He couldn't open his eyes or move his lips.He couldn't open his eyes or move his lips. His throat burned, his mouth was dry, and every part of his face ached. Just then he felt the sting of a needle entering his arm, relief, and ... blackness. Joe sipped his milkshake. That's all the nourishment he'd had for some time now. He wore big braces on his teeth which prevented the intake of more solid food. The pads had been removed from his eyes and lips. He still couldn't speak. Dr. van Damme, Monica, and several other people filed into his room. One of the men went to work removing Joe's braces. "I've straightened, capped, and evened his teeth up." Looking in Joe's mouth, he said "They're flawless." Dr. van Damme and another doctor looked at Joe's face critically, the surgeon grabbing his head and turning it this way and that. "Exquisite Doctor. Once again you've outdone yourself," said Dr. van Damme. The surgeon acknowledged her compliment with a nod. "So what do you have to say Joe?" asked Dr. van Damme. Joe tried to tell her that he was fine but no matter what he did, no sound came from his mouth. "What's the matter Joe? Cat got your tongue?" The crowd laughed. By trying to hum Joe was finally able to produce a noise. It was a high-pitched squeak. "O.K., enough fooling around. What's wrong Joe, is that you've been given a new larynx. Many people loose theirs to throat cancer very year and an man made one that won't be noticed will allow thousands to speak again and rejoin society. The only difficulty is that the muscles that operate your new voice, function differently from your old ones. |