I wiped off the drool off of my face, and looked up at the TV, a pair of polished plastic news readers reading off the day's event.
"Down, 268 points.." the man said.
"What is it, a suicide of the.." the woman asked, reflecting back the fake enthusiasm.
Where did the waitlisted numbers go? There used to be a waitlist on the screen, constantly updating numbers as patients went in and outof patients. Something to pass the time.
My eyes throbbed, still heavy and crusted with rheum. The sterile white light reminded me of the strange recurring vision, that pristine cold coffin with it's repetitive underground music and wellness queries. But it was different here - the quiet chatter of the waiting couple, the background whispers of the streets below, even the ambient music - a cinematic quality to the whole thing.
A call bell rang.
"Mr Price, the doctor will see you now."
Next I knew, I was lying down face up, holding my own jaw open with two clamps as the lamplight pierced through the measly eye covering. A sharp jet sporadically assaulted my gums, followed by cold metal bending the flesh this way and that.
"Oww...."
"I see. That must go."
"Ow.. nwo do-tor..."
"There, there...."
She pressed the cold steel disc on my tongue. Whirrrrr... the grinding reminiscent of a chainsaw, not reassuring at all. And then, there was pain...
I woke up. All the patients and nurses were staring at me. Then, they broke into murmurs. No, please let it not be talking in my sleep. Anything but that.
I woke up.
"Down, 268 points.." the news anchor on the TV said.
"What is it, a suicide of the.."
"The doctor will see you now, Mr Price."
"Huh."
"The doctor... um.. are you okay? Do you need, like anything?"
"I must seem out of it, huh? Heh.. no, I'm fine, Miss..."
"Joy"
"I'm perfect, Joy. Well, except my dental issues... heh.."
"Of course. Please follow me."
We walked through narrow hallways lit in the same sterile monochrome white, past identical green doors, until there was one I was pointed towards. All the while, a familiar tune played in the background, some kind of new age drums and guitar and scratching and rap and stuff. Tasteful, really.
The doctor didn't dally, moving straight onto the x-ray that showed all my molars were rotten.
"Don't fret. We'll get you implants, top-notch stuff."
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She grinned wide, pulling apart the lips. Far too wide to be comfortable.
"Touch it.. go ahead."
I did. And then she punched me.
I jerked up. I must have fallen asleep waiting for my turn. My legs felt weak.
"Down.. down, 268 points.."
The man behind seemed to be arguing on the phone. Quite sing songy. Like Chinese.
"Yay, yay, yay.. The first thing they'll say is..."
"You want the usual, right?"
"Huh?"
I beautiful nurse stood next to me, twin pigtails and candy pink hair. New?
"The doctor is ready for you, Mr Price."
The man was bulky, like a blacksmith, and so was his toolbox. What use did a dentist have for tongs? Well, to pull out incisors, it turned out. My top front row was gone, pulled out in a single stroke... So much blood... I fainted.
A tap on my forehead.
"We are down to 268%, Mr Price."
"Huh, Joy?"
"Yes, Mr Price. Would you like us deleverage our stake in Empire Gas?"
"But I was at the dentist's..."
"Um.. are you okay? Do you need, like anything?"
So stupid. I had fallen asleep at work. That too in front this delinquent. The king would have my head if he knew...
"Bah. Get back to work, boy. Last position we got into is beat.."
How could everything hurt so bad. My jaw tightened. Even the bridge of my nose.
I woke up, massaging my nose.
"What's wrong with that price? This surgery costs atleast 6 million. Plus my retainer."
"Everything's wrong, you hear me, everything."
"Well, I give you best price. Only for you. We take away the difficult part of the surgery, half the work, halve the time as well, and put a screw and a rubber band for the rest. Five million."
"You must be dreaming."
"Mr Price, the doctor will see you now."
"Joy? I don't know if you believe this, but this is... just like 1956..."
"Being naughty again, Price? Did you take your meds?"
"Meds?"
She grabbed my face, grip so strong I couldn't move, cracking the jaw open, pressing her finger around, behind the gums, under the tongue.
I couldn't breath. My eyes rolled up, to the right. I couldn't do anything.
No matter how I tried, I couldn't turn. My eyes stayed pointing the same way, far back to the right. Try as I might, strong hands of a black figure held me firm. Not attacking, no. Protecting me with a mother's benign touch. Immovable, yet gentle.
How do I know?
I woke up...