----------------------------------- Chapter 6 -----------------------------------

Jo turned from the medicine prep counter carrying the tray containing the shots in her right hand and caught Laura's eye as she walked by. "Ready?" the nurse asked as she smiled and, with her left hand, motioned her patient into the now familiar Exam Room 2.

With the enthusiasm of marching to her own execution, Laura rose from her chair and walked toward the room, passed the nurse standing at the door, and entered. Jo closed the door and placed the container on a cabinet beside the examining table.

The nurse made firm eye contact with Laura while she stated in a very matter-of-fact manner, "As the doctor told you, I have some medicine to give you." Jo reached down and gently patted her own right hip as a visual cue to the patient as she continued, "these are given in your bottom, so I'll be giving you three shots in each hip."

It only took a couple of seconds for the nurse's words to sink in, and when Laura realized what was coming, she got a frantic look on her face, her body tensed and she snapped back in what came out of her mouth as a subdued scream, "SIX shots in the butt!!, are you freakin’ kidding me??"

"I'm afraid not," Jo sympathetically responded, "It is unusual to give this many injectable meds as a single procedure, and normally it would be for something like a series of travel inoculations where most of the dosages are small and we can distribute them over multiple injection sites. But with your concurrent infections and the other underlying conditions that we need to aggressively manage, the doctor believes that this combination of medications is the best and most effective out-patient treatment for you."

Now Laura was shaken. She hated shots period, but SIX shots - all in her bottom - and THREE on each side! Hoping to maybe win a little relief in the upcoming assault on her backside, Laura pleaded with the nurse, "Do they all have to be in my butt, really? It seems like that's gonna' hurt a lot?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the nurse replied, "these medications all require deep injection into dense muscle tissue so they can be slowly released in the bloodstream. Plus, some of the dosages prescribed for this regimen are rather large, and only large muscles like the gluteals can safely absorb this amount of medicine.

"I don't want to frighten you Laura," the nurse continued, "but I expect a couple of these will be a little uncomfortable for you. Believe me though, they'll be less painful given in your bottom with you laying face down on the table than at any other injection site."

Did Laura want to hear this? Not on your life! In fact, her demeanor quickly changed from shocked to pretty scared and nervous after hearing all this talk about big shots and pain! She was overwhelmed with the anticipation of what was about to happen, but at the same time resigned herself that there was really no choice but to comply with the treatment.

"I need to have you hop up on the table and turn over on your tummy for me. For this procedure, I'll have to locate several injection site landmarks, so I can't have clothing covering any part of your buttocks. Go ahead and take off your jeans, but you can leave your underpants on for now."

As the nurse turned away, Laura's mind was filled with a flurry of emotions. She had hoped that the doctor would have just given her a couple of prescriptions. Maybe some cough syrup or pills, or both. But this? Well, this was not at all what she had expected! Once again she started reasoning with herself. She did feel really lousy and had suspected that she was pretty sick when she made the appointment, and she certainly wanted to get over this crud as quickly as possible and not have to be put in the hospital.

In an effort to build her courage, she started having a mental conversation with herself: I've had shots before, several times - though certainly not six butt shots in one procedure. But really, a few shots couldn't hurt that bad, could they? After all, I'm twenty-two years old, and here I am with thoughts like I had when I was a little kid. This is silly, she tried to convince herself. I'm a grown woman, I have no reason to be afraid of getting shots, even if there are six of them, and they're big, and they're all going in my butt. I can take it, be brave, and act like an adult about it. She seemed to have won the debate with herself - at least for the time being.

With her renewed attitude in place, Laura gathered her nerve and started taking her pants off. First, she stepped out of her sandals, and working rather methodically began the process of loosening, pushing and tugging the denim material down her hips and legs until she was finally able to step out of her jeans and lay them in the chair. As she stood and adjusted her bikini panties, the tail of her shirt fell enough to cover most of her bottom. Her bare, long legs looked amazing as she stepped over to the side of the exam table. Using the little metal stool as a step, she pulled herself up onto the paper-covered, padded surface of the table and scooted toward the top of the table as she rolled over onto her tummy.

As Laura was getting prepared, Jo gathered supplies needed for the procedure: alcohol wipes, small adhesive bandages, etc., which she placed, along with the metal tray containing the shots, on a rolling tray stand and positioned it by the exam table.

When Laura was laying on the table, Jo pulled the tail of her shirt up to the middle of her back as she helped position her, and then gave her a small pillow to rest her head on. Once the nurse had her situated properly, Laura was laying prone on the table with her head towards the top edge, arms folded with her hands under the pillow, and her feet just slightly hanging over the bottom edge of the padded cover.

Laura's shapely, panty-clad butt looked like a sculpture; and she had a very uneasy feeling that her cute little bottom had, at least for the next few minutes, become the center of attention in the room.

To insure the target areas of her patient's hips and buttocks are well lit, and the injection site landmarks are clearly defined and easy to visualize, the nurse rolled the portable examination light over to the table, positioned it several inches above Laura's bottom and switched it on.

With preparations made, the nurse turned her attention back to her patient. "Raise your hips off the table for me," she requested. Laura did so and felt the nurse reach for the waistband of her panties and gently pull them down over her bottom until they rested in a neat bundle about two or three inches below the cleft where her legs joined her buttocks. A chill went up her back as the cool air in the exam room caused a few goose bumps to pop up on her naked butt cheeks.

Even as minimal as it was, somehow losing the perceived protection of her panties proved a bit unnerving as it meant the procedure was about to begin. It also triggered intense memories as her mind once again wandered off to mental images of getting shots as a little kid. Laura remembered listening as the doctor discussed her exam results with her mom, and how her heart would always sink to the floor on those occasions when his diagnosis included the dreaded news that he would "give her a little shot" that "should take care of it," or something similar.

As she remembered it, the shots were rarely "little", they were almost always given in her butt, and quite often there was more than one.

She vividly recalled lying tummy down on the table with tears rolling from her eyes and down her cheeks, feeling scared, and squeezing her mom's hand for reassurance as the nurse lifted the elastic waistband and lowered her white cotton underpants - baring the perfectly round, baby-smooth mounds of her hiney for the injection. All the while she was repeatedly pleading, "noooo, I don't waaannnt a shottt, pleeeeease, it hurrrrrts sooo baaadd, nooooo, pleeeeeease" - always to no avail.

She remembered her mom calmly stroking her hair, and the nurse trying to ease her fear with trite clichés such as, "I'm sorry honey, it'll be over real quick", or "you need this medicine to get better", or the infamous "I know sweetie, but it only hurts for a minute or two"; none of which ever provided any comfort at all. Her never successful pleading was always accompanied by the pungent smell and cooling feel of the alcohol wipe as the nurse prepared the soft, pale skin of her butt for the needle, while she softly cried and waited with fearful anticipation for the shot to begin.

Laura's mental drifting abruptly ended when, after adjusting her underpants, Jo slid another thin pillow directly under her lower abdomen, and then gently eased her hips down onto it. The nurse explained that having her bottom slightly elevated would make it easier to relax her butt muscles, plus give her a soft cushion to lie on during the injections. The slight lift to the buttocks also gently stretched the skin so the nurse could better visualize the muscle structure.

Anyone with appreciation for the graceful beauty of a woman's body would be nothing short of mesmerized at the sight of Laura's beautiful, firm butt and sleek legs - perfectly positioned by the pillow and illuminated by the spot-like beam of the examination lamp. Even in this clinical setting, her stunning behind and flawless skin presented an almost surreal erotic image.

"Ready to get started?" the nurse asked. Are you kidding, Laura thought to herself, she dreaded this. She thought about trying to stall the procedure, but instead she merely replied, "sure."

While reaching over to the tray stand for an alcohol wipe, Jo explained to her patient, "Now before we start, you need to know that all of these medicines have to be administered slowly so it's going to take a little time to complete the procedure. If at any time you feel restless or find it difficult to hold still before we're finished," the nurse continued, "tell me and we can take a break. If you need a release during the procedure, try grabbing the edge of the table or squeezing the pillow; and if you feel the urge to cry, don't try to resist - do whatever helps you get through it. Just remember, it's really important that you keep your bottom relaxed, stay as still as you possibly can and not move your legs or tense up your butt at all while a shot is being administered."

Laura was terrified. While she appreciated being told what to expect and the opportunity to prepare herself as much as possible in advance, the nurse's warning understandably increased her fear and dread of the impending treatment as well. Realizing that the shots were for her own good, she uttered an almost inaudible groaning sigh and laid her head on the pillow as a non-verbal cue to the nurse that she was as ready as she was going to be to begin the procedure.

"We'll start with the less painful ones and then do the antibiotics last. "I'll tell you everything I'm going to do, before I do it," and with that said, the nurse was ready to get started.

Laura felt gentle pressure on different areas around the upper part of her butt cheeks and side of her hips as the nurse palpated various target areas for the needles. With the first site selected, Jo tore open the alcohol wipe package, removed the prep pad and set the outer wrapper aside. Almost immediately, the unmistakable smell of alcohol began to permeate the area. The nurse took the alcohol wipe, firmly rubbed in three straight line motions on Laura's left hip, and then picked up the first syringe from the tray.

"I'll give you the shot for inflamation and fever control first. It's a small dose and while it might burn a bit, it's not terribly irritating. This one should be a breeze for you," the nurse stated as she removed the needle cover from the syringe. The sound caused Laura to involuntarily clench her butt cheeks together. "Relax," Jo instructed, "The shot hurts more if your muscles are tense." At the nurse's suggestion Laura turned her toes inward as much as possible to help relax her butt muscles.

The nurse was holding the syringe in her right hand with the needle pointed straight at Laura's butt like a dart as she warned, "You'll feel a little stick and then a sting, remember it's real important that you hold still for me. Relax the muscle," Jo instructed as she inserted the needle very quickly.

Laura felt an instantaneous sharp stabbing pain, and while the initial puncture hurt enough to cause her to wince a bit, she realized that the stick had not really been all that painful. The nurse aspirated for blood, and when none returned in the syringe, she began to push the small 2cc dose of ketorolac into the muscle. Laura was not prepared for the intense burning sensation that overtook her backside when the nurse began to inject the medication.

Finally, after what seemed to Laura like an hour, the medicine was in and as she felt the needle being removed. The slight stinging was offset by the nice, cool feeling of a moist alcohol wipe on her skin which the nurse used to apply pressure at the injection site as she withdrew the needle. The pain in Laura's butt muscle from the medicine quickly became more of a sharp, throbbing sting. On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain in her left butt cheek was about a 2.

The last shot before the antibiotics was the 5cc dose of multi-vitamins. After locating the proper injection site on Laura's right butt cheek, the nurse cleaned it with an alcohol wipe, selected the next syringe, expelled the air, and aimed the needle at the selected spot.

As she prepared to administer the injection, Jo told her patient, "this one is the mega dose of vitamins to give your immune system a boost and give you a nice energy lift; I'll inject this one on your right hip. Some patients say this medicine burns a bit, and this is a really large dose so it will take a while to inject it all. Relax your bottom and lay as still as you possibly can."

What the nurse did not share with her patient was that the vitamin serum is fairly irritating to muscle tissue; and since it is also a rather oily medicine, she would be using a larger needle to give this shot.

"Here's the stick," the nurse warned as she drove the 18 gauge, inch and a half needle deep into the dorsal area of the right buttock.

Laura gasped from the sudden and unexpected stabbing pain caused by the large needle as it pierced her skin and muscle. Before she could stop herself she jumped a bit and uttered a rather subdued "OUCH" and groan as the needle was inserted.

The nurse gave her a few seconds to recover and lay still. Then, after aspiration, she began to ever so slowly administer the vitamin. Laura noticed the burning and pain caused by the irritating medicine was quickly building deep in her bottom. This was a big shot. The thick needle had already been buried in her butt for well over a minute and not quite half of the 5cc dose was injected.

Laura made a few grimaces and groans while the vitamin was administered, but amazingly kept her composure throughout the procedure.

"Alright, the medicine's in, that's all for this one," Jo announced as she pushed the last bit of the syringe contents into the patient's backside.

The deep burning in her muscle continued to rage as Laura felt the cool alcohol pad applied at the injection site; and then she felt the intensely sharp pain of her skin being stretched and wounded by movement of the large needle through layers of deep tissue as the nurse slowly removed it from her bottom. The pain continued to increase even as the nurse was applying pressure with a clean alcohol wipe at the injection site to stop the bleeding from the hole in her skin left by the needle. Her right butt cheek was on fire and throbbing all over; and the pain level was now easily up to a 3 out of 10.

Laura lifted her head from the pillow and looked over her shoulder at the nurse. Her eyes were slightly red from holding back tears that had begun to well up during that last shot. She started to speak, but instead just sniffled a bit and laid her head back down.

"I'm sorry," Jo said as she gave her patient a little comforting pat on the back. "I know that one hurt," the nurse stated in a reassuring voice, " these last ones are the antibiotics and they will likely be a little more uncomfortable than what you've already had."

The nurse's words were cut short by a soft tap on the exam room door. Doctor Sharp cracked open the door just enough to be heard and addressed his nurse, "Jo, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I really need your help for a couple of minutes, if you can break away from what you are doing."

"Your timing is perfect," Jo responded, "we are at a good stopping point, and I'm sure Laura would not mind taking a little rest before we continue. I'll be right there."

"Thanks," the doctor said as he closed the door.

"I'm sorry," Jo told her patient, "but I know he wouldn't interrupt if he didn't really need my help. I'm sure I won't be but a few minutes."

"That's fine," Laura assured the nurse. "Even though it's tempting, I promise to not run away while you are gone," she said with a slight chuckle in her voice.

Before leaving the room, the nurse covered her patient from the waist down with a sheet for modesty and switched off the bright examination lamp.

Laura did not try to get off the table or move at all during the brief respite, she simply remained laying prone with her head on the pillow. Despite the stinging and throbbing in her bottom, the quiet of the room was relaxing; and as her eyes closed, she began to mentally reenact the just completed sequence of events that had resulted in her very sore butt.

As minutes passed, and emotions she had felt while receiving the shots replayed in her mind, Laura realized the pain and burning in her butt began to feel "different" and had become much less uncomfortable. Maybe it was a sudden release of endorphins, but whatever caused it, her wounded bottom was triggering mixed sensory signals in her brain.

Her butt was certainly not hurting any less, maybe even more as the injected medicines continued to irritate and stretch muscle tissue; but as the soreness and stinging began to inexplicably stimulate nerve endings in her bottom, the pain was becoming in some odd way rather warm and soothing, and not terribly unpleasant at all. In fact, she was feeling strangely excited, just like when her boyfriend would tease and spank her bare ass.

Up to now, Laura would have never expected there could be anything at all stimulating, enjoyable or erotic about getting painful shots at the doctor's office.

She was feeling very confused.