Sand Ho!

"Hi Grandpa."

"Hi there, Angelica!" Lou said as his granddaughter came running out to join the babies. He'd just got done telling them a pirate story and now the sprouts were digging in the sandbox, babbling and mumbling. Only a few weeks ago he'd have conked out halfway through but the new medicine the doctor had put him on had him feeling 20 years younger! At least that nurse of his, Lulu, thought so… "How are ya today!"

"I'm good," Angelica said, though her smile wasn't nearly as bright as it normally was.

"What's the matter there? Why so glum?"

"Daddy and mommy are makin' me see a psycho-logist," Angelica said with a pout.

"A psychologist," Lou corrected her gently. "And yeah, he told me about that." After what had happened with Tommy's lamp Drew and Charlotte had decided it might be wise to have Angelica talk to a shrink, to work out some of her issues. Normally Lou would've been against such a thing but he'd seen how worried they were and decided that it wouldn't do them good if he began complaining.

"I don't see why I need to go, I didn't do anything wrong."

"You broke Tommy's lamp though, right?" Lou asked, pulling her up onto his lap.

"Well… yeah," Angelica admitted.

"Did you talk to the shrink about it?"

The little girl nodded. "Yeah… he asked why I did it."

"And what did ya say?"

"That I didn't like how much fun the babies were having with it. But Dr. Jasper asked why I didn't like them having fun."

"What ya say?"

"…I'm tired of everyone focusing on the babies!" she suddenly exclaimed. Lou was startled by the outburst and the babies stopped playing to listen though Angelica didn't notice. "Everyone used to pay attention to me! But mommy got her promotion! Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu used to play with me but now all they care about is Tommy!"

"Yeah…" Lou said softly. "And I guess I've been forgettin' about ya too."

Angelica worried her lip and nodded, like she was afraid Lou would get mad.

"Sweetheart, what we do… it ain't Tommy's fault. Or his friends. They didn't make us do that."

"Yes they did."

"No, they didn't. We made mistakes… and we're working on it. You and I are spending more time together, right?"

"…yeah."

"And Stu held YOU while ya rode that donkey at the Grand Canyon?"

"… uh huh."

"I'm sorry we didn't pay as much attention to you… but you can't be mean to Tommy anymore. It isn't his fault. He loves you."

"He doesn't love me, he's just a dumb baby-"

Tommy, at that point, had toddled over and reached up, hugging Angelcia's leg.

"-Oh."

Lou smiled. "Tell ya what. Why don't YOU pick out the story I read next and you can sit right here the entire time."

"R-really?"

"Darn tootin'"

Angelica ran off, excited, while the babies sat down and waiting for the next story.