OH NOT THE WISDOM TEETH pt. 2
Karen sits by the bed,
her gaze fixed on Plankton’s
face as drool pools at
the corner of his mouth.
The nurse comes in,
checks the machines, and
leaves with a nod. Plankton
stirs slightly, but the
snores continue. Karen's
thoughts drift to their
life together, the
adventures they’ve shared.
The quiet moments of
laughter, the fiery fights
over the Krabby Patty
formula, the tender kisses
exchanged at nightfall.
Her heart swells with love
and concern. She brushes
his antennae with
a gentle touch.
The drool on Plankton’s
mouth forms a tiny river,
wetting the pillow. Karen
fights the urge to laugh,
knowing he’d be
embarrassed if he were
awake. She reaches over
to his gauze and
dabs it away, careful not
to disturb.
A nurse, a motherly
looking octopus named
Octavia, enters the
room with a kind smile.
“You know, Mrs.
Plankton, sometimes
patients can get a bit
loopy when they first
wake up from anesthesia.
It’s perfectly normal.
You might want to be
prepared for some funny
things he might say or
do.” She chuckles to
herself, remembering
past incidents with other
patients.
Karen looks up.
“Like what?” she
asks.
Octavia smiles,
her tentacles curling
around the clipboard
she holds. “Well, they
might say something
that doesn’t quite make
sense, or think they’re
somewhere else entirely.
Some get a bit feisty, too.
It’s all just the anesthesia
wearing off. Nothing to
worry about, really.” She
winks one of her large
eyes, her expression
comforting. “His mouth
will be numb, so he might
talk a bit funny. And
sometimes, they think they’re
still dreaming, so they do
or say the darndest things.
Just try to keep him calm,
and it’ll all be over
soon enough. Remember,
it’s temporary, and he’ll be
back to his usual self
before you know it!”
Karen nods, trying
to absorb the information
while keeping her eyes
on Plankton. His snores
have changed pitch, and she
can't help but wonder if
he's about to wake up. The
minutes drag on, feeling
like hours, as she waits
for any sign of him
stirring.
Finally, with a soft
moan, Plankton's eye
begins to flutter open,
unfocused, glazed
over, and it's clear
he's still not fully
awake, and Karen
smiles, ready for the
loopy phase the nurse
warned her about.
"Karen," he slurs, his
voice muffled by the
cotton gauze stuffed
in his mouth. "Wheh...
wheh a?"
Karen's smile broadens.
"You're ok, Plankton. It's
over. You're in the
recovery room," she
whispers.
He tries to sit up,
but the nurse gently
pushes him back down.
"Easy, easy. Take it
slow, Mr. Plankton. You're
still..."
Her voice trails off as
Plankton's eye focus on
the ceiling, and his
mouth moves as if he's
trying to speak. Karen
leans closer, her heart
racing. "What is it, sweetie?"
His words come out
slurred, the anesthesia
still thick in his voice.
"Whe... whe... whewe...
my... my mouf?"
Karen chuckles softly,
relief bubbling up. "Your
mouth is numb, Plank..."
But her words are cut
short as Plankton's eye
widens. "My... my tee...
tee... tweef!" He mumbles.
The nurse, Octavia,
steps forward with a calm
demeanor. "It's okay, Mr.
Plankton. Your teeth are
safe. We removed the
wisdom teeth. You won't
feel much pain for now
because of the numbing
agent and anesthesia."
Plankton's eye darts
around the room. "My
tee... tweef... I wont
feel... I ca..."
Karen's uncertain of what he's
trying to say. She
repeats the nurse's
words, her voice soothing.
"You won't feel much pain.
It's okay."
Plankton's hand shoots
up, flailing slightly
as he tries to touch
his mouth. Karen catches
it gently, holding it down.
"You don't have to worry
about your teeth right now."
They remove the IV from
Plankton’s arm, and he
sees the dentist. “Huh..”
“You did great, buddy,”
says the dentist. Plankton’s
eye is still blurry,
his thoughts scattered.
“Teethies?” he repeats, his
voice still slurred.
The nurse nods, patting
his hand. “Yes, we took
out the teethies. You’re all
fixed up now.”
Plankton’s eye relaxes
a bit, but confusion
swims through the fog
of his thoughts. “Tee...
tw... thee?”
Karen nods.
“They got all
four of them. You’ll
be ok now.”
The nurse, seeing
his confusion,
explains further.
“The anesthesia
makes it so you
don’t remember the
surgery. But I promise,
we took great care
of you. Your teeth are
out, and you’re safe
here in recovery.”
Plankton’s eye
droops slightly, and
his head lolls to the
side as he
slips back into sleep,
his snores resuming their
steady rhythm.
Octavia smiles. “This is
completely normal, Mrs.
Plankton. The anesthesia
can take a while to wear
off. Just keep talking to him,
soothingly, so he knows
you’re here when he wakes
up. Let’s wake him up and get
him to your car.”