TRUTH AND NAIL i
“Karen Plankton‽”
Karen stood up as
the receptionist at
the dental office
called her. She’s
been in the waiting
room as her husband
Plankton’s in surgery.
She followed the nurse into
a brightly lit room
where Plankton lay on
his back, his mouth
agape, snoring gently.
The anesthetic had done
its job, leaving him
completely oblivious
to the world around him.
The surgeon looked up
from his chair, a smile
creasing his mask.
"Mrs. Plankton, your husband's
wisdom teeth extraction
was a success," he said.
"You can stay with him
as he wakes up."
Karen sat by his side,
her hand resting gently
on his arm. The steady
hum of the machines filled
the space, punctuated
by occasional beeps.
The nurse adjusted the
IV, ensuring the flow
of fluids remained steady.
The doctor
entered, nodded at Karen,
and began to check
the surgical sites,
but he didn't wake up.
The surgeon leaned over,
his eyes studying
the readouts with care.
Satisfied, he turned to Karen,
"He'll be coming around
in time," he assured her.
Her screen never left
Plankton's peaceful face,
his cheeks slightly puffy,
his mouth slack and open.
A trickle of drool
slid from the corner
of his mouth,
and Karen couldn't help
but chuckle softly,
even in the tension of
the moment. He'd never
let her see him like this
if he had a choice.
The nurse offered
a reassuring smile,
"It's normal, dear.
The anesthesia can do
funny things. Just wait.
He'll be back to his usual
self by tomorrow."
Karen nodded. She leaned in
closer to Plankton,
his normally stern face
was relaxed in sleep,
his brow unfurrowed.
It was strange to see
his sharp features softened,
his expression one of peace.
The nurse left them,
and Karen took the
chance to whisper,
"You're going to be okay."
The nurse had warned her
about the disorientation
that often came with
waking up from surgery.
Patients could be confused,
even a little babyish, as
the world swam back into
focus. Some had a tendency
to say things they didn't
mean or remember later.
So, when Plankton's eye
flickered open, Karen was
ready.
"Wha... where am I?"
he mumbled, his voice
slurred and eye glassy.
Karen took his hand,
squeezing it gently. "You're
in the recovery room,
sweetie. You had your
wisdom teeth out."
The words seemed to
float around him,
like bubbles in
his befuddled brain.
"Wisdom teed?" he
muttered, blinking
slowly. "Wha awe
those?"
Karen stifled a
laugh, her emotions
swelling with love
and concern.
"They're teeth, darling.
Don't worry, you won't
miss them."
Plankton's gaze
drifted around the
room, taking in
the sterile whiteness
and the blinking lights
above him.
"Teef?" he slurred,
his mind still groggy.
"Wheh take out teef?"
Karen gently
stroked his hand.
"Just the wisdom ones,
sweetheart," she
whispered, her voice
soothing as a lullaby.
"They were causing
you trouble."
"Trubble?" Plankton
repeated, his speech
slurring more with
each syllable. His eye
closed again, lid
heavy with sleep.
"I know it's
confusing right now,
but you'll understand
soon," Karen said, her
voice steady and calm.
Plankton's eye
opened again, a bit wider
this time, and he squinted
at the light. "M'th... m'th...
my mouf feels..." He
tried to form the words,
but his tongue felt thick
and clumsy.
"It's normal, darling,"
Karen said, her voice
like a gentle breeze.
"The anesthesia can
make your mouth feel
funny."
Plankton's eye
drifted to the ceiling,
his thoughts racing
but his words failing to
keep up. "Bright wight,"
he murmured, his voice
distant and lost.
"It's okay," Karen said,
wiping the drool from
his chin with a tissue.
"The lights are just to
help you wake up."
"Wake up?" Plankton
repeated, his eye
trying to focus on her
screen. "Wha happened?"
"You had a little surgery,"
Karen said, her voice
soothing and calm.
"They took out your
wisdom teeth. Remember?"
Plankton's eye searched
hers, confusion and fear
swirling in his gaze.
"Sur...surgery?" he
managed to say, his voice
weak and unsure. "Why?"
"Don't worry," Karen
soothed, her voice a soft
caress. "It was just a
little thing. They took out
some teeth that were
causing you pain."
Plankton's eyelid
flitted, trying to
make sense of the
words. "Teef? Pain?" he
slurred, his hand reaching
up to probe his mouth.
"No, no, don't touch," Karen
hurried to stop him, her
grip firm but gentle. "They're
still a bit tender."
Plankton's hand fell back to
the bed, his mind racing
but his body slow to respond.
"Tends?" he murmured, the
word strange and foreign.
"Every ting sho..." His
thoughts trailed off, the
word "different" eluding him.
Karen watched him, her
smile a blend of amusement
and tenderness. "You're
going to be okay," she
repeated, her voice a
constant in the sea of
confusion. "You're just a
little out of it."
"Ooot of it," Plankton echoed,
his voice a faint rumble.
He tried to sit up, but
the nurse had warned Karen
about this too. The sudden
movement made him dizzy,
and she placed a hand
on his shoulder, gently
pushing him back down.
"Take it easy, sweetie,"
she cooed.
His eye searched hers,
like a child lost in a
supermarket. "Karen?"
he murmured, her name
sounding like a question.
"I'm here," she assured him,
squeezing his hand. "You're
in the hospital, Plankton.
You're okay."
"Hospit...hospit...tal?" he slurred,
his eye darting around
the room again. "Why?"
"You had wisdom teeth,
Plankton," Karen said, her
tone as soothing as a
mother's. "Remember?"
"Wis...dome tweed?"
Plankton slurred, his mind
spinning,
his thoughts muddled and
slow to form. "Ow?"
Karen chuckled gently,
her screen sparkling with
humor. "It's all right,
dear," she cooed. "They just
removed your wisdom teeth.
You're feeling a bit
loopy."
Plankton's eyebrow knit
trying to piece
together the puzzle.
"Widom...teef?" he
repeated, his voice still
slurred but with a hint of
recognition.
"Yes, sweetie," Karen said,
smiling down at him.
"You had your wisdom teeth
removed. You're going to be
fine."
Plankton's hand
wobbled in the air
before it fell to his side,
his mind a swirl of fog.
"Where...where am I?"
his voice was a faint murmur,
his eye glazed over.
"You're in the hospital,"
Karen said, her voice
steady as a lighthouse beam.
"You had surgery, darling.
Remember?"
Plankton's eye fluttered
closed, his head rolling
to the side as if the
weight of the world was
too much. "Sur...gury?"
he slurred, the syllables
like molasses on his tongue.
"Yes, Plankton," Karen said,
her voice a lullaby in
the stark room. "It's all over.
You're safe now."
He mumbled incoherently,
his words a jumble of
letters and sounds that
barely formed coherent
thoughts. "Wh...wha...was it?"
his mind grasped for
understanding, his eye
half-closed and unfocused.
Karen leaned in closer,
her voice a lifeline in
his foggy sea of confusion.
"It was just a surgery,
Plankton. To remove your
wisdom teeth."
"Wis...wis...dome...teef?"
he murmured, the words
still strange in his mouth.
He blinked slowly, trying to
recall why he was here.
Karen nodded, her smile
reassuring. "Yes, they took
them out. You're all done."
Plankton's eye rolled
back in his head, his
body going slack again.
"Tek...tum...out?" he mumbled,
his mind still swimming
in the murky waters of
unconsciousness.
Karen nodded, her hand
still on his arm. "They're
gone, sweetie. You're okay."
But he’s fallen asleep again,
his snores filling the
silent room, his chest
rising and falling with
each gentle breath. Karen
watched him, her love
squeezing with a mix
of amusement and concern.