GO HONE 2/2
The nurse returned,
seeing his renewed energy.
"Looks like you're feeling
better," she said with a
smile. "But let's not rush
things."
Plankton nodded eagerly,
his antennas bobbing.
"Yeth, yeth, I'm weady!"
He tried to sit up again,
his body still wobbly.
The nurse helped him,
adjusting his pillows.
"Let's see if you can
stay awake for a few
more minutes," she said.
He looked at her with
determined innocence,
like a child promising
not to eat cookies before
dinner. "I'm weally weally
weady," he insisted,
his words still thick.
Karen couldn't help but
chuckle, watching him
fight the sleepiness.
"Good," the nurse said.
"Keep talking to your wife,
that'll help keep you
alert."
Plankton's eye lit up with
a childlike excitement. "Ish
fun to tawk to you, Karen,"
he said, his words still
slurred. "Youw make me
happy."
Karen felt her heart swell.
"And you make me happy,"
she said, her voice
sincere despite his
loopy state. "Even when
you're being a goofball."
Plankton's smile grew, his
eye still half-lidded. "Goof...ball?"
he repeated, the words
sounding strange in his
mouth. He giggled again,
his body swaying slightly
with the effort of staying
upright. "Ish fun to be
a goofball."
Karen couldn't resist
smiling back, his
silliness was infectious.
"Yes, it is," she said. "But
you need to stay awake
for a little longer."
Plankton nodded, his
head bobbing slightly.
"Otay, Karen," he said, his
voice still thick. He then
saw the nurse. "Who's
dat?" he whispered, his
eye wide with curiosity.
Karen chuckled softly.
"That's the nurse, Plankton.
Remember?"
He blinked a few times,
his antennas perking up as
his eyes focused on the
kind-faced woman. "Oh,
yeah. Tha nurse lady," he
slurred, his voice full of
sudden realization. "Hi!"
The nurse chuckled.
"Hello, Mr. Plankton.
You're doing great."
Plankton's smile grew
even wider, his cheeks
flushing with pleasure.
"Ish nice to meechu," he said,
sleepily. "I wike
youw hat.."
The nurse couldn't help
but laugh. "Thank you,
Mr. Plankton. It's nice
to meet you too."
Plankton's eye began
to droop again, and Karen
could see the sleep
trying to pull him under.
"Wakey wakey, Plankton,"
she said, giving his hand
a gentle squeeze. "You
have to stay with me."
He nodded, his head
lolling to the side before
snapping back up with a jerk.
"Ish okay, Karen," he
whispered, his voice
still slurred. "Ish okay."
But his eyelid grew
heavy, and his words
trailed off.
"Ish just...tho tiwed," he
mumbled.
Karen's chuckle was gentle,
not wanting to disturb his
attempts to stay alert. "I know,
sweetie," she said, stroking
his hand. "Just a few more
minutes."
But Plankton's eyelid
was like a heavy curtain,
despite his best efforts.
"Whe...whe...why am I so
tiwed?" he slurred, his
head lolling to the side
like a ragdoll's. Karen
knew he wasn't going to
last much longer.
His hand slipped out of
hers, and he began to
snore softly again. Karen
looked over at the nurse,
who nodded in understanding.
"It's normal," the nurse
said. "The anesthesia can
make people pretty loopy
for a while."
Plankton's snores grew
softer, his body relaxing.
Karen watched him, her
expression a mix of
amusement and concern.
"How much longer?"
she asked the nurse.
"Just a little longer,"
the nurse said, checking
his vitals again. "The
effects should start to
wear off soon."
Plankton's snores grew
softer, and then he was
awake again, looking around
the room with wide-
eyed wonder, drool trailing
from the corner of his mouth.
"Whe...where...?" His voice
was a sleepy whisper.
"You're still in the
recovery room," Karen
soothed, wiping his chin
with a tissue. "You fell
asleep again."
Plankton looked up at
her, his eye wide and
innocent. "Did I miss
sumfing?" he asked, his
voice still thick with
slumber.
"No, sweetie," Karen
replied, her voice
soothing. "You just fell
asleep for a bit. You're
still waking up."
Plankton's antennas
perked up, and he
sat up. "But...but
I hav ice cweam?" His eye
were wide with hopeful
inquiry.
Karen nodded with a
smile, wiping the
remaining drool from
his mouth. "Yes, when
we get home, remember?"
Plankton's grin was
infectious. "Yay!" he
cheered, clapping his
hands together with a
slightly awkward smack.
Karen couldn't help
but chuckle at his
reaction, his
childlike enthusiasm
was adorable. "Looks like
you're feeling better,"
she said, her voice
filled with affection.
But Plankton was already
off on another tangent,
his gaze wandering to the
ceiling. "Whewe awe
the fishies?" he asked, his
voice a sleepy whisper.
Karen followed his gaze,
seeing the plain, white
ceiling tiles. "The fishies
are in your imagination,
Plankton," she said, her
tone gentle.
He pouted, his
disappointment palpable.
"Oh," he murmured, his
head lolling to the side.
Karen chuckled, her hand
still on his arm. "They'll
be there when you're all
better," she assured him.
"But for now, let's just
stay here."
The nurse smiled. "Looks like
our patient is feeling
better," she said with a
smile. "Almost ready to
go home?"
Plankton nodded vigorously,
his antennas flopping with
the motion. "Hone, yesh! Ice
cweam!" His eye
closed again, and he
snored lightly. Karen
chuckled. His excitement
was adorable, even if it
was short-lived.
The nurse checked his vital signs.
"Looks like the anesthesia's
wearing off," she said with a
smile. "We can get you
ready to go home soon."
Plankton's eyelid fluttered
open. "Hone?" he asked, his
voice hopeful.
"Almost," Karen said, her voice
calm and soothing. "Just a
few more minutes."
Plankton's eye
closed again, his breaths
deepening into sleep.
His head lolled to the side,
his antennas drooping. Karen
watched him with love. Even in
his most vulnerable state,
his antics brought
a warmth to the room.
The nurse returned
and began to prepare
the discharge papers.
"Almost there," she said with
a wink at Karen. "He'll
be right as rain in no
time."
Plankton stirred again,
his eye half-opening to
a squint. "Whe...where's
my ice cweam?" he
mumbled, his voice
slurred with sleep.
Karen chuckled. "Not
until we get home,
remember?"
Plankton's head
nodded, his antennas
bobbing. "Oh yeah," he
mumbled, his voice
dreamily content.
The nurse finished up
the paperwork and turned
to Karen. "We're all set.
Just make sure he gets
plenty of rest and eats
soft foods for the next
few days."
Plankton's eye shot
open, his antennas
springing to attention. "Ice
cweam?" he asked, his voice
hopeful. Karen laughed,
shaking her head. "When we
get home, remember?"
He pouted, his lower lip
sticking out like a
sulky child's. "But I'm
so tiwed," he whined.
"Tiwed of being tiwed."
Karen couldn't help but
smile at his usual
stubbornness. "You
just had surgery," she
reminded him gently.
"Your body needs to
recover."
Plankton's eye grew
large, and he nodded
slowly. "Oh yeah," he said,
his voice trailing off.
"But...but I wan' ice
cweam..." He faltered
as Karen holds him up.
The nurse chuckled and
handed Karen the papers.
"It's all normal, he's just
loopy from the meds. He'll
be fine once he's home."
Karen nodded, her
expression a mix of
concern and affection.
Plankton's head lolled
back onto her shoulder,
his eye drooping again.
"Ice...cweam?" he mumbled.
"As soon as we get
home, I promise," she
whispered.
His body relaxed into her,
his breathing evening out
into a gentle snore.
The nurse helped Karen
maneuver the sleeping
Plankton into a
wheelchair, his legs
still not fully cooperating.
"Just a precaution,"
she said with a wink.
"Better safe than sorry."
The cool air of the
hallway hit him like a
wave, and Plankton's eye
popped open. "Whe...?"
he mumbled, looking around
confused.
"It's okay, we're going
home," Karen said, pushing
the wheelchair through
the hospital's sliding doors.
The sun was shining, and
the brightness made him
blink.
Plankton squinted, his eye
trying to adjust to the
light. "Home?" he asked,
his voice still thick with sleep.
"Ice cweam?"
Karen chuckled, nodding.
"Yes, home. And yes, ice
cream." She pushed him
out into the parking lot, the
sun glinting off the cars. Plankton
was still groggy, his
antennas waving slightly
as if trying to keep time with
his thoughts.
The ride home was quiet,
Plankton's snores punctuating
the gentle hum of the engine.
Karen couldn't help but
glance over at him, his mouth
slightly open, his face
peaceful in sleep. She felt a
wave of tenderness wash over
her.
When they finally pulled
up to their house, the sight
of their familiar surroundings
seemed to revive Plankton.
"Whe...we're hone?" he
asked, his voice groggy.
Karen nodded. "Yes,
we're home," she said, her
tone filled with relief.
"Time for that ice cream."