The first thing I noticed as we arrived at Room 315 was Lisa O’Connor’s hair. My roommate had the reddest head of hair that I had ever seen on a human being. She was sitting up in one of the two beds in the room, the one closest to the window, and was wearing a similar gown to mine. It was hard to know for sure given her seated position, but she seemed quite tall. She also had a pale complexion, and her cheeks were sprinkled with freckles. She was definitely attractive, even though her facial expression made it clear that she was unhappy to be there. Her mother was sitting in a chair next to the window.

The second thing I noticed was the lack of privacy. The two beds were positioned parallel to each other, only about three feet apart, and there was no curtain separating them. The arrangement made it look like the room had been converted to double use at the last minute. Since it was in the pediatrics ward, I guess the hospital staff didn’t put much emphasis on privacy. It was still disconcerting.

Amy made introductions among the four of us and set my thermometer cylinder down on the table next to my bed. I couldn’t help but notice that there was a similar cylinder on Lisa’s table, though hers was topped with a blue band and had the word “Oral” printed on the side. I immediately blushed and hoped that neither Lisa nor her mother would notice the difference. I settled into my own bed, doing my best to avoid flashing my bare bottom from the open gown as I climbed up.

Lisa’s mother turned out to be quite friendly, and she and Mom chatted casually for about an hour. There was a lot of talk about fevers and tonsillitis, of course, and general admiration for Doctor Walker (at which Lisa rolled her eyes). Overall, it was a pleasant interlude, despite my sore throat. Fortunately, no one mentioned anything about temperature taking, and I slowly began to relax. Around 6:30pm, we could hear the noises of the dinner service starting, and a nurse popped her head in to announce the end of visiting hours. Mom and Mrs. O’Connor gave us kisses and promised to be back before our surgeries the next morning.

As we picked at our dinners, Lisa and I started a discussion. She was a bit aloof at first after her mother left, but I managed to get out of her that she went to the other high school in town, which explained why we hadn’t crossed paths before, despite being in the same grade. As the time passed, we both got to feeling a bit more confident. In fact, we actually started to get a bit flirtatious with each other as we shared complaints about pesky siblings and the difficulties of getting into college. At one point, she felt confident enough to start complaining about how her mom still made her go to Doctor Walker’s office. She seemed quite sensitive about having to see a pediatrician at 18 years old and was particularly peeved about having been relegated to what she called the “kiddie ward” at the hospital.

She sniffed a bit when I replied that I felt more comfortable having the same doctor from childhood and that the staff there at the hospital seemed really nice.

“Well, at least they don’t use baby thermometers!” she said half-jokingly as she brought her rant to a close.

I stayed silent after that. The fact that Amy had indeed used a “baby thermometer” on me during my intake exam in plain view of everyone at the nurses’ station was a source of troubling and conflicting emotions for me. I was too embarrassed to say anything lest I accidentally let slip that I really didn’t mind it.

When Lisa got up to go brush her teeth, I couldn’t help but notice that, unlike me, she had been allowed to keep her panties, which were momentarily visible through the back slit of her gown. I felt a momentary pang of jealousy at the unequal treatment, coupled with a bit of lust as I watched her cream-coloured legs and tall, hourglass figure disappear into the bathroom.

It was after our dinner trays were cleared away that things got complicated.

Lisa and I were both sitting up reading books when a young, cheery nursing assistant barely older than the two of us came into the room wheeling a small cart. I couldn’t help but notice her rather large breasts, which bounced as she walked. She introduced herself as Sandy and announced that she would be back shortly to take our vital signs and get us ready for bed. When she stepped out, my eyes were drawn to the cart that she had left behind. In addition to a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff, there was a small paper cup that appeared to hold some pills. There was also some kind of medication in silver packaging and two “temp-away” thermometer sleeves, one of which was blue and the other red. Most ominously, there was also a pair of latex gloves. I hoped that Lisa didn’t notice me staring at them.

When Sandy returned about five minutes later, she wheeled the cart over to Lisa’s bed to begin her work. Because of her position on the other side of the bed, I had an unfettered view and was able to watch the entire procedure. Sandy picked up the blue “temp-away” sleeve and retrieved Lisa’s slender-tipped thermometer from its cylinder. She shook down the thermometer a few times and verified the reading, before inserting it in the sleeve, twisting then removing it. She then had Lisa open her mouth and placed the now sheathed glass rod under her tongue, before proceeding to take her pulse and blood pressure. She then took the stethoscope and listened to Lisa’s heart through her gown for about a minute. As she moved the stethoscope around to different parts of her chest, I thought I detected a faint outline of Lisa’s nipples through the fabric. But I couldn’t be sure and tried not to stare too obviously. After a few minutes, Sandy removed the thermometer from Lisa’s mouth, stripped away the sheath and read it before placing it back in its receptacle. She made some notations in Lisa’s chart and gave her two pills from the paper cup.

“These are a pain killer and a mild sedative. They will help you sleep more soundly ahead of your operation tomorrow,” she explained as Lisa took a glass of water and swallowed the medication.

Panic set at that moment as I suddenly realized, not only that it would soon be my turn, but that Lisa would have the same unobstructed view as I had. My heart began racing in dread as Sandy wheeled the cart over to my side of the room. To my huge relief, however, she didn’t pick up the thermometer sleeve but rather proceeded directly to take my pulse, holding my wrist as she looked at her watch for 30 seconds. It occurred to me that maybe she would just skip my temperature reading, given the lack of privacy in the room and the fact that my intake exam had taken place just a few hours earlier. That made me breathe easier, even though I felt a slight pang of disappointment.

Without saying anything, Sandy continued her work, moving on to my blood pressure. I could feel her breast as she held my arm under hers and wrapped then inflated the cuff before listening with the stethoscope. Memories of feeling Debra’s (significantly smaller) breast a few days before flooded my brain, and I instantly got an erection; fortunately, it was hidden under the bed sheets. I don’t think that Sandy noticed, though for some reason she did smile ever so slightly.

The auscultation came next. Unlike for Lisa, Sandy actually untied my gown and let it drop to my waist. She put the stethoscope in her ears the placed the cold diaphragm on my chest, just below the left nipple. After a few seconds she moved it a few inches, repeating the process several times. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Lisa was watching the procedure with an intent look on her face. Was she wondering why Sandy had decided not to take my temperature? I began to relax a bit more, expecting that the young nursing assistant would retie my gown then give me some pills to swallow, just as she had for Lisa. The two us could then nod off to sleep.

My complacency was shattered a few seconds later.

Instead of retying my gown, Sandy took hold of the electric bed control and lowered the mattress until I was lying completely flat. She then brought the bed sheets down to below my knees so that only my gown was covering the bottom part of my torso.

“OK, Luke, I need to take your temperature now,” she announced with a little smile. I couldn’t tell whether she was mocking me or just trying to be friendly, but the effect was to set my heart racing. “We’re going to use your special thermometer, so roll over onto your tummy for me,” she instructed.

To say that I was horrified would be an understatement. I looked over and saw that Lisa’s eyes were practically bulging from their sockets as it dawned on her what was about to happen. Lisa looked at the cylinder holding my thermometer, then at her own, then back to mine again. A little smirk formed on her face, not all that different from the one I used to see on my sister Liz when it was temperature time for me at home. Her nipples protruded more visibly under her gown.

My shame at being talked to like a little boy in front of my roommate, especially the reference to my “special” thermometer, caused my cheeks to get hot. What was worse, I realised that I wouldn’t even be able to save some face later by suggesting to Lisa that I had to have rectal temps due to the tonsillitis, since she was in for the same thing and got oral readings. So, it would be obvious to her that I was simply considered too immature to handle a thermometer under my tongue. Her earlier comment about “baby” thermometers only served to compound my embarrassment. To top it all off, my penis had become totally erect under my own flimsy gown, which created what looked like a little tent, visible to both women.

In a futile attempt to save some dignity, I tried to push back.

“Do you really need to take it that way? Can’t you just do it in my mouth?” I pleaded.

“I’m sorry, Luke, but you’re on a rectal temp protocol, on the instruction of Doctor Walker’s office,” Sandy responded. The look on her face and the tone of her voice betrayed a hint of condescension. “Besides,” she continued, “your mom mentioned earlier to the nurses that you prefer having it taken this way at home.”

With that devastating comment, my humiliation was complete, and I realised that any further resistance would be futile. At the same time, I felt strangely aroused, knowing that this buxom woman, whom I had just met, would soon have access to my most intimate body part and would penetrate me with a glass rod, while my raven-haired roommate got to watch. I obediently turned over. As I did so, the gown fell to either side, leaving me effectively naked on the bed.

My heart raced as I watched Sandy put on the latex gloves and retrieve my stubby-tipped thermometer from its cylinder. She shook it down a few times and held it up to verify the column of mercury. When she was satisfied with the level, she inserted it into red “temp-away” sleeve, made a twisting motion it and removed the instrument, which was now covered with the lubricated sheath.

She then turned back to face my bed. Was it my imagination, or did she take a moment to stare at my naked body as she held up the thermometer? It sure seemed like it. She finally reached down and used her thumb and forefinger to separate my buttocks. There was another pause before I felt the cold glass slip deep inside me. I must have let out an involuntary moan as it went in because I heard Lisa stifle a giggle.

“There, that’s not so bad, is it?” Sandy asked in a singsong voice as her hand cupped my bare bottom.

I was too ashamed to look her in the eye, so I turned my head the other way. Unfortunately, the result of that was that Lisa was now in my line of vision, less than four feet away. She had become flushed, and her mouth was slightly agape, her eyes fixated on the instrument protruding from between Sandy’s fingers. My erection was already hard, but the sight of her nipples now poking prominently through her hospital gown caused it to press even more painfully against the mattress of the bed underneath me.

In that position, five minutes seemed like an eternity. Sandy seemingly tried to make me feel more comfortable by explaining that it was not that unusual to have to get rectal temperatures and that it was anyway more accurate this way for kids of any age. Of course, the only result of that was to highlight the humiliating fact that my roommate was being treated more like a grown-up. And yet, it felt oddly comfortable to have the thermometer deep inside me, and in a weird way I think I was somehow enjoying the attention and the feel of Sandy’s hand.

Finally, the time was up, and she pulled the thermometer out of my rectum. She peeled off and discarded the protective sheath and held it up to read it.

“It looks like you’re still running a temperature,” she said. I noted that her professional demeanour had returned as she made a notation in my chart. I also thought it was strange that she didn’t remove her gloves.

Given my persistent erection, I began to dread having to turn over and sit up in order to take my pills. So, I started to strategize about the best way to do so as discreetly as possible, without Sandy and Lisa noticing the effect that the procedure had had on me. But my worries turned out to be premature, since Sandy made no effort to raise the bed back into a sitting position. Instead, as I watched perplexed, she turned back to her cart and picked up the silver-wrapped medication that I had seen earlier. She peeled off the foil cover to reveal a white object shaped like a bullet. That was when it occurred to me that I was in for another humiliation.

“This contains an antipyretic and a strong pain reliever,” she explained as she re-approached my bed. “It will make you drowsy in just a few minutes.”

Before I knew what was happening, she had spread my buttocks again and pushed in the suppository. I felt it get sucked inside as it slid past my sphincter. Then, to my shock, Sandy’s finger entered me – first one knuckle, then a second, then the entire length. I let out another moan. Whether it was from embarrassment or pleasure, I can’t really say. Lisa giggled again as Sandy moved her finger in and out several times. That was presumably to push the medicine deep inside, but I suspect she may have been doing more than strictly necessary.

Just when I thought I might explode, Sandy finally removed her finger and discarded the gloves. Thankfully, she pulled up my gown and retied it before I turned back over, so my still prominent erection was at least covered. She pulled up the bed sheets and suggested that I remain lying down while the medicine took effect. I was too embarrassed to say anything or even look a Lisa in the eye.

It didn’t take long for me to become drowsy, and soon a nurse came and dimmed the lights in our room. My last memory before falling completely asleep was seeing Lisa making some back and forth motions with her hand and hearing soft moans.