I don’t feel well this wrestling practice.

No idea where it came from, but there’s this hardness in the pit of my stomach. I can feel it... It’s weighing me down. I don’t know what it is, so I can’t explain why it’s weighing me down so much, why it hurts to stand up, or bend below the waist.

Tonight, I’m standing in Oliver Lilac’s corner, while he’s working with Charlie Halloran, who’s got Jeremy Hitchens in his own corner. Jeremy’s pep talking Charlie, moving freely as he encourages him to fight. Normally, I’d be doing the same for Oliver, one of my three best buddies. But I just can’t, not right now. It hurts too much. All I’ve got the strength for is standing straight as I can, holding tight onto the rope and squeezing it whenever I feel a throb, and keeping my other arm wrapped around my midsection.

Damn, I’m gonna have no idea what to do if and when Oliver tags me in. My whole body’s stiff as a bloody board. One punch is gonna make me puke or something. Maybe. I don’t feel like I’m gonna puke. My stomach just hurts a whole lot.

For the most part, I’ve kept it quiet. Oliver knows that my stomach was bugging me a little bit, but I’m not sure Jeremy and Charlie picked up on the hints. Either way, whether they knew it or not, they’re about to.

Out of nowhere, there’s a giant throb that bursts from deep inside my midsection. It’s like a bomb went off or something. The pain is so intense that I fold over, hugging onto my stomach with both arms as I let out a whimper. I feel it again seconds after, and if the first one is the explosion, this one’s the fire sweeping through my stomach in a devastating aftermath. It lasts longer and it just a catalyst for more pain, it feels like. This one makes me cry out loud, followed with a series of short whimpers. I grasp back onto the rope and squat down to try to regain myself, put my stomach in a position that’ll hopefully help things feel better.

But it doesn’t. It doesn’t make a bloody difference. I’m left to stay squatting down, breathing heavily, grunting and whimpering in pain.

Oliver immediately stops sparring when he hears me cry out. Seeing his partner stop, Charlie looks up to see what’s going on... Or, at least he lifts his chin, seeing as Oliver has him over his shoulders in preparation for a suplex. On the other side of the ring, Jeremy perks up, standing on the bottom rope to see over the distance.

“Andy, you okay?” Oliver asks, squatting down and letting Charlie safely slide off the back of his shoulders until he’s standing steady on his feet. “Is that your stomach that’s bothering you?”

I breathe shakily. “Y-yeah... Yeah, it... Hurts,” I say. “Really bloody bad.”

Jeremy swings himself over the ropes, walking to the other side of the ring to join the three of us. “I knew you seemed a different sort of tense from how you usually are,” he says. “You’ve been feeling sick?”

I shake my head. “No, not sick,” I mutter, gritting my teeth and grunting in pain. “Just cramped. Really cramped.”

Charlie looks towards Oliver. “You don’t think he’s having appendicitis, do you?” he asks. “Usually that comes with feeling really sick, I’m pretty sure, so that might not be it.”

Oliver winces, pressing his teeth together visibly. “I don’t know. Stomach cramps are kind of tough,” he points out. “They can be as small as acid reflux or gas or something, or they can be severe as stomach ulcers.” He reaches over the ropes to pat my hair. “I don’t think Andy here has been showing any other signs other than cramping. Guess it’s just a lot worse than he was showing earlier.”

Jeremy approaches us at the ropes, placing a hand right over mine. “Well, why don’t you try to sit. We can talk about what else is going on when you’re sitting more comfortably,” he suggests.

With that, Oliver and Charlie help me sit on the outside of the ropes, right on the skirt. Oliver sits right next to me with an arm around my shoulders, while I’m hunched over and still hugging onto my stomach. Charlie and Jeremy stand on the floor below us, seeing as it might be easier to talk that way.

“You think you ate something that made your stomach upset?” Charlie suggests.

I shrug. “Nothing I wouldn’t normally eat,” I say. “‘Less it was something that went bad, I didn’t give my body anything I’m not used to.”

Oliver pats my shoulder. “How does your belly feel when you push on it?” he asks.

Hm. He’s actually raised a good question. Might give some sort of clue if it doesn’t feel normal.

Using my forearms that are still shielding my pained stomach, I push inwards, almost like I’m giving myself a hug. Normally, when I press into my belly area, I’d feel a firmness because of my six-pack abdomen. Makes sense, since I am a wrestler, after all. I’ve been since I was fifteen. But now, my muscles aren’t the first thing I feel. Rather, all I feel at first is this bloat. There’s a whole lot of bloating going on around my belly, then after I press through it, I feel my muscles.

That can’t be normal.

“Hard,” I tell them. “Not a normal sort of hard, either. Like, bloated hard.”

Jeremy bites his lip, and I can tell he’s thinking of how to word the next thing they think might be wrong. Probably in a way that’s the least embarrassing as possible... I think I know what’s coming.

“When was the last time you took a dump?” Jeremy asks. Not the most graceful way of asking, but is there a graceful way to ask it at all?

“A real dump,” Charlie adds. “The kind where everything seems so much better after coming out of the bathroom.”

Last time I had a real, good dump. That’s tough. I believe people are supposed to have a genuine bowel movement on a regular schedule, usually thirty or so minutes after eating a full meal. That’s what I try to do to stay regular. Though, now that Jeremy asked, I realize that I haven’t really done that the past couple days. I just found I didn’t ever really have to go. So I didn’t.

I shrug. “Hrmph. I don’t remember, come to think of it,” I say. “I think it’s been a bit, though.”

Oliver pats my shoulder. “Maybe you’ve just got some hella constipation, Andy,” he suggests. “That’s what it sounds like to me.”

Shuffling a foot on the floor, Charlie winces. “Maybe. I’d hate for it to be something worse and misdiagnose it,” he points out. “Maybe it’s worth a... Y’know, doctor’s appointment?”

Out of nowhere, completely unexpectedly, another dynamite stick of pain burst through my stomach, causing another fiery cramp. Again, I cry out, and keel over with the pain, Oliver sitting forward to place a hand under my chest and keep me from falling over. I squeeze my eyes shut and lean into my best friend’s arms, seething in pain.

“Definitely worth a doctor’s appointment,” Jeremy agrees. “No one should have to deal with acid reflux that severe. You two get him to a car; I’m gonna call Hunter Woodsen.”

“Good call,” Oliver agrees. He looks up at Charlie, and nods once. “I’m gonna help him get down, you get his other side when he’s on his feet. Give him enough wiggle room to be able to put his hands on his tummy in case it hurts. Then we’ll help him out to your car... Take him to the doctor.”

They do just that; Oliver helps me down and onto my feet, and once I’m standing, Charlie swoops in and links onto my other arm. As promised, they let me pull my arms through theirs to be able to hold onto my hurting stomach.

After making sure that I’m okay, Jeremy heads off to head to make a call to the doctor. Oliver and Charlie help me walk to Charlie’s car, walking slowly and keeping me standing when I get another wave of pain.

All in all, I make it to the car in one piece.

Charlie and Oliver help me lie down across the back seat of Charlie’s car. They place a rolled up sleeping bag under my neck to make sure my head is higher than my feet in the case that I start feeling sick. Then Charlie gets in the driver’s seat, Oliver in the passenger seat, and they take off in the direction of Scripps Coastal Medical Center.

Charlie gets us there rather safely, him and Oliver checking back on me every so often. When we get there, Charlie pulls up to the curbside of the hospital, looking towards Oliver.

“You good to take him?” Charlie asks.

Oliver nods. “Definitely. You okay with waiting?” he asks.

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” Charlie insists. “I’ll grab Starbucks or something. Let me know when you’re all good.” He then looks in the back seat towards me. “Let’s get you out of there.”

Both Oliver and Charlie help me sit up and get out of the car, being careful not to disturb my stomach. Oliver then wraps my arm around his shoulders, and secures it there by holding my hand. Charlie gets back in the car, nodding once. “Feel better, Andy. Good luck in there,” he says.

In response, I nod once. “Thank you.”

Charlie then drives off, and Oliver helps me into the hospital building.

After getting checked in, it’s only a short wait before getting into the appointment Jeremy made for me. A female nurse I don’t think I’ve met before — a very lovely nurse at that — shows Oliver and I to an exam room. She offers me a water bottle, seeing as I’m in quite a bit of pain, and asks what my symptoms are. As most nurses do before the doctor comes in, she weighs me on the scale to make sure I haven’t been losing weight... Takes my temperature to rule out things like appendicitis. My weight’s okay, and I don’t have a fever... That might be a good sign.

The nurse takes my blood pressure and my pulse as well, then hands me that bottle of water. “I’m so sorry you’re not feeling very well, Andrew,” she says softly, her touch of a Long Island accent very gentle. “The doctor will be in to check on you very shortly, and he’ll bring his nurse with him, okay? I’ll leave you to get yourself undressed, and you just sit back, relax, and have some of that water, okay, puddin’? It’ll really help out your poor tummy, okay? I’m sure your cutie pie of a friend over there will help you stay comfortable.”

As the nurse heads out of the room to give me some privacy, I catch Oliver give the nurse a wink and that model smile of his. It makes her giggle happily.

I just chuckle under my breath and roll my eyes at my best friend.

And with that, I get on with taking off my clothes.

Yep. All of ‘em. Hunter’s for being very thorough, and he likes to have the entire body exposed so he’s got the full idea of what’s going on. I’ve seen Hunter a few times now. A couple of times for a yearly physical when I was in San Diego, and again for an extensive, thorough postural screening 一 the coach thinks it’s safest if his wrestlers over six feet tall have their spines examined in full. All of those times, I was asked to stripped naked by Hunter for a full view of my body.

Can be a little awkward, but hey. He’s a doctor. At this point, he’s seen everything.

Sighing heavily, I take off my gym clothes 一 tank top and shorts 一 then follow up with my red boxer briefs. Seeing as I took off my sneakers when the nurse weighed me, I’ve got on nothing but my gray gym socks. My dick’s out and sprung itself an erection, Oliver’s seeing a full moon right now.

But I’m in so much discomfort, I don’t even care I’m naked right now.

Taking another deep breath, I climb up onto the table, and lay back with a deep sigh of relief. Now that I’m finally lying back in a comfortable position 一 not in a car seat 一 some of the pressure’s been taken off my hurting stomach. All I have to do now is take the nurse’s advice, and have some water, and relax.

Oliver smiles sadly, knowing how awkward I feel and in pain I am. But he does exactly what I need; just takes my mind off of it with something random. Just for a little bit.

“So I got these cool band-aids the other day,” he says. He holds out his hand, and I grab onto his wrist to take a look at it. “No idea I was gonna just get a Girtina one on the first try.”

He did in fact give himself a cut the other day. A stupid one, I have to admit, but a cut nonetheless. Not from wrestling, either. Rather, he was hanging out with Kayli, and they pulled the pull tabs off their Coke cans... Oliver thought it’d be a good idea to stick his finger in the hole.

Either way, he does have it covered up now, probably with a little ointment underneath to keep it moist and gross and help it heal faster. And as he said, he’s got a band-aid around the tip of his index finger with a Giratina pattern. “Where did you find Pokémon band-aids like this? I think you got a cool pack, I’ve never seen them like this.”

He shrugs. “I dunno. The Sinnoh pack, I suppose.” He laughs. “There was Chimchar and Piplup and Turtwig and all that. Guess they’ve got special ones too.”

I chuckle. “Huh. Maybe Girtina knows you’re kind of dumb sometimes and came to your rescue. Won’t be so lucky next time you try to finger a Coke, will you?”

Oliver curls the hand I’m holding into a fist. “I will punch your stomach,” he laughs.

I just flick water at him before I take another sip from the bottle.

I sit back on the exam table, just talking with Oliver. Every once in a while, I feel a cramp come on, hitting me square in the gut at full speed. I can’t help but curl up slightly, groaning in pain and seething through gritted teeth. Oliver’s there for me though... He’s doing the best he can trying to help me through it.

“Just breathe on through it, Andy,” he reminds me. “I know this sucks, I know you’re in pain, but just try to fight through it. We’ll figure out what’s going on, but for now, you just gotta breathe through it.” And once I was feeling at least a little better, he’d go right back to distracting me and taking my mind off of things. He’s there to support me, just like he always is.

I’m in the midst of one of my cramp attacks when there’s a knock on the door and it opens up. Hunter Woodsen comes into the exam room, and he’s got Easter Karabell with him. As soon as they see me lying on the bed and writhing in pain, they both look concerned for my well-being.

“Oh... Oh dear,” Hunter says in his gentle Australian accent, wincing at the sight of my pain. He looks up in Oliver’s direction. “It’s pretty bad, isn’t it?”

Oliver bites his tongue, nodding. “Yeah... Yeah, he’s in a lot of pain,” he says. “No one knew for sure what could have been going on, but whatever it is, it’s severe.”

“Hm... It definitely seems severe, looking at the way he’s seizing on my table here...” Hunter agrees. He then looks at me, trying to smile softly. “It’s alright, now, Andy. I know you’re in pain, but we’re going to take a look at that handsome belly of yours to figure out what’s going on. Now, let’s try to dull down on that pain, okay?”

I just nod, teeth gritted and still trying to do whatever I can to keep the pain at bay. At this rate, I’ll do anything if it’ll get the hurting to stop.

“Okay, very good. I want you to try to breathe like you’re in labor and giving birth for me, Andy,” he explains. “A ‘pant, pant, blow’ pattern, if you will. Just nice and easy, take your time with it.”

I take a minute, but I do. Arms still wrapped tight around my stomach, I take Hunter’s advice, and I breathe not unlike I’m having a baby. Two big, heavy breaths, and then a lighter one out. Trying that for a few minutes, I find that it’s helping. It’s releasing the tension from my body and helping whatever’s knotting up inside the way it is... Getting rid of some of the pain, even if it’s for just a little bit. I find that I can let up on the squeeze around my stomach, and laying my legs out straight.

“There, that’s a little better, isn’t it?” Hunter says with a smile, turning and washing his hands in the sink. “Just go ahead and try to breathe like that when the pain comes back. It’ll certainly help out with the pain a lot; it’s helpful with tension.”

While Hunter’s washing his hands, Easter approaches me on the table with a fluffy pillow in her arms. It looks like a sheep stuffed animal, and oddly, it smells kind of nice, almost like a blend of pine, vanilla and jasmine or something.

She smiles, and strokes down my hair softly. “Here, Andy. This might help,” she tells me. When she places the sheep against my stomach, I find that it feels rather warm and comforting. “It’s a cute little heating pad that I use when I’m on my period. It really helps with cramps, and I figured that it might help you with yours, too.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sweetheart,” I say softly. “Feels really good.”

Easter giggles, then trading places with Hunter so she can wash her hands as well. “Glad to see that the heat is helping a bit,” he says. “Now, I’m going to ask a few questions about what’s been happening, and then I’ll check you out. Try to figure out what’s going on with you, alright? I’ll have Easter just helping me out where I need it, if that’s okay.”

I nod softly. “That’s perfectly fine,” I say.

“Great,” Hunter says, sitting down on his stool, while Easter stands beside him, drying her hands off with a paper towel. “Well, Andy, it’s clear that you’re in quite a bit of pain. Now, is this pain a burning sort of pain? A heated pain, like heartburn? Or something more like a sharp pain?”

“Sharp pain,” I say. “Definitely a sharp, stabbing pain.”

Hunter writes it down quickly. “Okay. You’ve got sharp, painful cramps. Do you think that you might have eaten something that’s churning your stomach?”

I shake my head. “No, nothing like that. Nothing really gives me an upset stomach,” I explain.

“So there hasn’t been any vomiting or diarrhea or anything?”

“Not at all, no.”

Hunter taps his pencil eraser against his notebook. “Hm, okay. You do wrestle, so this might be a plausible cause: have you been struck in the stomach recently? That might jostle up your insides and your tummy and cause some sharp cramping,” he says.

“Hrmm... Not recently, I don’t think,” I say.

“Very well. You haven’t been too gassy at all, have you, Andy?”

“Not really, no.”

Hunter seems to get a look on his face, like he knows what’s going on, now. “Alright. Does it hurt when you try to move your bowels?”

I bite my lip. “That one’s kind of complicated,” I say. “I haven’t really... Had any urges in a couple of days. So I haven’t really tried to do that after my stomach started hurting.”

“Ahh, that makes sense,” Hunter says. He then turns to Oliver, still sitting patiently nearby. “Oliver, have you noticed that Andy tries to squat down in order to relieve the pain he’s feeling?”

Oliver purses his lips in thought. “Actually... Yes. He was doing that earlier,” he points out. “His first instinct when he was hurting was to squat.”

Hunter nods softly, and Easter grins, also nodding in understanding. “Aha, this is making much more sense now,” he says. “I believe, Oliver, that Andy is showing symptoms of acute constipation. The sharp cramps in his stomach and the instinct to squat down when it hurts are some very telltale signs. Not to mention he hasn’t moved his bowels in a couple days because he hasn’t any urges.”

I sigh, placing my head back down. Oliver was right earlier; I am hella constipated. Not the most dignifying illness to have: a hurting stomach because of actual shit being built up inside of me.

“Well, not to worry, Andy,” Hunter reassures me with a soft smile. “Everything’s going to be okay. Let’s give you a checkup, and we’ll figure out the cause so we can get you feeling better as soon as we can. Sound alright?”

I breathe deeply, nodding once. “Yeah. Sounds alright,” I say.

With that, Hunter and Easter get on with the exam to see what’s wrong.

“Let’s start with your ears, your throat and nose, and those gorgeous hazel eyes of yours,” Hunter says. “You can keep on that heating pad for the time being, especially if it’s helping you out.”

He starts off easy, just doing that. He checks my eyes, including the dilation of my pupils. Asks me to follow the otoscope with my eyes, the whole thing. Easter then gives him a tongue depressor... He uses it to press down my tongue, of course, letting him see the back of my throat... Uvula, tonsils, everything, shining the otoscope’s light down my throat.

Looks okay there, I guess.

Easter then prepares the ophthalmoscope with the proper size speculum, and gives it to Hunter. He uses it to check my ears for infection, then has me tip my chin up... Check my nose as well. Guess that’s okay too.

“Well, the good news is you don’t seem to be showing symptoms of appendicitis, so we can rule that out,” Hunter explains. “Let’s sit you up a bit. Have a listen to your chest and your lungs. You can keep the heating pad on as well, just scoot it down a little bit so we can see your chest. Easter, would you mind helping him up?”

Easter places a hand under my back, and supports my stomach by placing a hand over the lamb pillow to keep it in place as I slowly sit myself up. With a deep sigh, I try to gain myself again, holding onto the edges of the bed to keep myself supported and from coiling over with the cramps again. Easter keeps a hand on my shoulder, making sure that I feel supported and comforted as well.

“Good,” Hunter purrs, placing the earpieces of his stethoscope into his ears. “Now, let’s have a listen to your heart here...”

I stay calm as he places the chestpiece on my chest... Right under my left pec. He has an intense listen for a moment, then replaces it to my back.

“And now the lungs. We’ll just have you take a few deep breaths...”

I do. I take in a nice deep breath, and allow Hunter to listen to both of my lungs right on my back.

He’s gentle. I feel the cool chestpiece on my back, and Hunter instructs me: “Deep breath, Andy.”

I breathe deeply for him to listen to with the stethoscope. Moves the chestpiece, I take another breath. Again, and another breath. A few times, Hunter asks me, “take a little bit of a deeper breath for me, Andy... Much better.”

Finally, the doctor replaces the stethoscope back around his neck. “Very good, Andy. You have strong lungs and an even stronger heart,” he tells me. “Now, let’s figure out what this stomach issue is, shall we? I’m just going to take the heat off so we can get a close look, is that okay?”

While the heat is helping, I know he has to take a look at my stomach, so I nod once.

Easter helps me take off the heating pad and sets it aside on the counter. Frowning, she rubs my belly with a soft palm. “Does it feel okay still?” she asks.

I grin gently. “Yeah, it’s alright at the moment,” I tell her. Though, still nervous, I look towards Oliver for comfort.

Oliver lets me know he’s here, smiling softly and nodding. “You’re gonna make it,” he reassures me.

“Very well, Andy. I’m going to start by just doing a couple of presses around your belly,” Hunter explains. “Just relax, let me know if you feel any pain.”

Hunter places his palm on my stomach, and using just his fingers, presses into my abdomen. Very slowly and gently, feeling everything that’s going on. While he does it, he watches my reaction to see if I’m made pained by anything he does. He starts higher up, feeling my liver, spleen, gallbladder, stomach. When he needs me to, he asks me to breathe deeply to get up underneath my ribs. The very gentle pressure on my belly gives me a little bit of an erection, but I just try to ignore it. Thankfully, Easter and Oliver aren’t really paying attention to my fluctuating dick, either. Oliver’s giving me comforting eyes 一 that thing he does when the two of us are having a conversation without having to say a word 一 and Easter’s stroking my hair while Hunter checks my belly.

“Does anything up here hurt?” Hunter asks.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Good.”

He then slide his hand down a little, to the center of my stomach where the real bloating it coming from. Just like before, he presses just very gently and lightly. I just stay lying back trying to relax... This is the part of my stomach that felt hard earlier on.

And as Hunter feels my stomach, there is an uncomfortable pressure that wasn’t there when I pressed my own stomach. Just as it did earlier, it feels bloated, like Hunter has to push through something else to feel my colon.

“Hmm... I feel what the problem is right around this area,” Hunter mutters. Still with a hand on my stomach, he looks towards Easter. “Easter, could you write down that there’s a lot of bloating going on in his colonic area for me?”

She nods, raising the notebook Hunter had earlier and writing down that information.

“Mhm... This would certainly be the area that would feel bloated if you are a bit constipated, Andy,” he says. “I’m going to have a deeper feel, right here in the center. This might feel uncomfortable, and I’d like for you to let me know if there’s any pain at any point, okay?”

I nod, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”

Hunter places one hand over the other, and presses a little deeper into my stomach. And yep, as I was expecting, there’s a pretty big discomfort in the areas he’s pressing down on. It almost feels like I’m getting a cramp in the exact areas he’s pressing on. With every press on my abdomen, I have to breathe deeply to try to relieve the pain, and I find myself pressing my lips together... Hard.

Hunter, noticing I’m in pain, winces. “How’s the belly feeling?” he asks worriedly.

I swallow hard. “I-it’s crampy,” I say.

“Yeah... You look uncomfortable when I do that,” he says, taking his hands away. “I definitely think that there’s something in there.that’s causing you to cramp up,” he explains. “It’s most likely constipation, as I said, and there’s a few causes for it. One of those being that you’re lacking in hydration, which is a relatively easy fix. The other is that your gut isn’t going through peristalsis quite enough to move things through the way they should, which is also quite simple to take care of.”

Hunter’s barely finished explaining as I get another deep wave of cramps. Crying out, I find myself curling back up, seething through gritted teeth.

Hunter wastes no time when I notice that I’m starting to have cramps. “Oh dear,” he says softly. “Oh dear, it’s hurting you again, isn’t it? Just breathe through it, Andy, remember? Just like I had you do before.”

Easter cups my chin in her hand, and strokes her hair softly. “It’s alright, Andy,” she whispers softly. “Remember to breathe like you’re having a baby, okay?”

I try breathing like I’m giving birth again, nearly paOlivering as the cramping doesn’t go down right away. Goddamn, it hurts like bloody hell in a handbag. But I just keep trying to breathe through it. In the midst of my breathing exercises, I reach around Easter, looking for Oliver’s hand.

Oliver grasps onto my hand, giving it a squeeze and looking towards me with a gentle look on his face to give me comfort. “You’re okay,” he tells me gently. “You’re gonna be okay. I’ve gotcha.”

Hunter nods once. “Very good, Andy,” he says, removing his stethoscope from his neck once again. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a listen to the peristalsis happening in your stomach. Just with my stethoscope, of course. Keep breathing for me.”

I try to stay lying back and breathing steady 一 still like I’m in labor 一 and ignore my boner as Hunter puts his stethoscope on, and places the chestpiece right on my stomach. For a moment, while he’s listening to what’s going on, Hunter just stares intently. Easter keeps holding my head softly in her arms to alleviate some of the pain, stroking my beard and my moustache gently. Oliver squeezes my hand every so often, letting me know that it’s gonna be okay... I’m gonna make it through this.

Every little bit, Hunter moves the stethoscope to listen to the sounds each part of my digestives are creating. Once he has an idea of what’s going on, he takes it off and places it back around his neck. Smiling softly, he pats my thigh. “A little nervous, huh, Andy?” he asks, in reference to my erection, I think.

I take a deep breath, nodding softly and adjusting to my cramps having subsided.

He chuckles. “Ahh, no need to be nervous,” he says. “I think I’ve found the source of the pain.” He gives my stomach a series of slow, circular rubs, while Easter keeps stroking my hair. “I think it’s that first problem I mentioned 一 your bowels aren’t producing enough energy to... Push it all through, if you may. At least that seems to be what the main issue at hand here is.” Hunter uses his thumb and index finger to trace against my stomach where the problem is occuring 一 right in the center of my abdomen.

Easter smiles softly, moving down to stroke my beard. “It’s okay, Andy, honey,” she says softly. “That’s easy to fix. We’ll just give you the medicine you need to feel better.”

I let my eyes flutter closed for a moment. Damn. At least they know what’s going on.

“Even better news,” Hunter says. “It’s nothing we need to prescribe, so we can give you that medicine here in the office.” He looks towards Easter. “Easter? Would you go to the medicine closet and grab me a Dulcolax packet and an applicator?”

She nods with a soft smile, and leaves the room for a moment to get the medicine Hunter just ordered.

“That’s good to hear,” Oliver says, still holding onto my hand. “What kind of medicine you gonna give him?”

Hunter grins softly, though, I notice it’s a little tight. “Well, it isn’t the most comfortable of options, but we’re going to give him a suppository,” he explains. “He’s gonna need something that’s going to stimulate his bowels enough to help him move everything out.”

Oliver laughs, groaning and resting his head against my shoulder. I chuckle, and place my hand on the back of his head, and giving his hair a ruffle. Poor Oliver. The one time he went to the urologist for a checkup after hurting one of his testicles during a match, he thought it was going to be a simple exam. An ultrasound on his testicles, hernia check, end of story. But it didn’t quite go like that. He also ended up with a rectoscope in his butt, “just to make sure everything’s okay, while he’s here,” the nurse told him. The doctor had him lying down on his side, but he kept trying to sit up to see what was going on back there, and the nurse had to sit by the bed and hold him down so he’d sit still. Ever since, he’s been afraid to see what happens during any anal exam of any kind, considering he had no idea what the doctor was doing to him back there.

Hunter laughs as well, crossing his arms over his chest. “Seems like Oliver is more nervous than you are, huh, Andy?” he chuckles.

I breathe out softly with a smile, giving Oliver’s hair a stroke as he continues to groan into my shoulder. “Poor thing,” I mutter, briefly giving him a squeeze. “You don’t have to look. I promise I won’t make you look.”

Oliver lets out an odd-sounding cry. “I can still hear the screams, Papa...” he mutters, forcing his voice to crack.

I just keep Oliver calm, trying to keep his mind off of things, just as he did for me. Even if it’s minor, I’m still gonna be here for him because he’s been supporting me throughout this whole thing.

And when Easter comes back with the little, silver packet and the plastic applicator wrapped in clear plastic, I keep Oliver’s head buried against my shoulder. “Don’t look,” I remind him.

“Just one, right, doctor?” Easter says with a sunny smile.

Hunter nods. “Just one will do,” he says. “Here, can you prep that for me? I’m just gonna help Andy into position here.”

Easter begins to prepare the medicine, putting on a pair of light blue, latex gloves. She breaks open the packet, opens the applicator, and sets the suppository pill inside of it accordingly.

At the same time, Hunter pulls on a pair of his own latex gloves. I’m honestly intrigued by the way he pulls them on: he pulls them on with a snap!, then while pulling at the wrist, he wiggles his fingers a bit to pull them on as tight as possible.

Jesus bloody Christ. I feel another boner coming on. I have to rub individual strands of Oliver’s hair to focus on getting it to go away.

“Very well, Andy. Let me explain what’s going to happen,” Hunter says. Before he does, I make sure to hold Oliver’s ear tight against my shoulder, while blocking out the other one with my other hand. “Since it’s the lower colon we’re interested in getting the nutrients from the medicine, I’m going to be using that applicator there. It’ll help insert the suppository a little further up into your bowels than if I were to just insert it through your anus. Does that sound alright?”

I nod. “Whatever’s gonna do it, doc,” I say.

Hunter nods in response. “Very good,” he responds. “Now, let’s start with having you lie down on your side, facing Oliver,” he says. “You’re gonna need each other’s support.”

I do just that. Being cautious not to cause another cramp episode, I slowly adjust myself so that I’m on my right side, facing Oliver. Oliver rests an elbow on the table right beside me, and we hold each other’s hands nice and tight. We’re gonna make it through this together.

“Good. And now let’s have you tuck in your knees... Just like this.” Hunter helps me bend my right leg just slightly, then crosses my left leg over my right... Bends both my hip and my knee. Opens me up a little for easier access.

“Very good,” Hunter says. He takes a sheet of medical paper out from a cabinet under the bed, and drapes it over my lower half. He then tucks it up in back so that my butt’s exposed again. “Just for some privacy.” He leans in and says softly, “and to protect Oliver’s eyes.”

That gets a chuckle out of me.

Hunter then grins towards Easter. “Everything ready, dear?” he asks.

Easter joins Hunter at the table, handing Hunter the readied applicator. “Sure is!” she says. Smiling softly at me, she places a hand on my shoulder. “Just relax, now, Andy.” She giggles. “You too, Oliver. Just relax.”

Hunter sits down on his stool, and gets to work on me. I can’t see anything, but I feel the applicator at the very opening of my anus.

“Alright, Andy. This applicator is prelubricated, so you don’t have to worry about any pain,” Hunter explains to me. “The worst you’ll feel is a bit of discomfort, and a bit of pressure when I insert the suppository. Are you okay for me to go ahead?”

I swallow. “Yep.” As okay as I’ll ever be, I suppose.

Oliver rests his forehead against our hands, squeezing his eyes shut and gripping my hand hard. I close my eyes, resting my own head against his and squeezing his hand in return.

“Good. Now, take a deep breath; both of you,” Hunter instructs.

Oliver and I squeeze each other’s hands. We start by taking a deep breath in... And another deep breath out.

And as I breathe out, I feel something long and thin slide easily inside of me. Jesus, Hunter was right; this thing really was prelubricated! It slid right in! Doesn’t hurt... I can just feel it and I know there’s something up my butt.

“That’s it... That’s it. Keep breathing. Nice, long breaths out of you both. Keep relaxing, we’re almost done here. Relax... Try not to squeeze, okay?” Hunter mutters.

Both Oliver and I keep on breathing... Squeezing each other’s hands. The applicator slides in a little further into my rectum, far past my sphincter. Guess it’s gotta go in far enough to melt in my lower colon to cause that peristalsis to push everything out.

“Very good, Andy, very good,” Hunter says. “I’m going to go ahead with the insertion. Again, I’d like a deep breath from both of you.”

Again, Oliver and I breathe in nice and deep... Then let it back out.

As I breathe out, Hunter pushes forward on the plunger, and as he said, there’s a bit of a pressure inside of me... Feels like it’s in both my rectum and my lower stomach at the same time.it doesn’t hurt, it’s just a deep, deep pressure. After that, I feel something lodging itself in my rectum, nice and comfortably.

“That’s it! That’s a man,” Hunter says. “I’m going to come out now. Keep on breathing. Long breaths. This goes for you as well, Oliver.”

As Hunter begins to remove the applicator from my rectum, I find myself tensing up my sphincter to expedite the discomfort. Kind of feels like it should come out like a bowel movement.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to push,” Hunter tells me. “The pill might come out if you push, so just relax. Let it happen.”

It’s hard, because it’s uncomfortable and I feel like I need to push. But I relax. I squeeze Oliver’s hand and try to roll with the feeling.

Before I know it, the applicator comes back out of my anus with a soft suctioning sound. And, of course, the suppository stayed inside, where it’ll melt and deliver the medicine needed to help my intestines. I can’t even feel it.

“And that’s it! It’s all over,” Hunter reassures me. He takes the paper sheet off of me, and throws it into the trash, patting my hip.

Knowing that it’s finally over, Oliver and I both let out a tense breath, though, we keep a light grasp on each other’s hands. Looking at each other finally, we both laugh nervously.

“There’s my boys. You both made it out alive, huh?” Hunter chuckles. “Go ahead and get yourself dressed, Andy. I’m going to make a couple notes here.”

With that, I take a deep breath, still holding my tummy lightly, and slide off the table. Oliver hands me my clothes, and I put them back on. Boxers, gym shorts and tank top. I slide my sneakers back on as well... And everything feels a whole lot better. I feel a lot less embarrassed, even with the suppository far up my ass. At least I’m covered again.

I sit back on the table, and keep cradling my belly to ward off the cramps. Easter’s taken off her gloves, and is looking over what Hunter’s writing in his notebook. As for Hunter, he sits at his desk, writing something in his notebook, though, I notice he’s still got on his gloves.

Butterflies momentarily appear in my stomach as I feel my dick jump one last time inside of my boxers and shorts.

“Alright, Andy,” Hunter says, standing up and taking off his gloves, discarding them into the trash. “As I explained before, that medicine is going to help loosen up your lower colon, and help push your stool through your rectum as it should. It should melt in about a half hour; in that amount of time, try not to poop or push, or that suppository might come out before it’s fully melted.” Hunter chuckles. “Though, I don’t think that’ll be too much of an issue.”

Easter and Oliver look at each other, and they just laugh. I can’t help but laugh as well, giving Oliver a swift smack in the back of the head.

“While that is melting, just lay low. Relax. Don’t put yourself through any more physical activity than you really need,” Hunter continues to explain. “Stay within range of a bathroom, because when I tell you that medicine kicks in within the next couple of hours, it kicks in, mate. You’re going to need to go. If everything went okay, you’ll be able to poop just fine. You might still be a little cramped up because of the peristalsis your intestines are being forced to go through. That’s completely normal. However, if you’re experiencing the urge to go along with the cramps, but you still can’t go, I need you to come visit me in the ER 一 I’ll be working on call after my appointments are finished up so I’ll be here all night. There might still be the underlying issue of your stools being too hard, and we’ll need to find a way to evacuate your bowels. In the meantime, drink plenty of water, put heat back on your tummy if it helps, okay? Sound good?”

I nod once. “Sounds great, doc,” I tell him. “Thanks for helping me out.”

With that, Oliver and I give Hunter a hearty handshake and hope that we don’t need to see him again, at least not today and in the hospital. We also give Easter a good hug, too 一 she gives the best feel-better hugs.

Then we head out and give Charlie a call so he can pick us up, and bring us back to the hotel, so I can just lie down and rest a while.