CHAPTER two

"Is this really necessary?" Arthur grunted. "Couldn't we have left him on the ship?"

"Alone? Are you kidding me?" Trillian puffed. Ford said nothing and sighed. At the moment, Trillian and Arthur had a grip on his arms and Ford was pushing from behind a kicking and yelling Zaphod. Marvin trudged behind.

"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO! NO, NO, NO! I WON'T! LET GO OF ME!" Zaphod yelled. They made it to the door and Zaphod broke free and began to run back to the ship. Ford grabbed Zaphod's arm and forcefully pulled him back and pushed him ahead of everyone inside.

"He's not even the one going! Why's he making such a fuss!" Trillian complained. The inside of the waiting room wasn't too pleasant. It was clean, that was the good thing. But it smelled stale and it was stark and old.

It was also completely and utterly empty.

Arthur, Ford, and a reluctant Zaphod approached the desk, leaving Trillian to sit with the paranoid android.

"Can I help you?" the rather large purple alien at the desk asked.

"We, uh . . ." Arthur began.

"We need to see a dentist." Ford said matter-of-factly.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Well I don't think . . . our dentist is on lunch break. Come back in about an hour."

They didn't want to come back in an hour though. They needed something to convince . . .

"Look! It's the President!" Arthur and Ford shoved Zaphod forward.

"Of the Universe?" the purple alien questioned. Zaphod managed a weak smile. "Well, hold on a moment then." And the alien walked away.

"You know, one of these days that tricks not going to work. I'd like to see what you would come up with then." Trillian called out. A door nearby the desk was thrown open and an alien very similar to the one at the desk bounded at in a white coat.

Zaphod screamed and hid behind Arthur. Trillian smacked her forehead.

"So, who's my lucky patient today?" the dentist spotted Zaphod peeking around Arthur. "The President! I'd be honored to clean your teeth! Come along!"

Zaphod kicked Arthur. "Um," Arthur stumbled on words. "He's just . . . uh . . . visiting. It's actually someone else. Trillian. Over there." Arthur pointed and Trillian got up and made her way over.

"Oh, well." The dentist seemed disappointed but quickly recovered. "Well, a friend of the dentist is just as good. Come on then young lady. Tell me what's wrong." And the dentist led Trillian through the door.

"Is this the only dentist you have here?" Arthur asked.

"Well, no." the alien at the desk looked up. "we just got a transfer from Betelgeuse. Dr. Silverman."

Ford's mouth hung open in surprise.

Arthur shrugged and went to sit back down.

Marvin groaned about dentist drills.

Zaphod screamed and ran in circles around the waiting room.