so cool!"
He turned towards Lynn Sr., "Lynn, dude, you got a future musician on your hands, do you know that?"
Lynn Sr. sat up a little taller as well, "It wouldn't surprise me."
Reggie chuckled and looked around the table, "In fact, from what I've seen and heard tonight…" He smiled at each Loud daughter, "All your girls are real fountains of talent." He moved to look at the boy he had brought to live with the family a month prior, "Isn't that right, Linc…oln?"
His voice dropped and the eyes of everyone at the table widened when they noticed the reason why Lincoln hadn't said anything.
Lincoln's head laid besides his empty plate, his cheek tilted along the table cloth and his mouth letting out the stereotypical "a-phew" sounds with each little breath that came and went from his slumbering form.
"What the—?" Lori placed her hands on the table and leaned forward to inspect the snoozing squirt beside her. "How did he—He was wide awake literally less than two minutes ago!"
Luan let out a powerful laugh and leaned over to give Luna a playful slug across her shoulder. "Gee, Luna, that lullaby sure is powerful. Maybe instead of a lullaby, you should call it a 'lullagone'!" She faced the rest of those at the table, arms out and an expectant grin on her face, "Get it?"
"I get it!" Leni chimed.
Rita clicked her tongue sympathetically and stood up from her seat. "Aww, the poor little thing must be all tuckered out," She said, going over to Lincoln's seat. Once she was beside him, she carefully reached down and lifted him into her arms, shushing him sweetly when a tiny little pout crossed his face. "Aww, I can see why," She said, looking up to the clock on the wall as she patted the now curled into a ball Lincoln on the back. "It's past his bedtime." She sent a little shockwave through the table when she remarked on the specific placement of the clock hands, with the smaller hand being very close to the number 10. "In fact, it's just about all you girls' bedtimes."
"Is it really?" Lynn Sr. remarked, looking at the clock as well. "Wow, it is! You've really been here for four whole hours, Regginator!"
It was hard to believe, but it was the truth. Over the course of all the girl's stories, a great deal of time had passed. With the telling of Luna's tale, dinner had been had, leaving all the plates bereft of little more than the smallest bits of leftovers, that being little lasagna sauce remnants and a few scraps of the salad.
And now, it was nearly Ten O'clock, nearly an hour past Lincoln and Lynn's usual weekend bedtime, a half hour past Luan's, and fast approaching the elder three girls' weekend bedtimes.
"What, no!" Luan crowed, raising her hands protestingly. "We can't go to bed yet!" She bounced in her seat, searching for something to say. A spark lit up within her eyes when she saw Lori. "Lori still hasn't told her story yet!"
"Yeah…" Lynn piped up next, or at least tried to. She swayed where she sat, her eyes already heavy and her head hanging close to the table, just barely holding against her secret desire to lay her head on the cloth just like her brother had done. "We don't need to sleep…I wanna hear Lori's story."
Way to make your case, Lynnie, Lori thought with a bemused shake of her head. She stood up with her mother, "What am I gonna say that you guys don't know about? We all live here, y'know. And Mr. Reggie's got a long drive to make. We don't wanna keep him, do we?"
"Not to mention that Reggie probably wants a moment to just talk to your mom and I one on one," Lynn Sr. added. He flashed them a cheeky grin and swept an arm out over the table, "Or do you wanna help me clean all this up instead?"
And like a gust of wind, Luan was out of the dining room in what felt like less than a second, leaving Luna and Leni very bewildered on both sides of her now empty chair.
"It was great seeing you again, Mr. Reggie!" She called from her place already half-way up the stairs. "Don't be a stranger!"
Reggie couldn't help but laugh, "I think you just got your answer, Lynnster."
What followed was a collective farewell from the Loud daughters, each wishing Reggie a safe drive home and imploring him to come visit again soon.
"Lynnie, don't you wanna say goodbye to Mr. Reggie?" Lori asked, kneeling down to her level beside her chair.
Lynn rubbed at her eye with her fist, fighting the ever insistent push of the sandman. "I'm not going to bed…" She urged with a poorly suppressed yawn. "I wanna talk to Mr. Reggie more…"
Lori smirked and reached for her most baby sister, worming her hands beneath her arms and lifting her against herself with a click of her tongue. "C'mon, Lynnie," She tutted, holding her against her chest and hugging her close. "Don't be like that. You know when you need to go to bed." She carried her over to Reggie, who was currently helping their father clear the table despite his protests.
He simply said that it would be like the old days, back when they were roommates.
"See ya around, Mr. Reggie," Lori said amiably. "Be sure to come around again soon. Linc sure was happy to see you."
Reggie smiled down at Lori, setting down a plate so he could perform a little hat flourish for her, "Aww, thanks, Lori. I'll be sure to drop by again real soon."
Lori's cheeks tinged pink and she laughed a bit of a shy laugh in response. When it passed, she looked down at Lynn, fighting an obvious one-sided battle with her need for slumber.
"Lynnie? Can you say goodbye to Mr. Reggie?" She asked in a whisper.
"Mrrrmm!" Lynn shook her head in protest, muffling her words against Lori's chest. "Donth wamma say goo'night!"
"Lynn Loud Jr…" Lori hardened her voice ever so slightly, not enough to scare her baby sister, but enough to let her know she was not willing to put up with any nonsense. "Don't be rude. Say goodbye to Mr. Reggie. He drove a long way to have dinner with us, don't ruin such a great night by being stubborn."
Lynn gripped Lori's dress in her fist, scrunching her brow in displeasure in a little mini-tantrum before she soon relented and turned towards Reggie.
"Goodbye, Mr. Reggie," She said softly, her big green eyes gleaming with a gentle sadness. "Please come back soon, okay? It makes me happy when Lincoln is happy."
Reggie beamed at Lynn and tipped his hat towards her, "Will do, Lynn Jr. Promise me you'll take good care of my little buddy for me in the meantime, okay?"
Lynn nodded, biting her cheek determinedly and perking up a little bit, "I promise! I'll do my very, very best to take the best care of him! Because he's my baby brother and I love him!"
Reggie grinned and he bopped his fist against his chest, "Then you have my thanks, little Lynnster!"
Lynn nodded with a smile of her own, then just as quickly as her jolt of energy came, the heavy hand of the sandman came down just as swiftly, pulling a yawn out of her and coercing her into turning back to Lori.
"Okay, I said goodbye," She murmured, setting her ear against the spot where Lori's heartbeat could be heard. "You can take me to bed now…"
Lori scoffed, thankfully holding a humorous undertone to her voice as she bid Reggie a final farewell and left the dining room, "Geez, bossy much?"
But she couldn't resist Lynn with her cutely curling up against her, keeping her ear pressed close, lulling herself ever closer to sleep with the gentle rhythmic beat of her big sister's heart.
Lori couldn't help but marvel at that, the fact that the simple little sound of her ever-beating heart was enough to calm the ever-rambunctious Lynn Loud Jr.
Just a day after that same heartbeat managed to calm—
"Lori…?" Before her thought could be finished, Lori's attention was pulled back down to Lynn just as she ascended the final step.
"What's up?" Lori asked, looking down at her wavy brown locks.
"Can you help me get ready for bed?" Lynn asked in a mumble. She yawned again and nestled further into Lori. "I don't—I don't wanna mess up this dress too much…"
Lori needed a moment to absorb that. Did Lynn just ask her to help her with the express purpose of not messing up a dress?
She had to laugh when she fully processed it. "Gee, Lynnie," She chuckled, setting her chin atop Lynn's head. "First I carry you to your room, now you're asking me to get you ready for bed? What am I, your butler?"
Lynn responded by shaking her head again, gently ushering Lori off. "No…" She said, looking up to peer at her with big, sleep heavy eyes. "You're my big sister."
And just like that, Lori knew she had to accept her request.
…
"Goodnight, Lincoln, sweetheart." Rita gently pulled the door towards the frame, leaving it partially open so that the sleeping little one inside could see the light of the outside hallway should he wake and require their presence within the next few hours. "Mommy loves you."
From where she stood, she could see Lincoln smile as he hugged Bun-Bun close, a smile that seemed to grow a little wider when Rita told him she loved him.
A sight that filled her with an optimistic sense of joy, one that she hoped and prayed would lead to him dropping the "Missus Mommy" moniker in the near future.
She wished she could help him understand that it wasn't needed, that she was there to fill the role his biological mother had cruelly stomped on, that she already considered him as much one of her own as any of her children whom she brought into the world herself.
But sadly, he just wasn't there yet, so "Missus Mommy" was what she would answer to until Lincoln was ready to do otherwise.
She supposed she could at least take solace in the apparent security he felt with her. The way he nestled up against her showed her that slowly, but surely, he was coming to see her as the pillar of support she wanted to be for him.
That was nothing to say without mentioning the way he seemed to keep his ear pressed against her heart, seeking comfort in the gentle rhythmic beat that brought him an extra layer of calm.
That was certainly a new development. Where had that come from? Just a few days prior, Lincoln still maintained a sense of tension whenever he was carried by her or Lynn Sr. while asleep. Sure, he seemed to trust them, but he still kept some sort of subconscious distance from them whenever he was being carried while sleeping.
A vast difference to the way he seemed to relish the closeness he sought from Rita as she carried him just now.
It was almost like Lincoln had actually accepted his place as her son in that moment, safe and sound in his mother's loving arms.
And you are our son, Lincoln, Rita thought, stepping back from the door with a few careful backward strides, Just like you're all your sisters' little brother, you're our little boy now, sweetheart.
"Mama?" Rita nearly jumped a foot in the air with the sudden call for her that came just after her mental proclamation.
"Ah!" She gasped, whirling around to face Luna and Leni, clad in their pajamas before her. "Goodness, girls, you scared the daylights out of me!"
Luna bit her cheek and looked down at her clasped hands, "Sorry, Mama."
"Yeah, sorry," Leni added, biting her cheek. She held a tension to her stance, bunching her shoulders up as she gathered her words together, "We just wanted to ask you something."
Rita quirked a brow, "What is it?"
"Well…" Luna's shoulders bunched up as well, "We were just wondering…" She looked up at her mother, her curled up hands whitening against her chest, "Did we do a good job with Mr. Reggie tonight?"
At that, both of Rita's eyebrows rose. "Did you do a good job?" She queried. She kneeled down to their level and placed her hands on their shoulders. "What do you mean? Is something on your mind, girls?"
Luna bit her lip and averted her gaze down to the carpet, "Um…Earlier, before Mr. Reggie showed up…Lincoln was worried about something."
"Worried about what?" Rita asked, glancing back at Lincoln's door.
"He was scared that Mr. Reggie would take him away if he thought we weren't a good family for him," Leni blurted out, standing a little taller as her whole body tensed. "We told him he had nothing to worry about, but as the night went on, we couldn't help but get a little worried ourselves. There's no chance he could take Linky away, is there?! He can't do that! He's our little Linky!"
"Y-Yeah!" Luna joined in, her hands falling at her sides but her eyes beginning to shimmer. "He saw how much we care about him, right? He's our brother now, no ifs and or buts about it!"
Rita's eyes widened, and she quickly moved towards the two girls, shushing them before their distress could move into a pair of full blown panic attacks.
"Girls, girls, girls," She hushed, bringing her arms around them and pulling them against her shoulders, "Calm down, it's okay, there's nothing to worry about."
"R-Really?" Leni sniffled, looping an arm around her mother.
"Really," Rita assured, lifting a hand to run it through Luna's hair. "Didn't you see how much he loved your stories? How impressed he was with you for taking such good care of your brother? Why would he try to take him away from us after that?"
"We were worried we might've said something wrong," Leni explained. "Like how I said Linky cried after getting his shots."
"Or how Lincoln hurt himself by scratching his arm in the middle of the night," Luna said. "What if he thinks we should've kept that from happening?"
Rita couldn't help but smirk at the great leaps of logic made by her daughters, "Girls, he wouldn't take Lincoln away for something like that." She pulled herself away from them so she could gaze at them reassuringly. "Leni," She said, facing her first, "The day Lincoln got his flu shot, your father and I called Mr. Reggie to inform him of our decision. While he did show concern for Lincoln, he agreed with us that given the circumstances of his lack of immunizations in the past, the recommendations of the doctor were the best way to go at that moment."
Leni blinked, apparently having difficulty absorbing the long explanation. "So…He wasn't mad?" She asked.
Rita shook her head, "No, not one bit. He just wants Lincoln to be safe."
She then turned to face Luna, currently wiping her nose on her sleeve. Good manners be darned, she was worried about her little brother. "And Luna, Mr. Reggie was so impressed with how you took care of Lincoln when he hurt his arm by scratching it. There's no way he'd take him away after hearing about that. Even if you never showed up that night, he wouldn't hold that against us. Most children, heck, even some grown adults hurt themselves from time to time by scratching irritated spots on their bodies. He understands that and knows that we're all doing our very best to take care of your brother."
"So there's no chance of him taking Lincoln away?" Luna sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"No chance whatsoever," Rita replied, bringing her hands to cup one side of Luna and Leni's faces. "Girls, your stories, all your stories, have shown Mr. Reggie just how much you care about Lincoln, how much you want to see him happy, and most importantly of all, how much you love him."
"We do love him," Leni affirmed with a watery cough.
"And because of that, I'm sure he feels Lincoln is in the perfect place with us," Rita said, bringing her hands back. "As a part of our family."
"Y-Yeah," Luna agreed with a nod. "Because he is a part of our family now."
Rita stood up, placing her hands on top of the girls' heads to tousle their blonde and brown locks. "You have nothing to worry about, you two," She finished, "Your brother is your brother, and he's gonna stay that way, okay?"
Both girls nodded, their eyes clearing up significantly as Rita's words took to their hearts. "Okay," They replied, their worried frowns shifting into slowly relieved smiles.
Rita beamed at them in return and turned them towards their rooms, "Good, now that we've squared that away; what say you two take your little behinds to bed? We still got one more day of this weekend to enjoy after all."
"Yes, Mama," Both girls replied, going to their rooms after receiving a goodnight kiss on their cheeks from their mother. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, girls," Rita cooed, going over to the stairs, "I love you, sleep well."
"We love you too," Leni said.
The girls continued to stay at their doors, watching their mother go down the stairs before they looked across the hallway towards each other.
"Um…Sleepover?" Luna cautiously asked, hoping her heart was right in thinking she and Leni could still use one another's support that night.
"Sleepover," Leni replied, pushing her door open with a soft grin and a nod.
And Luna darted over, giving her big sister a hug before they walked into her room to get a comforting night's sleep.
It was important for a family to be there for each other after all, right?
…
"Yo, Lynnster, you still take your coffee with extra cream and sugar?" Reggie asked, pouring the jug of freshly brewed joe into three separate mugs.
"Better go easy on the cream," Lynn Sr. said, not taking his eyes off the deluge of bubbles his gloved hands were currently submerged in. "Can't take in the same amount of junk now that I've got six kids to look after."
"You may want to skimp on the sugar too, Lynn," Rita said, stepping into the kitchen with the two of them.
Reggie chuckled and topped off the third mug, "Hey, Rita. Can I assume you'll be taking yours black then?"
"Let's not get crazy, Reggie," Rita sassed, taking the outstretched mug and immediately scooping several spoonfuls of sugar into her drink. "Do you know how hard it is to get anything sweet in a house full of kids? You gotta get your sweets where you can."
"Then how come I have to cut back on it?" Lynn Sr. tutted in mock offense.
Rita pulled the creamer from the fridge and poured a generous dollop into her drink, "I don't know, which one of us got to have the grand belchin' bacon cheeseburger, and which one of us had to settle with a grilled chicken sandwich?"
Lynn Sr. gave a groan of defeat and set the last dish on the drying rack before joining the other two by the small coffee table they kept in the kitchen. "Fine, you have a point," He relented, snapping the gloves off and tossing them back towards the sink. He took a seat with Reggie and Rita, sipping his black coffee with a bit of a pout.
"So Reggie," Rita said, lowering her mug after taking a drink herself and helping herself to the biscotti platter Lynn Sr. had set out, "I'm not sure if I can ask…But—"
"I can't say a whole lot, standard procedure and all that stuff," Reggie gently interjected, "But, strictly off the record, I don't foresee anything in my report for you to worry about."
"That's good to hear," Lynn Sr. said, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"Yeah, of course," Reggie said, smiling at the two parents. "Did you think you had anything to worry about? I know you heard those stories your girls told, same as me."
Lynn Sr. took a calming breath and grabbed a biscotti for himself, "You're right, I suppose we're just being nervous."
"This is a bit of an unprecedented experience, Reggie," Rita went on. "We've been doing everything we can to take care of Lincoln, but, Lynn and I are—admittedly just hoping that we are doing right by him."
"I think you are," Reggie replied, grabbing a biscotti and dunking it into his coffee. "The most important thing for me to see on this visit, other than that of Lincoln being physically taken care of, was seeing that Lincoln was being emotionally taken care of; and considering how much of a shine he's taken to all of you, I think it's fair to say he's doing pretty solidly."
Rita smiled and gazed down at the little wisps of steam ebbing off her coffee, "He looks so much better than when he first got here. So much happier…" Her eyes shimmered and she brought a finger up to wipe the water away, "Especially with his sisters."
"That's an understatement," Reggie said with a smirk. "He totally seems head over heels for all your girls. I don't think he could've gotten better siblings."
"You should see how excited he is to see them every time I'm bringing him home from work with me," Lynn Sr. laughed, "I swear it's like Christmas morning every time for the little guy."
Reggie felt his heart grow a scotch warmer in response to that. "Sounds like he gets pretty excited then," He mused, closing his eyes and shaking his head bemusedly. He opened them and looked at Lynn Sr. and Rita, "Do you mind if I ask you guys a question though? Something regarding Luna's story?"
Lynn Sr. and Rita exchanged a look before turning back to Reggie.
"Sure, what is it?"
Reggie bit his cheek and grabbed his notepad and his pen. "About when Lincoln spilled that milkshake," He began, setting the notepad on the table, "Luna said he was pretty freaked out. Not a surprise to me considering the kind of treatment he received in his prior surroundings, and I'm glad you guys were able to calm him down, but I'm wondering…Did you two by any chance do anything with him following that to—maybe set his mind at ease?"
Lynn Sr. and Rita felt a sense of relief sweep through them when they processed the relatively harmless question. What could one say? Even the best parents in the world would grow nervous when a social worker, even a social worker they were friends with pried into their parenting methods.
"Right, of course," Rita breathed, placing a hand to her chest. She sat up a little straighter and regarded Reggie.
"Well," She began, "After we finished dinner and had some cake, I brought Lincoln to our room to administer the ointment onto his arm. There, Lynn and I spoke with him on the matter."
…
October 15, 2010
"Alright, little man, you just wait right there while I get that ointment for you, okay?"
Rita left Lincoln sitting on the edge of her bed, his little legs swinging out in front of him as she rooted through the medicine cabinet in her and her husband's connected bathroom.
"Yes, Missus Mommy," Lincoln said, staring down at his arm. He frowned as he regarded the cracked, dry skin, glowering at the hideous part of himself that he wished more than anything to do away with.
And that said nothing about how incredibly itchy it felt. It was like a thousand little ants were skittering away beneath his skin, squirming and crawling through every inch of his arm in some sort of irritation conga line.
It had only gotten worse with time, growing more and more intense until it was practically heating up with how dry it was.
He couldn't resist. He brought his other hand upon it and began to drag his fingernails across his skin.
"Oh, Lincoln, don't!"
Only to have the warning call of his mother shock him against it.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Lincoln cried, curling up into a tight little ball, once again wrapping his limbs protectively around his torso. "Please don't be mad! I'm just really itchy, I couldn't help it!"
Rita kneeled down, putting herself at eye level with Lincoln. "Oh, no, don't be scared, Lincoln!" She said, setting the ointment on the bed and setting a hand on top of his head, frowning deeper when his cringe worsened. "I just didn't want you to hurt yourself. It's okay…"
That's when Lincoln said something that made Rita's heart crack down the middle.
"Please don't hurt me…" He quailed, hiding his face in his forearms.
"Lincoln…" Rita whispered, pulling her hand back.
"Whoo, I'm telling you…" At that moment, Lynn Sr. walked into the room, wiping a hand across his brow. "The way the girls were acting with that cake, you'd think they never had sweets in their life…" He stopped when he saw Rita crouching besides Lincoln, the boy in question once more curled up defensively, as if preparing for an oncoming storm. "What's going on?" He asked, kneeling besides Rita.
"I did something bad," Lincoln whimpered.
"No you didn't, sweetheart," Rita reassured, trying to put in every bit of maternal comfort she could into her timbre.
Someone had to give that to Lincoln.
"What happened?" Lynn Sr. asked.
Rita explained the self-perceived snafu to him, earning another whimper from Lincoln, as if he really was being pointed out for some wrongdoing.
"Aww, don't worry, squirt," Lynn Sr. said, placing a hand on his back, frowning just as Rita did when he felt Lincoln turn to stone beneath his palm. "You've got nothing to feel bad about from just scratching an itchy spot. I could tell you some stories regarding your old man and a run in with some poison ivy."
"Yeah, let's not, Lynn," Rita said when the vivid reflection of those memories came pouring into her head. She returned her attention to Lincoln, still hiding his face from his parents. "Lincoln, you can relax, we promise that you're okay," She crooned.
"But that's two times I did something bad today," Lincoln croaked, lifting his head just an inch to look at his parents with a single baby blue eye.
"You haven't done anything bad today, squirt," Lynn Sr. said. "We already told you that milkshake thing was an accident and nobody is holding anything against you for it."
"But—" Lincoln grew pale and he hid his face again as a strong shake overtook him, "But at my last place—If I spilled something or did something I wasn't supposed to do—my m-m-mo—my mo—"
His voice caught in his throat as a painful sob rattled his lungs and his parents noticed his arms tighten against the spots they knew to be bruises beneath his clothes.
Lincoln shook and wept into the warm fabric of his sweater, desperately seeking a reprieve from the phantom cold that was blanketing his tiny form, seemingly intent on reminding him that no matter how happy he could be one moment, sadness and despair was still ever ready to smack him back down to his harsh reality.
He wondered if that was perhaps his lot in life to bear; fleeting moments of safety and security that were to be ever destined to be shattered by feelings of fear and danger.
"Lincoln…" Then, as if to decry that lot, Lincoln felt the bed sink at both his sides, and his sides were then warmed by the presence of two others.
In the gentle comfort of that warmth, a surge of tiny, near indistinguishable scrap of courage bade him to look up.
His mother and father gazed down at him, offering the softest, most gentle smiles he could imagine.
"You will never have to worry about that sort of thing happening on our watch," Rita said.
"Yeah, squirt," Lynn Sr. added, "We don't do that here. Your mother and I are here to take care of you, that's what Mommies and Daddies do."
Lincoln's shoulders hardened even more, and his hand gripped the front of his shirt, his lower lip quivering and his eyes remaining downcast, "Why…?"
"Because we care about you, Lincoln," Rita soothed, "And you deserve a mother and father who only sees the best in you."
The phantom chill diminished around Lincoln, and by some sort of grace he almost considered a miracle in that moment, he was able to lift his head up to regard his mother and father.
"R-Really?" He chanced to ask, his heartbeat relaxing by the smallest amount.
"Really," Rita assured with a serious nod. "Your father and I care too much about your happiness to even consider letting that kind of thing happen to you, let alone do it to you ourselves."
Lincoln bit his lip and averted his gaze down to the floor again, "But—But what if I ever actually do something bad though? What if I make you mad?"
"Well," Lynn Sr. said, catching his son's attention with a lighthearted chuckle, "In the unlikely event of that happening, the most you'll have to worry about is a few minutes in the time out chair, squirt."
Lincoln quirked a brow perplexedly and looked back up at them, "The time out chair?"
"That chair in the living room that faces the wall," Rita explained. "For the younger kids, any misbehaving usually results in us having them sit there for a time out, usually for only a couple of minutes."
"That's all?" Lincoln asked, sitting up higher.
"Well, you're typically supposed to think about what you did wrong while sitting there, but yeah, that's the gist of it," Lynn Sr. said. He smirked and ruffled Lincoln's hair, "But that other stuff? You have our word that you don't have to worry a single white hair on your head over that."
Lincoln looked back to the floor, mulling over their words and twiddling his fingers. "I—" He gulped and glanced at both his parents, looking like the most vulnerable little thing in the world to them. "Promise?"
"We promise," Rita replied, offering a smile and a pat on the back. "The only thing you can expect from us is that we're looking out for you, sweetheart."
And Lincoln believed them. And in that new belief, he could only face forward, taking several gulps as his throat tightened yet again.
"Then—Then I feel better," He managed to croak.
"Lincoln?"
Lincoln turned towards Rita, finding her presenting her arm to him, the same as his sisters did.
"We're right here with you, squirt."
And when Lincoln turned the other way, he found his father doing the same thing.
They really did just want to be there for him.
So, with tears filled to the brim with emotion, he reached out and took their arms against him, resting his cheeks on them and squeezing them tight.
"T-Thank you!" He wept, nuzzling their forearms, drying his tears on the warm fabric of their sleeves. "Thank you for taking such good care of me Missus Mommy and Mister Daddy!"
And together, the two parents stayed with their son, letting him hug and cry his little heart out against their arms as he truly and completely realized that he now had caretakers who only wished to nurture him, not harm him.
…
October 23, 2010 (Present day)
"He hugged our arms for a good long while after that." Lynn Sr. wiped his eyes with a napkin from the middle of the table, "He held onto us like we were a pair of life preservers in the ocean, just trying to ride out the storm his little heart put him through, the p-p-poor l-little g-guy!"
Rita set a sympathetic hand atop her husband's, clutching it in hers as he shed the tears that came about from their story.
"After about fifteen minutes of him just squeezing our arms, he sort of just, nodded off," Rita continued. "He tends to do that a lot, cry and then fall asleep; do you think we should be worried about that?"
Reggie finished the next sentence of his notes, doing his best to do it past the mistiness of his own eyes. "Um—Yeah, that sounds about right," He gulped, sitting up and quickly swiping his hand across his eyes. "Because of how malnourished Lincoln was before coming here, it doesn't surprise me that he can be tuckered out pretty easily, and crying can be a pretty strenuous activity with even minor inconveniences behind it, let alone the trauma Lincoln has."
Another reason that story was making him so heavy with emotion; knowing the full extent of what Lincoln went through only made the fact that Reggie had indeed chosen the right parents for him all the more joyous.
His former charge really was in good hands.
"That makes sense, I suppose," Rita said, nodding somberly. "Well, after he fell asleep, Lynn and I took him up to his room. After we tucked him in, we put the ointment on his arm. From there, he must've woken up a few hours later after it wore off, and that's when Luna came across him."
"Heh, sounds like Lincoln really does have someone looking out for him at all times," Reggie chuckled, grabbing yet another biscotti. What better way to dispel tears than with sweets, right? He bit into the treat, taking a sip of coffee to go with it that proved just enough to level his emotions once more.
"I tell ya," He said, leaning back with his pen twirling in his hand, "This has been quite a night. So many awesome stories, all showing just how solidly Lincoln has found a place in your family…" He wiped the last remnant of moisture hanging around his eye and set back to writing, "It's enough to really get to a guy, in a good way, that is."
Lynn Sr. brought a napkin to his nose and blew mightily into it, filling the kitchen with a sound akin to a muffled horn. "He hasn't just found a place in our family, Reggie; he is a part of our family now," He declared.
"That's right," Rita agreed, squeezing her husband's hand again, "We know it's only been a month, but if all those stories our family has told you tonight shake out to anything, it's that we all truly feel he's part of our lives now, an irreplaceable part."
Reggie smiled and looked down at his notes; pages and pages of notations and observations made during each tale that was relayed to him that night.
A pair of parents, and four sisters.
Only four sisters, just one shy of all of them.
And it was his job to be thorough with his report, wasn't it?
"Yeah," He agreed with Rita. "Your stories have definitely hammered that point home. That's why I wanna ask if we could perhaps hear one more before I head out?"
Rita's brow quirked perplexedly, "One more?"
Reggie nodded and brought his hand behind his head to scratch it sheepishly, "Yeah, all your other kids got to tell a story about them and their brother, wouldn't it only be fair to let your eldest tell one of her own? Plus, Lincoln seemed the most attached at the hip to her during the course of the night; I wouldn't mind seeing if Lori has any insight into that."
He brought his arm back and stopped twirling his pen as he sat up. "Though if you do wanna call it a night, I get that as well," He said, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the possibility of imposing. He was still Lynn and Rita's friend after all. "You guys have given me more than enough to fill my report with, all of it good."
Lynn Sr. and Rita exchanged looks, then turned to the kitchen clock on the wall.
10:15. Technically, Lori's weekend bedtime was at 10:00, 10:30 if they were being extra lenient, but after all the stories they heard from their other daughters; Lynn Sr. and Rita found themselves wanting to hear Lori's just as much as Reggie did.
"Eh, what the heck," Rita shrugged with a smirk crossing her face as she stood up, "It's the weekend."
…
"Alright, Lynnie…" Lori carefully hung the red dress to the furthermost portion of Lynn's closet, safeguarding it against the possibility of Lynn accidentally yanking it down in the future, "Your dress is put away." She turned to face her youngest sister, currently crawling onto her bed and burrowing into the basketball, soccer ball, and football emblazoned blue blanket. "Time for bed now, okay?"
"Okay…" Lynn agreed, giving a great big yawn when her head popped out of the top of the bed. She swished her hair before she settled against her pillow and tilted her sights towards Lori as she pulled her blankets up. "Can I ask you one more thing?"
Lori scoffed and walked up to Lynn's bed, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face, "Geez, Lynnie, I've already helped you out of your dress, helped you into your pajamas, taken the ribbons out of your hair and hung up your dress to top it off. What, do you want me to carve you a new bedframe now too?"
Lynn shook her head, bringing a fist to rub at her nearly two-ton eyelid. "No, I just want my good night hug and kiss," She mumbled.
Lori's smirk widened into a loving smile, and she kneeled down to her baby sister. "Oh, well that I can do," She said with a click of her tongue.
Lori reached out and took Lynn into the requested embrace, hugging her close and swaying her back and forth as Lynn wrapped her own smaller arms around her in return.
"I love you, Lori," Lynn whispered, turning to place a kiss on Lori's cheek first, "Thank you for helping me." She yawned and Lori felt her bury her nose in her shoulder, "You're a really great big sister…"
Fuzzy warmth exploded within Lori, bidding her to return Lynn's kiss with one of her own. "I love you too, my little gremlin," She giggled, squeezing her again after she was done planting the affectionate smooch on her cheek.
"I'm not a gremlin," Lynn huffingly, but adorably objected into Lori's shoulder in a muffle.
Lori laughed again and gave her another kiss, this time on the temple, "I know you're not, you're just the most hyperactive baby sister I've got."
"I'm a good big sister too though, right?" Lynn asked.
Lori tilted her head along the top of Lynn's to nuzzle her lovingly, "One of the best."
She then carefully pulled Lynn back from her embrace and laid her against her bed again. "Now," She said, reaching out and booping Lynn on the nose with her finger, "It is time for you to go to sleep, Lynnie. You may have wound up enjoying your dress, but I personally can hear my pajamas calling out to me."
Lynn nodded and allowed her eyes to close at long last as Lori pulled the blanket over her, "Okay…G'night, Lori."
"Good night, Lynnie, I'll see you tomorrow," Lori whispered, standing up and going over to the door.
With a flick of the light switch, comforting darkness filled Lynn's room and Lori pulled the door to let a sliver of light into it as she moved into the well-lit hallway, tiptoeing as quietly as possible to avoid the possibility of waking any of her possibly asleep siblings.
Alright, that's enough big sister-ing for today, She thought when she reached the threshold of her room. Now it's time for me to get in my PJ's, grab my DS, and catch a few Pokémon before turning in.
"Oh, Lori, sweetheart!"
Lori jumped and turned towards her mother; her hand frozen in its outreach towards her door. "Oh, hi, Mom," She breathed out in relief, "You scared me."
Rita chuckled and stepped forward, "Sorry, sweetheart; I just wanted to ask if you could join us downstairs in the kitchen?"
Lori's face fell and she resisted the urge to groan. Of course such a big meal would require additional help in cleaning up, and there was no way her father actually let Mr. Reggie help with all of it. He probably sent him away with cookies and treats and the assurance that he would take care of it himself.
Figures, She thought, shoulders sagging, If I had just put Lynnie to bed, dress and all, I could've just closed my DS and pretended to be asleep right now.
"Can I get into my pajamas first?" She deigned to ask.
"Sure thing," Rita jovially replied. She turned back to the stairs and began stepping down them, "Just don't be too long now, okay?"
"I won't," Lori sighed.
Lori stood by her door a moment longer, mulling over her lack of luck on being caught in the hallway.
She groaned and pushed her door open, Well, I suppose no good deed goes unpunished, right?
She stopped when she saw a glint of blue light peeking out from Lincoln's room at the end of the hall, and she smirked, Well, aside from adoptin' you, Linc. That good deed has been nothing but a reward.
…
"Should we pour a cup of coffee for Lori?" Reggie joked as he poured himself another mugful. He would need it for the three-hour drive that soon awaited him.
"She's not quite there yet," Lynn Sr. chortled in reply. His shoulders tensed and he glanced down at his cup, "At least I hope she isn't there yet." He continued to stare at the dark liquid, biting his cheek before he set it down and went to the fridge. "I'm gonna make her some chocolate milk."
Rita rolled her eyes bemusedly and scooped another spoonful of sugar into her cup, "Try as much as you want, that isn't going to slow father time down, Lynn."
"Well this father can try," Lynn Sr. gulped, pulling out the milk.
Just then, Lori waltzed into the kitchen, hair down, dressed in her pajamas, and her sleeves rolled up past her elbows in preparation for any kitchen work that needed doing.
Then she saw Reggie.
"Mr. Reggie!" She yelped, going to hide behind the kitchen entryway; like her periwinkle pajama shirt and dark blue pajama pants were the most scandalous things in the world. "You're still here!? Why didn't anyone tell me!?"
"We thought you still knew," Rita said, smirking when she saw her daughter's sudden bashful behavior. "Didn't I explain that Mr. Reggie wanted to hear your story about your brother?"
"You literally did not!" Lori squeaked, covering her face with her now fallen down sleeves. "I don't want to be seen like this!"
Reggie laughed heartily and leaned forward on his elbows, "Hey, don't worry, Lori-girl. There's nothing to be bashful about. Heck, back in college, your dad spent every night on the couch in his Superman pajamas!"
"Yeah, keep on embarrassing me in front of my kid, Batman," Lynn Sr. said, sprinkling salt into the frothy glass of chocolate milk before him. "I have stories about you too, y'know."
Reggie clicked his tongue and leaned back, still smiling at the timid Lori reassuringly, "Point is, you're cool with us, Lori; come sit with the grown-ups."
Lori felt tempted to just turn tail and dash back up the stairs, but thanks to the comforting tone employed by Reggie, his means of making many of those he came across in his line of work feel safe, she managed to push that feeling down and creep out into the kitchen.
"Here ya go, sweetpea," Lynn Sr. said, pulling out a chair and placing her glass of chocolate milk in front of it.
"Thanks, Dad," Lori said, taking a seat and looking down at her drink.
She briefly wondered if she could convince her father to let her have a cup of coffee. It did feel kind of weird being the only one at the table not drinking it.
Thankfully, the deliciously sweet and creamy taste she experienced upon taking a sip of the lovingly made chocolate milk convinced her that her first cup of coffee could wait a little while longer.
"So…" Reggie clicked his pen and flipped to a blank page of his notebook, "Your sisters told us some pretty solid stories tonight; stories that leave me feeling like Lincoln's in pretty good hands with you guys."
Lori perked up and lowered her cup from her lips, unknowingly showing everyone at the table her chocolate milk moustache. "He is in good hands with us," She urged. "He's our brother now, Mr. Reggie, no doubt about it."
Reggie smirked, touched by the projection of big sister conviction that came from the milk-mustachioed girl. "So I've seen," He said, tapping the tip of his pen to the paper, "Every story I've heard tonight has made that abundantly clear. Each of your sisters have clearly bonded really strongly with Lincoln." He brought the tip of the pen to the paper. "That's why I asked your parents to call you down here," He explained. "I wanna hear your story about you and Lincoln. He's clearly really attached to you given the way he kept looking at you during dinner."
Lori blushed and looked down at her lap, recalling the big, glimmery gaze of adoration Lincoln had given her whenever their eyes met during dinner; inherently a little bashful, but brimming with affection for the sister who looked on him with equal and undeniable love.
No surprise considering the little breakthrough I had with him! Lori found herself thinking with a smidge of smug self-satisfaction.
"So would you mind indulging us with some tales of your own?" Reggie asked, pulling her gaze back up. "It would be the perfect topper to finish my report on."
Lori set her cup down, her lips quirking ponderously as she thought it over. "You don't mind staying a little longer?" She cautiously asked.
"I can handle a little bit of late night driving," Reggie assured.
Lori looked to her parents, "And you guys don't mind me staying up?"
Rita's eyes gleamed with mirth, "We'll just pretend it's New Year's."
"Yeah, go ahead, sweetpea," Lynn Sr. said. "We're all ears."
Lori's cheeks tinged pink again, and her fingers curled around her cup, "Alright then…"
She took a moment to scrounge through her mind for anything particularly noteworthy to tell. While doing so, she looked around the kitchen, biting her cheek as she mulled the events of the entire month over.
That's when her eyes fell on the freezer, and not one, but three stories came to mind.
"I think I have something," Lori announced, turning back to Reggie. A smile crossed her face as the stories coalesced in her mind, "Yeah, a few stories, actually. One happy, one pretty dang sweet…"
She frowned when the last one popped into her mind.
"And one, though important when I think about it, is a little sad…"