Let’s Play Doctor
“Okay, I’ll be the patient.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Why do you—?”
“I misspoke. What are your symptoms?”
“Sorry, doctor. I have this burning sensation.”
“I’ll need more information.”
“I was going to tell you. It’s like a flickering flame surrounded by gauze.”
“Gauze?”
“Achy gauze.”
“A flickering flame surrounded by achy gauze. A big flame? Like the pasta burner on one of those expensive gas stoves?”
“More like a Bic lighter.”
“A half-teaspoon of bicarbonate—”
“Lower than that.”
“Here?”
“Lower.”
“Hmm. This will require a physical examination.”
“Okay.”
“Call my office and make an appointment.”
“I was hoping for something a little sooner.”
“If there’s a cancellation, I could squeeze—”
“Actually, this is feeling more urgent.”
“It’s not the sort of thing you want to go to the emergency room for. I could do a preliminary examination now. Remove your clothing.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“Here’s something right off the bat. Your breasts are really small.”
“I know.”
“At what age did you begin to develop?”
“Twelve.”
“And at what age did you reach full development?”
“Twelve.”
“Any sensitivity issues?”
“The right one is slightly more erotic.”
“May I?”
“Please.”
“I concur. The right nipple—”
“Perks right up.”
“Moving on, I’ll need you to lay back and spread your legs.”
“Okay.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm?”
“There’s another hole back there.”
“Back where?”
“You can’t see it. If this was a regular examination room, I’d have the equipment to show you.”
“Is it serious?”
“It’s going to require probing.”
“Will it hurt?”
“Not with the proper precautions.”
“First, do no harm.”
“What?”
“It’s the Hippocratic Oath.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“I’ll just take this glob of Vaseline—”
“No rubber glove?”
“Four years of college, four years of medical school, three years of residency and you’re giving me advice?”
“Sorry.”
“Here goes.”
“Ah.”
“Feels normal. Your left nipple perked up, by the way.”
“Will your examination include any other openings down there?”
“Yes. But I don’t want to remove this probe just yet.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“Hmm. Two sets of lips.”
“I had no idea.”
“Yes, many women are astonishingly ill-informed.”
“Everything look okay?”
“So far so good. You’re opening up quite nicely.”
“That flame’s getting bigger.”
“This may require direct stimulation.”
“I tried that already.”
“And?”
“Worked for a while, but it came back.”
“This may be more serious than I thought.”
“Is there any hope?”
“Possibly. But when you come in for your appointment I’ll need to probe some more with the appropriate equipment.”
“Is that a probe in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
“I could improvise.”
“I must warn you, doctor. I thrash around a lot.”
“Then you must be restrained. Sorry.”
“Drat.”
“Rope would be best. Is that a four-poster in the bedroom?”
“No, but we could pretend.”
“What fun would that be?”