PLANKTON GOING TO THE DENTIST Ii/Ii
Plankton's eye dart around the room, trying
to focus, confusion growing as the words
won't come out right.
"Th-th-the...th-the...th-th-th-th..." He stammers, his
mouth working overtime to form the words.
Karen's laughter subsides into a comforting chuckle.
"It's ok, Plankton."
"Th-th-then...why...why do I tawking wike thith?" He
asks, voice a wobbly mess, each word a struggle.
"I...I'm a g-g-genius!" He stammers, trying to sound
defiant despite his speech impediment. "I'n noth
s-s-suppothed to tawl wike thish!"
Karen giggles. "It's just anesthesia, Plankton,"
she says soothingly. "It'll wear off soon."
Plankton's eye widen further. "B-but...I nee, needff
to...to think...think...think!" He stammers.
"You'll be fine, Plankton," she says.
The dentist pats Plankton's shoulder. "You're
quite the charmer
even with a mouthful of gauze," he quips,
and the assistant snickers.
Plankton's cheeks redden, indignation clear
even through haze of anesthesia.
"I caan...caan...can't...I caan't th-th-think!"
Plankton splutters.
Karen tries to stifle her giggles, shaking with amusement. "It's
anesthesia," she repeats, her voice a gentle wave washing
over him. "You're ok, Plankton. You're ok."
He takes a deep breath, willing his tongue to cooperate.
"G-got...it-t," he says.
"Alright, Mr. Plankton, let's get you sitting up," he says.
He tries to stand, but his body feels like it's made of jelly, his
legs wobbling beneath him. "Whoa!" He exclaims, speech
slightly clearer but still slurred. "Thish isn't goog."
Karen and the dental staff help him to his feet, the nurse holding on
to him as he sways slightly. His eye still glazed over, but there's a hint
of the sharpness that she knows so well starting to shine through.
"Steady there," she says supporting him. "Let's get to the car."
Plankton nods. "Yeah...the...the...ca--" he says. He takes a shaky step.
"Just keep taking it slow," she advises, her voice a beacon in the fog
of his mind. Karen's supporting him as they navigate the hallway.
"Where...wher's...wher's the...the...th-the...?" Plankton's words
trip over each other, traitor to his usual eloquence.
"The car, sweetie," Karen says, her voice a lifeline in the fog
of anesthesia. She leads him through the hallway
acting as a gentle guide. The receptionist waves with a smile.
"Moth...thath...moth," he stammers.
She fastens his seatbelt for him. "D-don't laug-fh at me," he
mumbles, eye half-lidded with the lingering effects of anesthesia.
"I'm not laughing at you," Karen says. "I'm just happy you're ok."
Plankton nods. He tries to say "thanks," but it comes out as "thathks."
"You're welcome, Plankton. You're going to be fine." She starts the engine.
"Bh-buth...whath abou- the...the...th-the...the...teethies?" Plankton slurs, words
a tangled mess.
Karen laughs. "Don't worry about the teeth
Plankton. They're out. You're all healed up."
Plankton nods, his eye glazed and his speech still slurred. "Thath's...tha's
good," he manages to say. "But I...I can't t-talk wight," he mumbles, frustrated.
"Don't worry, honey," Karen says, patting his hand. "You're just a bit loopy
from anesthesia. It'll wear off."
Plankton tries to argue, but all that comes out is a series of garbled
sounds. "Th-the...th-th-th..."
"Your mouth is just numb, Plankton," Karen says, driving.
"The anesthesia makes it hard to talk."
But Plankton can't help it; he keeps trying, his slurred
words a jumble of consonants. "Th-th-that's not ith’s," he
protests, his voice bubbly. "I'm a g-g-gen-n-n...genius!"
Karen giggles, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "You're a genius
all right," she teases.
Plankton's eye narrow in determination. "Th-that's not...noth fair!" He
says, his tongue feeling like a thick sea slug.
Karen can't help but laugh harder. "It's ok, Plankton," she says.
"But I...I nee-f to...to...to th-th-think! I can't...can't th-think thish!"
Karen's laughter bubbles up again
and she squeezes his hand reassuringly.
"You're ok, Plankton," she says,
voice a warm current of comfort.
"D-don't...d-don't leav-e me," he mumbles, his eye drooping.
Karen glances over. "I'm right here, Plankton," she says.
Plankton's head lolls to the side, and his snores become a soothing
background to the hum of the boat's engine. His mouth hangs open,
a stream of drool trailing down his chin, creating a small pool in the
seat. Karen, noticing the gauze in his mouth has shifted, gently
repositioned it, careful not to cause him any pain. He mumbles
something incoherent, and she chuckles, shaking her head. "Rest
my love," she murmurs.
The drool continues to escape Plankton's mouth, creating a wet spot
on the boat's upholstery, his slumbering form a stark contrast to the sharp
scheming creature she's used to. She reaches over to gently dab at
the drool, her movements careful not to disturb his sleep.
As the boat docks at the Chum Bucket, Karen wonders how she'll
manage to get him inside without him babbling incoherently and
scaring off any passersby. But Plankton, in his anesthesia-induced
haze, seems oblivious to the world around him, his snores the only
sound. Karen helps him out of the boat, and she half-drags
half-carries him through the door.
They enter their living quarters and she gently lays him on their bed
which feels like a vast ocean compared to his usual cramped lab space.
She carefully takes out the gauze,
watching his eye flutter open. "Where...where am I?" He mumbles.
"You're home, Plankton," Karen says, her voice a soft wave of comfort.
She wipes his chin clean with a warm, damp cloth. Plankton looks
around, his eye finally focusing on the familiar sights of their home.
"Home?" He slurs, his tongue thick and clumsy in his mouth. "B-but...I..."
"Just rest, Plankton," Karen says, pushing him gently back down. "You've
had a big day."
Home never felt so welcoming, Plankton thinks, as he sinks into the embrace
of the bed. Karen fluffs a pillow under his head, her movements tender. "Th-thank
youw," he manages to say, his speech still thick.
"You're welcome," Karen replies, her voice a gentle caress. "Now, you just rest.
I'll be here."
He closes his eye, letting the numbness of his mouth and the heaviness of
his limbs take over. Karen sits beside him, moving in a soothing rhythm
against his arm.
"You're going to be fine," Karen whispers, stroking his cheek. "Just sleep it off
and by tomorrow you'll be back to your usual scheming self."
Plankton tries to smile but his mouth refuses to cooperate.
The corners of his mouth
twitch upwards in a half-hearted attempt
and he mumbles "I wove youw thoo."
The next day, Plankton wakes up. The
numbness in his mouth has subsided
leaving only a dull throb. He opens his
eye to see Karen. "How do you feel?" She asks.
Plankton's eye blinked open, the room spinning around him.
Karen came into focus.
"Mmph; wha's? Wh-when..."
"Your wisdom teeth," she says, her voice a soothing tide. "They're gone
Plankton. You don't have to worry about them anymore."
"Wis-wis-wis...?" He stammers, his tongue tripping over the word "wisdom."
"Yes, Plankton," Karen says with amusement. "You had your wisdom
teeth removed yesterday."
Plankton's eye widen, and he tries to sit up. "Y-yesterday?" He slurs.
"But I...I caan't...can't remember.."
Karen nods, her smile full of mirth. "You were pretty out of it," she says.
He tries to push himself up, but the pain in his mouth sends a shockwave through.
"Mph-ow!" He flops back down, his hands flying to his cheeks. "What do you mean?"
Karen laughs. "You were pretty loopy," she says, holding him down gently. "The anesthesia
had you talking like..." she pauses, searching for the right words. "Well, like you've never talked
before."
"I hope I...I didn't say anything..." he starts, his voice trailing off.
"Oh, you said plenty," she teases. "But don't worry, it was just the anesthesia talking."
"Wh-wh-what did I say?"
Karen chuckles. "You were worried about your 'teethies'," she mimics
his slurred speech from the day before. "And you kept insisting you needed
to think, even when it was clear you couldn't even talk straight. But
don't worry; you're just fine."