TOOTH AFTERNOON ii
Karen leaned closer, her
laughter dying down to a
soft giggle. “You’re going to
have to be careful with
that mouth, Plankton. It’s going
to be sore for a few days.
But don’t worry, I’ve got all
the soft foods you’ll need
once we get home. Ice cream,
soup, mashed potatoes...”
Plankton’s eye lit up at
the mention of ice cream.
“Ish...cweam?” he mumbled,
his mouth moving awkwardly.
Karen nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, Plankton. Ice cream,
and anything else you want.
Just no crunchy things, okay?”
Plankton’s eye searched her
face, his thoughts swimming.
“Cweam...no...crunchy?”
Karen nodded, her smile
sympathetic. “Just until
you heal up, love. No crunchy
food for a bit. But we’ll manage.
You’ll have your favorites, I
promise. Just not the crunchy
snacks for now.”
The nurse returned to check
his vitals and gave Karen a knowing
look. “It’s going to be a long
afternoon, isn’t it?”
Karen nodded, wiping
away a tear of laughter. “I’m
ready for whatever comes next,”
she said, her voice filled with
determination.
Plankton’s eye finally
locked on hers, and he managed
a wobbly smile. “Karen...” he
whispered, his voice barely
audible.
“What is it, Plankton?” she asked,
her tone filled with warmth.
His voice was a barely-there murmur.
“Whath...is...this...placsh?” His eye
shifted.
Karen’s laughter had subsided,
leaving a warm smile in its place.
“It’s the recovery room, Plankton.
You’re at the dentist’s office.
You had your wisdom teeth taken
out.” She hoped the repetition
would help him understand.
But Plankton’s gaze remained
cloudy. “Denthis...tish...” he
slurred, his tongue a traitor to
his speech. “Whewe the...the
...lobby?”
Karen’s smile grew. “The lobby is
right outside this door,
sweetie.”
Plankton’s eye searched hers
desperately, as if she held
the key to his sanity.
“Whish way?”
Karen pointed to the
closed door, her voice a gentle
guiding force. “Just through there,
love. You’re not going anywhere
until you’re feeling better.”
Plankton’s gaze drifted to
the door and back to Karen,
his mind a tangled web of
half-formed thoughts. “Buth I
wan...I wanna...to...thee...the...
lobby...nowww,” he protested, his
words trailing off into a sleepy
whine.
Karen’s heart ached with a mix
of pity and love for her
disoriented husband. She
squeezed his hand, her voice calm
and firm. “Just stay here with me.
We’re going to wait for the
medicine to wear off a bit more,
and then we’ll go home, okay?”
Plankton’s eye searched hers,
his thoughts a jumbled mess.
“Buh...buth...my teefh... shaw I?”
Karen nodded, her smile
soft. “Yes, Plankton, your teeth.
They’re okay.”
Plankton’s eye searched the
ceiling as if the answers
were written there. “Whath...whath
time ishit?” he mumbled.
Karen checked her watch,
trying to keep her voice steady.
“It’s three in the afternoon,
honey. You’ve been asleep for a
while now.”
Plankton’s eye drifted to
the ceiling again. “Tee...tree
in the afternish...” he repeated,
his words slurred and slow.
Karen nodded, her smile
lingering. “Yes, Plankton.
Three in the afternoon.
It’s time to wake up now, okay?”
Plankton’s gaze drifted
down to her, his eye
half-lidded. “But...I’m not still
sleepsh,” he protested, his
speech still thick with anesthesia.
Karen chuckled softly,
squeezing his hand. “You’re awake
now, Plankton. Just a bit
sleepy and loopy, that’s all.
The doctor said you’d be like
this for a little while.”
Plankton’s mouth moved as
his brain worked to form
words. “Loopy? Whath’s loopy?”
he asked, his voice a mix of
curiosity and irritation.
Karen’s chuckle was a warm
wave that washed over him.
“It means you’re not quite all
there yet, honey. The anesthesia
is still in your system, so
you’re a bit out of it.”
Plankton’s mouth twisted
as he processed her words.
“Anesh...thia?” he slurred.
Karen nodded. “Yes, Plankton.
The medicine they gave you to
help you not feel pain during
the surgery. It makes you a
little loopy when you wake up.”
Plankton’s eye searched hers,
his curiosity piqued despite
his muddled thoughts. “Mishine...”
he mumbled, his tongue thick in
his mouth. “Whath’s...whath’s...thish?”
Karen followed his gaze to
the IV in his arm. “That’s just
the medicine that helped you
sleep through the surgery, Plankton.
It’s ok, it’s almost done.”
Plankton’s eye grew wide.
“Shurgery? Did...did I...?”
“Yes, sweetie, you had surgery.
But it’s all done now. You’re
going to be just fine,” Karen
reassured him, her voice a gentle
lullaby.
Plankton’s eye grew wide
with realization. “Shergy? Did
it hurt?”
Karen’s smile was a soft
caress. “No, Plankton. You
slept through it all. You
don’t remember a thing, thankfully.
It was quick and painless for you,”
she said, hoping to ease his
worries.
Plankton’s gaze drifted to
his swollen cheeks, his hand
coming up to tentatively touch
the numbness. “Cheek...hurt?”
he mumbled, his voice a
slurred mess of syllables.
Karen nodded gently. “Yes,
sweetie, it’s going to be a bit
sore for a while. But you’re
doing great. Just stay still and
let the medicine do its work,”
she soothed, her voice a
comforting melody.
Plankton’s hand dropped
back to the chair’s armrest, his
eye heavy with the weight
of the anesthesia.
“Karen, what’s...what’s that
beep...beep...beep?”
he asked, his voice trailing
off into sleepiness.
Karen looked at the monitor
behind him, the rhythmic
beeping a comforting lullaby.
“It’s just the heart rate monitor,
Plankton. It’s making sure
everything’s ok,” she
explained, her voice a gentle
reminder of the world outside
his drugged haze.
Plankton’s eye squinted as
he tried to focus on the
steady green line that blipped
with each pulse. “Hearth
hate?” he slurred, his tongue
still uncooperative.
Karen nodded. “It’s your
heartbeat, Plankton. It’s making
sure you’re ok. It’s all part of
the recovery process,” she said,
keeping her voice calm and steady.
Plankton’s eye searched her
face, his thoughts a tapestry
of confusion. “Hearth...hate?”
he repeated, the words a jumble
of sounds that didn’t quite make
sense.
Karen’s smile was warm and
understanding. “It’s your heart,
Plankton. It’s beating, which is
a good thing. It means you’re ok,”
she said, her voice a soothing
balm to his bewilderment.
Plankton’s eye searched hers
again, his mind a foggy maze.
“Heath...beep...beep...” he murmured,
his words a sleepy mantra.
Karen’s smile remained, her
patience unwavering. “It’s ok,
sweetie. It’s just the machine
making sure you’re ok. It’s your
heart, beating nice and steady,” she
explained, her voice a gentle
whisper.
Plankton’s eye blinked slowly.
“Heath...beep...beep...good?” he
managed to ask, his voice a soft
mumble.
Karen nodded, her smile a
constant reassurance. “Yes,
Plankton, your heart is good.
It’s beating nice and strong.
You’re going to be ok,” she
said, her voice a warm embrace.
But Plankton’s curiosity had
not yet been sated. His gaze
drifted to his hand, his mind trying
to make sense of the strange
shapes. “Whath...whath
awe...thish?” he pointed to
his hand, his finger waving
weakly.
Karen’s smile grew wider, her
eyes filled with love and
patience. “That’s your hand, Plankton.
It’s ok, it’s all part of
you,” she said, her voice a
soothing balm to his confusion.
Plankton stared at the
foreign appendage, his mind
still a whirlwind of anesthesia.
“Han’...hand?” he repeated, his
finger twitching slightly.
Karen nodded, her smile
never leaving her screen.
“Yes, Plankton. That’s your hand.
You can use it to do lots of
things. Like hold ice for your
sore mouth,” she said, her voice
a gentle guide through his haze.
But Plankton’s curiosity had
taken a turn. “Ish...moufh...hurt?”
his words still slurred and
slow.
Karen’s smile was understanding.
“Yes, sweetie, your mouth might
be sore from the surgery, but
the ice will help with that,”
she said, her voice a gentle guide
through the fog of anesthesia.
Plankton’s eye searched her
face, his thoughts a jumble.
“Ish...cweam...loobypop?”
he murmured, his mouth still
numb and uncooperative.
Karen couldn’t help but
laugh at his garbled words.
“Ice cream and loopy bop?”
she asked, her voice a soft
caress of humor.
Plankton’s eye searched hers,
his thoughts a foggy haze.
“No...no...floobydust...bishbath...”
he mumbled, his words a
nonsensical jumble.
Karen’s smile grew, her screen
twinkling with affection.
“Floobydust and bishbath?” she
repeated, her voice a gentle
mockery of his slurred speech.
“What on earth…”
Plankton’s mouth moved in a
slow, sleepy attempt at speech.
“Thish...thish...thish...” he
muttered, his words a stream
of nonsense that seemed to
make sense only to him.
Karen watched him with
amusement, his random
word association a cute side
effect of the anesthesia.
“What are you saying,
love?” she asked, her voice
a soft chuckle.
Plankton’s eye rolled
back into his head as his
eyelid grew heavy.
“Stay with me, Plankton,” Karen
urged, her voice a gentle prod
against the tide of sleep.
“Mmm...Karen...tiwed...”
his voice trailed off, his eye
trying to focus.
Karen leaned in, her smile
warm and gentle. “You’re fine,
Plankton. You’ve just had
surgery. Try to stay awake
for a little while longer.”
But Plankton’s body had
other plans. His head lolled
back, his snore a soft
counterpoint to the steady
beep of the monitor.