10. SICK (II)

The ache in my teeth was unbearable. It felt as if the insides of each tooth—the deep center of my molars, the thin inners of my canines—had been infused with sugar and hydrochloric acid. Every breath caused a spiking of pain. Drinking anything was paper cuts over exposed nerve endings. I asked for medicine, anything, Tylenol or Advil, just please give me something. My tongue felt swollen. Words were too hard to push past my dying teeth.