At home

"Daddy!" Ned heard a cry from the kitchen which woke him up from his nap from the couch.

Within a second, he was in the kitchen.

"What happened? What's wrong?" He asked.

"J. J.'s eating a cookie!" Hedy said.

Ned looked and saw that his youngest was indeed gnawing on a teething biscuit.

Sally had noted that she felt some teeth coming in when she fed him.

He had just turned 6 months old a few days before and Dr. Whobert says that at this time, teething was expected. J. J. had been more fussy than usual and it was because of his sore gums.

"Hedy, sweetie, he's teething." Ned said, tiredly.

"He's gonna spoil his dinner!" Hedy said, hoping her dad would be on her side.

"Alright, you know what? That's enough!" Ned finally snapped. He dragged Hedy to her bed in the girls' room. Ned set her on the comforter.

"You will stay in your room until you get along with your baby brother."

And he walked away, leaving the orange little girl to her punishment.

She would never get along with her baby brother. He took her spotlight and he wanted it back.

At dinnertime, Ned noticed a chair was empty.

"Is JoJo hiding in his room again?" He asked, pouring a pitcher of fruit juice into glasses for each child.

JoJo spoke up.

"No, dad, I'm right here."

Ned turned and saw his teenager in his normal seat, next to his mother.

"Then... who's missing?" Ned asked, scanning his eyes to make a mental note as to who wasn't at the table.

Ned almost dropped the pitcher when he realized what he did.

"Hedy!" He ran for the girls' room.

He returned with a pouting little girl.

"Daddy remembered." Ned said, sheepishly.

"She's been in her room for hours?" Sally asked.

"I forgot she was in trouble, okay!" Ned argued.

Dinner came and went and Ned was about to spend another hour in his office to finish up, but Sally came up behind him.

"Let's go to bed." She said.

"But I have stuff to catch up on!" Ned said, like a child who wanted to stay up to watch tv.

"That can wait. You look exhausted." Sally pulled his arm and Ned had to comply. He couldn't stop yawning.

Sally was always right.