Dr. Marcus
Cassandra had hardly slept the night before her surgery. Her mind was whirring and clicking like an old-time pocket watch, and she was unable to fall asleep for longer than a few hours at a time. While she was very excited for her metamorphosis and the body she would soon inhabit, it was the getting from here to there that had her especially nervous.
A nurse had prepped her and she was sitting on the examining table when a man in a white coat walked in.
"Good morning," He said. "I'm Dr. Marcus, your anesthesiologist."
Dr. Marcus was not tall, but not short. He had sandy colored hair and deep blue eyes. She felt immediately at ease in his presence. He asked her a few questions about her allergies and her prior reactions to anesthesia.
"What procedure are you having done today?" he asked.
"A breast lift and some lipo," she answered, looking down.
"Ahhh, I see." he said. "Well, I hope you are not offended by me saying this, but you are beautiful, I usually see women in here for those procedures you really need it. But not you."
Cassandra lifted her head up and smiled. "Thank you."
"Do you have any questions?"
"Well, it sounds silly, but I am very nervous about being put under."
"It is not silly at all," Dr. Marcus answered. "A lot of people are very nervous about it."
"I just don't want to feel anything," she said.
"Don't worry. I will use a cocktail of several medications and you won't feel a thing."
"My friends tell me I'm crazy for thinking about this, but what are the chances that I'll be awake through it all, and feel everything?"
Dr. Marcus gave a slight chuckle. "Very slim. You won't be awake at all. We will be monitoring you and we will know by your heart rate if you feel any pain."
"Can I ask you, at what point would a person die from the pain?"
Dr. Marcus' eyes got softer and he could tell that she was, indeed, very nervous.
"Ms. Waters," he said. "Believe me. A human can withstand a lot of pain. But you don't need to worry about that. The chances that you will feel anything are very, very slim."
"That's what everyone says, I'm just very nervous."
"I can tell. I can maybe do something that will ease your nerves just a bit. Take the edge off?" he said.
Cassandra let out a sigh of relief. "That would be great."
"I've been told that I give a good backrub. Let me rub your shoulders a bit."
He walked over to the head of her bed and put his hands gently on her shoulders. He circled his hands around her neck and rubbed her shoulders very gently, yet with firm pressure. He pushed his thumbs close to where her neck and shoulders met, his long fingers resting on the front of her chest. Cassandra closed her eyes and rested her head back.
"How does that feel," he asked?
"Oooh, very good," Cassandra said. She couldn't remember the last time that she had felt such an electric touch. Her husband had not touched her in a very long time. And it certainly hadn't felt so good when he did.
Cassandra hadn't noticed it immediately, but it felt like Dr. Marcus was moving his fingers down her chest. He was. His thumbs were no longer on her neck. His long fingers were kneading the flesh at the tops of her breasts. It felt very good.