A TOOTHY STORY pt. 4
Plankton's mind is a swirl
of confusion, but he feels the
weight of relief in Karen's touch.
"Don't worry, Plankton," she says,
smiling at him. "You're okay.
You just had a little nap."
He tries to speak again, his
tongue feeling like it's made of
marshmallows. "Nap?" he slurs.
The nurse, Nina, nods. "You
were out cold, Mr. Plankton.
We had to wake you up."
Plankton's eye widen, and
his antennae quiver. "Mm, nap,"
he mumbles, trying to form
sentences through the fog.
Karen laughs, her hand
still in his. "Yes, a very
deep nap. You've had a
wisdom tooth extraction, remember?"
He nods, his movements
sluggish. "Ow...?" he says,
his hand reaching up to
his mouth. Karen grabs
his hand before he can
touch the gauze. "No, no,"
she says, her voice still gentle.
"Let them heal. No touching."
Nina, the nurse, chuckles. "It's
normal for the mouth to feel
funny after the surgery. It's all
part of the process."
Plankton's antennae wiggle,
his mind still in a daze. "Mm, funny,"
he murmurs, trying to form a coherent
thought. Karen wipes at his mouth
with a tissue, catching the last
of his drool. "Don't worry, sweetie,
you'll feel better soon," she says, her
laughter a gentle melody in the
stillness of the room.
Nina, the nurse, checks
his vitals again. "Looks like
you're coming around," she says
to Plankton. "Just a bit longer
and then we'll get you home."
Plankton's mouth moves
slowly, his words a jumble.
"Tee...th...hurt?" he slurs.
Karen shakes her head, smiling
despite her own nerves. "No,
not yet, Plankton. The numbness
will wear off by tomorrow."
The nurse, Nina, nods. "He's
right, Mr. Plankton. You're all
fixed up. No more teeth to worry
about." Plankton's eye finally
focus on her.
"Teef...goog?" he mumbles.
Karen nods, her smile
growing wider. "Very good,"
she says. "You did so well."
The nurse, Nina, laughs lightly.
"It's normal for the mouth
to feel weird afterward."
Plankton's eye glaze over,
his eyelid heavy. He tries to
lift his hand to touch his mouth
again, but Karen gently holds
it back. "Let it be, Plankton.
No poking."
He looks at her, his gaze
confused, a mix of
sleepiness and bewilderment.
"Tee...th?" he mumbles,
his mouth a wet mess of
gauze and drool. Karen laughs
softly, her eyes shining
with affection. "Don't worry,
you're okay."
Plankton's antennae
wave erratically as he
tries to sit up again. Nina
quickly intervenes, pushing
his shoulders back down.
"Easy there," she says,
"You're not quite ready yet."
Karen giggles, enjoying
the rare sight of her
usually energetic husband
so out of sorts.
"M-mouth...sho...bith," Plankton
slurs, his words a slurred
mess. Nina, the nurse, chuckles.
"It's the anesthesia, Mr. Plankton."
Karen laughs, wiping his mouth
with a gentle hand. "It's okay,
you're just sleepy. Your mouth will
feel normal again soon."
Plankton's eye half-closed,
his antennae waving lazily. "Karen?"
he mumbles. "Tish me?"
Karen laughs, her voice
like a soothing wave. "It's okay,
you're all tucked in." She adjusts
his blanket, his body still
weak from the anesthesia.
Plankton's antennae twitch,
his mind swimming in a sea of
cotton-like confusion. "Wh-wha...?"
he slurs, his eye struggling
to stay open. Karen wipes his
mouth with a tissue. "You're
at the dentist, love. You had
your wisdom teeth taken out."
"D-denth-tith?" he
managed to mumble.
Karen laughs, her voice light
and airy. "Wisdom teeth, Plankton,"
she corrects him gently. "They're all
gone now. No more worrying."
His eye close again, his
lashes fluttering. "Wis...them?" he mumbles.
"Yeah, the ones that were going
to crowd your mouth."
The nurse, Nina, laughs. "He's
still not with us," she says,
shaking her head.
Plankton's mouth opens again,
and out comes a string of nonsense.
"M-m-muffins," he mumbles,
his eye still half-closed.
Karen's laughter fills the room.
"What about muffins?" she asks,
playing along.
"Firsh...bath thine,"
he slurs, his thoughts a jumble.
Nina, the nurse, can't help
but laugh too. "It's the anesthesia,"
she reminds Karen. "It'll wear off soon."
Karen nods, her smile never
leaving her face. "I know, I know,"
she says, wiping at her own
tears of mirth. "But he's so adorable
like this."
Plankton giggles. "How many
fingers did the...denth-tith eat?"
he asks, his voice a mix
of sleepiness and confusion.
Karen's laughter fills the room
like the chime of a bell. "What
are you talking about?"
she asks, wiping his mouth.
"No fingers, Plankton."
"Mm, good," he mumbles,
his eye trying to focus. "Becauthe...
the denth-tith wike magi...th."
Karen's laughter is
a warm embrace in the
cool, clinical room. "No, Plankton,
not magic," she says, "It's just
the medicine."
He blinks, his eye
trying to focus on her. "M-m-magic?"
he slurs, his voice a
slurred melody. "Tish me."
Karen laughs, her hand
still in his. "It's not magic,
sweetie," she says, her voice
like a gentle breeze. "You're just
really sleepy."
Plankton nods slowly, his
eye still not fully open. "M-magic,"
he murmurs, his voice trailing off.
"Tish me more."
Karen laughs, her heart
warming at his antics. "No more,
Plankton," she says, her voice
like a melody. "You're all set."
Plankton's antennae droop,
his voice barely a whisper. "B-but...
I wanth moh." His words
are slurred, his tongue thick.
Karen laughs, her hand
still in his. "No more, love,"
she says, her voice a soft
caress. "You're all done. No more
teeth to worry about."
Plankton's antennae droop even
more. "B-but...I wath...wath..."
He tries to form words, but
his mouth won't cooperate.
Karen wipes his mouth again,
trying to hide her amusement. "What,
sweetie?" she asks, her voice
a gentle tease. "What do you want?"
"Huh," he murmurs, his
eye half-closed. "The denth-tith
thad I can eat all the...muf-muf..."
his voice fades as his
lid flutter shut.
Karen giggles, wiping
his mouth again. "Muffins?"
she asks, her voice a
playful dance. "Is that what
you want?"
Plankton's antennae twitch,
his mind still in a haze. "No,"
he mumbles, his eyelid
fighting gravity. "Muff...muf...mu..."
his voice trails off as
his breathing deepens,
his body succumbing
to the anesthesia's lingering
embrace.