Ch. 21 My Inner Demons

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
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"Hey Lana, you know that thing about how you always dig into the trash?" The little former-princess asked as the twins walked back to their family.

"Oh boy..." The tomboy groaned instinctively. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean that." Lana chuckled nervously as she rubbed her arm. "Force of habit."

"It's fine, but I just want to you know this. Sure, it's a really gross habit, but the real reason I don't want you eating out the trash isn't just for appearances. Do you even know where some of that stuff's been?"

"Well..." Lana scratched her chin. "Not really, besides some of the chewed gum I have stashed. I stole those from under desks or tables."

"That's what I'm saying. You could get really sick from doing that. Maybe not today, but it's bad for your health. I mean, do you know how many icky germs are in a dumpster alone? Not to mention disease carrying filthy rats, bugs, and-" Lola stopped when Lana put a hand to her mouth.

"Ok Ok, I get it. It's bad for me. But how do you know all of this?"

"When you sit next to Lisa in the car and she won't stop talking, it's literally the only thing keeping me sane." The girly twin cringed a bit. "I think she might be the reason why I'm so afraid of germs..."

The tomboy shrugged. "Coming from a brainiac who keeps talking about how we'll die in a car accident, that's no shocker." She put an arm around her twin. "But, if it will cheer you up, I'll start eating out the trash less."

Lola looked at Lana with a weary look. "What? You can't expect me to stop completely." Lana chuckled.

"Guess some things won't change." Lola laughed as well.

"You both seem pretty happy." A new voice cut in. The twins yelped in fear before they looking towards their front. Unsurprisingly, it was their older sister Lucy. She stared at the two with an uninterested gaze.

"Y-You really need to stop doing that Lucy..." Lola stammered.

"Well, I would if you guys would be more attentive for once..." The emo said inwardly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was on my way to Ms. Lopez's office since I'm the last one she needs to speak with."

"Welp, the door's open for ya." Lana stated before the she and Lola walked back to the lobby. Lucy watched them as they left before heading towards the therapist's office. She stopped outside the door, a tinge of nervousness tingling in her spine. "Sigh...let's get this over with..."

Miranda had just finished realigning the pillows on the couch when she heard her door open. Looking at Lucy, she was rather surprised at the girl's attire. It seems Lola's assumption at Lucy being an emo wasn't just a joke. Black dress, pale skin, with black hair to match. Though, Miranda had a sneaking suspicion that black wasn't Lucy's nature hair color given how the rest of her sisters looked.

"You must be Lucy. I was just about to call for you." The psychologist smiled.

"I know, so I figured I'd spare you the time and energy and just walk in."

Miranda also took note of the girl's lack of emotion in her voice. "So," She sat in her chair. "How are things going for you today..." She gestured the girl to take a seat.

"Sigh, still sitting in ever-lasting despair and anguish. I'm usually used to that kind of thing, but not so much since...a week ago..." Lucy stated before sitting in the lounge seat.

"Lucy is definitely much like other emo clients I've had..." Miranda stated in her head as she quickly wrote something down. "Now Lucy, given that I've talked with the rest of your family, I'm sure you probably know how these sorts of discussions work?"

Lucy nodded. "You have a rule where we whatever we discuss can be kept between us, but I'm free to make use of our sessions however I want."

Miranda gave a small sigh of relief. "Ok, good. To be honest, it was getting rather repetitive. Usually I don't have to talk to this many clients in a single day."

"I can understand that. I'm not much of a talker myself..." The 8 year old replied, shifted slightly in her seat. "But before we actually start, I want to know something..."

"Si?"

"...Is...Is Lincoln going to be ok?" Lucy asked, faint traces of hope appearing on her face. Miranda gave an uncertain look, which told Lucy what she needed to know. "He's still a long ways off then..."

"Possibly, but at least I gave him some advice that should hopefully get him to question his fears; rather than let them run rampant." Lucy didn't say anything after that, just staring at the doctor. "Right, so Lucy, how has the past week been for you?"

"Dreadful, well more than usual. I used to like the thought of isolation, but now I feel almost completely alone..."

"Do you want to elaborate on that?"

The dark haired child nodded. "Ever since people began to question what happened with Lincoln, only a few of my friends know the truth. But at this point, I can definitely say that I no longer have any friends...they couldn't bear the thought of hanging with someone who would take part in savagely beating their own sibling; not that I blame them...I'm still disgusted with myself to the point I wished that I was invisible, never to be seen again..."

"When you said 'more than usual', is this your usual attitude on a daily basis?"

The little girl gave a small nod. "I usually confide myself to the darkness whenever I can. In my house, I tend to be away from most of my family by hiding in the vents, attic, even the chimney. Just any dark place I could find..."

"Is this due to any medical conditions?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. I just like dark places...it tends to help me concentrate on what kind of poems I want to write. Unfortunately, I usually end up stuck trying to figure out a rhyme for a certain word. I would sometimes ask my other sisters for help, but they aren't interested or can't think of anything. So, that leaves me to ask," The depressed child paused, "M-My brother for help..."

Miranda took a couple notes. "Does Lincoln usually help you when it comes to your literary work?"
"Most of the time...even when he's not in the mood to do much, Lincoln still offers a hand anyways. But that's just how Lincoln is: he's supportive of both myself and the rest of my sisters; it's shameful how we ended up introducing a system that essentially refused his aid..."

Miranda rested her chin on her hands. "Interesting...speaking of your sisters, what kind of relationship would you say you have with them? I've heard from a few of them that you've been depressed for as long as they could remember. However, given my past experience with other clients suffering from depression, they weren't always like this. As such, I just treat it as hearsay until the person they described opens up about it. I want to know how you became...well, you."

Lucy gave a quizzical look before giving a real sigh. "You were right on one thing, I wasn't always like this..." She looked at the ceiling. "Back when I was much younger, like say Lily's age, I was your typical innocent child who was curious about the world around her." The eight year old looks at her reflection in a nearby mirror, then looks at her hand. "Most think this is how I always looked since I was a little girl, but the only truth on that part is my skin."

"So, you were saying you were born with pallor?"

Lucy was about to reply but closed her mouth. Her eyes shifted as she was trying to figure out what that meant. "I know I heard Lisa use that word before..."

The therapist giggled a little. "It means you have an unusual lightness of your skin color than it would appear on most people. In other words, you were just born with pale skin dear. It's actually a common condition that's hereditary."

"Oh...well like I said, only my skin is actually pale since birth. Lisa thought it might have been due to me being born prematurely, but mom said that I was born only two weeks before I was expected. That sounds a bit premature I guess, but she said it was normal for babies to come around that time frame. However..." Lucy shyly played with a few strands of her hair. "My hair is actually the same shade of blonde as Lori's..."

"So when did you start using hair dye?"

"Some time after I starting getting interested in supernatural stuff." Lucy looked back at the psychologist. "It first started when I watched a ghost hunting show called Academy For Really Good Ghost Hunters when I was 3. Lincoln always liked that show and he still watches it today. But, unlike him, I decided to look more and more into the whole supernatural aspect of ghosts; I wanted to see how these unfortunate souls have unfinished business and how I could try and help them...dad always said I looked like his grandmother, which did explain a lot of things..."

"How so?"

"I once found a picture of my great-grandmother Harriet, and I was surprised that what dad said was true; minus the black hair since, at the time, I hadn't used dye yet." Lucy lied back on the couch. "Along with that photo, I also found a few books about occultism, rituals, how to speak to spirits, as well as a book about mystical creatures. After checking out the last book, I learned a lot more about ghosts; but it didn't stop there. I also came to learn about mummies, werewolves, zombies, witches, and even...vampires..." A small blush formed on Lucy's face. "The last one got my attention the most. I learned how these creatures of the night had to live off sucking the blood from their victims, sometimes turning them into vampires like themselves, or even slaves. My interest for vampires grew to the point I wanted to become one myself."

Miranda shifted her legs a bit. "And how did that work?"

"Well, I first had to become one with the darkness, and the first thing I did was start wearing dark-colored clothing. It made me great at blending in with dark areas of the house, but my hair stood out like a sore thumb..." Lucy folded her arms across her chest. "Yellow and black definitely don't mix, unless you're a bee..." The emo gave a small sigh, her traditional frown forming. "Luan would occasionally call me Ms. Beeatris. because of that...so I had to take it up to the next level: dying my hair. I thought about just making it a darker shade of blonde, or brown like some of my sisters; but in the end, I settled for black. I felt it would be the best to not only help me blend in more, but also as a tribute to my great-grandmother, who helped me discover my passion. I never knew it til then, but having my hair like this...just felt right. It never really appealed to me having blonde hair, but I felt I didn't have to worry about that anymore. My parents thought it was cute that I was trying to be like Great-Grandma Harriet, though my dad was a little spooked by it. Then again, he never liked spooky things anyway." A small smile adorned her face, swinging her legs that hung aimlessly over the side. "He would get jumpy at the smallest thing when Halloween came."

"I see. Did you stop there when you finally got the look?"

"No. I wanted to go even further by mimicking the acts of vampires." Lucy gave a small chuckle. "I still remember when I used to say things like, 'I want to suck your blood!'. We all had a good few memories of that. However, when I started watching TV shows about vampires, I found that they seemed to have little emotion to them. That's why, I started practicing showing as little emotion as possible in my voice and face. It was rather difficult, because I kept finding a reason to smile, and I couldn't make my voice sound like it lacked any feeling. So, I decided to try hiding my eyes behind my hair. This method worked as no one could tell what I was thinking with a blank face." Lucy gave a low snort. "But, it did make me bump into the walls quite often since I couldn't see that well."

Miranda held a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"And when I was watching one show in particular..." Lucy's blush returned. "...I fell for a certain vampire in a particular series. I started watching Vampires of Melancholia when I was 6, and was hooked into it the on the first episode. Over time, one of the vampires named Edwin...he became everything I wanted to be. His looks, his hair, that uncaring gleam in his eyes, his fangs...I wanted to be his soulmate..." A heavenly tone was laced in her voice.

Miranda gave a small nervous glance at Lucy as she wrote this down. "Ok...approaching fan girl territory..." She sighed inwardly.

"I had to beg my parents to let me buy a bust of him. It was worth every penny for all of the extra chores I had to do." Lucy turned a bit so her legs would now be resting on the chair instead of dangling uselessly. "But, over time I realized I would never become a true vampire. They said you have to be bitten on the neck by a vampire bat to become one, and as far as I know, nothing like that lives in a state that sees snow every winter...however, I wound up having a pet bat of my own after all."

"Did you go out and find one, or did it come to you?"

Lucy gave a small hand wave. "Technically, it was both. During one night, I came out of the bathroom when I heard what sounded like fluttering in the attic. I thought it might have been a bird, since they can sometimes get stuck in there. I wanted to see if I could help it out, and turns out it was a fruit bat that got trapped in some wiring in the ceiling. I grabbed a ladder and freed it, and I was hoping it'd fly away. But instead, it stuck with me like glue. I think this was due to the bat being quite young." The emo scratched her head. "Fangs is a juvenile bat now, so he was probably close to reaching his teen years when I found him." A small smile formed on her face. "I tried to get him to leave since I knew my parents wouldn't let me keep a bat of all things. They were pretty hesitant about letting Lana keep her pet lizard Izzy, more so about her snake; plus I knew dad would freak out...but Fangs didn't want to leave. So, I just decided to let him stay. Surprisingly, and unsurprisingly, my parents freaked out upon seeing him. Well, I expected dad to, but didn't think mom would as well. However, they had let me keep him on the basis that I care for him."

"Seems like a typical parental response to a child bringing home a stray animal."

The supernatural lover nodded in agreement. "Soon after I got Fangs, Lynn started calling me 'The Queen of Darkness'. My heart swelled with pride upon hearing her call me that for the first time. And soon enough, I started getting more into the other stuff about the supernatural, particularly in talking with spirits or practicing spells." Lucy sat up. "Don't tell anyone this...but one time when I was 7, I had been practicing a ritual for speaking to those beyond the grave...and I got a message back..."

Miranda was a bit skeptical about that. "Really? From who?"

"...My great-grandmother...I was so scared that I swore my skin almost looked like it was bleached. I had tried to summon a ghost before, but I had never gotten an answer..." Lucy shivered a little. "I immediately ended the ritual, but I could still hear her voice in my head..."

"Has this kept you awake at night for any length of time?"

Lucy gave a small nod. "It had been for a few weeks...and soon enough I decided to try again, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I performed the ritual and...I heard that voice again. I just couldn't believe it; I actually managed to get in contact with a deceased relative!" The Duchess of Darkness cheered for a brief moment, before her frown took form again. "I told the rest of the family about it, but they didn't believe me...you probably don't either, but I'm not going to hold that against you."

Miranda nodded. "It's ok Lucy. Now, given your involvement with the supernatural...do you feel this has somewhat alienated you from your family?"

Lucy hesitated to answer. She would like to believe that it hasn't since the emo still remained close to her immediate relatives, but when it came down to it...this was one of the main reasons she stopped caring about a lot of things. It was small at first, but as the year passed, Lucy had to admit that she had gotten worse. "...Yes..." Her eyes became a tad watery. "It wasn't really the fact that none of my siblings weren't interested in the stuff I like...I'll admit that it did bother me at one point, but only because it was one of those moments where Lincoln had an idea and the rest of us decided to copy it. He wanted to mold Lily into liking the stuff he did, and you can guess what happened there."

The little vampire-fan lied back on the lounger. "What really started to bother me was how much my siblings started to not notice me around the house. For a time, I started practicing popping up out of nowhere like a ghost; it was just me trying to scare my family for fun. It was enjoyable for a while, but in a house as loud as mine...I guess practicing to be quiet will have its downsides..."

"You started to get noticed less and less, even when you weren't trying?" The Latina questioned.
The eight year old gave another nod. "I didn't really mind it at first. I thought they were still getting used to my 'ghost walk' as they call it. However, I soon began to realize they just didn't notice me coming even if I was walking right past them...for example, I would walk into one of their rooms when it's all quiet, and I thought they would've heard my footsteps. But the moment I speak, they still jump in fright. Started during the latter half of my 7th year, continued into my 8th, and it had been going on for so long; that I started to stop caring much about my sibling's opinions. I guess you could say I started entering a 'goth' phase..." Lucy gave a heavy sigh. "I did the best I could to not let my sibling's lack of attention get to me. If they wanted to remain oblivious to the fact I just I'm not trying to purposely scare them, fine...what really broke my heart into little pieces, was when the family was going to go on a road trip for a planned vacation..." Lucy's face grew grim.

Miranda had a feeling what the little girl's tale would encompass. "What happened?"

"This little getaway was different from the first time we tried taking a road trip. Last time, all of us ended up fighting over a car seat and it got the van destroyed. This time though, we all promised to be on our best behavior. Our parents were wary, but trusted us regardless. However, I had taken a nightly stroll with Fangs and had stayed out a little later than I wanted to. As such, I was so tired I didn't hear our alarms going off the next morning."

Lucy formed a scowl on her face. "However, what I couldn't believe was that Lynn had forgotten to wake me up...we've slept in the same room ever since the twins were born, and she just leaves like I wasn't even there..." A few tears started to stream from her eyes. "What was even worse, was that mom and dad didn't realize I wasn't in the car until they were 30 miles away from home...I-I could handle my siblings not noticing me, b-but my parents?..." Lucy put a hand to her face, trying to shield her face from revealing her pain.

Miranda sat silently as Lucy continued to cry to herself, the child's sobs echoing throughout the room. Just as she figured, Lucy's depression stemmed from abandonment issues. Not an unusual case for depressed children. Older clients tend to suffer from drug-related problems or loss of a loved one. In Lucy's case, she effectively became broken by the very thing she was interested in. She had gotten what she wished for, to become more focused and in tune with the supernatural, but it strained her relationship with her family it seemed.

"At that point...that's when I became almost completely emotionless...I became more moody and depressed despite the countless apologies my parents and siblings gave me, and my voice showed it. It lacked any care or happiness, leaving nothing but despair. All their apologies was remind me of how little they thought of me..." Lucy sniffled. "I felt like...like I was drowning in pain and sorrow, and I had nothing to let it out...I thought I would've snapped at some point. My teachers noticed it and called my parents, but that did little to help. They just thought I was going through a phase and that I would get over it at some point...they didn't realize how much pain I really felt; likely it didn't help because I became so cold to them..." The girl grabbed some tissues from a nearby box to blow her nose.

"I'm...very sorry to hear that Lucy...I know with some parents it can be hard to pick up on certain cues, but-" Miranda started.

"Well, they didn't...I still kept up with the things I normally do, but I kept to myself more and more." Lucy tossed the tissue away, pulling her legs into her chest. "At most times of the day, I would hide away in the vents of the house or the attic, just looking through books. It was one of the few ways that could bring a smile to my face at the time. Then, during one school day, we had a project that required us to write a poem about ourselves. I didn't realize it before...but the words literally flowed out of me and onto the paper as I wrote. I poured every feeling of sadness and anguish into my work, and when I turned it in to the teacher...she was so surprised at how well written and emotional it was, that not only did I get the best grade in the class, it was put on a wall in the school for 'decorated achievements'. At first, I didn't think much of it. I just did what I was told...but if my teacher felt that I had a knack for writing...I decided to give it a try."

Lucy could hear her therapist silently scribbling notes. "So, you write poems on a daily basis these days?" She asked.

"Yes. It's helped me cope with my inner turmoil since...not a day went by that I wasn't seen without my journal. Well...until recently that is..." The emo gave another sniffle.

"...Do you and your siblings get into fights often?" The Hispanic woman asked.

Lucy didn't answer for a few moments. At most, the kids got into a lot of arguments, she could agree with that. Coming to blows though, was a different matter. Usually it's the twins doing it, sometimes it's herself and Lynn. Lori and Leni were no better either, and it was the same story with Luna and Luan. Probably the only ones who didn't fight, or very little, were Lisa and Lily. With Lincoln...it was a matter of perspective. "Just arguments for the most part...actually hitting each other...not too often I guess. However, I will say that one point or another, I have had issues with all of my siblings, at the same time..."

"What occurred during this incident?"

"...My siblings lack of attention finally got my nerves to the point they literally acted like my opinion didn't matter...along with the fact they still didn't notice me when I wasn't trying to hide from them, they also didn't remind me we had two sibling meetings, and worst of all...my poem journal was destroyed no thanks to Lisa..." Lucy folded her arms in disgust. "I was so fed up with it all that I wanted to get back at them...but didn't know how. So when I went into the attic, I stumbled upon a chest full of Great-Grandma Harriet's stuff, and found a spell book. I figured it was the best way to get my revenge, but it seems the spells weren't working at first. So, I decided to make my siblings mute so they would finally listen to me..." The eight year old's eyes filled with guilt. "It worked at first, but then I started to see how my siblings were suffering because of it...however, it turned out they lost their voices from cheering our Pop-Pop on at his shuffleboard game. They had apologized to me for their treatment, and I had apologized for making them do everything I say...it made me feel...warm inside for the first time in what felt like an eternity..."

Miranda noted this. "So, it seems you and your siblings had finally reached an understanding?"

"We did...after all of that, I realized...maybe it was time for me to start thinking more positive. I wasn't in any mood to be my usual self, so I felt I should try to branch out and read something lighter-toned. I read about a series called Princess Pony, and the first time I looked at it in the library...I skimmed through a few books and took a liking to it. But, I didn't want my siblings to know I read stuff like that..."

The psychologist grew confused. "But, why? If you and your brother and sisters have started getting into a better relationship, I wouldn't think they would react negatively towards your choice."

Lucy sunk her head a little. "While I needed a break from the darkness, I knew my siblings would react mockingly towards the fact I like Princess Pony. Even Lola doesn't like it much. At one point, my secret was almost revealed when I accidentally left a book in the toilet at night." Miranda visibly cringed at that. "Yeah, I know. It wasn't the most sanitary place I could store it, but I had little choice since I heard someone coming. It led to a rather interesting day so to speak...of course, the toilet was clogged, and everyone besides me blamed Lincoln for it because he has a bad habit of stuffing things down the pipe. However, he eventually found out it was really me who did it despite finding ways to put blame on the others...I was ready to admit to the girls the truth..." Lucy's heart sank at what she was going to say next. "But in the end...Lincoln took the blame himself after seeing how much the others were mocking the series. He knew he could take it, and I couldn't...sigh, I wish I could figure out a way to make it up to him...especially now..."

Miranda tapped her fingers together. "Lucy...how close are you to your brother?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you agree that you and Lincoln have shared a close bond for all these years? And if so, what do you think is the reasoning for it?"

Lucy stared at the ceiling. "...I've guess you could say I've grown attached to Lincoln since I was a baby. He just seemed...different...like I was. Unlike my other siblings, Lincoln actually has white hair that mom said he gets from our grandfather. We both shared the same room until our family got larger and I had to share it with Lynn. We were essentially playmates, much like he and Lynn were. I actually tried to get him into the kind of supernatural stuff I was into, but sadly, it just wasn't his thing." If I had to say which siblings I have the best relationship with...it'd be Lincoln and Lynn. I just don't interact with my other sisters enough to get to know them on a more personal level."

The emo drummed her fingers on the couch. "My energetic roommate probably already told you about the kind of relationship we have, and she is right on that end...with Lincoln though...I could never ask for a more supportive big brother like him; that's why it pains me greatly knowing the state he's in..." Lucy felt more tears coming, so she grabbed more tissues. "I can't help but wonder, what does he think of me now?...I know he has these constant night terrors about myself and my sisters; no doubt his mind is fabricating us as complete monsters. Dad said he had another one before you talked to him..." The girl shook her head. "It's just..." She paused. "I r-really w-wish I had my journal r-right now..."

As Lucy started going into another crying fit, Miranda took a moment to look back over her notes. Just as she figured, Lucy's issues seemed to be similar to Lisa's. Both girls felt alienated from their family due to pursuing their interests, but in Lucy's case, she also didn't like the fact she had been ignored when she was just going about her usual business. While the latter seems to have been stemmed by her siblings reaching a better understanding, it did give Miranda clear confirmation that Lynn Sr. and Rita have failed to notice their kids having internal problems. Well, to be fair, she had a feeling this was the case after listening to a few of the girls, but with Lucy outright stating that her parents think she's just going through a phase...well it was enough proof that, as a psychologist and for the concern of 10 kids, their parents needed to hear about this.

As far as Lucy was concerned, Miranda now had the whole story of how a young girl went from being happy go-lucky, to being a shell of what she used to be. However, it seemed that Lucy was forming into her own person. She had embraced her dark nature a long time ago and learned to live with her current relationship with her family. Still, it must've been hard for her to recall the memories that made her the way she is. At this point, Lucy was (unsurprisingly) just like the rest of her siblings: wanting to find a way to return their brother to his former self.

"Well, Lucy...I can assure you that I will do whatever I can to help your brother. Like I have told the rest of your sisters, there is a chance Lincoln will get over his fears; I don't believe he's too far down the road where he wouldn't listen to reason. However, it has come to my attention that there has been a serious lack of communication for everyone in the family. In your situation, you finally got tired of your siblings not noticing you enough that you finally did something about it. Now, of course I think it would've been preferable had you all talked your problems out instead of acting on your emotions, but it seems to have worked out just fine. As such, in the future, I highly encourage that instead of bottling up your feelings, just talk to someone about them. I'm here for you, all of you actually."

Lucy nodded, cleaning her eyes. "Thank you Ms. Lopez..."

"Now, is there anything else you wish to discuss? Anything you might have trouble with?"

The emo shook her head, getting out of her seat. "No...but thank you for the talk. I hadn't told anyone else about how I really became, me...but thank you for bringing it to light."

"That's what I'm here for sweetie. Oh, and before you go, are your parents still out there?"

"Mom is. Dad is at the hospital with Lincoln."

"Ok. When you leave, I need to speak with Rita real quick."

Lucy nodded before leaving. Not soon after, larger footsteps indicated the Loud matriarch was approaching. Rita let herself in and closed the door. Unlike last time, she was a little confused as to why Miranda wished to speak with her again.

"Yes Ms. Lopez?" She asked, about to sit down.

"You don't need to sit for this Ms. Loud, this won't take but a moment." Miranda said quickly before flipping through her notes. "So, after speaking with everyone in the family, it's come to my attention that each of your daughters is dealing with problems that they either weren't aware of or refused to talk about. After speaking with Lucy, it's also come to my attention that some issues the girls are be dealing with may be misinterpreted as something else. Now, what I recommend is that everyone sit down together to discuss their issues. I believe it would help give the family some closure as well as making you all aware of each other's current standing. I believe it will be uncomfortable at first, but in the end, it will bring you all closer together. I think it may also help if it's done in an environment everyone is comfortable in."

Rita was surprised to hear that all of her kids were having personal problems. She expected only a few of them, like Luan, Lucy, and possibly Leni, but all 9 daughters? It was bad enough that Lincoln was afraid of most of his sisters, now she had to worry about what kind of problems the rest of her babies were dealing with. She had that gut feeling something was off when each of her girls came back with forlorn looks. Their troubled gazes never left Rita's mind, but she was looking to talk with them about what was causing their pain. The mother bit her knuckles anxiously just thinking about it. "Oh...I hope it's not anything that can't be fixed..."

"If it weren't, then you wouldn't be here." Miranda half-joked. Rita couldn't help but scowl a little. "Sorry. It's a psychology joke."

"Well, thank you letting me know. I'll talk with Lynn about it and we'll handle this in a family meeting. Now..." Rita shifted on the spot. "How much is this going to cost?"

The doctor shook her head. "No charge. I know you and Mr. Loud are stressed enough having your son in the hospital and needing to tend to your daughters. Plus, I know it may add on to whatever your son's hospital bill may be. I don't want you both to be stressed out having to pay for two things at once."

The matriarch blinked twice. "Oh, well, t-thank you!" She smiled.

Miranda walked over to her desk, where she slipped a business card off a stack. Handing it to Rita, "Now remember, my office is always open. If you have any questions or concerns, my number is listed on this card. If you need any help, you're always free to call me. My hours are also listed on the card too. Oh, and Rita?"

"Yes?"

"Please let me know when Lincoln is ready for a visit. While my talk with him earlier might have done some good for him, I still think it'd be better for his sake if we met in person."

Rita read over the card for a second. "Trust me, you will. I think he leaves the hospital in another week."