Thanks to Ally R Swan for reviewing.

Wow! I was so bad with updating any story during all of 2022. But happy new year everyone. Now we're in 2023 and new year, new opportunities right? Can't wait to see where this year brings me.

Hopefully no more dentist appointments though…

Anyway, just as every year. To begin with I'll work on all of my stories to have them all updated inn the new year. I'm working on all of the chapters right now. Anyway, it's going slooooowly but I'm almost finished with the first round of chapters now. Only this and how they ended up in care left.

Anyway, while I'm writing this I haven't started the actual chapter yet.

At the same time as I ended up outside the dentists' again I stopped to look around, as if that could bring me back in time to make sure I went back in time to start over and took the other direction, the one towards school.

I could have started crying- after all the pain after eating that egg roll for lunch yesterday. I had been about to eat another pork stew, why hadn't I just picked that one instead and went straight to school. Where I could sit in the hallway and to anyone who tried to remind me of going to class, only grumble something about the dentist.

I had barely slept, I had had a toothache the whole evening yesterday despite what Cassie had done for me and now half off my face was numb.

I could really see a reason- or a hundred not to have to school. And the last one simply being that I didn't want to. So right then and there, back outside the health center I pulled up my phone and called my dad.

I wasn't going to school like this…

"Doctor Radford?" Dad answered, after so many signals went by I almost thought he wouldn't. "Hello? Nick?"

"Schach…"

And my mouth was numb. When I realized I wouldn't be able to talk if I tried. And without anything else I hung up and sent a text.

Done at the dentist now but couldn't find my way… Can you come and get me and drive me home?

I sat down on a bench right inside the door of the dentists', time seemed to go by very slowly until my dad sent an answer at last.

How much did they actually give you? And what? Did they make some quick decision to pull something out?

I moaned and shook my head. More annoyed than ever that my dad was a doctor and would know all about all kinds of medicines and their kinds of side effect.

I wouldn't have to pull any teeth, right? Holes could always be fixed and wouldn't send me into that kind of side effect right…

Nick? Are you still there.

I'm fine. I answered. Just local anesthesia so I can't talk properly. I just took the wrong direction when going away from the dentist. I ended up back where you dropped me off. Can you come and get me?

This time I only had to wait for a few seconds, not even a minute.

Where are you?

As if there would have been some way for my dad to know where I was without asking I just wished he could have guessed…

Back at the dentists'. Just come!

Once again there was barely a minute before dad answered, which was good because even though I was pain-free now. I was so tired I could hardly sit up and I knew that if I as much as opened my mouth to say something on the way home my dad would want to bully me about it. Just like he had during those moments after the dentist when I was about to get braces.

Just stay where you are. I'll come and get you.

This is the first chapter on any story I'm finishing during 2032.

Random fact

I actually did call for a ride one day. But not when I got lost, when I missed the bus before I was going the dentist. Luckily my dad was still in town (unlike a few hours later) and could come and get me.

Then I sat in the waiting room and waited until a dentist had time for me for about an hour. I could just as well have waited and taken the next bus- or the bus after that- or the one after that. But that's easy to know in hindsight.