KAREN AND THE TEETHIES iv
The nurse finishes up and
turns to Karen with a gentle smile.
"He'll be waking up soon," she
says. "Why don't you talk to him?
Sometimes hearing a familiar voice
can help bring them around
better."
Karen nods, leaning in.
"You did so good," she says,
her voice filled with love. "It's
almost over." Plankton's snores
remain consistent, his mouth
slightly open as he drools onto
the chair. She reaches over
and carefully wipes it away with
a tissue. The room is quiet
except for the soft beeps of
the monitors and the sound of
Plankton's deep, even breaths.
The assistant begins to remove
the I.V. from Plankton's arm,
his hand steady despite the
tiny vein he's working with.
The nurse stands by, ready
with a cup of water and a
comfortable chair for him to sit
in when he wakes. Karen's eyes
follow her every move, eager
for the moment she can take him
home.
The minutes tick by, the only
sound in the room the soft
hum of the surgical lights
and the occasional snore from
Plankton. His drool forms a
tiny puddle on the chair, and
Karen dabs it away with a
tissue. His breathing is deep
and steady, the anesthesia
keeping him in a peaceful slumber.
Dr. Finnegan checks the
monitors one last time before
nodding to the nurse. "Due to
the numbing medication we
administered into his mouth,
Karen, Plankton probably won't
immediately feel his mouth or
talk fluently, not to mention the
normal confusion from anesthesia."
The nurse starts to lower the
chair into a more upright position.
Plankton's snores become less
snuffly, more like a soft purr.
"Okay, Karen," Dr. Finnegan
says, "You can start talking to
him now. It'll help him come
around." Karen nods, leaning in
closer. "Plankton," she whispers,
her voice filled with warmth, "it's
almost over. You did so well."
Plankton's snoring morphs into
a gentle snuffle as his head
lolls on the chair. His drool forms
a tiny stream down his chin, and
Karen wipes it away with a tissue,
trying not to laugh at the sight.
The nurse smiles at her, patting
his hand. "He's just about ready."
The chair slowly reclines
back, and Plankton's snores
change pitch again, his mouth
opening slightly more, revealing his
swollen gums and the freshly
stitched sockets. Karen's heart
swells with love and concern.
This is her husband, her rock,
currently a ragdoll in the
hands of anesthesia.
The nurse puts down her tools
and gently shakes Plankton's
shoulder. "Mr. Plankton, it's time
to wake up," she says in a
soothing voice. Karen squeezes his hand
and whispers, "You can do it,
babe. It's almost over."
Plankton's snores begin to
soften, turning into small
moans as he stirs in the chair.
Karen's voice grows
slightly louder, "Plankton,
wake up, you're okay."
The nurse nods, her hand
still on his shoulder. "Come
on, Mr. Plankton," she says,
her voice gentle. "Time to
wake up now."
Plankton's snores taper off
into quiet, shallow breaths,
his mouth still slightly open.
A string of saliva stretches
between his bottom lip and the
chair, and Karen quickly
wipes it away with the tissue.
His eyelid flutters open,
his gaze unfocused and glazed.
He blinks slowly, looking
around the room as if trying
to piece together where he is.
Karen's eyes are on him, a
mixture of love and concern,
as she smiles down at him, and he
looks at her with a confused
expression.
"Welcome back," she says
softly. His mouth moves, but a
sound comes out, being a
slightly slurred mumble that
sounds like "Mmph?"
The nurse laughs gently. "It's
normal for the mouth to be
numb. You just had your
wisdom teeth out."
Plankton's eye widens a
little, and he tries to speak
again, "Wheah...?"
The nurse chuckles. "Your
mouth is still numb, don't worry."
Karen takes the cue and
reassures him, "You're at the
dentist, honey. You just had
your wisdom teeth removed."
Plankton blinks again, his eye
slowly focusing on her face.
He then looks at the nurse with
confused suspicion. His eye
widens a bit more, looking at
his arm where the I.V. had been,
now just a small bandage.
The nurse nods. "Yes, you're
all done. We're just waiting
for you to wake up fully before
we let you go ho-"
Plankton interrupts with a
slurred, "Huh?" His tongue
doesn't quite cooperate, and he
ends up drooling a bit more.
Karen laughs, the tension in
the room dissipating. "You
heard her, you're okay," she says,
patting his hand.
But Plankton's not quite
convinced. His eye narrows as
his mind fights the fog of
the anesthesia. "Wha... wha...
youw nee thoo do my teethies!
Youw shupposht to taketh them
out!"
The nurse laughs lightly, a
kindness in her eyes. "Don't
worry, Mr. Plankton, we did.
You're all done. Dr. Finnegan
took them out."
Plankton's gaze shifts to
Dr. Finnegan with curiosity.
"Who's 'Dr. Finny-gwan'?" he
slurs, his voice thick with
confusion.
Karen laughs softly, "It's
Dr. Finnegan, sweetie. He's
the dentist. He's the one who
just took your teeth out."
Plankton's unfocused eye
swivels towards Dr. Finnegan,
his expression one of disbelief.
"Y-you're not... 'Dr. Finny-gwan'?"
he stammers, the words
sliding out of his mouth like
molasses.
The dentist chuckles, his
face appearing over Karen's
shoulder. "It's okay, Plankton,"
he says, his voice calm. "I'm
right here, see?"
Plankton blinks heavily, his
eye darting between the nurse
and Dr. Finnegan, trying to make
sense of the situation. "bu’...
my teethies," he mumbles, his
hand rising to tentatively touch
his swollen cheeks.
The nurse's smile never
fades as she says, "Yes, Dr.
Finnegan performed the
surgery. You're all set."
But Plankton's not so sure.
He looks at her hand on his
shoulder, the same one that
was so gentle when he was
unconscious. "You... youwre
not... a... nentis," he
asks, his words thick with
drowsiness.
The nurse laughs gently, her
patience unwavering. "No,
Mr. Plankton, I'm not. I'm
just here to help you wake
up. Dr. Finnegan is the one
who did the surgery." She
gestures to the dentist, who
smiles back at Plankton.
But Plankton's mind is
still swimming in anesthesia.
"Thent... then wha... who
dat?" he slurs, pointing a
shaky finger at the figure
behind the surgical mask.
The nurse laughs gently,
not offended by his confusion.
"I'm just here to assist Dr.
Finnegan," she explains, her voice
soft and soothing. "I didn't
do the surgery. He did."
Plankton's eye squints
suspiciously at her, his hand
still hovering over his cheek.
"Buth... youw... you haz... hands..."
he mumbles.
The nurse's smile
doesn't falter. "Yes, I do.
But I promise you, it was
Dr. Finnegan who performed
the surgery."
Plankton's gaze swings to
Dr. Finnegan again, his
expression a mix of confusion
and accusation. "Den...
den who... who ish... ish..."
his voice trails off as he tries
to form coherent words, but
his mouth isn't cooperating.
The dentist laughs, a
deep, hearty sound that fills
the room. "It's okay, Plankton.
You're just a little out of it
right now." He reaches out to
give Plankton's shoulder a gentle
squeeze. "Let's get you into the
recovery chair."
Karen helps to lift him
up, his body feeling like a rag
doll in her arms. He leans
heavily on her, his legs
shaky and unsteady. The nurse
supports his other side as
they guide him to the chair.
"Whathish ish...?" he mumbles,
his eye glazed and unfocused,
his hand feeling along the chair
as if trying to understand
what it is.
"It's your chair, Plankton,"
Karen says with a smile,
helping him to sit upright.
Plankton's gaze travels
slowly to the chair.
"Chair?" he slurs, his voice
barely a whisper. He looks back
at Karen, then at the nurse,
his eye wide with bewilderment.
"Whath... whath do I do wiff
thish... chair?"
The nurse and Karen both
chuckle, the tension of the
surgery lifting slightly. "You
just sit down, sweetie," Karen
says, her voice soothing. "Let's
get you comfortable."
Plankton looks at the chair
with a mix of suspicion and
exhaustion. "Buth... I don't
know how to siht," he slurs,
his mouth barely moving. His hand
grips the armrest as if it's a
life preserver.
Karen laughs softly,
supporting him as he sits.
"You've got this," she says,
adjusting his posture. "Just
let yourself lean back."
Plankton's eyelid flaps
weakly. "Buth... buth how do
youw siht?" he repeats, his
words slurring into each
other. His head lolls back,
and Karen and the nurse share a
look of amusement.
The nurse gently pushes
his head back. "Just
and relax, Mr. Plankton," she
instructs. "We've got you."