𝖣𝖠𝖱𝖤 𝖳𝖮 𝖡𝖤 𝖣𝖨𝖥𝖥𝖤𝖱𝖤𝖭𝖳
(𝖡𝗒 𝖭𝖾𝗎𝗋𝗈𝖥𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌) pt. 1
Chip dragged his bag
through the doorway.
Adopted at birth by his
parents Karen and
Plankton, his bus from
camp came earlier than
originally planned. Chip's
thus not expected to be
home from another hour
yet he's home.
His parents weren't in
the living room, so he
crept to the bedroom
of his parents to see a
peculiar sight.
Plankton only allowed
Karen to know about
his neurodisability. He
sometimes gets harmless
nonepileptic seizures due
to his autism. He's having
one when Chip came home
but neither he nor Karen
noticed their son's arrival.
Chip's heart pounded in
his chest as he peered
into their bedroom. Plankton
was lying on the bed, eye
open, his body stiff. Karen
was at his side.
"It's okay, it's okay,"
Karen murmured, stroking
his arm gently. Her voice
was soothing, a stark
contrast to the chaotic
silence of the seizure.
Then Plankton's antennae
twitched slightly. It was a
sign that the seizure was
passing. Karen recognized
this phase as the postictal
period, where her husband's
mind was trying to reboot.
Plankton's eye flickered,
his speech slurred and
incoherent. "Wha... wawl...
bibble," he mumbled, his
face a mask of confusion.
Chip felt his breath catch
in his throat, unsure of
what he was witnessing.
This wasn't the Plankton he
knew—his dad was always
sharp and quick-witted. The
contrast was jarring, and
his heart ached for the
man struggling to regain
his composure.
Karen nodded gently,
her eyes never leaving
Plankton's face. "You're
safe, my love," Karen
whispered. "It's alright."
Chip's curiosity grew
as he listened to his
father's disjointed words.
"Wish... bof... not
enough," Plankton said,
his voice strained. Karen
squeezed his hand.
"Shh, Plankton, you're home,"
she soothed, cooing.
"What's he talking about?"
Chip thought to himself, his
confusion swelling. He had
never seen his dad like this.
This was his dad, the strong,
clever Plankton he knew, now so
vulnerable and lost.
Plankton's eye searches
the ceiling as if trying to
find answers there.
Chip's curiosity morphed
into concern. He had
always known his dad
was different, but this was
new. "Bof... bibble," Plankton
repeated, his eye still
dazed. Chip's mind raced,
trying to piece together what
his father's nonsensical words
could mean.
"Don't worry, you'll feel
better soon," Karen says.
Plankton's babbling grew
more childlike.
"Bibble-bobble... more...
choxie," Plankton said with
a weak smile, his voice
slurred like a toddler's.
Karen chuckled softly, her
hand still resting on his arm.
"Choxie?" she questioned,
gently. "Do you want any
thi—"
Before she could finish,
Plankton chuckled, drool
sliding down his chin.
"Eeeeee?"
Karen wiped it
away with a
tissue, her gaze
filled with a mix
of tenderness
and understanding,
knowing Plankton's
state was temporary.
"Choxie?" Chip
whispered to himself,
his curiosity piqued.
He'd never heard
his dad talk like
this before. It was
almost as if Plankton
was speaking in
another language—a
child's babble filled with
longing and innocence.
Karen leaned in,
listening intently to
his garbled speech.
Her eyes searched Plankton's
face for any hint of
recognition or meaning.
"Kay... more... love,"
Plankton murmured, his
eye fluttering closed.
Karen's heart tightened,
but she kept her voice steady.
"More love?" she asked,
interpreting his words with
care. "I love you too, Plankton."
Plankton's smile grew
slightly, his antennae
twitching in contentment.
It seemed as if his
garbled words were a
request for comfort, and
his wife's gentle voice has
sufficed.
Chip watched from the
shadows, his mind racing
with questions. His dad,
usually so sharp and in
control, was reduced to
this. He noticed the way Karen's
face softened as she spoke,
how she treated Plankton
like he was the most
important being in the
world. It was clear that
this wasn't the first time
she'd seen him like this,
but the sight was still
heartbreakingly new to Chip.
"Gibble... gibble," Plankton
continued, his body
starting to relax as the
seizure's aftermath ebbed
away. His hands began to
fidget, as if trying to grasp
at the air. Chip's chest
tightened, watching his dad
so helpless.
Plankton's antennae waved.
"Wibble... wobble... waddle," he
managed to say, his speech
still slurred but slightly
more coherent as Karen
helps him sit up. Plankton's
body felt heavy and awkward
in her arms, but she managed
to get him into a sitting
position. He looked at her
with a mix of relief and
exhaustion.
"Wobble?" Karen questioned,
trying to decode his speech.
"Do you want one of your
sensory fidget toys?"
Plankton's antennae
twitched erratically as
his speech grew slightly
more coherent. "Bibble...
bobble," he said, looking
around the room with
a child-like curiosity.
Chip felt his own curiosity
building, watching the scene
unfold with a mix of concern
and fascination.
"Fibble... wibble," Plankton
tried again, his words
still jumbled. Karen nodded
encouragingly, handing him a
sensory fidget toy from the
nightstand. It was a small,
colorful object with various
textures and shapes.
As his hand closed around it,
his eye lit up with
recognition. "Wibble!" he
exclaimed, his grip tightening
on the toy.
He began to fiddle with it,
his movements becoming more
precise. "Fibble... fibble,"
he murmured, his voice gaining
strength.
Karen watched him with
relief, knowing that his
recovery was underway.
But Chip remained in the
doorway, his eyes glued to
his father's face.
"Dibble-dibble... wobble-wobble,"
Plankton mumbled to himself,
his fingers tracing the toy's
intricate patterns. His voice
was still not quite right, but
it was a step closer to the
clever and crafty man they knew.
Karen watched with a soft smile,
her eyes reflecting the warmth
of her love for her husband.
"You're coming back to us,"
she whispered.
Plankton's antennae quivered,
his eye slowly focusing on
his wife's face. He blinked
a few times. "K-Karen?"
Her smile grew wider. "Yes,
love, it's me," she said, her
voice brimming with love
and relief.
He looked around, taking in
his surroundings with a
confused gaze. "Wha?"
he finally managed to say,
his voice still shaky.
"You're home," Karen said,
smiling as she held his hand.
"You had a seizure, but
you're okay now."