My name is Brad and I think I may be the luckiest man in the world. That may sound like clichΓ© or hyperbole, but I honestly think it is true. I'm not rich by any means and I don't have the biggest house in the neighborhood, but I have something far more valuable than any earthly possession. I am married to a woman who is intelligent, witty, and unbelievably beautiful in my eyes. I met Valerie when we were in college and married her a few months after graduation. Now five years later, we are settling into our careers with many plans for travel and eventually a family of our own.
Valerie has been the love of my life from the moment I met her. She is absolutely the epitome of the 'girl next door'. She is gorgeous in a completely natural way but hopelessly modest. We dated for many months before she found the courage to let me see her naked, but when she did finally overcome her modesty, I gazed at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Valerie is a natural beauty, by no means someone who dresses or acts provocatively to get attention or approval. She has a beautiful figure with curves in all the right places, and she moves with a quiet grace that only serves to add to her allurement. Her amazing breasts are soft but firm, and her shapely derriere makes her irresistible to ignore. In true traditional fashion, she resists shaving her pubic area. She maintains a neatly trimmed bush that makes her look like one of those idealized women in the nudist magazines from previous generations.
Yet despite her gorgeous feminine charms, Valerie often tells me that she does not like being naked or looking at her naked form in the mirror. She once confessed to me that I am the only boy to see her without clothes. She dresses conservatively when she is out in public, and I don't think she realizes how sexy she looks, even in the most casual outfits. Whether it is a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top in the summer of a pair of Levis and a sweater in cooler weather, she turns eyes wherever she goes. Like the lyrics of the classic song from the 60's, she is my 'Venus in blue jeans, Mona Lisa with a ponytail'. I have to pinch myself every day to be sure that she is real and not just a dream. She is my gift from Heaven.
I offer all of this as prologue for an event that happened to us a few weeks ago. It was an experience that neither of us anticipated, but certainly one that we will ever forget. We were in the final stages of preparing for a trip to some exotic places in Central America, and all that remained was the requirement for physical exams and vaccinations. Due to Valerie's modesty, she had settled on a female doctor after we got married and, while it would not have been my first choice, I had agreed to see the same doctor to simplify our medical care decisions. On the day of our scheduled exams, we sat quietly in the doctor's waiting room awaiting our appointments.
"I hope this doesn't take long," Valerie whispered to me. "Dr. Martin is not too intimidating, but I am still nervous when I am in her office."
"Relax," I replied. "I am sure this will be a routine exam just like all of the others you have been through."
"But you know me," she continued. "Even getting undressed for a female doctor is difficult for me. Maybe I won't have to do that for this exam."
I continued to reassure Valerie for the next few minutes when we saw a nurse walking toward us. She had come over to tell us that all of our paperwork was in order, but then she shared some news that immediately got Valerie's attention.
"Dr. Martin will see you both in a few minutes," she said, "but she wanted me to inform you of something first."
"Is something wrong?" Valerie asked.
"Not at all," the nurse answered. "The doctor wants you to be aware of the fact that some medical students are working with her today and will be assisting with your exams. She needs to know if you are okay with this or if you wish to reschedule for another day."
"I don't think that rescheduling is an option," I replied. "Our trip begins the day after tomorrow, and I don't think we will be able to make different arrangements on such short notice."
"We could do it tomorrow," Valerie offered. "Will these medical students be with her then?"
"No, but Dr. Martin has a full schedule at the hospital tomorrow. She will not be in the office."
"Who are these medical students?" Valerie asked nervously. "Are they female students?"
"All four are in the clinical phase of their medical school program and are working to meet the requirements for hours in hospital or medical office settings. There are two female and two male students working with Dr. Martin today. I can assure you that they are all very qualified."
I could tell that Valerie was starting to freak out by this news, so I asked the nurse to give us a few minutes to talk it over.
"Look," I said, "if this is too frightening for you, we can walk out right now. We can take our chances at getting appointments somewhere else. If not, we may have to cancel our travel arrangements."
"But we have deposits that are not refundable."
"I know," I replied in a reassuring voice, "but it's not the end of the world. We do share some of the blame since we procrastinated so long to get the medical exams done."
"I'm so torn," Valerie said in a shaky voice.
I had been frantically wracking my brain for a solution, but I knew that the only thing I could come up with might not fly with Valerie. "How about this. We go into the examination room together and I volunteer to be first. That way, you can observe every step of the exam process to see if you think you can go on."
"And what if I can't muster the courage?" Valerie asked.
"Then we finish up with my paperwork and excuse ourselves. I have been looking forward to the vacation that we have been planning, but nothing is more important to me than you. Are you willing to try that?"
We didn't have much more time to discuss the matter since the receptionist was heading our way. I took Valerie's hand, and I could tell that she was very nervous. Finally, she nodded her head and told me that she was willing to try the plan that I had laid out. When the receptionist informed us that the doctors were ready, I told her that we were going to go in together. She said that was fine and motioned us to the door of the examination room. When we stepped inside, I noticed that this was a larger room than we had seen in past visits. Doctor Martin and the four students were standing along one wall.
"Good afternoon Brad and Valerie. The nurse has told me that she explained to you that I will be assisted today by four medical school students who are in the clinical portion of the training. I need to ask you if you are agreeable to this arrangement."
"Yes, we have been informed of the situation," I replied. "As you can probably see, Valerie is very nervous about the whole thing, so I assured her that I will go first."
"That's very understandable," Dr. Martin said in a calm voice. "I can assure you that these four medical professionals are outstanding and that they will treat you in a professional and sensitive manner. You already know me, but I would like each of them to introduce themselves to you."
"My name is Laura," the first one offered as she stepped over to shake our hands. My specialty will be OB-GYN after I finish my residency."
"I'm Mark," said the tall male student as he shook our hands. "I will be focusing on Internal Medicine."
"I'm Chuck," the other male student said. "My plans are to specialize in Family Practice."
"And I'm Liz," the other female student offered. "I also plan to specialize in Family Practice."
"Thank you all," said Dr. Martin. "Let me lay out the details of the exam. Many of the things we will do will be familiar to you from previous physicals, but there are a couple of things that are specified for foreign travel."
"Such as...?" I asked.