10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The day after Lincoln opened up to Luna; Rita and Lynn Sr. decided that they needed to do something to help Lincoln with his survivor's guilt. The first thing they did was call Chris and see if he could offer any advice on how to deal with this. So as soon as they woke up, Lynn dialed Chris's number. After a few seconds, Chris answered.

"Hello."

"Chris? This is Lynn." Lynn Sr. said.

"Hey Lynn. How are things?" Chris asked.

"Fine." Lynn Sr. asked.

"How's Lincoln doing?" Chris asked. "Has he settled in?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Lynn Sr. told him.

"Is everything ok?" Chris asked worried. "He's not in trouble is he?"

"No he's fine." Lynn Sr. reassured him. "He and the girls get along great and he's settling slowly."

"That's a relief." Chris sighed. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"Well last night, Lincoln opened up to Luna last night about his family's death." Lynn Sr. started. "What we learned is that Lincoln blames himself for his family's death. Lisa has deduced this as survivor's guilt."

"I see. That explains his fear of cars." Chris said. "I had suspected that he had survivor's guilt but I couldn't do anything to help him because he wouldn't talk to me or my wife."

"I see. Is that why he never saw a therapist?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"I did take him to see a few therapists." Chris answered. "But, he wouldn't say anything to them. They told me that he would just look at the ground or play with his sweatshirt zipper. They also said that he would get more and more uncomfortable with each question he was asked. So after his third session, I stopped taking him."

Lynn Sr. took a second to take in the information that he was given. Chris tried to help him but, as Lisa had said, Lincoln wouldn't talk to therapists. So Lynn Sr. immediately knew that taking Lincoln to see a therapist was out of the question.

"Do you have any suggestions to help us deal with Lincoln's survivor's guilt?" Lynn Sr. asked.

Chris didn't answer right away. He had to think about this one. Lincoln's condition was that he felt that he should have been in the car with his family when they died. He also knew that Lincoln blamed himself for what happened to his family. After a few seconds of thinking, he came up with something. But before he could give Lynn Sr. and Rita an answer, he had to be sure of something first.

"Lynn, before I give you an answer, could I ask you something first?" Chris asked.

"Of course." Lynn Sr. answered.

"Has Lincoln bonded with any if your daughters? Has he gotten close to any of them at all?" Chris asked.

The question took Lynn Sr. by surprise. He had to think about this carefully. The first few days he lived with them, he spent most of his time alone or with Charles. However, he did notice that he seemed most comfortable around Luna. Out of all his daughters, she seemed to be trying the hardest to help him get settled in. He also took in the fact that Lincoln opened up to her about his family and she was there to comfort him. He also remembered that Luna was the one who brought up the old kiddie table for him when he wouldn't sit at the normal dining room table. Not only did she do that, but she also sat with him at the kiddie table. No doubt, Lynn Sr. had his answer.

"Well, Lincoln seems to be most comfortable around my third oldest daughter Luna." Lynn answered. "Why do you ask?"

"The reason I ask is because I believe that the best way to help someone like Lincoln is to appoint him a guardian."

"A guardian?" Lynn Sr. repeated confused. "What is that exactly?"

"A guardian is a sibling that makes sure that their younger sibling feels loved and accepted." Chris explained. "The guardian would basically be the sibling that the child feels most comfortable around."

"Oh I see." Lynn Sr. said understanding. "So what you're saying is that the way to help Lincoln, is to appoint one of the our five older daughters to be his guardian?"

"Correct." Chris answered. "And from the sound of it, your daughter Luna seems to be the ideal choice due to the fact that, from what you told me, Lincoln feels most comfortable around her."

"Ok. Thanks Chris." Lynn Sr. said. "Before I hang up, I have to ask, do you know if Lincoln has any other issues that we should know about?"

"Not that I know of." Chris answered. "However, I do wish that I knew what made Lincoln so miserable at his last foster home."

"Answers will probably come in time Chris." Lynn Sr. reassured him.

"I know Lynn." Chris sighed. "Also, just so you know, in two weeks I'll be stopping by to check on Lincoln and to see how he is doing."

"Ok Chris. Thanks for everything." Lynn Sr. told him.

"Anytime Lynn." Chris said. "See you in two weeks."

"Until then. Bye." Lynn Sr. said as he hung up. He then turned to his wife. "So Chris thinks that the best way to help Lincoln is to appoint him a guardian. This is basically someone who will make Lincoln feel comfortable and loved."

"Ok. So who do you think we should appoint?" Rita asked.

"I normally would say Lori due to her being the oldest." Lynn Sr. answered. "But, I think Lincoln is still warming up to her."

"Very true." Rita agreed. "What about Luna? Lincoln seems the most comfortable around her and she was the one he opened up to."

"Agreed." Lynn said. "C'mon. We need to talk to Luna."

Luna was currently in her room, tuning up her electric guitar. Luan wasn't in the room because she was doing a birthday party for her business, Funny Business. As Luna continued tuning her guitar, she heard a knock on the door.

"It's open." Luna called. The door opened to reveal her parents. "Hey guys. Did you call Chris? What did he say? Is there a way for us to help Lincoln?"

"Slow down Luna." Rita soothed. "One question at a time. Now we did call Chris. He said that he did suspect that Lincoln had survivor's guilt and he did try to help him but to no avail."

"So is there no way for us to help the little dude?" Luna asked sadly.

"Well Luna, he did suggest something to us." Lynn Sr. answered. "But before we tell you, I want you to answer this question: How do you honestly feel about Lincoln?"

Now the question took Luna by surprise. But she had an answer for her parents.

"Honestly, I think Lincoln is one of the kindest dudes I have ever met." Luna answered. "I've seen how he is with Charles and how well he takes care of him. He's gentle with the younger sibs, and he was willing to take out the trash." Luna chuckled at that. "But, every time I see him, I see someone that needs help. I see someone needs someone to help him stop hurting and move on. I know that he's been talking to Mr. Grouse and I know that he is probably the reason Lincoln is starting to open up more and try to attempt to settle in. But, I want to help him. I don't see him as some random boy living with us. I see him as my little brother because that is what he is. He's my little brother and I want to help him."

Rita and Lynn Sr. shared a glance and a smile which showed that they got the answer that they wanted to hear.

"Good to hear that Luna." Rita told her. "Now your father and I have a very important job for you."

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"We want you to be Lincoln's guardian." Lynn Sr. answered. "What that means is that it will be your job to make sure Lincoln feels happy and loved and comfortable here. It also means that you will also have to help him move on from his past. Can we count on you Luna?"

"You can count on me dad." Luna said with determination and with little hesitation.

"Good to hear." Rita said relieved. "We're counting on you Luna. Make us proud." With that, the two parents exited the room, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts.

"I promise you mom and dad; I will do whatever I can to help Lincoln." Luna said to herself. "And I promise you Lincoln that I will make sure that you will always feel loved and that I will help you move on and deal with your past. And that is a promise that I will never break."

That was a good cookie. Now I hope you liked the chapter. The next chapter will be important. You will finally find out what happened to Lincoln in his other foster home. Now, I want you guys to go to you kitchen and eat a cookie. Now until next time, Peace!