It all happened so fast I didn't have a chance to stop it. Not that I would have. But, given the chance, with all of my wits about me, it might have turned out different. I'm glad it didn't. So glad.
He turned up at my door around Nine AM. Sunday morning. As I lay there in bed, listening to the racket of the bell chiming through my skull, time after time, I gritted my teeth and wished him away.
But he didn't give up. He kept ringing.
I kicked off the covers, slipped my dressing gown over my shoulders and, with a dull ache throbbing through my temples, and my mood growing evermore taut, I headed downstairs.
He smiled at me as I opened the door. I glared. He stood back a little, picking up on my body language, no doubt.
"Sorry if I woke you."
It's a bit late for that now. I glared all the more. Stepping from one cold foot to the other, as the winter air gushed through the open door and climbed up my limbs like icy vines.
"Can I come in a moment?" His smile faded, twitched, but he battled to keep it etched across his thick lips.
"Jamie isn't here," I said, my teeth a little too tight, causing the words to sound a lot more disdainful than I intended.
"I know." He lowered his gaze, shuffled his feet, and managed to meet my eyes again. "I wanted to talk to you about something." His line of sight dropped again.
I watched him for a few seconds, not sure what to make of it. Somewhere in my head I was still asleep. I sighed. "OK." I moved aside to let him in.
"I'm really sorry," he said, making his way into the living room.
I sensed something off in his tone. Worried? Afraid? I motioned for him to sit down, and plonked myself into the armchair, pulling my feet up under my legs, to try and get some warmth back into the blueing flesh.
As much as I hated him for getting me out of bed so early on a Sunday morning, I couldn't help but feel a little concern for him. I saw a bit of my own son in him. They were best friends, after all, and I'd known the boy for a good five or six years. Since he was about fourteen.
"What's up?" I shivered, and pinched my shoulders into my neck, half inclined to switch the heating on.
He fell silent. His years whittled down by the second, as he sat there, slumped, nervous, no longer the six-foot tall lad, with the raring cockiness of youth still on his side. I almost moved across to comfort him.
"You're a nurse, aren't you?"
"You know I am. What's up?" My mind started to fill in the blanks, each of my conclusions worse than the last. Bad news from the doctor? One of his parents ill? Dying? Dead?
"I found something this morning." His jaws tightened as he clamped his teeth shut.
"Found what?" A lump? I pulled myself to my feet and moved across to him. He didn't look up. I sat down beside him, slid one arm around his shoulder, and patted him on the back. "What is it?"
"A bump."
"OK. You know," I said, trying to think ahead and keep things positive. "It's perfectly normal for us to get little lumps and bumps. Yes, they can be a sign of something bad, but in most cases, they turn out to be completely benign." I told him the truth. And hoped it would be right in his case.
He lifted his head a little. "I can't go to the doctor."
"Why not?"
He sighed, and his cheeks flushed.
Oh boy. It clicked. I imagined my own son in the same situation. Boys will be boys. Afraid to go let someone take a look because it's in an embarrassing place. I smiled at him. Where is it?"
He remained silent.
"Is it on your genitals?" I surprised myself with my boldness. I guess somewhere deep down, I wanted to get the situation sorted, and if that meant me taking the steps he couldn't, then so be it. Just as if it were my own son.
He nodded. His eyes were almost burrowed into his crimson cheeks.
"Would you like me to have a look?" I regretted the words as soon as they left my lips. I didn't mind taking a look, or even having a feel, if needed, it's my job after all. But, the whole thing seemed a little rushed. I didn't want it to get out of hand.
"He turned to face me. His head nodded but his lips stayed closed.
"OK." I glanced around me for ideas of how to do this. I considered running upstairs for my bag, or at least a pair of gloves. But he seemed vulnerable enough, already. No need to make it more scary than needed.
"Lie down on the floor, David." I moved myself down along side him, on all fours. My own cheeks flushed a little. Too late to change your mind now. I lined myself up with his hip as he straightened out on his back.
He closed his eyes and filled his lungs with short, ragged breaths.
"Just relax," I said. I rubbed my hands together until the palms heated up against each other. That's when the moment turned very real indeed. I hesitated. I'm about to see my son's best friend's bits. My heart fluttered in my chest. He's the same bloody age as my own son. And I'm going to not only look at them, but touch them.
I winced and cringed.
He lay still and rigid.
"Can you-" My tongue tied itself in knots in my mouth. I coughed, sucked a deep breath, and tried again. "Can you just pull down your trousers?" The words stabbed at my sensibilities. Too informal? Inappropriate? I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it, but it didn't matter, either way. It was done.
His hands trembled as he dipped his thumbs into the waistband of his jogging pants. He held them there.
"Just roll them down to your thighs," I said, my eyes glancing back and forth between his movements and the carpet beneath us.
He lifted his bum off the floor and tugged at the material.