This story takes place the year after I graduated college. I had started med school at a different university. My girlfriend, Allie, was a senior at my former college, and this is my recollection of her story from a telephone conversation one cold December evening. Allie was at the college infirmary. As I remembered, on weekend evenings, it was staffed by a doctor, student nurses, and a RN instructor, who half of the time was a short, 40-something man everyone called Mr. Pat, who had come to the United States as a child from Brazil.

The paper beneath Allie crackled as she shifted slightly on the exam table, her fingers digging into the edge. The cool air of the room prickled against her legs, fully exposed from mid-thigh down in that thin hospital gown. She lay on her back, head turned toward the student nurse, who was listening to the infirmary doctor. Allie had been suffering from what she thought was a cold. It was not; the doctor’s examination and a swab of her throat, indicated strep.

The doctor finished speaking with the student nurse and left the small exam room. The nurse approached the table and spoke to Allie: “The doctor wants to stop the infection before it spreads. He is ordering some medicine, so you will be getting a penicillin shot before you leave to return to your dorm. I will go and get it ready and someone will be back to administer it shortly.”

The nurse left the room and Allie’s mind started racing.

“A shot… Why a shot?... Couldn’t they just give me pills…. And penicillin… That goes in the backside…. It always hurts back there…. Is that student nurse going to give it to me?.. Does she know what she is doing?... I have to get calm…. Just get through it…. Don’t make a fuss…. Breathe…. Relax… I’ve had shots before…. Phew…”

Allie heard a knock on the door, which opened and her face registered surprise as Mr. Pat entered the room with the student nurse. He carried a small metal tray with a capped syringe, swabs, and gauze pads.

“Hi Allie, I am Mr. Pat, the supervising RN,” he said, softly, as he smiled at her. “I am going to give you a penicillin injection. It has to go in your backside, so I need you to roll over onto your tummy for me. Sandra will be here to observe.”

As Allie slowly begins to turn over. Her mind is filled with jumbled thoughts.

“I am not wearing panties… If I turn the wrong way this gown will ride up, showing everything…. I didn’t know it would be a male nurse… I didn’t know there were male nurses… My backside will be totally exposed… He’s a nurse…. He’s seen everything…. He doesn’t care…. They’re professionals…. Just don’t think about it…. Try and stay calm… Relax… Breathe…

As Allie rolled onto her tummy, her gown slides open exposing her behind. She felt the cool air hit her skin. Embarrassed, she turned her head away from the nurses, towards the wall. Mr. Pat’s voice was calm — and clinical: “You are going to get a big dose of long-acting penicillin, Allie. You likely will feel a stinging sensation. This is an uncomfortable injection I am about to give you, so I need you to try and relax for me.”

“Oh, great.”

“I’m really sorry, Allie, but I had to be honest with you. I am going to clean the area. You will feel the cold alcohol”

Allie felt his hand resting briefly on her hip. Then came the cold swipe of the swab, slow and methodical. She winced slightly.

“Take some slow, deep breaths for me, Allie, he said quietly. Then, “Big breath in,”

She inhaled. And the needle went in. It wasn’t a jab—it was a deliberate push.

“Ouch! That hurt!”

“I’m sorry, Allie. It’s a fat needle for the thick medicine.”

“You’re doing fine. Just relax your muscles if you can. It’ll make it easier.”

She gave a short, breathy laugh that she didn’t mean to let out. “Easier for who?” she murmured, mostly to the wall.

He chuckled softly. “Honestly? Both of us.”

The sharp sting came first, then an intense, slow burn that seemed to spread through her entire hip like thick liquid fire.

“OW!” she yelped, her voice cracking involuntarily. “It really hurts.” Allie’s fists balled tight against the table.

“I know,” Mr. Pat said gently. “The penicillin’s thick. It burns going in. Just another 30 seconds.”

As time passed and the injection continued, Allie’s mind went into overdrive.

“God, this is so awkward…. Well, at least he has a sense of humor…. That helps… a little…. Why does this feel like the longest five minutes of my life?.... He said 30 more seconds, but it’s still burning… What is he putting in me—molten metal?.... Just do it…. It’ll be over soon.”

“OW!!! How much more? It really hurts, nurse.”

“We’re almost there. Hang in with me, Allie.”

The pressure deep inside Allie’s buttock increased. Her muscles twitched. She had to force herself not to pull away.

“Almost done,” he added, his voice quieter now. “Just a few more seconds.”

“Please make it stop!! Please take it out.”

“Almost there….. and it’s done!”

Finally!! — Finally — the pressure stopped, but not the burning. Allie felt the needle being pulled out from her aching behind. She winced again at the sudden absence. She felt the soft pressure of the gauze pad, as he massaged the injection site.

“It’s all over, Allie. The injection is finished. The needle is out.” he said. “I’m just holding pressure on the injection site for a moment.”

Allie spots the syringe before Mr. Pat could dispose of it.

“That looked like a very long needle. “And the injection hurt way more than I thought it would.”

“It was a very deep injection into the muscle, Allie. The needle was a bit longer than normal. That’s the long-acting penicillin. And it was a very big dose; twice what we normally give, but that was what the doctor ordered. We’re going to give you some privacy for a few minutes. Lie there as long as you need to, then you can dress and leave when you are ready. You’re going to be sore for a day or two. When you’re walking across campus back to your dorm, take it slow.”

Mr. Pat and the student nurse left the room. Allie started to roll onto her back when she hit the injection spot. The jolt of pain got her mind racing again.

“That was… much more than I expected….. I feel like I’m going to cry into this exam table… Embarrassing…. Painful….. But it’s over… And I was so… exposed. Just lying there while he gave me that horrible injection…. A male nurse…. I would have been more comfortable with that student nurse…. But… he was calm… honest with me… professional… I have had horrible female nurses, like the one last year… honestly, though.. I would prefer a female, but I guess I could take another shot from him… Still….. Next time, I’m asking for pills."

Allie dressed and walked back to her dorm, rubbing her sore behind. And called me....