18. Phone Aid

A/N: It's been a month since I last updated this story. I feel kinda bad for letting it sit at that little cliffhanger, but no more. Shifting focus away from the girls for a moment, Ms. Lopez will have the opportunity to speak with the boy she planned to talk with some time later. Over the phone sessions aren't always as helpful, so a face to face is still required. Hopefully, at least Ms. Lopez can help quell Lincoln's night terrors.

I've seen numerous new fics pop up lately, even a spoof of Worth which I'm not entirely surprised. I've said before, I didn't think my opinion matters, but it seems I've inspired others to make decent works with the ones I'm doing. Feels a bit, elating so to speak. Still not used to that though.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

"So honey, how are things?" A male voice spoke on a phone.

"I would say business as usual Robert, but things are a bit more, complicated..." Miranda said to her husband.

"You're not dealing with that Clyde kid again are you?"

"No no no, it's a different set of clients. Have you ever heard of large immediate families?"

"You mean something like Cheaper by the Dozen?"

"Precisely. I'm tending to a family of 13. Ten daughters and one son."

"Thirteen kids with a significant dividend in gender? That's very odd...sure he's not adopted?" Robert noted.

"Robert!" Miranda hissed.

"Just asking dear." The man joked.

"I haven't seen their son in person as he's currently receiving medical attention, but I was surprised by the genetic outcome myself. So far, I've talked with the parents and 6 of their daughters. I was planning on talking with the last few, but it seems I'll have to speak with the boy first."

"What's his condition?"

"...It seems the daughters had gotten into an argument with their brother, who was subjected to a harsh beating. Since nine of the girls were involved, you can imagine how this went. As of right now, the boy, Lincoln, is healing physically, but there's a particular reason why I have to speak with him."

"If I had to guess, he has a serious beef with his siblings over how he was treated."

Miranda gave a small snort. "Quite the opposite actually. He's developed a rather severe case of syngenesophobia. According to the parents, he can't even be in the same room as his sisters without falling into a panic. This, coupled with the supposed nightmares he's been having, indicate that his condition is getting worse. As such, the family wants me to speak with him so I can help him. Quite quicker than I would've imagined, as I was willing to wait until Lincoln had been discharged from the hospital."

"Well...I feel sorry for that boy already. Hang on-Rico, take that out of your mouth. You don't know where that's been."

Miranda smiled at hearing her son's name. "Little Ricky is still putting coins in his mouth?"

"Yeah. I wish he'd stop doing that. So you were saying?"

"As such, I've already talked with both the parents and several sisters to deduce what kind of relationship they have with each other. It's quite clear the girls are deeply regretful of their actions and are heartbroken about the damage they've done to their brother, so they're looking to me to see if I can help Lincoln see that his sisters aren't what he thinks they are."

"How old is this kid by the way?"

"Eleven. And before you ask, the girls' ages range from seventeen to four."

"...You know, it's been a few years since you last had a case like this, and even then, it was with a smaller, average family."

"That doesn't mean I haven't gotten rusty Robert." Miranda said in fake offense. "I'm confident in my abilities as a therapist. I already know what the girls' feelings are, all I need now, is to figure out how Lincoln sees them since it varies between persons."

"If you say so dear. Hold on a second." Shuffling could be heard on the phone. Next thing Miranda knew, the sound of a small child was heard on the line. "Hi mommy!"

"Hello sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm ok. I cleaning coins but daddy said no."

"Rico, honey. You should know that's bad for your mouth, plus there's a lot of germs on those coins. What if you get sick? Or one of them gets stuck in your throat?"

"I know they dirty, so I clean them!" Rico said happily.

"Sweetie, just find a wet paper towel and use that please."

"Okaaaay..."

"Mommy loves you dear." Miranda smiled.

"I love you too mommy."

With that, Miranda had hung up the phone. While the matters weren't 'pressing' as she implied, it still felt nice to catch a break and talk with her own little family. Her smile didn't last long as she plotted her next move. Like she told Robert, Miranda had planned on seeing Lincoln face to face once he became available. She didn't have much faith in over-the-phone sessions, as in her opinion, they didn't seem to have a lasting impact. She had done many of these with Clyde once she started seeing how many issues the boy had, and partly because she was getting annoyed with the constant in-person meetings. With Clyde, it didn't seem to help him much, but with Lincoln...it's possible Miranda might have a breakthrough. She just needs to gauge how bad the boy's fear is.

Walking back to her office, she stopped to address Rita, who was standing out in the hall looking through her phone. "Excuse me Mrs. Loud. Is your husband still with your son?"

"As far as I know, he is."

"Perfect. I'll contact him and ask him to put me in touch with your son so I can see what's going on with him. As far as you're daughters are concerned..." Miranda paused for a moment. She had four left that she needed to speak with... "After I speak with Lincoln, I would have like to have a talk with Lynn. She's the last of the older ones, and given her outburst...I feel I would have to put her in front of the twins to address any potential issues she may have."

Rita nodded. "Lynn has a pretty competitive streak in her that I believe comes from her father. He used to be quite the sportsman back in his day. Though at times...she gets a bit too competitive..."

"Noted. I'll see what I can do." The Latin woman walked through the door and went to her office. Sitting down at her desk, she picked up the office phone and scrolled through the 'Received Calls' list until she found the number she was looking for.

Lynn Sr. was watching cartoons with his son as the latter was eating the lunch brought up to him from the clinic's kitchen. No longer having mouth pains, Lincoln could now afford to begin eating solid foods, and as such had asked for a chicken along with some green beans and apple sauce. Said poultry was a bit warm when it finally got up to him, something that irritated Lynn. For a place that's supposed to care for their patients, they sure had a lousy way of delivering food long after it would've been at the ideal temperature to eat. Even taking a small piece, the father frowned at how stale it tasted. Little seasoning, or lack of thereof. He made a mental note to speak with whoever ran the kitchen and try to get them to make better foods, and also made a serious note to take Lincoln out for some REAL food when he was discharged.

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Lynn took it out and was confused by the number. "Ms. Lopez?" He asked to no one in particular, causing Lincoln look at him in confusion. "Sorry sport, give me a sec." The patriarch answered. "Hello?"

"Hello Mr. Loud. I've been informed from the rest of your family that Lincoln's...condition...seems to be getting worse due to frequent night terrors. While I had been originally planning to speak with him once he's available, well...your daughters requested that I do an over-the-phone session to help him. While I don't exactly have much faith in such sessions, I felt it would be a good idea to hear your sons thoughts. Is he currently with you?"

"Yes. He's eating lunch at the moment."

"Oh." Miranda said a little dejectedly. "I can call back later if you-"

Lynn's eyes widened. "No no no! It's fine. The food here isn't exactly great anyway. Give me a second."

"Um, dad. Who are you talking to?" Lincoln asked, his mouth half full.

"Son, remember when I said you were going to get some help? Well, you're about to speak with a professional therapist concerning...your fears. We know you're afraid of your sisters and had been speaking with her since yesterday about everything that's happened. She's not only spoke with me and your mother, but also a number of your sisters. Not sure about what they spoke of, but it seemed to trouble them more than they let on given how they acted since. I know this is probably a lot to take in, but she's a professional and will help you with anything you need. So, don't be afraid to let your thoughts flow, ok?"

"O-Ok." Lincoln replied, a little nervous. The fact this therapist had already spoke with the girls put Lincoln on edge, a part of him thinking the girls might have twisted their words to make it seem like he was in the wrong about something. Was this supposed doctor going to make him feel worse than he already did? Or possibly tell him that the girls were in the right whole time and make him understand everything was his fault? Lincoln didn't outright trust this professional, but he did trust the word of his parents, who were doing everything in their power to help him.

Lincoln hesitantly grabbed his father's phone. "...H-Hello?"

"Hi, am I speaking to Lincoln Loud?" A female voice responded.

"Yes?"

"Hi Lincoln, my name is Dr. Lopez. How are you today?"

"Dr. Lopez?...wait, you're the therapist my friend Clyde sees a lot, right?"

"Yes, that would be correct."

"Ok, that's good to know." Lincoln said, calming down. "Oh, sorry I hadn't answered your question...as of right now, I'm doing ok, I guess? I mean, my arm is healing nicely and I've gotten a little used to walking again. Some of my friends had visited me over the week and it was nice to see them too."

"That's very pleasant to know. It's always joyful to have acquaintances visiting. So...is there anything that you're currently having issues with?"

"Well..." Lincoln shifted a bit in his bed. "It's...a bit complicated...I'm not gonna get in trouble for talking about it, am I?"

"On heavens no. I'm just here to help. Now, from what I understand from your parents, you've been having night terrors as of late, and they're making you feel a certain way towards some members of your family. Would it be ok if we discussed them?"

The boy sat silently for a moment. He wasn't fond of going over the nightmares that plagued his sleep for the last 7 days, especially with how terrifying they were. But, Dr. Lopez said she was there to help him get through this. With what limited knowledge of therapy he knew from Clyde, she'd probably tell him that fear was just some figment our brains make up as a defense mechanism. Or something similar. Lincoln looked to his father, who gave him a warm smile in return.

The boy sighed a bit. "Y-Yes, it would..."

"So, to start, I'll let you know that this information can be kept between us, as I will not tell a soul about our discussions unless you want it. You are however, free to talk about our sessions on your own. Sound good?"

"Yes..." Lincoln looked to his father. "Um, dad? I'd hate to ask, but..."

"Don't worry sport, I understand. I'll just be watching from the window." Lynn got up and exited the room. Seconds later, Lincoln could see him peeking through the glass.

"Now tell me, when did these nightmares begin?"

"...T-They started the same day I ended up in the hospital..."

"Can you describe what the main premise of the dream was about?"

"It was about my s-sisters, and...they...they were trying to k-kill me..."

Miranda jotted down notes on her end. "Well, that's pretty straight-forward..." She muttered to herself. "Has this been a recurring issue going on?"

"I-It has...just about every time I fall asleep...I get one regarding some bad incident that happened in the past...the last one I had was probably the most horrible one I've had so far..."

"Interesting...have you always had bad moments with your sisters?" While Miranda knew this wasn't true, she wanted to know how Lincoln thought of this.

"Not all the time..." Lincoln pushed the desk holding the food tray to the side as he lied down in the bed. "But after what happened last Sunday, I...I'm not sure...they always seem to get along so well, and since I'm the only other guy in house...I just feel like the odd-one-out you know?...I've done things in the past that angered my sisters, and we do get into fights sometimes, but it was never this bad..." The doctor could hear sniffling on the line. "I thought...I thought that they wouldn't stop until I was no longer b-breathing..." Lincoln started to cry softly on the phone, which tugged at Miranda's heartstrings.

"I'm...I'm sorry to hear that..."

"For the last several days...I kept having nightmares about that becoming a reality...my 9 sisters finding and succeeding in...finishing the job...because my screw-ups. I've humiliated them once just to get a trophy, I fought with them over a car seat, clogged the toilet numerous times, I cursed at my oldest sister just because she sat on my game goggles, stopped doing my chores all because I felt like I was getting the worst one...cleaning up after the pets is probably worse than taking out the trash...I even tried to get out of football practice when mom signed me up for it, all because I was too lazy to exercise! As a result, my sister Lynn got her ankle sprained..."

Miranda listened intently as Lincoln went on a triad of self-hate, describing moments where he had been a jerk to his sisters. Such examples were making the girls tone down their power usage when he couldn't do the same thing, stealing Lynn's bike because he didn't want to be embarrassed being seen with the hand-me-down he got from Lori, kicking the girls out of the pool he bought because he couldn't use it, the time he made his sisters dress up for a family photo, and the time he had his sisters wait on him hand and foot because he couldn't decide which place they could all go for a vacation. The doctor could see right away that Lincoln wasn't a saint, much like the rest of his sisters, but some of the info he gave her seemed...off. From what she recalled after speaking with some of the girls, some of those events he described were those where he was only had a limiting influence, or if it was on him entirely, he made up for it.

"After thinking about all of that up to this point...I felt like...like I deserved what happened...I've been nothing but an idiot who just gets in the way of my sisters' talents and traits...they're all good at something, but me?...All I do is read comics all day and play video games..." Lincoln sniffled again. "That's probably why they did it...they wanted to get rid of the only person whose useless in the house...I'm...I'm so afraid of them that any time I see o-one of them I get reminded of my dreams..."

Lincoln set the phone down to grab a tissue. His nose was getting runny and he had to wipe his eyes dry. In the hallway, Lynn couldn't understand what his son was talking about, but given the 11 year old's sad expressions, it couldn't be anything good.

"...This beating clearly mentally scarred the poor boy. To think his sisters want to murder him...that's why he has such a strong reaction to them when they're near...on top of that, said fear is feeding into self-deprecation." The psychologist thought. Looking over her notes, she glanced at the number 9 for a moment. Didn't Lincoln have 10 sisters? Was there one he doesn't have a negative reaction to? "Mind if we backtrack for a moment Lincoln? When you described your nightmares, you said nine of your siblings are involved, but if I recall, you have ten. Is there one that you aren't afraid of?"

"Well...there's Lily. She's the baby of the family and I don't think she'll ever do anything to hurt me because she's so young...and because of that I doubt she'd be able to help me..."

"Has she been there for you since this situation began?"

"...Yes, she has."

"Well, it seems she's helping the best she can despite being an infant. She wants to see her brother get well. In fact, the rest of your sisters do as well. This may be hard to believe due to your nightmares, and you may not trust me since I have spoken with them, but your sisters...aren't who you think they are. They have been trying to make amends to you for what happened, but it seems your fears have prevented you from seeing that. Dreams can often alter one's perception of reality into believing a certain way, but that doesn't mean what happened in a dream is actual reality. While it is possible that dreams can be viewpoints of the future, they should not be taken as face value."

Lincoln remained silent for a moment. "I'm... I'm a little confused by that..."

"What I mean is, just because something happened in a dream, doesn't make it real. It's all a matter of an idea being in our heads. I understand your fears about your sisters wanting to hurt you again, but I can assure you that is the furthest thing from their minds."

"...You say that...but I'm not too sure though...at times I think it's just a ruse to make me think that's what they want and get me when I least expect it...I had a few nightmares where one of my sisters apologized...only to...seriously wound me a moment later...one such dream I had involved Luna playing her guitar so loud I felt my head would explode...I couldn't hear anything in my dream afterwards, and next thing I knew, I felt a searing pain the back of my head because she bashed my skull with said instrument...but I was so thankful I still had my hearing when I woke up, though my head was hurting afterwards..."

"I understand that. It's just something I want you to think about. It's important to remember that fear is only a concept that exists in our minds. Sometimes such fears like yours can be rational, while others can be irrational. It exists primarily as a defense mechanism in our brains to warn us of danger. Such examples are people being afraid of spiders or snakes, even when they're harmless. Whether we choose to believe in them is entirely based on choice. Sometimes I fear my son might get a coin stuck in his throat, but I ignore this by not letting it get to me and tell him to put change in his pocket. You have the option of not letting your nightmares get to you, and it's never too late to let go of your fears."

Lincoln didn't respond, thinking about what Dr. Lopez had told him. Could all of this just be in his head? Were his sisters really trying to apologize to him this whole time for beating him up? They did bring a chocolate cake with them a few days ago. Lincoln wasn't as big of a fan of chocolate like his sisters, but wouldn't have turned down a treat like that in any other situation. He never got the chance to enjoy it since he flipped with all of his sisters being there at once. However, despite Miranda's rationale, he can't help not taking her advice to heart. Lincoln was hurt mentally, and his dreams felt so vividly real, that it was hard for him to accept her advice. Still, it was very sound advice, and it felt wrong to just deny her statements.

"Thank you Ms. Lopez, but...it's just...I...I'll think about..." Lincoln finally spoke.

"Please do Lincoln. I'm here for you if you need someone to talk with. I can be sure we'll meet in person when you become available. I don't exactly have much faith in phone sessions..." Miranda bemused.

"Yeah...I would like to talk with you again. Clyde said a lot of great things about you, and he wasn't lying. But, can I ask a favor?"

"Hmm?"

Lincoln looked at the window to see that his dad was still watching him. He covered the receiver with his hand and whispered into it. "Please don't tell my parents about what I dream of my sisters doing...they're worried enough already as it is..."

"You have my word Lincoln. I won't utter a word to anyone, but I must ask: will you tell them at some point?"

A still silence was met on both ends, Miranda waiting for Lincoln to answer and the middle child thinking it over. If he really wanted help, from his family especially, he'd have to let them know what's really going on with him. He could only imagine how heartbreaking his mother and Lily would be if he told them the truth. As far as they knew, he just had bad dreams about the other girls, not the severity of their situation. The only thing Lincoln told his dad was that his dreams were getting worse, which brought up this current conversation. Maybe opening up more would be more beneficial than keeping a closed mouth.

"I will..." Lincoln told her.

"Noted. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Lincoln did have a few other things on his mind, but he didn't think it'd be comfortable discussing them in his current setting. Not only that, his dad's phone was feeling unusually warm on his ear and he was getting tired of having to crane his neck or hold it in his hand. "No."

"Ok. Well, I thank you for your time and I will speak with you again at a later date Just let me know when you want to talk, as my phone is always open."

"Ok. Thank you." After that, the line went dead. The chip-toothed male stared at the device for what felt like an eternity, lost his in own thoughts. His head was swimming in a heated discussion that probably mirrored some congressional session. His fear, guilt, common sense, and some added rationale were all voicing their decisions, and it was beginning to give him a headache. One thing was certain though, Lincoln couldn't decide whether he shouldn't be afraid of his sisters and try to forgive them, and part of him still felt like a 'philistine' as Lola would call him. But at the same time, Dr. Lopez's words pierced him like a bullet, making him see things he hadn't thought about until now.

A knock on the door got his attention. "Hey sport, you done yet? Had to go use the can." Lynn asked as he poked his head in. Seeing his son was no longer using his phone, he took that as a 'yes'. "So, how did it go?"

"It was...ok for the most part."

"Anything you wanna talk about?"

Lincoln shook his head. He looked at what remained of his lunch. "Can you throw my food away dad? I'm not really hungry anymore..."

"Sure. Still can't believe they don't have any decent cooks around here." Lynn grabbed the tray and dumped the contents in the trash, leaving the tray on the desk for a nurse to come claim later. "How about for dinner your old man brings you some quality cooking?" The patriarch ruffled his son's hair.

The 11 year old gave his father a small smile. "That would be nice."

Miranda looked over notes taken from Lori, Lisa, Leni, and Luna. "So, it seems Lincoln is retroactively blaming himself for incidents that he only partially played a role in...that's definitely something I'll discuss with him when I get the chance. Still can't believe he thinks his sisters want to kill him. Then again, he's only 11...which also makes it easy to understand why his fears are amplifying his guilt. I'm starting to think it's not the beating itself that has Lincoln so jumpy, but more so the night terrors he's been having since then. And this has been going on for a week?...ugh, got a lot to work with." The doctor said to no one in particular.

The good thing was she successfully gauged at what stage his fears are at currently. There are four stages to the progression of fear: stress, anxiety, avoidance, and reinforcement. With Lincoln's nightmares and his reactions to his sisters, he's currently at stage two. However, Miranda predicts he'll be at stage three even after he's released from the hospital. If it progresses any further, he'll be given the time to reinforce his fears and potentially sever whatever ties he has with his siblings, something the doctor doesn't want to happen. In some cases, other psychologists would say Lincoln is already at stage four, where he's created memories that are slightly or deeply altered from what they really are. Said memories would be instances where his sisters stressed him out, thus increasing his reasoning to avoid them. This seems to be the case given his panic attacks. However, Miranda believes Lincoln isn't that far down the road yet. Taking her pen, she made a self-note to talk with Lincoln explain the concepts of fear further.

Drawing her attention away from the ailing boy, Miranda looked to ready herself for the next person she was due to speak with. From what the therapist knew, Lynn Loud Jr. was described as being the most athletic and sporty of the kids. With this in mind, Miranda also assumed this made the girl edgy and competitive (as Rita noted), and possibly a small ego to boot. It wasn't uncommon for people in sports to boast about their skills. The other Loud sisters didn't speak too much about her, as she wasn't the main focus, but the doctor also assumed Lynn to be a bit aggressive given her stance when she walked out of her office to make a phone call.

Miranda tapped her desk phone. "Gigi, can you ask Lynn Jr. to come to my office? I'd like to have a chat with her."

"Yeah, give me a sec." The Hispanic woman could hear the lady's voice from the speaker. "Which one of you is Lynn Jr.? The doctor wants to see you."

Seconds later, the door opened. Lynn was a bit more relaxed than she previously was, but the jock didn't expect to be called. She played rock-paper-scissors with Lucy and the twins to see who'd go next, with Lana winning. She did her best not to let the loss bug her too much, as this was just to have therapy, but Lynn wanted to get this session over with. It was building up her anxiety just sitting there for hours not doing anything. As such, Lynn was both surprised and relieved when Rita told her that she'd be next, after Ms. Lopez spoke with Lincoln. That part made the brunette nervous. She wondered what Lincoln had said to the doctor, thinking he may have brought up all the times she had been rough with him and revealed that she broke his arm. She already felt guilty enough for damaging her brother in such a fashion, which was amplified given how Lincoln was outright terrified of her now. Lynn already had her ass kicked by Ronnie Anne, Polly and Margo refused to speak with her, so the last thing she needed was the doctor to guilt trip her even more.

"Hello Lynn. How are you feeling today?" Miranda started.

"...Like the rest of my sisters, pretty crappy..." Lynn replied, sitting on the lounging chair.

A/N: Now Lincoln has something to put into perspective. It's still a long road to recovery for him, that's for certain. I was thinking of doing the twins next, but since Lynn is the last of the older half of the girls, it's best to get her out of the way, particularly since in both stories she's in dire straits, and it would shed a bit of light on her character since many view her in a negative light. Hopefully I won't take long to put that chapter up.