NOTHING BUT THE WISDOM TRUTH ii
"You're in the recovery room, sweetheart," Karen said, her voice steady and soothing. "You just had
wisdom teeth out."
Plankton's eye widened slightly, and he nodded, trying to sit up. Karen gently pushed him back down. "Easy,"
she said. "You need to rest."
"But I'm so tired," he mumbled, his voice weak.
"I know," Karen said, stroking his forehead with her hand. "But you're doing great. Just stay still for a little
while longer. They got all four teeth out without any complications."
He nodded, his eye still closed. "Good," he mumbled. "I don't... I don't member any ting." His words were
slurred. The anesthesia was definitely still working its magic on him.
"It's ok," she said, her voice soothing. "You don't need to.."
Plankton's head lolled to the side, and his eyelid grew heavy again.
"Karen?" he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
"I'm right here," she assured him, her voice steady and calm. She watched as he tried to lift his hand to wipe at
his mouth, but it flopped back down onto the chair's armrest, his fingers brushing against hers.
Plankton's eye grew heavy again, and his head lolled to the side.
The anesthesia was working its way out of his system, but it was taking its time. She chuckled as she
watched him struggle to keep his eye open.
"I'm... I'm," Plankton mumbled, his words coming out slurred and sloppy. His eye rolled back in his head, and
he let out a snore.
"You're a mess," she laughs, her voice filled with love. "But you're my mess." She watched as his chest rose
and fell with each snore. It was clear that the anesthesia was still holding him in its grasp, and she knew it
would be a while before he was fully awake.
Karen couldn't help but laugh at his antics.
Plankton's snores grew louder.
Karen reached out and gently wiped the line of drool from his mouth with a tissue. He stirred, his eye blinking
open again.
"You're drooling," she whispered, smiling at him.
"What's happening?" he asked, his words slurred.
"You're coming out of the anesthesia," Karen said, her voice a lifeline in the haze. "Everything went fine."
Plankton's eye searched hers, his thoughts racing. "Mmmy...nesia?" he mumbled.
Karen's smile grew, understanding his attempt to ask about his sleep during surgery. "You mean the
anesthesia?"
Karen couldn't help but chuckle at his endeavor. "You're just a little out of it," she said, her voice gentle. "The
anesthesia is wearing off."
"Thish...thish ish...shomefinny," Plankton tried to say.
"What?" Karen asked, her curiosity piqued by his attempt at speech.
"Nothin'." Plankton's words were slurred into a single syllable. He looked utterly lost in the haze.
Karen leaned closer. "You sure?"
Plankton nodded, his smile lopsided. "Jush...jush glad."
Karen couldn't help but laugh at his adorable incoherence. "You're so loopy," she said, her voice filled with
affection. She squeezed his hand gently. "I love you."
"Ish love...love you too, Karen," he slurred.
"I know," she said, her voice a mix of amusement and affection.
"Tish...tish hard," Plankton mumbled, his cheeks dimpling with his own private joke.
The nurse entered the room, checking his vitals with a knowing smile. "It's normal for patients to be a bit out
of it after surgery," she said, scribbling notes on her clipboard. "I'm shorry," he said, words still a jumble.
Karen couldn't help but lean in closer, her own smile growing wider. "It's ok," she assured him, her voice gentle.
The nurse nodded in agreement, her own smile playing at the corners of her lips. "It's quite common," she said,
her voice professional but kind.
"Ish...Ish...it...over?" he managed to ask, his tongue thick in his mouth.
"Yes, sweetheart," Karen said, her voice still filled with love and amusement. "You're all done. They got all your
wisdom teeth out."
"Thish...thish allll over now-ow."
"Almost," Karen said, her voice a gentle melody. "We just need to wait for the anesthesia to wear off a bit more,
and then we can go home."
Plankton nodded, his eye already drifting shut again. His mouth moved as he attempted to speak, but only
slurred sounds came out. Karen leaned in closer, her smile never wavering. "You know, you're pretty chatty for
someone who's had their wisdom teeth out."
"Ish...Ish always had...shomeshin' to shay," Plankton managed, his speech a series of lisped and elongated sounds.
Plankton's eye began to drift closed again, his breathing growing deep and even. The nurse finished her
checks and gave Karen instructions for his aftercare. "Make sure he takes it easy," she said.
"I will," Karen promised, her screen never leaving Plankton's face.
The quiet was filled with the sound of Plankton's snores, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm
beneath the blanket. His mouth was still slightly open, and she could see the drool forming at the corner of his
lips.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see a text from Mr. Krabs, Plankton's rival at the
Krabby Patty. "How's he doing?" it read.
"Loopy," she replied with a smiley face. She had told Mr. Krabs about the surgery the day before, and
despite their rivalry, he had offered to come visit when they get back home.
The nurse poked her head back in, checking the clock on the wall. "Alright, he's ready to go," she said, her
smile warm.
Karen nodded, standing up and gently shaking Plankton's shoulder. "Come on," she whispered. "Let's get you
home."
Plankton's eye blinked open slowly, and he looked around the room with confusion. "Home?" he mumbled, his
voice still thick.
"Yes, we're going home," Karen said, her voice the balm to his disorientation. She helped him to his feet,
supporting his weight as he swayed slightly.
The drive back home was a blur of sleep. Plankton's head lolled against the car window, the vibration of the
engine lulling him to a doze.
"You okay?" Karen asked, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.
"Yeah," Plankton mumbled, his voice a sleepy rumble. "Just...tiwed."
The drive home was quiet, with only the occasional snore piercing the silence. Karen drove carefully, her eyes
flicking between the road and the mirror to check on Plankton. She knew he would be out for the count for a
while, and his face was still swollen.
As they pulled into their driveway, Plankton stirred. "We're home," Karen said, her voice gentle.
He nodded, his eye still half-closed. "Home," he murmured.
Karen helped him out of the car, his legs wobbly as he tried to find his balance. She wrapped his arm around
her waist, supporting him as they made their way, and he leaned into her, his body heavy with fatigue.
The house was quiet as they entered, the only sound the occasional tick of the grandfather clock in the
hallway. Karen guided him to the couch, carefully helping him sit down. "Rest here," she said, her voice a
gentle command.
Plankton nodded, eye closing again. She disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and a
pillow. "Here," she said, placing the pillow behind his head.
He took the glass with a nod, his hand shaking slightly. He took a sip. "Thish...thish ish...good," he managed to
say.
She knew he was in pain, and the anesthesia was only adding to his confusion. "I'll be right back," she said, her
voice a soft whisper.
Karen grabbed the pet amoeba puppy, Spot. She carried him back to the living room, where Plankton was
slowly coming around. "Look who's here," she said, holding Spot out to him.
Spot's blob-like body stretched out in excitement, his little legs waving in the air. Plankton's eye widened at the
sight, and a smile spread across his swollen face. "Spot," he murmured, his voice still thick with anesthesia.
Karen set Spot on his lap, and the amoeba immediately began to cover him in wet, loving kisses. Plankton
chuckled, his hand rising to pet the creature's gelatinous head. "Hey, bubby," he slurred, his speech still
compromised.
The simple act of touch brought a spark of life to Plankton's eye. "You're good boyth," he said, his voice a mix
of affection and pain. Spot's response was a happy wiggle.
Karen couldn't help but smile at the sight, Plankton's love for their little amoeba was unwavering. She took a
seat beside him, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. "Just rest," she said, her voice a soft command.
Plankton nodded, his eyes closing again. Spot continued to shower him with affection, his slimy kisses
landing on Plankton. Karen watched them for a moment, her heart swelling with warmth. Then she stood up,
knowing there was still more to do to ensure Plankton's recovery went smoothly.
In the kitchen, she put together a soft meal for him, something that wouldn't irritate his sensitive mouth. She
chopped up some fruit into a small bowl and warmed up a cup of soup. The smells of chicken broth and
sweet berries filled the air, a comforting aroma that she hoped would ease his pain.
When she returned to the living room, Plankton was asleep, Spot curled up with him. She set the food down on
the table, the spoon clinking gently against the porcelain bowl. She took a moment to appreciate the peaceful
scene before her, the two of them nestled together, the TV playing a low murmur of background noise.
Karen decided to let him sleep for a bit longer.
Gently, she lifted Spot off Plankton's lap and placed him on the floor. The amoeba pup quickly scuttled back by
the couch, but still on the floor. Karen then turned off the TV, not wanting the noise to disturb Plankton's rest.
Just as she was about to leave the room to let him sleep, the doorbell rang. It was Mr. Krabs, his beady eyes
looking concerned. She opened the door, whispering, "Shh, he's asleep."
Mr. Krabs nodded, his usual gruffness replaced with a rare display of compassion. He held a bag of ice.
"Thought he might need these," he said, handing them to her.
Karen took the bag gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered. "He's in the living room."