Lily, Enid, Katie and Mary all watch from the surgery viewing gallery above. Katie is swirling her hair and sucking down a chocolate bar as Head Nurse Annie adjusts the rectal probe as deeply into Leo River's rectal cavity as she possibly can. Cal Luken and Mike Wells also in the gallery shoot eachother looks and roll their eyes.

Minutes later Annie joins the rest of medical staff in the viewing gallery. Cal smiles awkwardly and hands each staff member an Ipad reporting back all data on vitals, blood pressure, oxygenation, heart rate and yes rectal temperature, and abdominal temperature.

In real time the data changes by the second rectal 99.02- abdominal 99.01, 99.02- 99.02, 99.00-99.01, ect. Mike and most of the other women nod at eachother seemingly impressed. Annie scoffs in disgust, "How do we even know this so called pin-sized contraption isn't simply a hacking device meant to closely mimick the truly reliable source?"

Cal laughs heartily, "Are you telling me I would have this "contraption" peer reviewed, patented, risk my whole career and billions of dollars just to make rectal thermometery irrelevant?"

Annie laughs back sarcastically, "No, I am suggesting that this wouldn't be the first time someone invented something to make an Ungodly amount of money that was completely useless and unnecessary. This is why I am passing out these, no batteries, no chance of being hacked or manipulated thermometers.

Nurses, you will be given three old-fashioned rectal thermometers each. I expect you to use them when I instruct you to."

Mike Wells interjects, "Woah, woah, my order is for each nurse, yourself included to have UP to three rectal temperature checks at their own discretion and when they designate. Lily, Enid, Mary, and Katie have all agreed they wish to do their temperature checks when the patient is in recovery and not fully conscious as to not disturb him."

Annie snaps back at her boss, "Well, what if consciousness or being agitated affects the results of an abdominal temperature, have you ever thought of that??"

Her nurses and Cal laugh hysterically as Mike responds, "You are free to agitate your patient as much as you want as long as you limit the agitation to three rectal temperature checks."

The surgery went well, Leo's foot is successfully repaired and all is well on that end. On the other end... Katie volunteers to go first. She opens up her patient's gown like she is opening a Christmas present. For once, Katie enjoys Annie's instructions on the simplest of tasks. Go deeper up against the rectal wall. Take it out, let me see that again , that can't be right, try again, reinsert and wait, wait. Annie clocks the news as if she is clocking the death of her best friend, which in many ways it is. 8:02 am first reading 99.8 rectal, 99.79 abdominal. Katie curls her hair and asks if she can try again, Annie barks at her no that she must save her temperature checks for when he wakes up. Even with all her micro managing, delays and reinsertions all the nurses complete their rectal thermometer checks and all exclaim they are satisfied with the results. As Cal promised if an abdomen was cleared as healthy the maxium margin for variation between the two could only be .125 barring an injection to the area surrounding the pin. Mary's variation is the highest rectal 99.91, abdominal 99.88.

Annie can't stop playing Pastor Green's voice in her head. He told her she would always be proven wrong if her mouth and words came from a place of righteousness rather than love. Annie always told herself he was wrong even now. Her righteousness was loving even if everyone thought it was just mean.

Annie is in full blown panic mode as Leo fully comes to. She only has three rectal temperature checks alotted to her and three of the nurses refused to do another one under any circumstances. Unbeknowst to the head nurse her potential two bonus rectal temperature checks are coming under serious jeopardy of disappearing. Enid and Mary have Katie barricaded into seclusion. They will gently reprimand Katie using her own words that she knows further temperature checks are unnecessary, if she persists they will resort to breaking her heart by informing her Leo will never want her and she is harrassing him.

Lily, however, didn't give two shits about harrassing Leo as she burst open the curtains into his recovery area, "I have heard about you. I never have had the displeasure of meeting you. I have worked here 3 years, my colleagues told me how Annie humiliated and degraded you for hurting our sweet Angela."

Leo tries to explain, "I never would int..."

"Shut up, Pal, you hurt her more than you will ever know every day. What Annie did to you will seem like a blessing compared what to what I will do to you. Our Chief of Staff made you a flimsy little promise, didn't he? Hmmmm, what was it??? A rectal probe may be used on you while unconscious. I got news for you, Bud, I plan on opening all thoses curtains and feeding every one of our female patients around 6 pm. How would you like to give them a show with a meal and show them how to take a man-child's temperature?""

Leo's mouth hangs wide open, "I am really sorry. I can see you are upset, could you please ask your Chief of Staff to come here and I promise I will apologize about Angela and anyone else I have hurt."

Lily holds the thermometer mockingly, " He will have no idea what you are talking about he has no idea you two even know eachother. This is exactly what I mean when I say you are a manchild. She took off work because she knew you would be here today and is terrified of you and now you want to apologize to her through an intermediary?"

Leo sits up despite his right foot still feeling extremely numb, "She has no reason to be afraid of me, just ask your nurse friend Mary, I got beat up trying to protect her."

"Bull...shit. Completely. You got beat up because you felt violated your little secret got exposed for the world to see, you have some sort of lust affair in your mind with our sweet Angie and she cares about you so much, but she can't show it because you have some unresolved perversion you want to experience in your fantasy world."

Leo hangs his head in shame, "Listen, I know it's creepy. She's hot. I have had a crush on her since the third grade. Do I have to apologize for finding her attractive?"

"Hell, no. Let me tell you something, my boyfriend walks in on me every morning and watches me shower or use the toilet even though it creeps me out. He is a weird, creepy dude, but you know what he is my creepy dude and I love him. What you need to do is be a man and tell Angela what kinda creep you are and let her decide what to do with you."

"I haven't spoken with her since after highschool, you want me to call her now and blurt out a bunch of weird feelings I have. I don't even know her phone number."

"She is in my speed dial, here."

"Wait, wait, wait! Please, let me talk to her in person when she is ready on her own terms, don't make it forced like this."

"God, you are such a man boy! Tell me how you are even getting home after surgery? Your foot won't let you drive for weeks."

"Like any respectable self-sufficient man, call a bro or cab. Damn."