Both of Meghan’s EMT classes on Thursday went without a hitch. The lectures went smoothly, she showed her burns and talked through types and depth and treatment. And she was so glad when it was over.

She was packing up her backpack at the end of the night class. Fred came over, gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Good job today.”

“Thanks.” She smiled.

“Glad that’s over?”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t mind doing it, but I’m still glad it’s over.” She zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

“Are you planning to come help with the medic class tomorrow?” Fred asked, holding the door open for her, then locking the classroom behind them. He followed Meghan through the hallways and out into the parking lot.

“Yeah, I’ll be here. It’s airway stations tomorrow, correct?” She unlocked her car and tossed her bag inside.

“Yep. Clacking teeth and ET tubes and the whole bit,” Fred confirmed.

“Sounds fun. See you in the morning!” Meghan climbed in her car and started the engine. She was soon home. She prepped for in the morning, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed. She was soon asleep.

Rick came to pick Meghan up Saturday morning and took her out to breakfast. As they sat down at the diner, he took her left hand and smiled. “I think you chose the perfect ring for you, hon.”

Meghan blushed. “It is really pretty. I’ve gotten a lot of nice comments and congratulations this week.”

The waitress came over, bringing thick mugs full of steaming hot coffee and menus. Soon, Rick and Meghan had ordered their meals and were sipping on the warm brew.

“So, what’s on our agenda today?” Meghan asked.

“Well, I was thinking we could go over and let you see the house after breakfast. I’ll show you around, especially the remodel, and then we could maybe go look at cabinets and paint chips?”

Meghan nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me. And I’ll get to see how much remodeling I’ll need to do to your place to make it livable,” she teased.

“Oh! You wound me! I’ll have you know that my sister helped me decorate the house when I bought it 5 years ago,” Rick retorted, chuckling. “And I even picked up my socks and underwear before coming to get you this morning.”

“But did you make the bed?” she asked, winking.

Rick’s expression told all. Meghan burst out laughing. “It’s okay, Rick. I’ll help you make it when we get there. And, for full disclosure, I’m bad about making my bed, too.”

He smiled. The waitress returned with laden plates, and they dug into their meals. They chatted and ate for the next 30 minutes or so. Meghan finally pushed away her plate and brought her coffee cup closer. “That was so good. I’m fuller than a tick!”

Rick chewed on his last piece of bacon. “Yeah, this is one of my favorite breakfast haunts. The food’s good and the service is, too.” The waitress returned, refilled coffee cups, and took away empty plates.

Meghan was still enjoying her coffee and thus wasn’t quite ready to leave. “So tell me more about the remodel, Rick.”

“Well, I’m wanting my own home office. Now, I doubt I’ll really be dealing with patients outside of just family and friends, unlike Mitch’s setup.” Meghan nodded. “But I still want something that is functional and practical. But that doesn’t mean it needs to look sterile or bland. We will be getting some regular use out of it, so I want it comfortable for us.” He winked. Megan blushed.

He continued. “The downstairs of the house had several bedrooms and storage spaces. I immediately saw the potential of combining a few of the rooms and spaces for a home office when I toured before buying, and it did seal the deal, so to speak. I’m combining 2 smaller bedrooms and a storage nook into one room for the exam room, and adding a bathroom that connects to the exam room and the hall.”

Meghan nodded. “What do you need to get for the room, equipment and furnishings-wise?”

“Well, the walls have been set and the sheetrock is mostly up. I need to decide on a sink and get the plumbing put in for that, and then I can have the sheetrock work finished. I’ve got flooring picked out, and that will be the next thing once the sheetrock is done. I need to decide on cabinets, countertops, and then furniture and lighting. I’ve decided against a huge OR-style light like Mitch’s, as I prefer to have a good gooseneck light instead. And I need to get a good exam table. Now, the one Mitch has is great, but I’d like your thoughts and help in picking that out.” Rick finished out his coffee. Meghan’s cup was empty, so they got up, went to the register to pay, and headed to the parking lot and Rick’s car.

As they drove, Meghan asked Rick more questions. “How do you go about buying an exam table, anyway? Is it through catalog, or a show room, or…?”

Rick chuckled. “Well, mostly through catalog or online. But there are a couple of show rooms with used equipment in the area. I’ve not yet started looking for an exam table, but I’m sure that, with both of us looking and comparing, we will find one that will work well for us. And before you get sticker shock, I am well aware of the price tags and have money set aside for this.”

Meghan nodded, and watched as Rick drove down a quiet side street and pulled into the drive of a nice 2-story brick home in a modest, newer neighborhood. He shut off the engine, walked around the car, and opened the door for her. “Welcome to my home, Meghan.”

She smiled at the pansies in a large pot near the door. Rick unlocked the door, and ushered her inside. “Welcome to my home,” he repeated. “And soon to be your home! Feel free to kick off your shoes, if you wish.” He removed his shoes and left them near the entryway. Meghan followed suit, setting her purse down on the hall table before following him into the living room. The room was quite spacious, painted a light color, and had plush carpeting on the floor. A couch, loveseat, and 2 recliners created a cozy area for people to come and gather. The decorative touches were definitely masculine, but it was a cozy room and inviting.

“Your sister did a good job,” she offered, as Rick took her hand and led her into the kitchen.

“Thanks. I think she did. Here’s the kitchen. Feel free to look around. Would you like something to drink? Water, perhaps?”

“Thank you, yes, water would be fine.” Rick retrieved a couple bottles of water from the fridge while Meghan opened a few cupboards. He smiled at her pleasure of finding a walk-in pantry with lots of space. He handed her a bottle of water.

Meghan opened the water, took a sip, and followed him as he showed her more of the house: laundry room, two empty bedrooms on the main level, and the master bedroom. She chuckled – he had indeed left the bed unmade. She also liked the ensuite off the master bedroom, with its double sinks, shower, and jet tub.

Once she had seen all of the upstairs, Rick led her downstairs to the finished basement. Here, there was a good-sized room for storage, a spacious den area with couches and a large screen TV, two more bedrooms, and the remodel in progress.

Meghan sank onto one of the couches in the den. “Goodness, Rick! This is a lot of house for just one person.”

He nodded. “Yeah, for just me it is kind of overkill. But my sister occasionally comes to visit with her two boys, and I’ve hosted Super Bowl parties here.” He smiled kindly. “I’m kinda hoping that we will have a few kids ourselves, fill up the space more.”

Meghan nodded. “That would be nice,” she agreed, quietly.

Rick sensed she wasn’t ready for that discussion, so mentally tabled it. “Ready to see the remodel in progress?”

Meghan smiled and stood. “Yes. Show me what you’ve gotten done so far.”

Rick first opened the door to the exam room bathroom. “Here’s the bathroom I mentioned. Not the biggest, of course, but I did have the contractor put in a shower, with a hand rail for safety. That other door there leads into the exam room.” He led Meghan out and to the door to the exam room.

Rick opened the door and ushered Meghan in. As he had said, most of the walls were already covered in sheetrock, but there was a section that still hadn’t been covered, exposing wires and PVC pipes in between the studs. “I want cabinets to go in along that wall, and a sink to be somewhere around where the exposed wall is. It’ll get covered with sheetrock once the plumbing is in order.” Rick demonstrated an area along that particular wall. “I want to put cabinets in here, both upper and lower with a countertop. I plan to put a small autoclave back here, some shelving for supplies over here, and clothing rack and a couple of chairs over in this area. And, of course, the exam table here in the middle of the room.”

Meghan nodded as he mapped out his envisioned layout. “Sounds good. What kind of sink are you thinking?” she asked.

“Hm. I guess just a regular sink,” he replied. “Why? What are you thinking?”

“If I may, I’d suggest one that is worked with the foot pedals. Makes it easier to clean up things.”

He pondered that for a moment. “I like that idea. We’ll have to look for that when we go to the store today.” He took one last look around the room, then motioned for Meghan to follow him. “I have one last room to show you – this way.” He led her to one of the two downstairs bedrooms. He flipped on the light and led her into the room.

This room was painted a tranquil blue with white wainscoting down the walls. A low shelf sat along one wall, with a tall storage cabinet at one end. Some potted plants sat at one end of the shelf, books at the other end. He had a rolling stool parked near the shelf. And in the center of the room was a massage table.

“Is this your current exam room?” Meghan asked, half joking.

Rick chuckled. “Kinda. I have a few friends that I give massages to – have since college, actually.”

“You never told me you did massage!” Meghan said, surprised.

“Have you ever had a massage?”

“Oh, yes. That used to be my treat to myself, every month. Every payday, if I could afford it. Had to stop when I first got in that car wreck – it was massage or medical bills, and the bills won,” she added, wistfully.

“We’ll have to rectify that someday soon,” Rick promised. He patted the table and pulled over the rolling stool. He sat down. “Have a seat, please. I want to chat a bit.”

Meghan did as she was asked. “Sure. What about?”

“Well, I wanted to chat a bit more about some we discussed Sunday.”

“Ah, the health conversation where you said you wanted to be my doctor.”

Rick chuckled. “Yeah, that discussion. Do you remember my mentioning about us developing some protocols for treating each other?”

Meghan nodded. “I remember.”

“Okay. As I said then, I’m a firm believer in rectal temperatures. They are the most accurate method of getting a temperature.”

Meghan nodded. “Yes, I know. I will admit that I still like the convenience of oral, but I’ve gotten a thermometer up my bottom enough over the last year and a half that I’m now used to them.”

“Good! I want one of our protocols to be that visits to the exam room start with obtaining vital signs, and that all temperatures will be rectal. Are you okay with that?”

Meghan nodded.

Rick continued. “Another protocol I wish to establish is the same as Mitch has regarding fevers. Temperatures over 100 degrees will receive Tylenol via suppository, and temps over 102 degrees will receive an enema to help cool the person down and bring down the fever.”

Meghan shifted a bit uncomfortably. Rick took her hand. “Listen, Megie, I know you’re not the biggest fan of enemas, but cooling a patient with a high fever is important – you know that from your paramedic training. Enemas and Tylenol both are effective tools in achieving this.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I’m just still new to them – I didn’t grow up with them like you and Mitch. I will follow your instructions regarding them.”

Rick gave her an encouraging smile. “I’m sure there will be other protocols that we will come up with and implement, but those two are the first ones I really thought were important to cover.

“Now, there are a few things that I’d like for you to start doing.”

“Oh?”

“I know that we haven’t really discussed a date yet, but I’m assuming we’ve got a few months in between now and our wedding?” Meghan nodded. “Perfectly fine. I want us to be able to plan and have the ceremony you desire, sweetheart.” Rick stood up, kissed her cheek, and sat back down.

“The first thing I’d like for you to start doing is tracking your basal body temperature.”

“I don’t know what that involves,” Meghan replied.

“It’s easy to do, only takes a minute or two,” Rick responded. “Before you get up in the morning, I want you to use a basal body thermometer to take your rectal temperature. Then write it down. Or there are apps you can use. The basal body thermometer works similar to a regular thermometer, except it reads to two decimal places. Starting now will help us to get an idea for how your cycles go, and then after marriage, we can use it to help us with family planning.”

Rick stood, went to the supply cabinet, and pulled out a small box. “I took the liberty of buying you a thermometer.” He set the box down on the shelf behind him and sat back down.

“Okay, that doesn’t sound difficult. But what about when I’m back to work on the ambulance? There’s some mornings that late calls will interrupt my being able to do that.”

“Don’t worry about it on those mornings,” Rick said, simply. “The important thing is being as consistent as you can. Now, the next thing I want you to do is come over once a week on the weekend – Saturday or Sunday, depending on your work schedule – for a B-12 shot. I want to keep you as healthy as possible. I’ve found that getting a dose of B-12 every week has done wonders to help me keep from getting sick frequently. I want to start you on this regimen, and I’m hoping you’ll give me my shot while you’re here.” He smiled and winked at her.

“I don’t see why that would be a problem,” Meghan said, shrugging. “I’ve heard good things about it, and at one time took it orally. Not sure why I stopped, to be honest.”

“It is safe, and the body just expels any it doesn’t need,” Rick agreed. “Okay, next thing. I would like you to come over once a month and get an enema.”

Meghan sighed. “May I ask your reasoning behind that?”

“Well, part of being healthy is gut health. Constipation isn’t good for anyone’s gut health. I also want to both care for you as well as help you get more used to enemas. The more you receive them, the more you’ll get used to them, so they won’t be a big deal anymore. Just like you’ve become accustomed to rectal temperatures.” Rick regarded her kindly.

She sighed again. “Not my favorite thing to say yes to, but I’ll go with it for the time being. I reserve the right to say no at a later date.”

“Fair enough. Now, I have one last thing to ask of you. Are you familiar at all with butt plugs, Meghan?”

“Not really,” she replied, puzzled. “I’ve heard of them, I mean. I know what they are. But I’ve never seen one.”

Rick went to the supply cabinet once again and pulled out a grey bag. He returned to his chair and opened the bag, pulling out a grey cylinder with a flared base. “These are anal dilators. I want you to start using these frequently, building up to being able to have one in for 20 minutes at a time. We will go up a size each month until we get married.”

Meghan was taken aback by this. “Um, why?”

Rick cleared his throat. “Well, for one thing, I’m pretty sure that you’re anal erotic. Having something in the anus for a period of time is done by a lot of people and feels quite good to them.

“Second, I’m hoping that you may find anal sex pleasant after we get married, and by working you up slowly to being accustomed to having something with some diameter in your rectum for several minutes, you’ll be ready for me.” He smiled hopefully. “In the interest of full disclosure, I do sometimes enjoy using a butt plug, myself.”

Meghan finally, hesitantly nodded. “I guess I can try it.”

“That’s all I’m asking, hon.” Rick said encouragingly. He put the dilator back into its bag and set the bag aside. “Okay. While I’ve got you here, I want to do a bit of an examination, and give you your B-12 shot. Then you can give me mine.”

Meghan seemed a bit surprised, but gamely agreed. “Uh, oh. Sure. Um, how do you want me?”

“Remove your bottoms, and then in knee-chest, please,” Rick directed. “Do you want me to step out for a moment?”

“Ah, um, no. No, it’s okay. I, ah…” Meghen looked flustered.

“You can put your clothes on the shelf, there,” Rick offered. He turned and headed to the supply cabinet to give her a bit of privacy. While Meghan removed her pants and underwear, Rick pulled out a box of gloves, lubricant, thermometer, vial of B-12, a couple of syringes, and some alcohol prep pads. When he turned back towards her, Meghan was settling into the knee-chest position as directed.

Rick set his supplies down on the shelf. He pulled on a pair of gloves and picked up the lube and the thermometer. He squeezed a healthy glob on the tip and brought it to Meghan’s anus. “Cold gel,” he warned, and gently slid the thermometer deep into her bottom.

“Ooh!” Meghan exclaimed. “That feels weird.”

Rick chuckled. “This is a theragerm thermometer,” he explained. “It’s glass, but the liquid inside isn’t mercury. It’s actually oval, not round. And it’s not digital, so you’ll have to wait 5 minutes for it to register. But the best part,” he said, chuckling, “is the way it feels if someone happens to twist it.” He gave the thermometer a spin in her rectum, and Meghan squirmed.

Rick held the thermometer in her bottom for the full five minutes, occasionally spinning it or moving it in and out. By the time the five minutes were up, he had Meghan squirming. He removed the thermometer, read it, and set it aside.

Meghan, on the other hand, was not sure to make of this. She was seeing a new side to her fiancé that she’d not seen before. She couldn’t say that she minded, but she was feeling she was in uncharted territory with Rick. She was feeling all kinds of new sensations in her body with his ministrations with the thermometer, and feeling vulnerably on display with the way he had her positioned. She just hoped he didn’t notice how much a temperature reading was affecting her.

Rick, however, was noticing, and was very pleased. He placed more lubricant on his index finger and brought it to her anus. The cold gel made her pucker. “I’m sorry, Meghan. The lube is cold. Now, I’m going to start massaging your anus. I want you to relax. As you do, I’m going to insert my finger. I want to give you a thorough rectal exam.”

He could tell she was tense. Resting his finger on her anus, he started making small circles. Little by little, she relaxed, and he was able to work his finger deeper into her anus. Once his index finger was inside her inner sphincter, he gently removed the finger. He placed more lube on her anus and repeated the massage with his middle finger. Once that finger was inside, he removed it as well. He lubricated her again, and gently introduced both fingers at the same time into her anus.

Meghan felt her body reacting and relaxing as he massaged her anus and slipped a finger in briefly, repeating the massage again. But two fingers were a surprise, stretching her open more than she had experienced before. She gasped.

“Are you okay?” Rick asked.

“Yeah. Just a little uncomfortable,” she replied.

“Just relax for me. I’m going to go slow,” he replied. He gave her a chance to adjust, then started a slow inspection of her rectum as far as he could reach. Satisfied everything felt normal, he started slowly moving his fingers in and almost out. He was quite pleased to see her responding to his fingering her anus. Finally, he gently withdrew his fingers.

He grabbed a couple tissues from the box nearby and gently wiped excess lube from her anus. “Let’s get you cleaned up here, and then I’ll give you your B-12 injection. If you want, you can lie flat on your stomach while I prep the syringes.”

Meghan nodded gratefully and lowered herself down to lie flat on the table, her bottom feeling a little sore and stretched from Rick’s digital penetrations. She heard him remove his gloves and snap more on. She turned her head and watched as he drew up two syringes of medication.

“His and hers injections,” Rick said, chuckling. He sat one syringe down and picked up an alcohol prep pad. He tore the packet open and wiped the cool pad on her right buttock. “Little stick,” he announced, and injected the medication into her muscle.

Meghan had been half afraid that the medication would burn, but it only stung a bit as he slowly injected the medication into her bottom.

“All done, Megie. I’ll let you get dressed, except for your socks and shoes.” Meghan was a bit bemused by that, but was ready to put her clothes back on, so she got up from the massage table and pulled her underwear and pants back on. Dressed, she stood near the table uncertainly. She spied some cleaning products in the cabinet.

“Want me to wipe down the table, Rick?” she asked.

He turned back around, having turned to give her privacy as she dressed. “Sure. I’d appreciate that. Still willing to give me my shot?”

She sprayed disinfectant on the table and tore off some paper towels. “Certainly! Let me get this cleaned off for you.” She wiped down the table and disposed of the towels. “You know the drill – pants and underwear down.”

“How do you want me positioned?” Rick asked, unbuckling his belt.

“Whatever is most comfortable for you – either bending over the table or lying down.” She spied gloves and pulled a pair from the box. She pulled them on, picked up the filled syringe, and tore open an alcohol prep pad.

She turned toward the table and saw that Rick had opted to lie down, pants and underwear down to his knees. She smiled. “Any famous last words?” she asked, as she cleaned off a spot on his right buttock.

“What?” Rick started to ask, as she deftly inserted the needle into the muscle. She slowly injected the medication and removed the needle, depositing it in a nearby sharps container.

“Done!” she announced, smirking. Rick looked at her askance.

“Famous last words?” he asked, drily. She winked, then turned around so he could get up and dressed.

“A rather effective distraction technique,” she explained. “It usually works rather well.”

Rick shook his head as he buckled his belt. “It’s definitely unique,” he agreed. He touched her shoulder, and she turned back around. Rick opened the door and motioned for Meghan to follow him. He led her back to the couches and motioned for her to sit down. “Be right back,” he said, and disappeared back into the room they had just come from.

Rick returned with lotion, a couple of towels, and a wheeled stool. “Go ahead and sit back and relax. I want to talk with you about what we just did, and give you a foot massage. And then we can talk about remodeling stuff,” he chuckled.

Meghan’s face lit up when he mentioned massage. She willingly snuggled back into the plush couch, tucking a throw pillow behind her back. Rick sat down on the stool, wheeled close, and picked up one of her feet. He pushed up her pants leg to just below her knee, put some lotion in his hand, and started massaging. Meghan felt like she was in heaven, and sighed contentedly.

Rick chuckled. “Sounds like I just answered my question about whether or not you’d like massages.” He smiled. “So… what do you think about what I just did with you? How did it feel? What would you like to experience when we do this again?”

Meghan sighed and closed her eyes. It was easier to talk about it without looking him in the eye. “Well,” she started slowly, “it felt… good. Different. I felt vulnerable, but also cared for. Your fingers felt very good inside,” she admitted, blushing. “Although the second finger was almost painful at the beginning. And the thermometer was different. Bigger.”

Rick smiled as he massaged her calf. “Would you want to experience it again?”

Meghan ducked her head but nodded. “Yeah, I would.”

“And did it make you feel aroused?”

“Yeah.”

“Good girl.” Meghan opened her eyes and looked at him at the unexpected compliment. Inwardly, she was amazed how those two simple words made her feel better about what she had experienced – she had been feeling embarrassed at how worked up she had gotten sexually at Rick’s touch.

Rick looked at her knowingly. “To be transparent with you, Megie, I knew I was getting you aroused – I could tell you were responding to my touch and invasions. But I wanted you to know, and I want you to not be embarrassed or ashamed or angry that your body responded the way it did. It’s normal. And I’d be concerned if you ever DIDN’T respond to what was a very intimate experience.”

He gently put her foot down, picked up the other, pushed up the pants leg, and started massaging that side. “I know I’m hitting you with a lot of new stuff, and I hope that you will continue to be open with me about what you feel, and what you experience. Can you do that for me?”

Meghan nodded. “I’m definitely not used to talking about it – about the intimate parts of me, about sexual feelings and stuff. But I’ll try to keep an open mind and open doors about this stuff with you.”

“Good girl, Megie.” There was the compliment again that sent her mind and heart to tingling.

“What does your calendar look like for next week, Megie?” Rick asked.

“Classes at the college Tuesday and Thursday. I may help Fred some this week, as well, but I don’t have that necessarily planned. I guess I need to put some thought into our wedding, as well.” Meghan thought out loud.

Rick grinned. “Yes, it would be good to start planning that,” he chuckled. “I’m wanting to coordinate with you and Mitch about the exam you’re due for,” he explained. “I know you’ve said that you don’t necessarily need a chaperone, but I’ll admit to being rusty and wanting Mitch there to make sure I’ve done everything correctly.”

Meghan nodded, feeling both a little thrill and a little hesitation at Rick performing her exam. “I can understand that,” she finally said. “I am kinda nervous about it, too.”

“Oh? Why, might I ask?”

Meghan blushed. “It’s a new level of vulnerability. You’re going to see all of me, touch all of me. It’s very intimate.”

“Are you afraid that I’ll hurt you?” he asked.

“No, nothing like that. It’s just nerves,” she assured him.

“I’ll get in touch with Mitch later today and compare schedules. Then I’ll see what is available for you.”

“Sounds good,” Meghan agreed. “The sooner we have it scheduled, the sooner I can let Fred know my availability.”

Rick finished massaging her foot and set it down. “There! How was that?”

Meghan smiled. “That was wonderful! I’m looking forward to the day you do a full-body massage.”

He grinned. “Well, if you do well with my doing your pelvic exam, then we’ll consider it a reward.”