A Journey from Pain to Healing

Brandon was right; Kelly had been worried about me. If you’ve never been subjected to the wrath of a worried rabbit, I can’t say I recommend it. When we got home, it was hard to tell which was steaming more, the soup or the Rabbit making it. I tried to joke with Kelly about being hopping mad, but it went over like concrete. Note to self: don’t joke when someone’s upset, especially if that someone is upset with you.

We ate in awkward silence, Brandon reading a newspaper and me pushing my vegetables around with my spoon. My mouth was having trouble with the hot soup, and I was starting to worry that something was really wrong. After the fifth heavy sigh from Kelly, I finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“Listen, Kelly,” I started, my voice husky, “I’m really sorry I-”

“Oh, you’re sorry,” Kelly snorted, standing up abruptly and snatching their half-empty bowl from the table.

Before I could say anything more, the bowl was dumped unceremoniously in the sink, and Kelly was gone. I looked at Brandon, who had lowered his paper.

“It’s not you,” he said, folding the paper and setting it next to his soup. “At least, not entirely.”

I fished some soft carrots out of my soup and chewed them experimentally. It was definitely my left side that was causing all the trouble.

“Kelly has been having some family drama while you’ve been away,” Brandon said, tearing off a hunk of bread and dipping it in his soup. “I think your disappearance just added to an already difficult situation.”

“Oh,” I said, looking at the doorway Kelly had disappeared through. “I didn’t know.”

“Sure,” Brandon said, picking the paper back up. “How could you?”

I didn’t see Kelly again that night. Or the next day. I was starting to think I might have ruined our friendship forever. Adding to my worries, my mouth was not getting better. If anything, it was a little bit worse. I had felt around in there and thought that I might have lost a crown in the scuffle with the Chaos goons. I didn’t explore it too much because it hurt when I touched it. It also hurt when I sucked air into my mouth too quickly or when I ate either hot or cold things. Forget about crunchy. I hadn’t really considered what I would do if I needed dental care in Denhaven. How did that even work down here?

I had resolved to try to wait it out, feeling like I’d been enough of a bother. When I came downstairs for breakfast, I was met by Kelly, all smiles, pointing me toward the largest stack of banana pancakes I’d ever seen.

“I’m sorry I was so angry,” Kelly said, hiding a sheepish smile. “It wasn’t really your fault.”

“No, it was,” I said as Kelly pushed me into a chair and handed me a fork. “I shouldn’t have left like that.”

Kelly nodded. “That’s true, but it still doesn’t account for how I treated you when you got home. I was just worried.”

Kelly trailed off, smiling at me and the plate of pancakes in turn. I’d never been served a stack of pancakes so tall, and I was afraid it might topple as soon as I touched it. There must have been a dozen pancakes stacked, one on top of the other. I finally plunged in and shoved a heaping forkful into my mouth. I instantly regretted it.

“What’s wrong?” Kelly asked, the welcoming smile melting into creased brows.

I struggled to swallow the bite I’d taken with the minimum amount of chewing possible, trying to smile at the same time.

“Nothing,” I said, willing the half-chewed mass down my throat. “It’s delicious.”

Kelly leaned over the table and looked at me closely just as Brandon walked into the kitchen.

“Is there a problem?” Brandon looked from me to the stack of pancakes in front of me.

“Yes,” Kelly said. “Something is definitely wrong.”

Brandon turned to look at me and cocked his head. Now, they were both staring at me. My brain tried to cook up something else to redirect them, but I was exhausted by the constant pain from my mouth and gave up.

“It’s my tooth,” I said, slumping back in my chair. Those pancakes smelled so good, and I just couldn’t enjoy them. “I think those goons knocked something loose. It hurts when I eat.”

Brandon put down the plate he’d picked up and looked at Kelly.

“Why didn’t you say something right away?” Brandon said, exasperation washing his features. “It’s been two days since we brought you home.”

“I know,” I said, realizing that I’d made myself a problem once again. “I was hoping it would go away.”

Kelly snorted. “I don’t know what your experience has been, but in my experience, dental pain doesn’t just go away.”

“You’re right,” I said, dipping my finger in the syrup and sticking it in my mouth. “But it’s not like I can just make an appointment with a dentist down here.”

Kelly and Brandon both laughed. Brandon picked up his plate and helped himself to some of my tower of pancakes. Settling across from me, he carefully carved off a heaping bite and savored it with his eyes closed. He swallowed, looked at Kelly, nodded his enthusiastic approval, and then set his fork down in the pool of syrup on his plate.

“Do you really think we don’t have dentists down here?” he asked.

“Dentists that see illegal humans?” I asked, sure I had the upper hand.

“Dentists who see whoever needs their services,” Kelly said. “It’s not like you can ration medical care to only an elite group. That’s crazy.”

“Yes, but-” my mind was spinning with the possibility I might actually be able to see a dentist, not a prospect that I was fond of in any situation. “How will I pay?”

My question was met with silence and blank stares.

“Pay for what?” Brandon asked.

“Pay for the dental care?” I was really confused. Things obviously worked differently down here.

“Why would you pay for dental care?” Kelly asked.

“Listen,” Brandon said, mopping up syrup with a bite of pancake. “I have a friend I’m sure would be happy to see you. He’s very interested in unique cases.”

And so, I found myself bundled along to the UL, charm in place and hood pulled up. Brandon’s friend was indeed interested in my case. I didn’t ask if he’d ever seen a human before. The pain in my mouth was so great that I wasn’t sure I cared. I barely noticed anything about the trip across town. Kelly had offered to take me this time, some errand it would coincide with, and before I knew it, we were stepping into a waiting room that smelled very much like a regular dentist’s office.

The waiting room was empty, but it was also the very end of the day. Brandon had intentionally set the appointment up that way. The opossum at the registration desk didn’t ask any questions, and we barely sat down in the stiff waiting room chairs before they called me back. Kelly followed me without saying a word. The opossum waved me to the dental chair and clipped a paper bib around my neck.

“You’re going to want to take that off,” the opossum said, not looking at me and gesturing to my charm, “before Dr. Stone can work on your teeth.”

“Right,” I said, slipping the charm off and tucking it into my pocket. It felt weird to be without it. Exposed.

“Don’t worry,” Kelly said, patting my hand. “I’ve seen Dr. Stone before; he’s great.”

I didn’t have to wait long. I suspect the dentist was as eager to see me as I was to see him. The door opened and in walked Dr. Stone. Now, I’ve seen crocodiles before, but never up close. He was beaming, his smile so big I could almost count his teeth.

“Welcome, welcome,” he said, shaking my hand vigorously. “I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is. Don’t see many humans down here. Not many at all.”

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I did what I usually do in these situations: I said something stupid.

“I don’t see many crocodile dentists, either,” I said, immediately regretting my decision.

But he was all smiles.

“Of course, you don’t,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “Now tell me what’s going on in your mouth.”

“Well,” I looked at Kelly, who nodded. “I got roughed up a few days ago and I think they may have knocked one of my crowns off.”

“Unfortunate,” he said, leaning me back and pulling the light over. “We’ll get you fixed up right as rain. Don’t worry,” he looked at me over his glasses, “I took a special course in human teeth back in dental school. You’re in good hands.”

I closed my eyes and hoped he was right.

-JPS