My head pounded. My body felt on fire, then shook with shivers. My guts felt as though they were going to empty over the desk. The room was swimming before my eyes. I wasn't sure how I was going to survive until the end of the lecture.

This was in the late sixties, when I was studying at a small college in the Home Counties. I was reading History and Philosophy for my bachelor's degree.

Eventually the clock reached the hour, but just as I was about to leave and stagger back to my room and die the lecturer, Dr. Henderson, asked me to stay behind.

"You're looking pretty rough honey," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"OK," I lied, fearing what might come next.

She put a hand to my forehead.

"You're quite hot," she said. "I think you ought to go along to the San and let Sister look you over."

That was what I had been trying to avoid. The college sanatorium was presided over by a nursing sister who was a holy terror. With her the thermometer ruled supreme, and she freely dispensed a vile tasting medicine known throughout the college as "jungle-juice." Also she had spent a couple of years in the States, and favoured some treatments which we regarded as distinctly un-English.

Her time off was covered by a part-time Staff Nurse, who came in from outside the College. In addition to the two professionals a couple of female student members of the college St. John Ambulance Society helped out as VADs.

"I'm just going to phone the San and ask Sister to.........." were the last words I heard as I passed out.

As I came round I found one of the VADs leaning over me. She was a pretty second year, about 20 years old, and I must confess that her St. John's nurses' uniform suited her to perfection.

"A hard night in the Union bar last night?" she queried as she took hold of my wrist and looked at the fob watch pinned to the bib of her apron.

"No. I was revising for the exams next week," I replied.

A slight toss of her cap told me that she wasn't convinced.

"Can you give me a hand getting him into the chair please Carol?" she asked her companion.

"It's OK, I can walk," I protested.

"You will do exactly as you are told, young man," she said, with a hint of steel in her voice. Whatever it was that bugged Sister was obviously catching.

The two young nurses each put one arm under a shoulder and the other round my back and lifted me into the wheelchair. As the swimming in my head slowed down I was able look at the two young nurses. Both were second years, about twenty years old. They were wearing the standard St. John's nurses' uniforms, grey dresses with starched white collars, aprons and caps both bearing the cross of St.John, black stockings and shoes. The one called Carol was about 5'4", quite skinny, with shortish brown hair. I knew her slightly, as she was in one of my philosophy modules. The other, who seemed to have taken charge, was 5'9", and had a full, voluptuous figure. Curly, flame red hair burst from under her cap, and I was to learn that she had a temper to match. Her sleeves were rolled up and held by white, elasticated nursing cuffs. I didn't know her, but gathered that she was reading Human Biology.

"Hey, what's going on?" I protested as they started strapping me into the chair.

"Well we don't want you collapsing again and falling out," smiled the redhead, whose name was Liz. She bent down to put my feet on the rests, and fastened leather straps round my ankles. As she did so my face was smothered in her starched apron bib. I inhaled deeply and almost collapsed from rapture. For some reason I had always found the smell of starched women's clothing extremely arousing. A pert look suggested to me that she was aware of this.

As Carol pushed me across the campus, Liz walked beside me, one hand resting across my shoulder. One or two of my friends made irreverent comments when they saw my predicament. There were guffaws at the idea of me being subject to Sister's tender mercies.

As we reached the San I heaved a sigh of relief. Staff Nurse was in charge, which meant that if I was able to get away I might miss Sister completely. Staff Nurse was at least human, and was usually fairly gentle with her patients. She remembered that her patients were also human, and treated us accordingly. With the help of the VADs she got me on to the examination couch and raised the safety bar. A thermometer was placed under my tongue. (Thank God Sister was off duty.) As she took my pulse, blood pressure etc. I looked at her. She was new since I had last been here, which was when I came for my freshman medical two years ago. Since then I had managed to avoid the place. Sister's reputation went before her!

The Staff Nurse was about 24 years old and wore a sky blue uniform with long sleeves, starched apron, collar and cuffs. Dark, copper coloured hair was surmounted by a white tailed cap. She had a pleasing smile, and an open, friendly manner.

"Hmm! Your temperature is normal, but your blood pressure is 148/95, your pulse is 106 and your respiration is 45. I think that I'll admit you, at least until Sister comes on."

My emotions went in two opposite directions. The thought of being cared for by this divine creature was heavenly. The thought of still being around when Sister came on duty was not to be contemplated. Cowardice won out.

"It's OK," I said, "I'm sure I'll be fine now. Besides, I'll be late for my 2 o'clock lecture."

"No. I don't like the look of your obs, and Liz tells me you actually passed out. We need to keep an eye on you for the next 24 hours."

It was clear there was no escape, so I gave in gracefully. With Staff Nurse holding me on one side, and Liz on the other I was walked down the corridor to a small ward. The ward contained six iron-framed hospital beds, three on each side, each with a locker beside it. There were no other students in the San, and as Carol pulled back the bedclothes on the middle bed on the left hand side, Staff Nurse and Liz led me over to it and lay me down. As Carol left, remarking that she had to get changed as she had a 2 o'clock lecture, (the same one that I should be at I realised), the other two gently undressed me, and put me into pyjamas. Liz then went out of the ward, and returned with two cot-sides. Ignoring my protests that these were unnecessary, they attached these to the sides of the bed, saying that as I had passed out earlier they didn't want me falling out of bed.

Staff Nurse left the room, and returned, carrying a stainless steel kidney bowl. Lowering one of the cot-sides she placed the kidney bowl on the locker, and proceeded to fill a hyperdermic from an ampoule. She nodded to Liz, who rolled me over and pulled down my pj trousers.

Liz then cleaned my buttock with an alcohol soaked ball of cotton wool, and the Staff Nurse plunged the syringe into my bottom.

"There, that should help you relax," she said. "Now, I'll just phone the Senior Common Room and tell them that you are going to be in here for the next few days, so that you are excused from lectures and tutorials."

It occurred to me that time seemed to be stretching. What had started out as "until Sister comes on," had expanded to 24 hours, and now a few days. Before I could figure this out the shot kicked in and I drifted into oblivion.

As I awoke I heard Staff Nurse talking to someone outside the room.

"His temperature is normal, but his other obs are distinctly iffy, and as he had passed out I thought it was best to admit him."

"Well he'd better have a temp now or he's out on his ear with a dose of jungle juice!" came the strident reply. "I know these students - malingerers the lot of them!"

Sister had arrived.

She strode into the ward, accompanied by Staff Nurse and Liz. In spite of her fearsome reputation she was quite good looking for what I then regarded as an older woman. I guess she was really in her mid thirties. She stood about 5'10" and had a very shapely figure. She wore a navy blue uniform. with the usual apron, collar and cuffs. On her head was a white "square", a starched linen cap which fell down her back in a crisp triangle, and which even then was a little old fashioned. A lock of blonde hair escaped from the front of this. I noticed that there was no white band on her finger, indicating where a ring might be worn when she was off duty. I doubted that the man was yet to be born who would dare take her on.

"Right, young man, let's have a look a you. Staff tells me that you're not too well," she said, dropping the cot-side. I was to notice that she always addressed the staff nurse as, "Staff." Again, this was quite old fashioned, even back in the sixties.

"I wasn't too good earlier, but I'm sure it will be OK now," I stammered.

"We'll be the judge of that." she said, laying her cool hand on my forehead. "Hmm, quite fiery. I think we'd better have a look at your temperature."

Staff Nurse offered her the thermometer, but she shook her head.

"No, I prefer the other end. It's much more accurate, and it lets these students know who is boss."

With a barely suppressed grin Liz left the room. Quite frankly, by now I was passed caring.

Liz returned with a tray. Under the white linen cover was a rectal thermometer, a pair of latex gloves, a tube of KY jelly and three surgical masks. They donned the masks, which made them look quite scary, then, after scrubbing her hands in the basin at the end of the ward, Sister snapped on the gloves, and rolled me on to my side with my face away from her. A huge blob of lubricant was massaged into my rectum. Curiously, I did not find this unpleasant, indeed quite the contrary, but at the time I thought that this was just because I was feeling so lousy that nothing could make any difference. A blob of jelly went on to the thermometer which was inserted surprisingly gently, although it felt as though it had been stored in the refrigerator. Then, after asking Liz to hold me in place she walked round the other side. Dropping the cot-side and snapping off the gloves, she took hold of my wrist with her right hand, and lifted her fob watch with her left. While she took my pulse and observed the rise and fall of my chest the staff nurse fetched a sphygometer and stethoscope and measured my blood pressure.

"184 over 113," she said quietly.

"Pulse: 126, respirations 57, both quite weak," answered Sister.

She leaned over and extracted the thermometer.

"104.2. Staff - 125 ml acetic trisulphide IM; Nurse - icepacks, bowl and sponges." she said calmly. It occurred to me that her actuality was nothing like her reputation.

As the other two swiftly left the ward she pulled off the bedclothes which were covering me and stripped off my pyjamas. Automatically my hands went to cover my dignity.

"No need to worry about that young man," she smiled. "I've been nursing for twenty years and you've got nothing I haven't seen before. Right now I want to get your temp down, and that's best done if we can allow as much heat as possible to escape without being held in by pyjamas or bedclothes."

The other two returned. Liz carried a tray, while Staff had the inevitable kidney dish. She swabbed my buttock, then in went the needle! As Liz came over with the tray, Staff Nurse placed an icepack on my forehead, and another on the back of my neck. Then she and Sister started sponging me down with icy cold water.

"If a patient's temp rises above 103 it's necessary to get it down fairly quickly," she explained to Liz. "That's why we have given him a shot, but we also are using icepacks and iced water sponging to speed up the process. The patient is uncovered to allow for maximum cooling. Have you ever cold-sponged a patient?"

"I've done it in practice for my VAD exams, but I've never done it on a real patient," replied the student.

"It's quite a simple process," said Sister. As you can see, we just sponge down the patient with iced water, taking care to keep him calm and quiet. In this condition excitement can counter- move the temp and undo all our efforts. Do you want to help?"

A nod from Liz, and Staff moved to one side, allowing the VAD nearer the bed. Handing her the sponge she said quietly, "Long, gentle strokes, gradually working your way down the body. Make sure that you frequently dip your sponge in the iced water, to keep it good and cold, but squeeze it out so that you don't get water everywhere."

As the young redhead started sponging me I felt a stirring in my loins. As she came closer to my groin it became visible. Unfortunately Sister saw it too, and an icy sponge on my manhood soon caused the swelling to subside.

After about 15 minutes Sister took my temperature again. Again the thermometer was inserted into my rectum, but as she wiggled it about I decided that perhaps I did not dislike this method after all. I was surprised to see her smiling at me. Her reputation as a gorgon who turned students to stone with a single glance did not seem justified. She extracted the thermometer and looked at it.

"103.9" she said. "Still not low enough. I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something more invasive."

She left the ward, and returned pushing a stainless steel trolley, with an IV stand attached to one corner. Taking a large paper bag from the bottom shelf she placed it on my bedside locker and tore it open.

"The bag has been autoclaved, so that everything in side is sterile," she explained.

She picked up a small, transparent sachet of liquid with a pair of tongs. Cutting off a corner of the sachet with her scissors, she let the liquid run over the top shelf of the trolley, and then deposited the empty container in a rubbish bag attached to the side. Still using the tongs, she picked up a ball of cotton wool with which she rubbed the liquid all over surface; then she dried it off with another. Next the tongs picked up a large paper towel, which was placed on the trolley and opened out to cover it, like a table cloth. Then the remaining contents of the bag were transferred to the trolley, again without being touched.

Taking a large pair of rubber gloves from the trolley, Sister put them on, and then turned to me with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but it's vital that we get your temperature down. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get some cold water inside you as well. It won't be pleasant, but I'll be as gentle as I can. Do you think you can be a brave little boy for me?"

Sweetheart? Gentle? Was this the dragon whose name struck terror into the hearts of every student in the college, and quite a few of the faculty members as well? I nodded, unable to speak.

She attached a large bag of fluid to the IV stand. It must have held about half a gallon. At the bottom corner was a connector valve. To this she attached a clear plastic tube with a tap valve at the end.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to make sure it gets all the way up," she said, as she attached a narrow, red rubber tube to the valve. The tube seemed about half a mile long.

"Is all that going into me?" I gasped.

She nodded. "Don't worry. We'll try to make it as pleasant as possible."

She then turned me on to my side, and gave her instructions. "Liz, I want you to keep bathing his face and the back of his neck with iced water. Staff, I want you to be ready to help relieve any cramping."

Staff Nurse glanced at her with a knowing look.

"Well, they know what they are doing," I thought to myself. Little did I know just how right I was.

"OK baby, I'm going to start inserting the tube," she said quietly.

As the rubber slipped into me I felt a strange emotion. Exquisite pain and pleasure intermingled. Icy cold water surged into me. I gasped.

"Are you all right?" murmured Sister. I nodded. The water crept higher and higher up my colon as Sister played the tubing further, and further in. Suddenly I was jolted by a spasm of stomach cramp. Sister turned off the valve.

"Don't worry, honey," she cooed. "We'll make it better before we go on."

She rubbed my back, while Staff Nurse massaged my tummy. Gradually, the cramps subsided.

"Ready to continue, sweetheart?"

Again the icy cold water continued to climb through my system. Staff Nurse continued to soothe round my front.

"Nearly done now," she said, glancing at the almost empty bag. "You've been a really good boy."

"He certainly has," echoed Sister, as she continued to ply the rubber tubing.

Suddenly I felt a new spasm, much lower than the earlier one. I realised that I was going to come, and turned beetroot red with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, baby," said Sister, as Staff Nurse picked up a specimen jar. "It's quite natural, and indeed a compliment to us that we haven't made it too unpleasant."

Unpleasant? I'd never had an orgasm like it. Staff Nurse simply held the specimem jar for it as though it were all part of a day's work. I thought that I'd never stop coming, especially when, while removing the tube Sister twirled it across my prostate several times. However, I did see Liz's eyes stretching at the amount of semen in the jar.

Leaving Liz to clean me up, Sister and Staff Nurse left, taking the trolley, the bedpan and other debris with them. The redhead looked at me with new respect.

"Who would have thought the boy had so much fluid in him," she misquoted, unsure what to say.

Sister came in, carrying a kidney dish.

Out came the rectal thermometer.

"100.2. That's much better," she said. "Now, I'm going to give you a shot which should put you out for most of the night. If you need anything ring this nursecall bell. I'll see if I can get one of the VADs to sit with you, but I don't expect that you'll be aware of much."

With that she rolled me on my side and gave me an injection in my backside. Then, after kissing me lightly on the forehead and brushing the hair off my face she pulled up the cot-sides, turned out the light and closed the door.

As I drifted into oblivion I wondered what became of mere mortals who fell in love with she- dragons.

I awoke in the small hours of the morning. A low nightlight above the ward door gave a tiny amount of illumination.

"So, you're awake," came a voice. It was Liz, still dressed in her St.John's nursing uniform, and curled up in a blanket in a chair across the way.

"Liz? What are you doing here?"

"Sister wanted a VAD to keep an eye on you. I volunteered."

"But shouldn't you be getting your own beauty sleep?" As I said that I realised that she was indeed very good looking.

"Well somebody needs to look after you..... in more ways than one."

"How do you mean?"

"Listen stupid, I saw the way you were making cow eyes at Sister. Forget it, she's way out of your league. You need someone nearer your own age."

"I guess. But I've never had much luck with girls."

"You've not?"

"No. Not that I blame them. Who'd want anything to do with a prat like me?"

"Dumbo! You really do need looking after. And I, young man, am the one to do it."

In spite of the fact that we were whispering she sounded quite annoyed. She unwrapped herself from the blanket and came over to my bed. She laid a cool hand on my forehead.

"Hmm, not too bad. But you do need looking after. So prepare for a seeing to!"

With that she lowered the cot side and gave me a huge kiss on the lips.

"But you are still a bit warm. I think we'd better have these off."

So saying she pulled off the bedclothes and started unfastening my pyjamas.

"Hey! What's going on?"

"Don't you remember Sister saying that we need to let the heat escape? It can't do that while you're all covered up."

Before I knew it I was naked. Suddenly Liz was on top of me, ferociously kissing me from top to toe. Next thing I knew she had my cock in her mouth, sucking like crazy. I felt delirious. After a tremendous cum she readjusted her position, sitting on my face.

"Now it's my turn. Suck, you bastard!"

I realised that she was wearing crotchless knickers and my tongue explored her clit. Gradually, as I established a rhythm I heard her panting.

"Harder, blast you, harder!"

I did my best to obey. A series of convulsions told me that I had succeeded.

She lay down beside me. It was as well that she had left the other cot side up or I think she would have pushed me out. We lay in each others' arms.

After about half an hour she got up, and raised the cotside.

"Liz....." I said, but she just placed her forefinger on my lips, then left the ward.

I heard the shower going.

A few minutes later she returned, wearing a fresh, crisp uniform.

"Oh good, you're awake. I want to do your obs."

She let down the cot side, rolled me on one side, lubricated the thermometer and pushed it into my rectum. Then she took hold of my wrist and measured my pulse and respirations.

"Liz," I said as she wrapped the blood-pressure cuff round my arm, "I really enjoyed what we did just then."

"How do you mean?"

"When we just did it."

"Did what?"

"You know......it....had sex,"

"You revolting little boy. Have you been fantasising about me?"

"No. Just now....."

She retrieved the thermometer from my arse.

"O - oh! 103.7. You're running a fever. I'd better start sponging you down."

"It's hardly surprising that my temp's up considering what we have just done."

"You're delirious. I'm going to get Sister," she said, pressing the Nurse-Call button.

A few minutes later Sister came down from her room, fully dressed in her crisp uniform.

"Well? What's the problem?"

"His temperature is 103.7 Sister, but he's delirious with it."

"In what way?"

"He, he seems to imagine that ..... that...." she trailed off, blushing furiously.

"You mean he's having sexual fantasies about you. You'll have to get used to that if you're going to be a nurse. It happens all the time."

"But he keeps insisting that we have acually done it, Sister."

"Could be delirium. Do you feel safe?"

"I...I'm not sure."

"Well I'm not having my nurses feeling unsafe. If you feel he's threatening you we can soon fix him."

So saying she went to a cupboard and returned with two large webbing straps. These she proceeded to fasten round the mattress and bottom sheet; one about half way down the bed, the other near the foot. She returned to the cupboard and came back with four woollen-lined leather cuffs. She fastened these round my wrists and ankles, and then attached them to loops in the webbing. I was helpless, effectively pinned down to the bed. She then went out of the room and returned carrying the inevitable kidney dish.

"Help me roll him sideways. I'm going to give him two aspirin suppositories to get his temp down, and injection to knock him out again."

As Liz held me on one side Sister snapped on a pair of rubber gloves. Lubricating my anus, she inserted the torpedoes so far that I thought they were going to come out of my mouth. Then in went the syringe, and I felt myself drifting into unconsciousness. When I came round Carol was sat in the chair watching me.

"Back from the land of nod?" she said. Why do nurses always talk as though you are a retarded toddler?

She left the room, then returned carrying a tray with a cup of tea, a boiled egg and toast.

"Breakfast time!"

I looked at the cup.

"Is it true that Sister laces that stuff with bromide?"

"No. That's just a myth that somehow goes round college. Though from what I hear it would be a good idea in your case. In fact I think that we'd better keep those restraints on while I give you breakfast. We don't want you losing control of yourself do we, Tiger?"

"Look, I didn't... I mean I wasn't.... It was Liz who....."

"There, there, of course you didn't. Still, better safe than sorry, eh?" I was beginning to get very irritated by her mixture of baby-talk and banality. "Now, what's going to be the best way of doing this Munchkin?"

She pulled the bed table up the side, and then lowered one cot-side. She then pulled me up into a sitting position, sat on the bed behind me, and propped me up. My wrists and ankles were still secured to the bed, but my head lay back on the starched bib of her apron. Picking up the cup she held it up to my lips. I drank. Then she took the top off the shell of the egg, and passing it to the hand on the arm that was around me, proceeded to spoon feed me. I began to think that life in the San could have its compensations.

Breakfast over, the tray disappeared and she returned with a bowl and towel.

"Time for a bed bath," she said.

There was something quite sensuous about being bathed in bed; the warm water, long sponging strokes, the soft towels. Being utterly helpless in the restraints added an extra frisson. I noticed that Carol seemed to pay particular attention to ensuring my genital area was clean and dry. She then took a large handful of talcum powder and proceeded to rub it round my groin. The leather straps creaked and cracked as my body spasmed.

"Oh dear! Just when I'd got you nice and clean. Now I 'll need to bathe that area again."

What made me think that she wasn't sorry?

Carol was just tidying up as Sister came in.

"I gather you had an unsettled night," she said in a matter of fact way.

"No, Sister, it was really.........."

"I don't want to hear about it. Don't worry, it is quite common for patients to imagine themselves in love with their nurses. Just try to realise that it is in your imagination, there's a good boy."

So saying, she rolled me on to my side and lubricated my rosebud. Then in went the inevitable thermometer. Motioning Carol to come and hold me in place, she walked round the bed and took my wrist in one hand and her watch in the other. After the necessary minute had passed she tucked my hand between her elbow and her breast in order to wrap a blood pressure cuff round my arm. Releasing it, she held a stethoscope to the crook of my elbow and inflated the cuff. She then retrieved the thermometer.

"Hmm! You're one poorly sick boy," she said, annoting the charts that were hooked over the foot of my cot. "I'm going to ask Dr. Peebles to come and have a look at you. In the mean time the best thing you can do is sleep."

She went out, and returned with..... guess what?

"I know sweetheart, but it really is best for you," she said, as she wiped a spot on my bottom with the alcohol soaked cotton wool.

"What is it?" I asked, shrinking a little.

"It's just a light sedative to help you sleep," she said as she squeezed the needle into my buttock. "Now you be a good boy for Sister, and get all the rest you can."

The last thing I remember is her smile as she sat stroking my hair while I drifted from consciousness.

When I came to, Sister was standing over me. Next to her was an older lady, about 50ish, with iron grey hair.

"Let’s have a look at you then, young man," she said. Her accent was refined Scots, possibly Edinburgh.

She produced a stethoscope, and listened to my chest, then sat me up and applied the steth to my back. A thermometer appeared; fortunately it went into my mouth.

"Yes, I know your views Sister, but I think you are rather hard on these poor students. I find oral temps are close enough to let us know what is going on."

She applied her hand to my forehead.

"Fiery!"

She looked at the thermometer, and frowned. She showed it to Sister.

"104.2. We’ll need to do something about that."

Another instrument appeared, with which she looked into my eyes and ears.

"Well, you are one poorly sick boy!" she said.

She turned to Sister.

"There’s no doubt it’s this mystery virus that is doing the rounds. However, it’s a particularly virulent form. He really ought to be in the Royal, but I know they’re incredibly short of beds. Do you think........"

"Don’t worry Doctor. I’d rather look after my students here if it’s at all possible. I don’t trust them out of my sight, and they wouldn’t dare take liberties while they’re in here."

The older lady chuckled.

"You do like to play the sergeant-major with them don’t you? With anyone else I’d have them in like a shot, but I don’t want him spending the night on a trolley, and I know you - he’ll get care as good and better here as in the hospital, and with you looking after him he won’t dare to not get well.

"Right, we’re going to need to get a lot of fluids into him, so I think we’d better insert a cannula. In any case, the antibiotics will be better delivered IV. Keep him mildly sedated; that can go in intra-muscularly. I’ll also write him up for some drugs to try and bring down that temperature; they can go either IM or as suppositories. Now, you say he’s had delirium."

"Yes, doctor."

"OK, I’ll write him up for discretionary restraints, just in case you need them. Now, are you sure you can cope? If necessary I’ll do battle with the bed bureau and get him in."

"He’s my patient. I’ll see him through."

"I thought you’d say that. Right, let’s get his care plan written up."

Sister raised the cot-side, and they left the room.

A few minutes later she came back, carrying the inevitable kidney dish. Carol and Liz were with her. Carol was pushing an IV stand. Liz had a tray with various bottles. All three were wearing surgical masks.

"Now, I’m going to insert a cannula so that we can get plenty of fluids into him. We’ll also use it to administer his antibiotics."

She took my arm, and flicked at the inside of my elbow with her forefinger.

"That’s a good vein. It should do."

The next thing I knew, there was a sharp sensation of something going in, the Liz handed Sister a roll of bandage, which was put round my elbow, holding the cannula in place. Then came a splint, and a larger bandage, which meant I was unable to move my arm.

"Sorry about that, but we daren’t risk the cannula coming out,"said Sister.

Next she hung a large bottle of clear fluid from the IV stand, and attached the tube to the cannula. Then she took a syringe, attached it to a device on the tube, and squeezed the contents into it.

"The bottle contains saline solution. We are going to keep you attached for a few days to stop you getting dehydrated.. I’ve added your first dose of antibiotics so that the get straight into your bloodstream. Now I shall give you a couple of injections in your bottom. The first is a drug to try and bring your temperature down. The other is a sedative to help you rest. Liz passed her the stainless steel kidney dish, and she took a cottonwool swab, with which she rubbed alcohol onto my bottom. Then came the hyperdermic, and with her left hand placed firmly on my cheek in went the needle. It stung like mad. The another swab, and another syringe. As I drifted into oblivion, I saw Sister raise the cot side. I must have been delirious, for I could have sworn I saw her blow me a kiss.

The next few days passed in a daze of delirium. I seemed to be strapped down to the bed; Liz told me afterwards that I had pulled out the IV line and they had restrained me in order to stop me interrupting the flow of drugs. I’m sure that Liz kept coming back to me in the nights, but whether she did, or whether I was just hallucinating I never dared ask. Gradually the fever subsided, but it was several days before they released me from the restraints. Whenever I asked about it Sister and Liz just grinned at each other. It seemed that they were sharing some secret joke, but whatever it was, they weren’t letting me in on it. Eventually it was Staff Nurse who removed them, while Sister was off duty. When Liz came back on she seemed annoyed. Dr. Peebles came in most days; she seemed pleased with my progress. About three weeks after I was first admitted she finally said I could be discharged.

"But I want you to keep an eye on him Sister. If there is any sign at all of a relapse get him straight back in here."

"That will be fine, Doctor," replied Sister. "If I’m not very much mistaken a certain young nurse will be watching him very closely indeed."

When the time came for me to leave Liz said that she would walk back with me as far as my room in hall.

"There’s no need for that," I protested, but was rapidly overruled by Sister.

"I think it will be much better if Nurse Liz walks with you. It’s a long time since you were last out on your own, and if we have let you out too early it will be as well to have someone there to catch."

We walked back across the campus to my Hall of Residence. When we got back to my room I made a decision.

"Liz, I know I’ve been a pain over the last few weeks, but I was wondering.....Would you consider going out with me."

"Oh, I don’t think I’ll have time for that for a while. I’ve got my annual nursing test coming up, so most of my spare time will be spent practising. You’ll just have to be patient."

Oh well, story of my life. I think I said that I’d never had much luck with girls.

"Or perhaps," she added, as she closed and locked my door, "the patient!"

My jaw dropped as out of her shoulder bag she pulled the bed restraints.