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“Ok. Here we are.”
Mike cringes as he sees the Oral Surgery Implant Center in front of him. He needs to get his wisdom teeth removed. He’d forgotten about it before his mom went into the basement last night and reminded him about the appointment. He grimaces as he looks down at his watch. 9:20 am. The surgery is at 9:30.
“Do we have to do this today?” Mike says, more of a demand rather than an actual question. He turns his head away from his watch and up at his sister, who stares at him with an unreadable expression. He sits in the passenger’s seat as she sits in the driver’s seat, hands still tight on the wheel.
He hated the idea of being put under and having people dig around in his mouth so they could remove four teeth that seemed to have no purpose anyway, or not anymore, at least. Not to mention the pain he’d be in after the operation. After his mom reminded him of the appointment the previous night, he went online and looked up everything he needed to know about wisdom teeth removals. He has only a vague memory of what he’d read, since he was distracted with his nerves at the same time.
Will had come over for a sleepover last night, and when Mike was prompted to the teeth surgery, Will wanted to be with him every step of the way. Like a good friend. He called his mom that same night and asked if he could stay with Mike for the next day as well, explaining that the boy was getting his wisdom teeth removed, and Will thought he should be there for him.
He got an approval from his mother and tried to hide his embarrassment in his response back and his expression when she called him a “good and very caring friend.”
Will sits in the back of the car, right in the middle, so he can see both Mike and Nancy holding intense eye contact.
“Yes,” Nancy says. “Mom trusted me to take you in to get your wisdom teeth removed, and there’s no delaying it now. It’s going to be today.” Her expression softens as Mike’s shoulders drop and his back falls into the seat. “Your wisdom teeth are gonna cause you pain if you don’t get them removed. You won’t have to worry about them anymore once they’re gone. It’ll be like they were never there in the first place.”
Mike sighs as he looks at the building. Then he grabs a water bottle in the cupholder and twists the small lid off.
Nancy slaps his hand and grabs the plastic bottle as he starts bringing it to his mouth. He looks at her with widened eyes and furrowed brows.
“You can’t drink water,” she tells him. “You’re not supposed to eat or drink anything eight hours before the surgery so you won’t risk aspiration.”
Mike groans. He did follow that rule. When he realized he had to go that long without water, he got angry. He complained to his best friend about it for around 15 minutes. Will sat there quietly, just letting him rant and express his frustrations. He didn’t say anything for some time, but he eventually spoke up.
“You’ll be able to drink water when the surgery’s done and you don’t have to worry about filling your lungs with fluid or food.”
Mike only huffed in response and took a couple deep breaths to calm himself down. He’d probably gone longer without water before, and he’d definitely gone without food longer. But he had drunk so much water the day before, that it felt weird that he couldn’t drink even a tiny sip now.
“Ok,” he huffs, sitting up and glaring at the building in front of them. “Let’s get this over with.”
Nancy, Mike and Will get out of the car and start to walk inside. Mike is very nervous. And for good reason. It can be a little- scratch that- very intimidating to have any kind of surgery. Anything could go wrong. It could be extremely painful. His own thoughts make his stomach churn.
“Just relax,” Nancy tells him as she opens the door and lets him and Will walk in first.
She checks in at the front desk as Will and Mike sit down. Mike takes a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself, but he’s shaking a little.
Will turns his head away from the front desk and looks at him. He places his hand on his arm, startling Mike, and he shakes more.
“Just breathe,” Will whispers. “It’s going to be ok.”
Mike leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. Will’s words repeat in his head. It’s going to be ok. It’s going to be ok.
He calms down just for a second and opens his eyes. But Will’s reassurance doesn’t last long, because he sees a surgeon coming into the waiting room. He starts feeling butterflies again, but not the good kind.
Nancy turns and nods at him.
Mike takes another deep breath and gets up. His legs feel tingly as he walks, as if there’s a thousand tiny needles digging into his skin. He follows the surgeon in a slow, winding, walk down the hall and into one of the rooms.
The surgeon gestures for him to lay down on the patient chair. Hesitantly, he climbs onto the chair and lays, staring up at the ceiling.
The surgeon tries to make him feel comfortable by asking him a couple questions about his plans for the rest of the week (he’d started Spring Break just a couple days prior). Then the surgeon sits in a chair beside him and readies a syringe.
Mike tries to control his heavy breathing and doesn’t look at the surgeon. Instead, he keeps his eyes on the ceiling, or darts them around the room a couple times. He fixes his eyes on a cobweb hanging from a corner adjacent to him.
The surgeon tells him to stay relaxed before he puts a needle in his arm. He squints his eyes at the feeling, as if he was being stabbed by a mechanical pencil.
The room is generally quiet, with soft music playing in a speaker somewhere on the ceiling. It takes a few minutes before Mike starts drifting, not even realizing it. Before he can drift any longer, he’s out like a light.
The surgery only takes around 30-40 minutes. Nancy and Will sit patiently in the waiting room.
She looks over to see him bouncing his leg.
“Thanks for being here, Will,” she says after a minute, almost startling him. “I’ll definitely need some help with Mike after this procedure. And Mom and Dad aren’t home right now, so… it’d just be us.”
Will blinks as he processes her words, then nods. “Sure thing.” He looks away, thinking, then looks back at her. “Hey, Nancy?”
She looks back at him, forgetting about her nail polish that she was picking at. “Yeah?”
The Byers boy gently bites his lip, considering his words. “Do you think Mike’s gonna be, like… kind of weird? Because we were watching videos last night of people on anesthesia, and… they said some odd stuff.”
Nancy snickers gently. “Yes, he may be a little weird. People tend to get a bit loopy when they’re put under.”
Will nods and says nothing else. They continue sitting there silently until a different surgeon comes into the room and invites them down the hall.
They’re led to the room of the operation, and when they walk inside, they smile lamely.
Mike just woke up two minutes ago, and his eyes are squinty and his brows are furrowed as he stares at the wall across from him.
The surgeons excuse themselves for a moment and leave the room.
Nancy and Will walk over to the chair. Mike looks at them with the same expression, eyes slowly trailing between them a few times.
“Hey,” Nancy says, her voice gentle, one she only knows how to use in situations like this. “How are you feeling?”
Mike lays there, limp, and silent. He still wears an expression mocking confused, tired, and just out of it. He looks at Nancy for a moment, trying to make sense of her.
His eyes suddenly light up, as if everything’s just coming back to him. He opens his mouth slowly and lets out a few slurred words.
“Oh, hey, Nancy.”
She purses her lips into a smile, trying not to laugh. It’s hard to take him seriously when he looks like this.
“How are you feeling?” She repeats.
He blinks slowly. “Mmph. I- I feel…” he shivers. “Blegh.”
“Do you know where you are?” Will asks.
Mike’s eyes shift to his, and Will has to stop himself from smiling too wide as it’s the most slow, dramatic shift he’s ever seen.
“Wha-” Mike starts, but goes nowhere with it.
“Do you know where you are?” Will repeats. He motions around the room with his hand.
The Wheeler boy slowly turns his head to look around.
“Um.” He looks back at Will. “A room?”
Will rolls his eyes with a smile. “No, I know. I mean, what kind of room?”
Mike rests his head back on the chair. “Mm. A room.” He suddenly lifts his head. “Oh! It- it’s a- it’s a room.” He giggles.
Will and Nancy share a look.
“Do you remember anything before the surgery?” Nancy asks.
Mike’s giggling cuts short and he looks at her. “What surgery?”
“Your wisdom teeth removal,” she responds, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Which, really, it is.
Mike’s eyebrows furrow and he shifts in the chair. The movement is slow and unstable.
“What?”
“Oh, you don’t remember why we’re here?” She continues. “You got your wisdom teeth removed.”
“What?” Mike brings his hand to his cheek. “I lost my teeth? Wh- where’d my teeth go?”
Nancy shakes her head. “You didn’t lose your teeth. Just your wisdom teeth.”
“Where did my wisdom go?” His eyes start watering. “I lost my wisdom!” He puts his head back on the chair, throwing his hand down onto the chair. “I’m stupid now!”
Will purses his lips to not make a reaction. Nancy shakes her head again.
“No, you didn’t lose your wisdom.”
Mike gives her an icy stare. “Then what did I lose?”
“Your wisdom teeth.”
He squints his eyes. “So I lost my wisdom!”
His words are slurred and sloppy and Will lets out a snort.
Mike glares at him.
“Stop laughing, you asshole!”
Will nods, biting back a smile. “Sorry, sorry.”
Mike looks between him and Nancy, pouting.
“I’m stupid, thanks to my wisdom being taken away!” He crosses his arms.
“Mike-” Nancy struggles to hold back a laugh. “You’re not stupid. You still have wisdom. But you lost your wisdom teeth.”
“What’s the difference?” He raises his arms, but it’s a slow movement, which makes it hard to take his anger seriously.
“They’re just called wisdom teeth,” she explains, trying to be patient. She already knew how patient she’d have to try and be with him this whole time. “But they don’t define how much wisdom you have. And getting them removed doesn’t mean you’re not smart.”
Mike considers this, then ultimately decides to give up. He sits quietly for a minute. Then he brings his hand to his mouth, fingers touching his bottom lip.
“I- I can’t feel- where’s my lip?”
Will smiles. “Right there.”
“Huh?” Mike shakes his head, moving his fingers over his numb lips. “No, I can’t- I don’t have lips!”
“Yes, you do,” Will says. “You’re touching them.”
Mike opens his mouth just a little. “Where’s my tongue?”
“In your mouth,” Will says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, which, again, it is.
“Then why can’t I feel it!” Mike exclaims angerly. Or tries to. It’s very hard to take him seriously and even react negatively since he’s been impaled with anesthesia.
“Because it’s numb. But your tongue is still there, you just can’t feel it. I promise it’s still there.”
Mike grumbles and shifts in the chair. He throws his hand down to his lap before he lifts it up and continues feeling his mouth.
“Where’s my teeth?”
“In your mouth, Mike.”
“No! I can’t feel-”
“Your entire mouth is numb, Mike,” Nancy explains. “You can’t feel anything because it’s numb. But it’ll go away soon.”
Mike starts crying.
“What’s wrong?” Will asks, his smile dropping now. He’d forgotten about the switches between emotions.
“I don’t have lips!” Mike cries. “I lost my lips, my tongue, my teeth!” He cries harder.
Will looks at Nancy, who’s pursing her lips so she doesn’t break out laughing. Will returns the face once he realizes how much anesthesia messes with your emotions, and he looks back at Mike.
“It’s ok,” he says softly. “You still have your lips, tongue and teeth. They’re just numb from the anesthesia.”
Mike stops crying. He blinks up at Will. “Wha?”
The Byers boy nods. “Yeah. Your mouth will be numb for a little bit, but soon enough, you’ll feel your tongue again.”
Mike visibly relaxes at this, laughing to himself a little. “Oh. Ok.”
“So, we can go home now,” Nancy starts. She watches as Mike settles more into the chair. “If you want.”
“No,” he blurts. “I don’t move need to.”
Will blinks. “What?”
“I don’t wanna move need be!”
“What are you saying?”
Mike opens his eyes and looks at him. “Shut your mouth, you expired laundry detergent.”
Will looks at Nancy, who leans towards him a little.
“He doesn’t mean it,” she whispers. “He’s just loopy and doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
Mike looks around. “Where’s my boyfriend?”
Will clears his throat. “You don’t have a boyfriend.”
“No. I have boyfriend. Where boyfriend?”
“Mike-”
“No! I have a-”
“Mike! You do not have a boyfriend!”
The Wheeler boy flinches at Will’s raised voice, and he raises his eyebrows, leaning back into the long chair.
“Well, damn, woman.”
“I’m not a-!” Will takes a deep breath. “I’m not a woman.”
Mike looks at him. “Wait.” He looks him up and down. “Will?”
Will snorts. “Congrats. You’re not blind.”
“I’m the only woman in the room,” Nancy says, raising an eyebrow at Mike.
Her baby brother shrinks down in the chair, embarrassed, before looking up.
“Right. Sorry, Willard.”
The Byers boy holds back a huff and smiles incredibly fake. “It’s ok, Michael.”
Mike frowns. “Ow.” He touches his face.
“Your face hurt?” Nancy asks.
He nods. “Yuh.”
“How about we get you home so you can take some pain medicine?”
The Wheeler boy grumbles. “Can’t- move-” He tries sitting up, but falls back against the chair. Nancy and Will help him sit up.
“Come on,” Nancy says as he slowly swings his legs off the chair and onto the floor.
He grumbles softly the whole time as they get him standing and slowly walking towards the door.
“Why are you acting like you just went through some kind of leg surgery?” Nancy scoffs. She opens the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
Mike rolls his eyes and they walk towards the front door and leave the center. They sit Mike in the front seat and Will gets in the back as Nancy opens the driver’s door. She gets in, starts the car, and takes a breath.
“Ok. We got the first part out of the way, Will.”
Will nods in the back. “Yup.”
“Huh?” Mike looks between them. He’s still very loopy.
“Will and I were talking about how we’re gonna need to help each other take care of you because you’re so hard to take care of.”
Mike rolls his eyes and leans his head against the window, mumbling.
“You’re both assholes.”
Nancy snorts, pulling out of the parking lot. “Love you too.”
Will opens his mouth, but bites his tongue and closes it before he can embarrass himself.
Mike keeps his head rested against the window the whole ride home, not saying a word. He looks like he’s about to pass out any second.
“Are you hungry?” Nancy asks after about five minutes of silence.
He growls in response.
“I’ll take that a yes. We’ll get you some pain medicine first and then you can eat. Only soft foods.”
They reach the Wheeler’s house after about another five minutes. They walk inside and sit Mike at the kitchen counter. Nancy gets the pain medicine out of her purse and hands it to him.
He stares at it without moving.
“You want it?” She asks. Will feels in awe at her patience. Not that he’s impatient, but he’s surprised Nancy can stay this patient with her usual oblivious brother.
Mike shakes his head. He opens his mouth just a little and lets out a small noise, something resembling a yawn.
“You tired?”
He nods, rubbing his hands over his eyes.
“You can take a nap if you want.” He goes to get up. “But, we need to change your gauze.”
Mike blinks, confused, then groans in realization. He begrudgingly walks back to the stool and sits. Will watches as Nancy grabs some gauze and rolls four pieces in small tubes.
“Open,” she says.
Mike opens his mouth and she takes out the gauze that are resting on his back gums and replaces them with the clean ones.
“How’s that feel?”
He shrugs. “Ok, I guess.” He yawns again. “Can I go?”
She nods. “Sure, go ahead.”
Mike gets up and Will watches him head to the stairs. He follows him and speaks up before he can really think about it.
“Do you need help?”
Mike stops and looks at Will. “What?”
Will blushes. “I mean… do you need help getting to your room? Can I get you anything?”
Mike smiles for the first time since leaving the Oral Surgery Implant Center.
“No, Will, I’m ok. Thanks.”
“Are you sure? I can- I can get you some water. More blankets. Maybe some… something?”
His smile grows a little, his eyelids halfway open.
“You’re sweet. But seriously, I’m fine. Thank you.”
Will’s words get stuck in his throat for a second. “Um, yeah. No problem. Just… just call if you need anything. Or text me.”
Mike responds with a nod and walks up the stairs and into his room. Will blinks.
“You’re sweet”? What does that mean? Why’d he say it like that?
Will doesn’t let himself dwell on the moment and turns and walks back to the kitchen. Nancy is standing at the counter, drinking some juice.
“How long do you think he’ll sleep for?” Will asks.
Nancy shrugs. “Maybe an hour or so. Oral surgery can be pretty tiring, apparently.”
The boy nods and sits on the stool Mike had been sitting at previously.
“Do you want some juice?” The Wheeler girl asks.
Will looks up and shrugs. “Sure.”
She pours him some juice and pushes the cup towards him.
“Thanks.” He takes a sip and looks at the counter, feeling awkward for some reason.
“So…” Nancy starts. Will doesn’t look up as she trails off. “What do you wanna do now?”
He shrugs, still keeping his eyes down. “I dunno.” He looks up. “Just… wait, I guess.”
Will feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees a text from his mother.
“Hey sweetie! How’d the surgery go? Is Mike ok?”
He starts typing back.
“It went well. Yeah, he’s ok. Just loopy and sleepy. Lol.”
She responds after a second.
“Haha! Well, hopefully he’ll be feeling better soon. Are his parents home?”
“No, just Nancy. I think Holly’s with their parents.”
“Just Nancy? Big responsibility then, I guess. 😂”
“Yeah. I’m here tho, so it’s ok.”
“Yes, you are! You’re such a good friend to him ❤️ ”
“Mommm”
“What? You are!”
“ 😑”
“ 🤗
What are you doing?”
“Sitting at the counter with Nancy”
“Fun! Well, tell Mike I said hope all’s well! I love you 😘”
“Love you too
❤️ ”
Will puts his phone away and looks at Nancy, who’s still standing there. She sends him a smile and he returns it, looking back down at the counter because he’s awkward. Why can’t he even act casual around Mike’s sister? Ridiculous.
After what feels like hours, but is really just an hour or two, Mike finally wakes up.
He walks down the stairs to find his sister and his best friend still lounging at the counter. It looks like they’ve been there for a while.
His cheeks suddenly brighten as he realizes they’ve been waiting for him.
“Hey,” he says awkwardly.
“Hey,” Nancy responds. “Sleep well?”
Mike nods. “Uh, yeah.” He looks at Will, who stares back. He smiles at Mike. Mike returns it and walks closer to the counter. “So…” he looks between them. “What’re you two doing?”
Nancy shrugs. “Not much. Just…” she looks at Will. “Conversing.”
Will nods. That wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t a total lie. They weren’t having a back and forth conversation, but it’s not like they weren’t speaking at all. Subtle comments here and there.
But Will’s like 99.9% sure Nancy’s figured him out. Only Jonathan knows about his truth, and now he felt nervous knowing that Nancy might as well. That’s why it’s awkward between them currently. Nancy isn’t looking at him negatively or anything, but Will’s insecurity is telling him, she’s judging you. Everyone is.
Will shakes his head and this catches Mike’s attention. When Will lifts his head, Mike’s eyes are on him.
“Are you ok?” His voice is calm and quiet, but Will catches a hint of concern.
The Byers boy blinks, then nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” His eyes trail away from his for just a second before looking back. “Are you?”
Mike nods. “Yeah, I’m ok. I don’t feel super loopy anymore. And the numbness is going down slowly. I can feel my tongue!”
His grin makes Will smile.
“See?” Nancy smiles too and turns to the cabinets. “You should probably eat. What sounds good? Remember, soft.”
Mike hums, sitting in the stool beside Will. “Surprise me.”
Nancy raises an eyebrow, looking at him. “No, because if I choose, you’re probably not going to eat it.”
He snorts. She knows him well enough to know this. “Soup. Please.”
She nods and starts preparing the soup. Mike turns in the stool and faces Will, who only turns his head to look at him.
“Hi,” the black-haired boy says.
“Hi,” Will responds. When he realizes Mike isn’t turning away, he turns to face him.
“I’m glad you’re here.” It’s so quiet that it’s almost inaudible.
Will leans closer to hear. When he makes it out, he smiles slightly.
“Yeah, me too.” He pauses. “How’s your mouth?”
Mike shrugs. “Like I said, numbness going down a little bit. Anesthesia is mostly warn off. I’m starting to feel some things in that part of my face again.”
Will nods. “That’s good. Well…” He looks down at his lap and fidgets with his hands. He can feel Mike just staring at him. He keeps his gaze low.
“Will.”
The Byers boy looks up as his best friend says his name and Mike is still staring into his eyes.
“Yeah?”
Mike opens his mouth, then closes it. Will tilts his head, curious and confused. He’s met with a shake of the head, and he frowns to himself. What was he going to say?
Mike turns away from Will, watching Nancy, who’s stirring a wooden spoon in a pot.
“Will, do you want some soup?”
Will’s gaze snaps away from Mike, and at Nancy. She looks back when he doesn’t respond.
He opens his mouth when he realizes she’s looking right at him.
“Oh,” he says, his voice coming out embarrassingly high-pitched. “Sure.” He clears his throat.
Mike purses his lips, stifling a laugh.
Will notices and nudges him gently. “Shut up,” he whispers.
Mike laughs softly at that and smiles at him.
Will can’t pretend to look annoyed as he smiles back.
After a few more minutes, they get their soup and Mike is practically leaping out of his chair.
“Is it good?” Will already knows how much he’s enjoying that soup.
Mike nods, bringing the spoon to his mouth and meeting Will’s eyes. “Very much.” He bites the spoon and Will smiles.
“You were probably hungry.”
The Wheeler boy nods. “Yeah. I haven’t eaten, since… like… 9 pm last night.”
Will looks at his watch. 1 pm. He looks at him and nods. “Yeah. 16 hours. Wow.”
“Eat up, eat up,” Nancy says, turning and putting the pot in the sink.
“We are,” Mike responds.
He and Will simultaneously take a bite of their soup and lick it off their lips in sync.
“Mike, come on. We gotta clean your gums.”
“What? Wait, why?”
Nancy rolls her eyes. “Why do you think? You just got your wisdom teeth removed, like… four hours ago. We gotta clean the gums with a syringe.”
She, Mike and Will are now standing in the bathroom. Mike cringes as she holds up a syringe.
“It’s just water,” she tells him. “It’s fine.”
He hesitates and opens his mouth. She makes him lean over the sink as she squirts water into his mouth, one time each in the four places his wisdom teeth used to be.
“How does that feel?” She asks when she’s done.
He cringes, licking his lips. “I taste blood.”
Nancy nods. “There might be a bit of bleeding, but it’ll stop as you keep doing this.”
Mike sighs, looking at the syringe. “How many times a day do I need to do this?”
She reads the instructions. “Um, it says here, ‘5 times a day for 7 days.’”
Mike’s jaw drops. “5 times a day??”
Nancy looks closer. “’Or every time you eat.’” She looks up. “So, yeah. 5 times.”
Mike blinks. “I don’t eat 5 times a day.”
The atmosphere changes slightly, and the tension gets awkward. Will clears his throat uncomfortably.
“I don’t even eat 3 times a day,” Mike continues, oblivious to the sudden shift. “I only eat 2. Or 1…” he trails off as he sees the look on Nancy’s face.
Nancy stares at him for a minute, then turns away, shaking her head as she puts the syringe away in the drawer. She looks up at her little brother, who’s awkwardly like eight inches taller than her.
“Five times a day,” she states. She doesn’t let Mike respond as she walks out of the bathroom and back downstairs.
Will looks at Mike, who’s now rubbing a hand through his hair.
“Are you…” Will starts. The words are on the tip of his tongue, but he’s wondering if he should say. “Are you gonna do it five times a day?”
Mike pauses, considering. Will looks down and shuffles his feet awkwardly.
“Yes,” he finally hears in a small, soft voice. He looks up at Mike to see him giving him a defeated look.
“Yes,” Mike repeats. “I- I will.”
“Really? Or are you just saying that?”
The black-haired boy swallows.
“I- I mean it.” He sighs. “I might need to be reminded, but I’ll do it.”
Will tilts his head, voice becoming a little light-hearted. “Then I’ll text you every day and check in. Force you by saying, ‘hey, dummy, did you clean your sockets?”
Mike rolls his eyes, smiling. “Well, I’d appreciate that very much, Will. But I don’t think I’d appreciate the ‘dummy’ part.”
Will smiles. “Hey, I’m only telling it like it is.”
His grin grows as Mike rolls his eyes again, trying to seem annoyed, but really just chippering.
“Asshole.”
Will punches him on the shoulder, earning one back.
The anesthesia is gone. The wisdom is kept. And Mike feels ok.