I'm Sorry 2: The Dentist
"Master, I don't want to go the dentist!" Anakin wailed as he glumly followed his Master down one of the endless white halls inside the Jedi Temple. The Temple was akin to a city of its very own, housing everything a Jedi could need inside the giant complex. And unfortunately for Anakin, that included dentists. "I was there just three months ago for a cleaning! You know how I hate them digging in my mouth with their too-big hands!"
"Padawan, you're just scared of the dentist." Obi-Wan sighed loudly as he continued on his way down the corridor. "You know it and so do I. But there's something seriously wrong with your teeth!"
"There's nothing wrong with my teeth! You're just angry at me." Anakin skulked. "I said I was sorry…"
"Well, you bit me two times already with those long fangs of yours!" Obi-Wan accused, annoyed as one hand unconsciously moved up to touch his sore neck. "You're just lucky this bite didn't get infected!"
"I don't know why I bit you, Master. It's just your neck looked delicious last night." Anakin admitted as they passed through the doorway into the dentist's outer waiting room. To his dismay, the room was empty and that most likely meant he'd be rushed in to see the foul torturer right away. He could imagine it all too clearly. No matter how wide he'd opened his mouth it wouldn't be wide enough for the dentist and he'd end up with his jaw feeling all weird. And who knew what torment the dentist would afflict on his poor mouth today? He plopped down in one of the empty chairs and glared at Obi-Wan. "I better not end up being used as some experiment, Master! I'm not a test subject."
"Relax, Anakin!" Obi-Wan ordered as he went up to the front counter. The dentist emerged from a back room, a big grin on his face. He was middle aged with a balding head of white hair. "Master Kenobi! What a pleasant surprise! What's the emergency?"
"My Padawan seems to have grown a pair of fangs and he bit me twice with them already." Obi-Wan explained as he turned his head sideways and pulled his hair out of the way to show the purple bite marks.
The dentist frowned. "Well, I never heard of a human growing fangs, but let's have a look."
Holding open the little gate, he motioned for Anakin to follow him into the back room. Anakin sighed but followed. All too soon he found himself trapped in the dentist chair with Dr. Ike digging in his mouth. The Doctor's bushy brows rose, then he stood up straight. "My, this is serious indeed!"
Patting Anakin on the arm, Dr. Ike left the examining room and headed out to the waiting room where Obi-Wan nervously waited. The Doctor went straight to Master Kenobi and stopped before him, arms crossed over his white coat.
"Well?" Obi-Wan asked, his face expectant. "Can you help him?"
"His teeth are perfect." Dr. Ike said. "And normal. I don't see any fangs in his mouth at all, unless you mean the slightly pointed eyeteeth. But those are no longer than normal and their certainly not fangs."
"WHAT?!" Obi-Wan leaped out of his seat, his eyes wide in shock. "But I saw them! Why, last night they were so long they were protruding from his lips!"
"Well, they're not there now." Dr. Ike repeated.
Obi-Wan raced past Dr. Ike into the tiny room where Anakin waited nervously in the dentist chair. Running to the side of the chair, he pulled Anakin's mouth open and peered inside, only to find that Dr. Ike had been right. The fangs were gone! "Where did they go?"
Anakin glanced up at his Master and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
The Doctor came in the room, a datapadd in one hand..
Obi-Wan pointed a finger at Anakin. "The fangs are gone!"
"Yes, we already determined that, didn't we? But you should be glad, Master Kenobi. It's one less problem we have to solve. But if they should return, which is unlikely, do come again." The Doctor pressed buttons on the padd and made little humming sounds to himself. "You know, Master Obi-Wan, you're scheduled for your dental exam in three weeks. Since you're hear now, why don't we get it out of the way?"
"What?" Obi-Wan asked, his heart rate soaring.
Anakin hopped out of the chair and patted his Master on the shoulder. "I'll be in the waiting room, Master."
Time passed and finally the two were on the way back to their quarters.
"I'm sorry you had to spend three hours in the dentist's chair, Master!" Anakin apologized again, a bag of antibiotics in his hand. "But Dr. Ike said that wisdom tooth was infected and it had to come out. You also have to take it easy for three days…"
Obi-Wan groaned loudly, half of his face and neck puffy and numb. Every time he touched his left cheek lightly it felt like a small mammal had stuffed it full of winter nuts. And soon the numbing shots would wear off. Uggh! "But where did the fangs GO?"
"I'm sorry, Master, but I don't know." Anakin admitted as he unlocked the door to their apartment and helped his Master get settled in bed. "And I don't know where they came from, either."
The hours passed and Anakin kept himself busy on the computer until it was time to give his Master an antibiotic. By that time it was late and the sun had sunk below the horizon. Getting the pill and a glass of warm water, Anakin headed into his Master's bedroom. Flipping on the light, Anakin headed towards the bed.
Obi-Wan's blue eyes opened wide and he pointed excitedly at his Padawan, a loud moaning sound emerging from between his lips.
"Yes, Master. I have your pill right here…" Anakin said softly to sooth the older man.
"Phhhansssss!" Obi-Wan moaned, his voice muffled by the swollen cheek.
"Are you in pain, Master?" Anakin asked, concern in his voice. He leaned over Obi-Wan and gazed into his eyes. "Do you want a pain pill?"
"Phhhaaggss!" Obi-Wan cried, pointing at Anakin's mouth.
Anakin reached for his mouth with a hand, feeling the two long protruding teeth.
The fangs were back!
To be continued…