CHIP ON THE SHOULDERS x
(By NeuroFabulous)
Rachel's gaze flicks to the x-rays
now in her hand, her eyes widening
slightly. "Everything looks... mostly good,"
she says, her voice measured. "But we've
noticed something with your wisdom teeth."
Plankton's antennae spike
in alarm. "What is it?" he
asks, his voice tight. Karen's hand
squeezes his shoulder, her eyes
on Rachel's face.
Rachel's eyes scan the
x-ray, her brow furrowed. "It appears
your wisdom teeth are impacted,
Mr. Plankton," she says, her voice
soft. "They'll push against
your other teeth as we feared."
Karen's eyes dart to her
husband's, watching the
panic flicker across his face.
"What does that mean?" she
asks, her voice tight. Rachel
swallows, her expression
sympathetic.
"It means, Mrs. Plankton,
that your husband will
need to see our oral surgeon
to have them removed,"
she says gently. "They can't
wait much longer. The surgeon
is actually open right now, if...
Plankton?" Rachel notices his
sudden stillness.
Plankton's antennae quivered,
his gaze unfocused. "What's
the matter?" Rachel asks, her voice
filled with concern. Karen
quickly explains the situation. "He's
autistic," she murmurs. "He can get
overwhelmed easily."
Rachel nodded, her expression
understanding. "Ah," she said,
her tone gentle. "Well, let's go
slowly. We know that the
wisdom teeth are causing
problems, and they need to come
out. But we can work with you
to make it as comfortable as
possible. You both follow me to
the surgery."
They follow Rachel down
a hallway, the walls a soothing
blue, the floor a muted grey.
Plankton's antennae twitch with
each step, his eye darting
from side to side. Karen squeezes
his hand, her eyes never leaving
his face.
The surgery room loomed ahead,
its door open just a crack,
a glimpse of gleaming instruments
and the smell of antiseptic
wafting out. Rachel notices
Plankton's anxiety and stops,
turning to face them.
"Let's go over what will happen
during the surgery," Rachel says,
her voice measured and calm.
"First, let's go in the room and
meet our surgeon."
Plankton's antennae quiver,
his eye flicking to Karen's hand
still holding his. She nods,
her smile encouraging. "We can
do this," she whispers.
They enter the surgery room,
the coldness of the air making
his antennae stand on end.
The surgeon, a squid named
Dr. McSquinty, greets them
with a friendly smile. His tentacles
wave in a non-threatening way.
"Hi, I'm Dr. McSquinty,"
he says, his voice a soothing
baritone. "We're going to
make sure this is as easy
and painless as possible for
you. I'll take it from here, Rachel."
Rachel nods, her eyes
lingering on Plankton's
anxious form before
exiting the room.
The surgeon's tentacles
move in a gentle, calming
wave. "Now, I know this
can be a bit overwhelming,
Mr. Plankton," he says, his
eyes kind. "But I promise we'll
explain everything before we do it."
Plankton's antennae quiver,
his gaze fixed on Dr. McSquinty.
Karen squeezes his hand,
her voice soft. "It's okay,
Plankton," she murmurs. "He's
autistic, and sensitive, Doc..."
Dr. McSquinty nods, his
tentacles waving gently.
"I've had patients with
special needs before,"
he says, his tone calm.
"We'll take it slow, and I'll
make sure to explain everything
step by step."
Both their eyes searched
Plankton's face, his antennae
still quivering.
"Okay, Plankton," Dr. McSquinty
began, his voice calm and
measured. "We're going to
talk about taking out your
wisdom teeth."
Plankton's antennae
twitched, his gaze fixed
on the surgeon's tentacles.
Karen could see the fear
in his eye.
Dr. McSquinty continued,
his tentacles moving in
a slow, methodical pattern.
"We'll use a local anesthetic
to numb the area. You won't
feel a thing, I promise." He
grabs a syringe, which ends
up being to much for Plankton.
Plankton's antennae shot up,
his body stiffening. Karen's
hand tightens around his.
"It's ok," she whispers. "It's
just to help with the pain." But
Plankton's gaze remained fixed
on the syringe, his breaths
coming in quick, shallow gasps.
Dr. McSquinty notices. "We need
to, Plankton. Now, do you know why
we need to have your wis..."
Plankton's antennae quivered
uncontrollably, his eye wide with fear.
"Breathe with me, Plankton,"
Karen whispered, her grip
steady. She watched as Dr.
McSquinty approached. Yet
Plankton's body started to
shake, his antennae quivering
wildly. The thought was too much, and
he uncontrollably began to shut
down again.
"It's okay," Karen murmured,
her voice a lifeline in the
storm of sensory overload.
"Let's take a step back, Doc."
Dr. McSquinty nodded, his tentacles
stilling. "Of course," he said,
his voice gentle. "Let's talk it through,
Karen. Tell me what Plankton
needs fo..."
But Plankton's antennae
were already drooping, his
body shutting down again.
The fear had become too much.
"Plankton," Karen's voice
was calm and firm. "Look at
me." She waited until
his gaze met hers. "We need
to do this, okay? For your
mouth to feel better." But all
that did was make him shake
more violently, his breaths shallower.
Dr. McSquinty's tentacles
stayed still. "How about
I show you first?" He gestured to
a model of a mouth, complete with
wisdom teeth. "This way, Plankton can
see without it being a direct
threat to him."
Karen's eyes searched
Plankton's, his antennae still
twitching in distress. "Okay,"
she murmured, her voice tight.
"Let's do that."
Dr. McSquinty nodded, his
tentacles moving to the model.
"This is your mouth, Plankton,"
he began, his voice calm. "And
these are your wisdom teeth.
First, we'll make sure you're
numb, okay?" He pointed.
"We'll use a gel that tastes like
bubblegum, and then we'll
put in a tiny lit..."
But Plankton's
body convulsed, his
eye starting to roll
back into his head.
"No, no, no," Karen
whispered, her voice
trembling. "Not again."
Plankton's body stilled,
his antennae drooping
as his mind retreated.
"It's okay," Karen whispered,
her eyes never leaving
his face. She turned
to Dr. McSquinty, her voice
steady despite her own fear.
"We need to find another
way?"
The surgeon nodded,
his tentacles still. "Let's
talk about options," he
said, his voice calm. "We can
try sedation, or perhaps
a different approach; we can even
anesthetize him."
Karen's gaze never left
Plankton's shaky form.
Dr. McSquinty's tentacles
moved in a comforting
wave. "Well, considering
his sensitivity to pain and
the potential for overstimulation,
I'd suggest anesthesia.
It'll keep him calm, and he won't
be awake at all. It's safe."
Karen's eyes searched Plankton's
form, her grip tightening
on his hand. "But he's never
been under anesthesia before,"
she said, her voice tight.
Dr. McSquinty nodded, his tentacles
waving reassuringly. "It's completely
safe," he said. "We'll monitor
his vitals closely the entire time."
Karen's gaze remained
fixed on Plankton's
form, his antennae drooping.
"Okay," she whispered. "Plankton
baby, can you listen to me?"
Her voice was gentle, her
tone measured. Plankton's eye
slowly focused on her screen, his
body still trembling.
Her thumb traced circles on the
back of his hand. "We're going
to have to put you to sleep
so you don't feel any pain. Can
you do that for me?"
Plankton's antennae
twitched slightly, his gaze
on Karen's screen. He nodded,
his voice a faint whisper. "Okay."
Karen felt the tension
ease from her shoulders.
"Good," she murmured, her voice
soft. "We're going to take
care of this together."
Dr. McSquinty nodded,
his tentacles moving in a
slow, calming pattern. "I'll
make sure you're both as
comfortable as possible,"
he assured her, his gaze
shifting to Plankton.
Karen texts Sandy, "Plankton's
getting his wisdom teeth out 🦷"
Sandy replies, "Good luck!
Chip's fine, don't worry 👶💨"
The room was prepped,
the smells and sounds
minimized to prevent
overstimulation. Plankton
was laid on the chair, his antennae
twitching nervously. Karen
stood by his side, her hand
on his.
Dr. McSquinty approached,
his tentacles moving with
precision. He held up
a mask, the sweet smell
of gas wafting gently. "This
is the anesthesia," he explained.
"It'll help you sleep before we put the
Iv in. The Iv will continuously
administer anesthesia to keep
you asleep."
Plankton's antennae quivered,
his gaze flicking to Karen's
screen. She nodded, her smile
reassuring. "It's okay, love,"
she whispered. "You'll be fine."
Dr. McSquinty's tentacles
moved with a gentle rhythm as he
placed the mask on, and Plankton's
eye grew heavy. Karen's hand
stayed on his, her thumb rubbing
small circles into his palm.
The room grew fuzzy around
Plankton as the anesthesia took hold.
His antennae stopped quivering,
his body relaxing into the chair.
As the world faded to black,
his last thought was of Karen's
hand in his. A gentle squeeze,
and he was adrift.