Chapter Text
Clothes had been thrown carelessly to the floor. Bed sheets were mussed up, and Erin was crying out in ecstacy.
Holtz softly kissed her way back up Erin’s body.
“What a nice tummy you have,” she mumbled as she kissed it.
“And what nice boobs you have,” she kissed both of them.
“What a nice neck you have,” she kissed Erin’s collarbone, leaving a hickey.
“And what nice teeth you have,” Holtz said after she kissed Erin’s lips.
“Teeth?” Erin questioned, “Why didn’t you say lips?”
“Sorry,” said Holtz, “but your teeth look really nice today.”
“I went to the dentist today,” said Erin.
Holtz flopped down on the bed next to her, “The dentist? Wow. Only you would go to the dentist, Erin.”
Erin looked at her strangely, “Holtz? You do go to the dentist right?”
“What is a dentist really? Just someone you smile at? I thought they only existed in movies,” said Holtz.
Erin looked at Holtz in surprise. “Holtz! You have to go to the dentist! Your teeth are an important part of your body.”
Holtz wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, “I think there are some other pretty important parts of my body too.”
Erin propped herself up on her elbow and looked Holtz curiously.
Holtz mirrored Erin’s position and tried to decipher what she was thinking.
“When was the last time you went to the dentist, Holtz?” Erin asked, slowly, as if talking to a young child.
Holtz groaned, “Can we finish this conversation after we finish what we were doing?”
“I’m concerned for your health, Holtz. You can finish after you answer the question,” said Erin.
“Dr. Gorin made me go once when I was in college. Well, she tried to make me go more than once, but it didn’t work. I guess I must have been about...fifteen or sixteen at the time?” Holtzmann answered.
“Holtz! That’s very bad hygiene!” Erin gasped out loud.
“Dentist are for dudes,” shrugged Holtz.
“They’re for everyone,” Erin said, aghast.
“But they’re scary,” mumbled Holtz.
“What if I came and held your hand?” Erin suggested and grabbed Holtz’s hand, rubbing her thumb softly.
Holtz took a minute to think about it. She really didn’t want to go. However, she did want to go back to the activity they were doing before. Knowing Erin, she wouldn’t allow that to happen until Holtz agreed. Holtzmann nodded timidly.
Erin smiled, “Thank you, I’ll book an appointment for you.”
“After we get back to those other important body parts?” asked Holtz, a little needy.
Erin smiled, and leaned forward to kiss Holtz. She let her hands wander to those aforementioned body parts.
***
Holtz anxiously bounced her leg. She was sitting on the cold and hard plastic chair in the dentist’s waiting office.
Picking up on the nervous tick, Erin gently placed her hand on Holtz’s knee. Holtz looked up at Erin and gave her a small smile. She appreciated the gesture, and the fact that Erin was there. She was still anxious though and knew she would be until it was over.
“It’s gonna be okay, Holtz,” said Erin, “I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Holtz sighed and rested her head on Erin’s shoulder, “I just...I don’t think I can go through with this. I don’t think I can go in there.” She sounded slightly panicky.
“Why not?” Erin asked softly. “Do you wanna talk about it?”
Holtz didn’t react for a moment until Erin felt her nod on her shoulder. She took a deep breath, preparing to talk.
“Jillian Holtzmann,” her name was called.
Holtzmann’s eyes looked to the door where the young hygienist leaned against the doorway with a clipboard in her hand.
“Time to go,” Holtz said, standing up before Erin could ask her what she was about to say.
The perky hygienist led her down a hallway before turning into a room with brightly colored wallpaper. The smell of the office didn’t help her nerves at all.
“Take a seat,” she offered.
Erin and Holtz both sat down on the chairs at the side of the room.
Erin nudged Holtzmann, “Holtz, you’re supposed to sit in the big chair.”
“Don’t wanna,” mumbled Holtz.
The hygienist was holding a paper bib for Holtz, “You can sit here Miss.”
Holtz groaned and made a big show of sitting in the chair. The hygienist clipped the bib around Holtz’s neck, then she left the room.
“Why’d they put a trash necklace on me?” asked Holtzmann.
“So you don’t drool on your clothes,” said Erin.
“Do I get to keep it after?”
“You won’t want it,” said Erin, “it’ll get gross.”
“Alllll riiiiiiight,” Holtz drawled out. Then she reached out a hand, “You promised to hold it.”
Erin stood up and took Holtz’s hand.
***
Holtz stomped like a petulant child. Her heavy military boots thumped loudly on the pavement.
“Holtz, it will be fine. I’ve had it done,” Erin reassured her.
“But I neeeed my wisdom teeth,” Holtz moaned, “they’re the reason I’m so smart.”
She stepped on her shoelace and stumbled forward a few steps. Erin quickly caught her around her waist.
Holtz turned around in Erin’s arms and kissed her before wrapping her arms around her neck.
“Will it really be okay?” Holtz asked and Erin saw the genuine fear in Holtzmann’s eyes.
“I promise you, it will,” said Erin softly. “We should make an appointment soon though. The dentist said they didn’t grow in properly at all. Have you really not experienced any pain?”
Holtz looked down at her shoes, not answering. But Erin knew the answer already.
“Oh Holtz,” sighed Erin.
Holtz kept looking down, not saying a word.
Erin responded by kissing her forehead in a soothing manner. She calmly grabbed Holtz’s hand and led her to the street so they could catch a cab.
Holtz kissed Erin as a way of thanking her for understanding. It was just a light kiss, a PG kiss, but it still made Erin weak at the knees.
“See,” said Holtz, humour returning to her voice, “I won’t be able to kiss you like that once my wisdom teeth are gone.”
“Okay,” said Erin, “If your wisdom teeth are involved in kissing then I think you’re doing it seriously wrong.”
Holtz chuckled, “You tell me,” she kissed Erin again.
***
Patty sat quietly at her desk at the firehouse, reading a new nonfiction novel about New York City and Subway stations. She was really into the book. She just got it a couple days ago and she was nearly done.
“Hey, Patty!” Holtz jumped out from behind her desk, nearly giving Patty a heart attack.
“Girl, why were you behind my desk?” Patty questioned when she regained her breathing.
“I was fixing it,” Holtz said and Patty knew it was better to not ask questions.
“Do you think I can still have Pringles after my surgery?” Holtz wondered out loud.
“Absolutely not,” Patty stated. “You’re going to be living off of mashed potatoes and ice cream for a week at least.”
Holtzmann mumbled something sadly before saying she had to go fix Abby’s desk.
***
Holtz literally tiptoed into the kitchen, looking left and right to make sure the coast is clear. Erin wasn’t in sight. Now was her chance!
She continued to tiptoe her way into kitchen and to the pantry where she stored all her
Pringles. She was craving barbecue flavored ones and was especially disappointed to see all her Pringles were missing.
“Looking for these?” Erin said behind her.
Sure enough when Holtz turned around, Erin was holding a bag full of tubes of Pringles.
“Erin! I bought those with my own money!!” Holtz said, shocked that Erin would do something like that.
“No you didn’t. I bought them. And you can’t eat eight hours before your surgery,” Erin reminded her and Holtz pouted, stomping off.
***
Luckily for Holtz, she always had a couple tubes hidden at work for situations like this. So when they got into work that morning, Holtz said she wanted to get a head start on a new project and skipped up the stairs. She turned towards the bathroom and leaned down grabbing the snack from underneath the sink before skipping to her desk.
Holtzmann was just about to put the first chip in her mouth when a hand reached over and crumbled the chips up.
“Abby! My chips!” Holtz exclaimed.
“You’re not supposed to be eating,” said Abby seriously.
“But I’m huuuuungry!!” Holtzmann moaned.
“No,” Abby said firmly, as though she was scolding a misbehaving puppy.
“I’m allowed to eat,” said Holtz sadly.
“Erin said you weren’t,” replied Abby.
Holtz looked forlornly at the floor, “Damn it, Erin,” she muttered under her breath.
Maybe Erin hadn’t gotten to Patty yet? Holtz skipped away from Abby without so much of a good bye.
She hurried into the little library they’d set up for Patty. She kept a small stash of Pringles behind some of the books there.
“Hey Pattycakes,” said Holtz in a singsong voice.
Patty didn’t look up from her work, “No.”
Holtz stopped, “No?”
“No Pringles, Erin warned me you might try here,” said Patty.
Holtz huffed. Didn’t they know how much she loved her Pringles? She wasn’t allowed to have them after the surgery either. This was unfair.
“You all hate me,” She muttered.
“Guilt tripping us won’t work,” Patty shook her head and went back to working.
***
At 12:30, Erin and Holtz grabbed a cab to take them to the dentist’s office. Erin made sure to hold her hand the whole way there. Erin wasn’t allowed back in the room with her this time so she made she to give Holtz a little pep talk before.
“It’s going to be fine, Holtz. You’ll be sedated and you won’t remember anything,” Erin reassured her.
“But it will huuuuuu-uuuuurt!” Holtz moaned.
“No it won’t,” said Erin. She was lying.
The taxi pulled up outside the dentist. Erin gave the cab driver money and a tip and led Holtz to the building. She literally had to drag Holtz inside.
When they arrived inside, a dental hygienist greeted them at the front desk and handed Holtz a paper to fill out, giving them consent to take her teeth out.
Holtz was lead into the room and instructed to sit in the chair. Holtz reluctantly sat down, she could feel herself nervously shaking a little bit. She saw a tray of scary looking tools by the chair. The Oral Surgeon entered the room.
“Jillian Holtzmann?” He confirmed (he certainly wouldn’t want to operate on the wrong person).
Holtz nodded, she was too scared to open her mouth around him.
The dentist nodded, “I’m Dr. Brown,” he pulled a needle from the drawer. He took her arm gently and poked her finger, trying to raise a vein to the surface.
“You anxious?” He questioned her and she hesitantly nodded.
He waved a hand, “There’s no reason to be. It seems scarier than it is.”
He poked a little more.
“Found one!” Dr. Brown declared and grabbed a tourniquet before tying it around her arm. He used a cleansing wipe to clean the area quickly before positioning the needle and sliding it in her skin. Holtzmann let out a grunt.
“We’ll start in a few minutes,” Dr. Brown told her.
The dental hygienist came up to the chair with some round stickers.
“I’m going to put these on your chest now,” The lady warned her.
“Sorry, I have a girlfriend,” Holtz joked. “But I’m glad to know you’re interested.”
The hygienist rolled her eyes and began lightly sticking the stickers onto her chest. The heart monitor machine beside her began beeping.
“Ready to start?” Dr. Brown came back in, startling Holtz.
“No,” Holtz said, panic setting in.
“Then let’s start,” Dr. Brown said before grabbing a needle to administer the medicine.
“Count backwards from five for me,” He requested as he pushed the plunger down.
Holtz counted down, “Five...four...three...tw…”