Taking Care of Daddy
Summary: Find out what Phil and Lil were doing during the events of the Rugrats episode, Fountain of Youth from season 9. Idea was inspired by Boris Yeltsin, and chapter 27 of my ongoing story at this time, Ask the Dynamic Trio.
Disclaimer: I do not own the original Rugrats characters, they're the property of their original creaters. I do own any OC's you don't recognize, though there most likely, won't be any OC's in this story, Still though, better cover myself to be safe.
It was a beautiful summer day in Yucaipa, California. Everybody was excited, as they would soon be heading up to Lake Crackanee, a place that was very special to Drew and Stu Pickles growing up, as it's where they spent their summer days as little boys. It was also the place where they met Chaz Finster, and became the best of pals, and they were looking forward to sharing this with their family and friends. Betty and Howard were up early that morning, having breakfast and discussing the upcoming trip.
"So Howie, do you think you'll be able to handle the pups by yourself this weekend at Lake Crackanee? I'm sorry I have to miss out on this little venture, but I promised Chazzy and Kira I'd hold down the fort at the Java Lava while they were gone." Said Betty, as she took another sip of her coffee.
"No problem Betty, the twins and I will be just fine. In fact, as soon as I finish up the breakfast dishes, I'll go get the twins dressed while you finish packing our suitcases." Said Howard, as he got up from the table and renced his coffee cup off in the sink.
Betty nodded with a smile as she watched her husband clean up from breakfast, and went upstairs to wake up the twins. He got upstairs to find they were just waking up, so got them out of their cribs and saw to changing their diapers. Overly excited about the trip, Phil and Lil constantly squirmed around, making their father's task of getting them into fresh diapers a bit more difficult.
"Phil, Lil, I know you're excited, but for daddy's sake, please, hold still!" Howard screamed impatiently, as he struggled to get Lil's diaper on to her, and then, Phil into a fresh diaper, as he was met with the unpleasant surprise of worms crawling around in Phil's old diaper he had recently taken off.
Howard nearly threw up at the sight of the worms, but tried to swallow and catch his breath, as he changed Phil's diapers, and disposed of the dirty ones. Once he had them changed, he bent down and reached into the bottom dresser drawer to get out clean outfits, their usual jumpers with the duckies on them and the purplish pink shirts that they were seen wearing in most episodes. He lay them out on the changing table, as Phil and Lil, practically butt naked, except for their clean diapers and Lil's pink bow, waited patiently for their father to get the clothes out.
As Howard stood up to put their shirts and jumpers on the changing table, he noticed a slight twinge of pain in his back, but thought nothing of it, as maybe he moved too fast. However, when he reached back into the drawer to get a pair of blue shorts for Phil and stood back up, he quickly discovered that the small twinge was something to be concerned about.
"Ooooh! Ow!" Howard screamed, as he tried to stand up, a crack heard in his back, as he threw his back out.
"Why did daddy scream ow? Did he hurt himself?" Lil asked her brother.
"I think he bumped his head Lil." Replied Phil.
"No Phillip, I think he hurt his back." Argued Lil.
"His head, Lillian." Argued Phil.
"His back, Phillip." Argued Lil.
Meanwhile, Betty was in her and Howard's room, packing the final outfit of Howard's into his suitcase and was about to zip it shut, when she heard his screams of pain coming from the twin's room. Worried, she threw everything down and went to see what was up.
"Hey Howie, is everything ok in here?" Betty asked from the doorway, as she looked over to see the twins practically naked, and Howard, a look of pain on his face, as he steadied himself by holding on to the end of Phil's crib for support.
"I think I threw my back out. It hurts to stand. Oooh! Outch!" Howard cried in pain.
"Come on Howie, let's get you down to the couch with a heating pad. It doesn't look like we'll be going to Lake Crackanee this summer." Said Betty with disappointment, as she carried her husband downstairs.
"Careful, careful dear." Said Howard, as Betty gently lay him down on the couch and got him a heating pad.
As she was getting the heating pad plugged in and set up, the phone rang. She lay the heating pad down on Howard's stomach and ran to answer the phone.
"Hi Betty, we're about ready to leave for Lake Crackanee. Are Howard and the twins ready?" Didi asked on the other end of the phone.
"You couldn't have picked a better time to call Deed. Looks like we won't be going to Lake Crackanee after all." Said Betty.
"Is everything all right?" Didi asked worriedly.
"Afraid not Deed. Howie threw his back out and I promised Chazzy I'd hold down the fort at the Java Lava. And I'd send the pups with you guys but I know you have enough of an arm load with Tommy and Dil, little Chukster and Kimi, and Ange. Sorry we can't come, but I hope you have fun." Said Betty into the phone.
"Well, all right. I hope Howard feels better soon." Said Didi.
"Thanks Deed. Well, better be going." Said Betty, as she hung up the phone and ran upstairs where she put Phil and Lil back into their pajamas for the day.
"Sorry kiddos, daddy's hurt and we won't be able to go to the lake this year. I promise, we'll go next summer." Said Betty, as she carried the twins downstairs and got them set up in the living room with some toys to play with and a Reptar video.
"Well, I'm off to Java Lava for a few hours. I'll be back to check on everybody right after lunch time." Said Betty, as she approached her husband, who was trying to sit up on the couch.
"Howie, you rest your back, and don't move a muscle. You must stay put on this couch." Said Betty, as she gave her husband a kiss on the forehead.
Howard moaned in disappointment, not looking forward to the long day ahead.
Betty then went over to the twins, who were rolling a ball back and force to one another.
"You pups be good, and take care of daddy ok?" Betty said, as she kissed the top of Phil and Lil's heads.
Phil and Lil looked up at their mother and smiled, reassuring her that everything would be fine. Relieved, she smiled down at her kids, turned, and left the house for the Java Lava. Once Betty was gone, the twins looked at one another, then over at their dad on the couch. Phil's gaze wandered to the Reptar video that was on the TV, their favorite movie, Reptar versus the Giant Cockroaches.
"Come on Phillip, we've gots to take care of daddy." Said Lil.
"Awe, but Lillian, it's getting to a really good part in the movie!" Phil wined, as he kept his attention on the movie.
Lil rolled her eyes at her brother, before walking up to the TV, and looking for the button to turn it off. Soon, she found it, and just as Reptar was about to defeat another cockroach, Lil switched off the television.
"Hey!" Phil cried.
"Phillip, daddy needs our help. Now, I bet ya daddy's hungry. So, let's get him some food!" Said Lil.
"Yeah! Let's get him some bubble gum." Suggested Phil.
"No, Phillip, let's get him some mashed peas." Said Lil.
"Bubble gum." Argued Phil.
"Peas!" Shouted Lil.
"Bubble gum!" Shouted Phil.
Then, the two twins paused in their arguing, as they looked at one another, exchanging glances.
"Bubble gum and mashed peas." Said Phil and Lil in unison, as they tottled off to the kitchen to look for the food..
When they got there, they looked in the pantry, to spot the bubble gum in a bag on the bottom shelf, which Lil pulled out, while Phil spotted a jar of mashed peas on a higher shelf.
"Ok Lil, I'll stand on your shoulders and reach up to get the peas." Said Phil, as Lil stood still in front of the pantry, and Phil climbed on to her shoulders.
He almost couldn't reach it, until Lil carefully stood on her tippy toes, and Phil reached the jar of peas. Once he had it in his hand, he jumped off of Lil's shoulders, and spotting the dish washer still open from cleaning up from breakfast, Phil took a bowl out of the dish washer, while Lil grabbed a spoon. Then, using his teeth, he bit the top of the bag of bubble gum open, while Lil unscrewed the top of the jar of mashed peas. Once they had their food contents open, they poured everything into the bowl.
"Wait a minute Phil, I thought we were gonna give daddy these foods separately." Said Lil.
"I was thinking it would taste better as a combo. Come on Lil, help me stir." Said Phil, as he started to mix the peas and the bubble gum together with a spoon.
Soon, they had everything mixed together as best as they could master, but something still didn't look right to the twins.
"Hmmm, something's missing Lil." Said Phil, looking over their masterpiece.
"Yeah, and I know just what it needs." Said Lil, as she snuck out the doggy door into the backyard, and came back a few minutes later with a bucket of mud and worms.
"I don't know Lil, are you sure daddy's gonna like this? He nearly throwed up at the sight of my leftover wormies in my dirty diaper." Said Phil.
"Awe, daddy was just playing Phillip, he's gonna love it!" Exclaimed Lil excitedly, as she added the mixture of mud and worms to the bowl.
"And besides, if he doesn't like it, there's more for us." Said Lil.
Phil licked his lips at this comment, as the twins stirred in the mud and worms into the mixture of mashed peas and bubble gum. Once everything was mixed together, the twins stood back and admired their new dish.
"Yummy yummy!" They exclaimed in unison, as they picked up the bowl and carried it into the living room.
Once they were standing by the couch, where Howard was resting, they started arguing over who should give Howard his food.
"Ok Lil, give me the bowl, and I'll give it to daddy." Said Phil.
"No Phil, you give me the bowl and I'll give it to daddy." Said Lil.
"No Lillian, I believe you should give it to me!" Argued Phil.
"I believe you should give it to me, Phillip." Argued Lil.
"Me!" Argued Phil.
"Me!" Argued Lil.
As they argued, they pulled on either side of the bowl, until they lost their grip, letting go, sending the bowl into their father's face. The arguing soon turned into fits of laughter, as Phil and Lil laughed at the sight of their daddy.
While the twins thought it was amusing, Howard didn't exactly think it was so funny, as he nearly choked on a worm, which he spit out, sending it across the room, as several worms crawled off the couch and invaded the living room, tracking mud and mashed peas everywhere. Howard wiped his muddy face on the throw blanket that was on the back of the couch, and gave a look of disgust at his children.
"Uh, nice try kids, but daddy doesn't like mud very much." Said Howard.
Then, Phil and Lil remembered that their father wasn't suppose to move from the couch. Realizing this, they went around the living room, licking up the splotches of mud, and slerping up the worms, those they could reach, that hadn't hidden beneath the couch or behind other pieces of furniture, that even for toddlers, they were too big to get behind.
"How's daddy gonna go potty Phillip? Mommy said he can't leave the couch." Said Lil.
"I know, we'll put him into a diapie!" Suggested Phil, as he slurped the last visible worm, then ran up to their room, where he fetched a clean diaper off the shelf beneath the changing table, and a bottle of baby powder.
Soon, he returned downstairs, carrying the diaper and powder, and the twins got ready.
"No fighting Lil, we've gots to work together." Said Phil.
"We don't fight Phillip." Said Lil.
"Yes we do Lillian." Argued Phil.
"No we don't, Phillip." Argued Lil.
"Yes we do, Lillian." Argued Phil.
"No we don't!" Screamed Lil, as she slipped and accidentally, fell on top of the controls that worked the heating pad.
Not realizing it, she accidentally landed on the red switch, that turned it on to very hot.
"Outch! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Howard cried, as he lifted the hot heating pad off of his stomach, making his fingers turn red.
"Uh oh, now what do we do?" Lil asked.
"I've gots a idea." Said Phil, as he ran off to the kitchen, and pulled open the refridgerator, where he found two full baby bottles of milk, that were originally intended for them.
Thinking fast, he got the bottles out of the kitchen and brought them back into the living room, where he pointed them at the heating pad, and squirted the cold milk on to it. While this cooled off Howard's hands instantly, it caused the heating pad to short out, because it couldn't get wet. Once the heating pad was cold and soggy, Phil removed it from Howard's stomach, and tossed it on to the living room rug, getting it all wet.
"Kids! No!" Howard screamed, as he tried to sit up, only to make his back feel worse.
"Oooh! Oooh! Outch! There goes my back again." Howard grumbled in pain, as he tried to slowly lie back down on the couch.
Once he was lying down and catching his breath, relieved of the pain, Phil and Lil attempted to put him into a diaper.
"Ok daddy, hold still." Said Phil, as he pulled down his pajama pants and underwear, and Lil applied some baby powder to his bottom.
Then, they tried to apply a diaper, but with the diaper being too small to fit on Howard's bottom, it fell apart, sticking to the powder, making their daddy look quite funny. Phil and Lil started laughing at the sight of this, as Howard stared down to see what they were laughing at, Amused by the sight, he joined in laughing too, and soon, the twins were climbing on their daddy, laughing and hugging him.
Once everybody calmed down and caught their breath, Howard stared down at his twins.
"I'm sorry we didn't get to go to the lake with the Pickles and the Finsters, but you two are doing a great job taking care of me." Said Howard, as he leaned back on the pillows at one end of the couch and closed his eyes.
"I think it's nappy time." Whispered Phil to Lil.
"I think you're right Phil." Whispered Lil to Phil, as the twins stretched out on top of their dad, yawned, and closed their eyes.
As they yawned to go to sleep, Howard opened his eyes and saw that Phil and Lil were starting to grow tired.
"You know what you two need, your goodnight song." Said Howard, as he cleared his throat and started to sing.
Nighty night twins,
Nighty night twins,
Nighty night twins,
Nighty night twins.
Nighty night Phil,
Nighty night Lil,
Nighty night Phil,
Nighty night Lil.
Nighty night,
Nighty night,
Nighty nighty night night night,
Nighty night,
Nighty night,
Nighty night night Phil, and Lil.
As soon as he was finished singing, he too, yawned and fell asleep. A little while later, Betty returned from the Java Lava to check on her husband and the twins. While she walked in to find the living room was a mess, the sofa was covered in baby powder, and her husband's pajama pants and underwear half way down his legs, and his bottom covered in pieces of diaper and baby powder, she dismissed the mess, when she looked up to see that Howard, Phil and Lil were all curled up, taking a nap together.
"Awe, look at that, Howie taking a nap with the pups. Yep, it looks like things are just fine." Said Betty with a smile, as she stood in the doorway of the living room to the kitchen, watching her husband and children sleep for one more minute, before going around as quietly as she could and cleaning up the mess.
The End
Author's Note: The song I had Howard sing near the end of the chapter, is the same song he sang to Phil and Lil near the end of the season seven episode, Cat Got your Tongue. Apologies if I messed up the lyrics slightly, as that song is so repetitive, it's hard to figure out how many verses there are, etc. Hope you all enjoyed this little one-shot, and what will be, my second to last story to be posted for the 2015 year.