TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE
(by NeuroFabulous)
𓇼 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐆-𝟏𝟑 🕊️🩰🐚
Pt. 16
"Wha...whath
time ith it?"
Plankton asked,
his speech
still thick.
Karen glanced at
the clock on the
dashboard. "It's
almost noon, sweetie,"
she said, her voice
steady. "We're going
to get you home,
and you can take
a nice, long nap."
Plankton nodded, his
eye half-closed. "Nan?"
he repeated, the word
almost a question.
Karen nodded. "Yes,
nap. And then we can
make you something
soft and yummy to eat."
The mention of food
seemed to rouse him
slightly, his antennae
perking up. "Puddink?"
he mumbled. Karen
laughed again. "Yes,
sweetie, pudding."
"Whewe...whath..." he
slurred, his head rolling
slightly.
Karen chuckled. "You're
so tired, aren't you?"
Plankton nodded, his
eye half-closed. "Home,"
he murmured. "Wan' home.
Karen wiww make puddink?"
"Yes, sweetie, we're
going home," Karen said,
her voice filled with warmth.
"And can make pudding for
you." She squeezed his hand.
"Do you want chocolate or
vanilla?" Plankton's antennae
twitched as he thought.
"Chocowate," he mumbled,
his speech still slow.
Chip watched his dad,
his heart aching at the
childlike way he spoke. It was
both endearing and heart-
wrenching, a stark
reminder of the toll the
anesthesia and surgery had
taken on him.
"Chocowate," Plankton
repeated, his voice
slurred. "Pwease." Karen
nodded, her smile gentle.
"Of course, sweetie," she
soothed. "Chocolate pudding
it is."
Karen finally parked in
their driveway. "We're home,"
she said softly, turning
to face Plankton. His
antennas twitched at the
mention of home, his eye
fighting to stay open.
Karen helped him out of
the car, his legs wobbly.
"Come on," she coaxed, "Let's
get you inside." Chip also
followed them in.
In the living room,
Plankton stumbled to the
couch, his stuffed animal
still clutched in his arm.
He looked around, his
expression lost. "Bathwom?" he
slurred. "No, Plankton," Karen
laughed, helping him lay down.
"You're home."
Plankton's eye
widened. "Chip?" he
slurred. His son
smiled, his own anxieties
easing slightly. "Yeah, Dad, it's me."
He approached the couch, his
movements deliberate and
slow.
"Ith's sho bwight," Plankton
whispered, his gaze flickering
around the room. The
normalcy of their home
was overwhelming in his
current state. Karen
understood, her eyes filled
with compassion. "Let's
get you comfortable," she
said, helping him adjust his
pillows. "Do you need anything?"
He looked at her with
his one eye, so full of
trust and confusion.
"I needff Karen and-a Chip."
Karen's heart melted at his
words. "You have us," she
whispered, brushing his
forehead. "We're right here."
Plankton nodded, his antennae
finally still. "Thath's goob,"
he murmured. "Thath's vewy
goob. Can Chip...can Chip
thee me?"
Chip's eyes widened slightly,
his throat tight. He took a
step closer to the couch. "Yeah,
Dad, I'm here."
Plankton's gaze found
his son's, his antennae
still droopy. "Tawk to me,"
he slurred. "Chip wanth
tawk to me?"
Chip nodded. "Of course,
Dad." He took a seat next
to him, his heart heavy.
He wasn't used to seeing
his dad so open, so...
talkative.
Plankton's antennae
twitched slightly as he
looked to Chip's voice,
his mind still groggy from
the surgery. "Wha...whath's
wrong, Chip?" he mumbled, his
words thick with the
remnants of the anesthesia.
Chip took a deep breath.
"Nothing's wrong, Dad," he
said softly. "I just want
to be here with you."
Plankton's antennae
wobbled as he processed
his son's words. "Wiww you
thtay?" he asked, his eye
half-closed. Karen
watched from the kitchen,
her eyes filled with love
and concern. She knew
his confusion was temporary,
but it still tugged at her
heartstrings.
Chip nodded, his voice
gentle. "Yeah, Dad, I'll stay."
Plankton's antennae
stilled. "Thath's good,"
he murmured. "Chip, can I...
can I...hamv?" His voice was
tiny, his one eye looking
up at his son with hope. "Chip
my hamg, hamv in youw hamv?"
Chip felt a lump form in
his throat. He knew that
his dad was reaching out
for comfort, seeking the
safety of touch. Despite
his initial shock, he nods.
"Sure, Dad," he whispered,
his voice thick. "You can
have my hand."
Plankton's antennae
perked up slightly at the
offer, his eye still
half-closed. He reached
over, his movements
sluggish, and grasped Chip's
hand with his own. Chip felt
his dad's grip tighten, his
thumb stroking the back of
his hand gently. The simple
touch was a stark
contrast to the firm handshakes
and stern demeanor
his dad usually allowed.
Plankton's voice was
barely audible as he
whispered, "Than' you, Chip."
Chip swallowed hard, his
throat tight. "It's okay, Dad,"
he murmured back. "I'm
right here." Karen
watched them from the
kitchen, her eyes shiny with
unshed tears.
The sight of
his dad, so dependent and
confused, was hard for
Chip to process. Yet,
he felt a strange comfort
in it, a bond forming
between them that transcended
the typical father-
son dynamics.
Plankton's eye grew
heavy, his antennae
drooping. "Sowwy," he
mumbled. "Wan' go...go
sleep. No moreth of touch."
Chip nodded, his heart
swelling with emotion.
"It's okay, Dad," he said.
"You just rest." He
gently removed his hand,
his eyes never leaving
his father's face.
Plankton's antennae
twitched one last time
before his eye closed,
his breathing evening out.
The plushie was clutched
tightly to his chest,
his hand lying open
on the couch cushion.
Karen watched him, her
love for him so clear.
"He's going to be okay,"
she assured Chip. "The
medicine will wear off
by tomorrow. Just give him
some space and quiet."
Chip nodded, his
concern still etched in
his features. Plankton
was usually so sharp,
so in control. Seeing him
like this was unusual.
Karen smiles. "Here," she
whispered. "Let's clean
his mouth."
They gently removed the
blood-soaked gauze,
replacing it with a fresh
one. Plankton's eye
flipped open for a second,
his antennae quivering.
"Wha...?" he murmured,
his voice still slurred. Karen
smiled, her voice gentle. "It's
okay, Plankton. Just a little
clean up." Plankton nodded,
his eye half-closed again.
"Mm-hmm, jush a wiww
cweam up." He parrots via
echolalia, despite his slurred speech
and droopy antennae. "Than' you,"
he murmured again, his voice
tiny. "Wove you."
Karen's heart squeezed at
his words. "I love you too,
sweetie," she said. "Now
I'll help you to your bed, so
you can sleep off the rest of
any anesthesia."
Karen supported him to his
feet, his legs wobbly. Plankton
stumbled slightly, his antennae
twitching in confusion. "Bed," he
slurred. "Bed." She
guided him upstairs, his steps
slow and unsteady. "Careful,
sweetie," she said, her voice
soothing. "Just a few more."
Chip trailed behind them.
As they reached the bed
room, Karen helped him
onto the bed. "Wha...wha's fis?"
he mumbled. "It's our room, Plankton,"
Karen said, her voice
gentle. "You need to rest
now." Plankton's antennae
twitched as he took in
his surroundings, his gaze
focusing on the familiar
sight of his bed. "Oh,"
he murmured, his speech still
slurred. "Bed."
Karen helped him lay
back, his body slumping
into the softness. His
stuffed animal was placed
carefully beside him, his
hand still wrapped around
it. "Comfortable?" she
asked, her eyes filled with
concern. Plankton nodded,
his antennae still. "Mm-hmm,"
he mumbled. "Go night."