----------------------------------- Chapter 9 -----------------------------------

Doctor Sharp entered the exam room with a folder of papers in one hand and pulled the door closed with the other. His attention was immediately drawn to the exam table when he saw Laura lying prone with her head and upper body slightly raised and supported by her elbows, and making no effort at all to move from that position. As he stepped closer, he also noticed her eyes were red and still moist from crying and there were dark streaks on her face where her eye makeup had run down her cheeks.

Before the doctor could decide exactly what he should say to his patient, Jo noticed his inquisitive glance towards her and said, "I suggested to Laura that it might be more comfortable for her to just continue laying on the table during her observation time, rather than trying to move about. She agreed that getting off the table and putting her pants on would likely be very painful right now."

The doctor caught Laura's eye, sympathetically smiled and said, "I'm really sorry we had to put you through that. I know it was rough." He then asked with a chuckle, "so was Jo gentle enough for you?" as he gave a friendly glance in the direction of his nurse.

Not wanting to give either the doctor or the nurse any hint whatsoever that the throbbing pain in her butt, although certainly still excruciating, was not entirely unpleasant, she simply smiled back and with a wink of her eye answered, "Jo was an angel, but those shots were unbelievable." Of course, she offered no further explanation that the term "unbelievable" was not necessarily being used to indicate the experience was unbelievably bad - it could just as easily mean it was unbelievably enlightening and exciting - or, in this case, maybe a little of all three.

As he stepped past the table toward his nurse, the doctor lightly touched Laura on the shoulder and replied, "Well, I really am sorry, I know it was a lot of medicine to give you at one time and an unpleasant way to give it to you; but as hard as it is to believe at this moment, it really will make you feel better."

He then continued in a rather low volume, but where both the nurse and the patient could hear him, "I've been reviewing her chart, and I think there are a couple of more things we need to do."

Immediately after making that announcement, the doctor looked Laura directly in the eye; and to ease any apprehension his words might have caused, assured her, "No more shots, I promise. Well, not today anyway."

Shifting his attention to the nurse, he asked, "What method did you use to take her temperature?"

"I used the scanner in her ear," she answered.

"I thought so," he continued, "and that's fine for a general assessment. However, a reading with a mercury thermometer is much more precise, and we are going to need to keep an accurate record of her core body temperature for the next few days so we can monitor the efficacy of the antibiotics. I'd like to have a reliable baseline temp reading recorded at the time the medicine was given."

With that, the doctor took the papers he was holding and wrote two additional orders on the top sheet: Record CBT PR stat w/hg therm, rep. q.a.m./q.p.m. PR for five days. APAP, 625 mg supp. x 2 PR. He then handed the chart package to the nurse. Jo looked up at the doctor and nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Doctor Sharp turned back to his patient and explained the procedures he had just ordered, "I'm going to get Jo to re-check your temperature with a mercury thermometer. And because I need as accurate a baseline core body temperature reading as possible, I've asked her to do it in your bottom. Taking it rectally really is the preferred method for CBT measurement; and then I'm going to have you continue to take it rectally at home twice a day for at least the next five days.

I've also asked her to give you a couple of acetaminophen suppositories as an antipyretic that will quickly start to bring your fever down. I chose to use the rectal route because I'm afraid that an oral medication this soon after all the antibiotics you've had would likely make you very nauseated." The doctor smiled and in a rather jovial tone of voice continued, "And since you understandably seem pretty comfortable lying on your tummy for the time being, you won't even have to move for a few more minutes. When you get through come to my office, and we'll discuss your follow-up course for the next few days."

Laura smiled and thanked the doctor as he left the room.

A rectal temp, that's no big deal she reasoned. She remembered that was how her mom had taken her temperature when she was a little girl. Not to mention that the thought of having something else inserted in her rectum was not unpleasant at all, and actually quite exciting.

The nurse also stepped toward the exam room door, but before leaving told her patient, "Just lay still for a couple of minutes. I'm going to get the suppository medication the doctor ordered. I'll be right back and we'll get you finished up." With that said, Jo opened the door and left the room.

Once more Laura was alone in the exam room, and with a few minutes to lay quietly, the realization of just how badly her butt was hurting returned to the forefront of her mind with a vengeance. She began to consider her confusion over the now blurred boundaries of pain and comfort. Her entire bottom was still in agony from the throbbing wounds, subcutaneous trauma and bruising caused by multiple large needle sticks; not to mention the burning and deep muscle soreness from the large volume of injected medicine. 

Though she had no answer for her own question, she asked herself over and over how anything that hurt as bad as those shots could possibly be exciting and enjoyable, or how the residual pain could be so agonizing and yet simultaneously be so soothing and comforting, and create in her mind such a state of warmth and euphoria. Try as she might to understand it, there was just no rational or logical explanation for it.

As the minutes continued to pass, Laura's thoughts wandered down a different path as she began to contemplate some of the new awareness that today’s visit to the doctor had made her realize about herself. She began to understand that somehow during this medical procedure she had mentally become the submissive partner in a role-play scenario. That in her mind she was equating the pain of these shots with the pain and stimulation she craved as Matt tenderly, lovingly, administered stern punishment to her bottom; the immense submissive pleasure it gave her; and the protected, deep love she always felt as the pain mysteriously became soothing, warm, and pleasant.

Prior to her relationship with Matt she had never even heard of submissive or dominant partners and had no idea such relationships existed. And she certainly would have never believed - and denied even the possibility - that she would ever become a submissive partner. But Laura realized even more so after today’s treatment that her buttocks, anus and rectum were highly erogenous areas of her body that when stimulated, triggered pleasant, powerful, passionate feelings within her.

She thought about how over the past few months she and Matt had role-played scenes where she was the miscreant school girl that always wound up over his knee with her bare butt exposed and being soundly spanked. Or scenes where the offense was of a more severe nature that resulted in her laying prone and totally naked on the couch or bed and having Matt lovingly administer a firm paddling or mild caning to her magnificent ass.

She thought of the comforting emotions that overtook her every time she felt his gentle, loving hand caressing her highly sensitive buttocks, and the spine-tingling, electrifying rush of pain when he would strike her bottom. He always struck with enough force to inflict pain, even leave some occasional bruising and marks; but he had never inflicted pain to the degree that she had just experienced from the shots.

As confusing as it was, and though she would likely never understand why, Laura was slowly accepting that as a submissive partner - for whatever inexplicable reason - carefully controlled pain, even intense, excruciating pain, administered safely and lovingly to sensitive, erogenous points of her body gave her indescribable excitement and a highly erotic thrill. That the pain was not only utterly consuming, but also comforting and passionate - and she was totally overwhelmed by its power.