ð³ð® ð«ð€ð ð±ð part 7
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Plankton leaned on
to his wife, the frog toy
now a silent witness to
his confusion. "Karen, I
thoink I thaw... a pwinthip...
in the denthit," he slurred,
his tongue thick from the
anesthesia. Karen couldn't
help but laugh, the tension
from the morning dissipating.
"It's okay, honey,"
she said, her voice gentle.
"You're just a bit loopy.
We're going home soon."
Chip watched, his fear
turning into amusement.
Plankton looked at Chip,
his antennae still. "Chip...
thon... I wove you," he
managed to get out, the
words slurred. Chip's
cheeks grew red, trying
not to laugh. "Dad, I know.
You're just tired, and I
love you toâ"
But Plankton wasn't done.
"Thoo... toothfth... theyth
tooh theem," he asks.
Karen nods, her smile
tender. "Yes, they took
out your wisdom te-"
"Teeefth," Plankton interjects,
his tongue feeling too
large for his mouth. "Wiâout
my teeefth, how wiww I... I...
eath?" His concern
was genuine, his mind still
fuzzy with anesthesia.
Karen giggles. "Don't worry,
you'll eat just fine," she
soothes, gently stroking his
back. "You'll have soft foods
for a bit, then back to your
normal diet. It'll be a shot
in the arm!"
Plankton's eye widens and
wells up with tears. "Shoth?"
he repeats, his voice rising.
Karen quickly reassures
him. "No, no, Plankton, I
meant it'll be a piece of
cake! No shots, just soâ"
But Plankton's antennae
were already quivering
with fear, his body tense.
He took the phrase "shot
in the arm" literally.
Karen's heart sank. "I'm
sorry," she said quickly,
cutting off her laugh. "It's
an expression, Plankton.
No shots, I pro-"
But it was too late. A
whine began to build
high-pitched. Chip's
laughter died. Karen
squeezed his hand.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. It's
just an expression. I
shouldn't have used it.
No shots, I promise," she
whispered, her voice
soothing.
Plankton's antennae
quivered, his single eye
filling with tears. "Youw
thaid, y-you tolb me!"
Karen's expression softened,
seeing his distress. "Plankton,
it's okay. It's just something
we say, like 'easy as pie.'
But I shouldn't have used
it if it scared you." She took
the frog from his hand, setting
it aside, and wrapped her
arms around him. "You're safe
babe. No one's going to hurt
you."
Chip watched his parents,
his heart aching. "Dad,
please, don't cry! It's okay,
Dad," he whispered. "We're
going to go home."
Plankton's sobs grew quieter,
his antennae drooping. "Mmph...
wight," he mumbled. "Nobody's
gonna... shot me." His mouth
was still numb, his speech still
slurred.
"That's right," Karen said,
kissing his forehead. "Let's
go home!"
Karen managed to get
her husband to his feet
as she helped him out
of the dental chair. She
held Plankton upright
as he wobbled slightly,
his legs still weak from
anesthesia. "Careful,"
she said, her voice
soothing. "Let's get
going."
Plankton chuckles as
Karen helped him stand
up, his legs wobbly.
"Wook ath me, I'm wike
babywun," he says, his
words still thick. Karen
laughs softly, her heart
swelling with love as
Chip follows them out.
"You're doing great,"
she reassures him, her
arm around his waist.
"Just lean on me, okay?"
They made their way
to the car, Chip sitting
in the back by his dad
as Karen got into the
driver's seat. She then
started the engine and
gave her husband a side
glance. "You okay?" she
asked, amused.
Plankton nodded, his
speech still slurred. "Ish,
jumst wike I goth my wips
dipwed," he said.
Chip couldn't help but
snicker as Plankton's
head lolled to the side,
Karen's eyes darted to the
rearview mirror, checking
on him. "You okay back
there, sweetie?" she asked.
Plankton's eye opened
slightly, his antennae
twitching. "Mm hmph,"
he mumbled, his voice
still slurred.
Chip knew his dad would
be okay. Plankton's head
lolled against the car
window, the frog toy still
in his hand. "Wook, Chip,"
he mumbled, pointing
out the window. "Twee...
bweautiful day, ishn't ith?"
Chip nodded, his eyes
on his father's reflection
in the window. He was
still a bit loopy, his words
coming out of his still-numb
mouth as a series of
lisps.
Karen glanced back,
a small smile playing on
her lips. "We're gonna
have to keep an eye on
him today, Chip," she
said, her voice gentle.
"I will," Chip promised,
his gaze never leaving
his dad. For Plankton was
still slurring, but he
seemed content.
"Dath... dath's... dath's..."
Chip couldn't help but
chuckle. "Your mouth's
just numb." He smiled.
"So, tell me what you
recall during the dentist
appointment, Dad?"
Plankton's antennae
twitched. "Well, I...
I... I met a nice
nurse wif a fwog." He
managed, holding up
the plush toy. "And
den... den... I goth... I
rember... a mask... and
den... den I woke up to
thee youw and awso
thaw youw mom my
wife Karen. I thaw Karen
acting wike she was a
thilly widdle gull," he
slurred with a hint of a
lopsided smile.
Karen rolled her eyes
good-naturedly. "So
you're saying I'm a silly
little girl," she asked.
Plankton nodded, his
eye still half-closed.
"Yeth," he said, his
smile growing wider.
"Youw wuz.. I finks
Chip thaid 'bweautiful'."
Karen's eyes met Chip's
in the mirror, and
they both laughed.
Plankton's fighting off
the urge to sleep now.
"Twee... trees... theem
loks wobble," he says
as his eye struggles to
stay open. Karen
chuckles from the
front seat. "Are you
getting sleepy back
there, Plankton?" "No...
just a wobbit," Plankton
slurs, his voice faint.
Chip looks
at his dad.
"You okay?"
Plankton nods
slightly. "I'm
stiw awake.
Theemth...
theemth...
theemth...
thleepy."
Karen glances
in the mirror.
"We're almost
home," she
soothes. "Yo-"
But she's cut
off by a sudden
snore from
Plankton. Chip
giggles. "Looks
like someone's
already conked
out.. Dad, can
you wake up?"
Plankton's antennae
twitch in his sleep,
his mouth moving.
"Mmf... wha?"
Karen smiles at
Chip. "Guess the
anesthesia's still
doing its thing."
They pull into the
driveway, the house
looming comfortingly.
"Wakey wakey," Karen
sings, shaking Plankton
gently. He blinks, his
eye struggling to focus.
Plankton's mouth opens,
but only a slurred "Mmph"
escapes. "I thweep?"
Karen laughs gently as
she helps him into the
house. "You're okay,
just a bit tired." Plankton
stumbles slightly, his
body still heavy from
the anesthesia.
Inside, they settle him
on his bed. "Dad," Chip
starts, but Plankton's already
snoring lightly, the frog toy
still clutched in his hand.
Karen smiles tiredly. "Let's
get him comfortable."
Karen managed to remove
his gauze. "Wook, Chip,"
Plankton mumbles, his voice
slurred and sleepy. "Wook
ath dis widdle fwoggy.
It'th my new fwiend."
Chip laughs softly as his
mom helps Plankton get
comfortable on the bed.
"You're going to need
some rest, Dad," he says.
Plankton nods. "Mmph,
yesh. Wemember, Chip,"
he says. "Remember
what, Dad?" Chip asks,
smiling. "Wemember
the fwiend, the fwoggy,"
Plankton responds.
With a gentle laugh,
Karen takes the frog
toy and places it beside
Plankton. "Yes, you're
right," she says, her eyes
shining. "Your new friend
will watch over you."
Plankton nods, his
eyelid drooping. "Mmh,"
he says, his hand reaching
for the toy again. His
mouth, still numb, moves
slightly as he chews on
his tongue. Karen watches
him. "No no, Plankton,"
she whispers. "Don't chew
on your mouth, you'll hurt
it more."
Chip's eyes widen in
realization. "Dad, stop,"
he says gently. "You're
still numb." Plankton
looks at him. "Wha?"
Karen sighs, her voice
still kind. "You're
chewing on your mouth,
honey," she explains. "And
you know you're sensitive.
Tomorrow the numbness
will be gone, and you'll be
even more sore if you..."
But Plankton's already
drooling over the toy.
"Plankton," Karen says
firmly. "You're not
supposed to chew. The
gauze is gone."
Plankton's antennae then
twitch in confusion, eye
barely open. Drool pooled
at the corner of his mouth.
Chip stepped forward,
his voice gentle. "Dad,
you can't chew on that.
It'll make your mouth
worse." He took the frog
from Plankton's hand.
Plankton's single eye
snapped open, his gaze
focusing on Chip, in
a mix of confusion
and sadness. "Gimme
my fwoggy..."
Chip held up the frog
toy. "Dad, you can't
have it right now. You
can get it back if you
stop randomly chewing."
But Plankton's still trying
to reach for the frog. "NO,"
Chip says, which makes
Plankton sit back down
on the bed.
Plankton's antennae
drooped as he began to
cry. Not loud sobs, but
quiet, sad tears that
trickled down his face.
"I... I wan' m-my, my
fwoggy," he says, his
voice thick with pain.
Karen turns to Chip.
"Give him the toy," she
whispers. "He wants it
for comfort. The frog
has nothing to do with
his chewing. And don't
raise your voice like that.
He's still autistic, and
still sensitive."
Chip nods, feeling guilty.
"Sorry, Dad," he says,
handing the toy back to
his father. Plankton's
sniffles die down as he
holds the frog tightly,
his antennae still drooping.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Chip
says again.
Karen wipes Plankton's
face with her thumb,
removing the drool and
tears. "It's okay," she
soothes.
Chip watches his dad, his
heart aching. He hadn't
realized how much his
father's autism affected
his daily life. Plankton's
stims, his need for
calm, the way he
sometimes struggled with
the unexpectedâit all
made sense now. And the
frog, a simple toy to
anyone else, had become
a comfort for his dad in
this moment of vulnerability.
Plankton's antennae twitch,
his eye half-closed. "Mmh,"
he mumbles, his hand
finding the frog again as
his mouth moves in a
slight chew. Chip notices,
his heart squeezing.
"Dad," he says, his voice
gentle. "You're doing it
again. You can't chew
on your mouth."
Plankton looks at him,
his antennae still. "I'm
noth chewing," he mumbles.
But his mouth is moving.
Karen sighs, her hand
on his shoulder. "Plankton,
sweetie, you are," she
whispers. "You're just
not aware of it."