"Hi. I'm here for a 5 pm with Doctor Ling," he said to the receptionist behind the counter.
"Certainly. Dean is it?" the boy who smiled back couldn't have been a day over 20 and wore a hint of makeup and eye shadow. His lips were slightly red from a thin layer of gloss.
Dean nodded.
"Great, she'll be with you shortly," he said.
He turned to the waiting room. A dozen chairs were spaced around the perimeter with a handful of patients keeping themselves occupied. The sensation of being watched came over him, and he looked to his right to see a middle-aged lady in a business suit quickly move her eyes back to the well-worn magazine that she was reading. The magazine was from the coffee table in the centre of the room, it was called 'Paradise Getaways' and had a photo of a white sandy beach with bright blue water. A well-tanned young man was invitingly reclined on a beach towel wearing nothing but a tiny black g-string pouch that was designed to show off his generous endowment. Her son sat next to her in his school uniform tapping away on his phone, oblivious to anything going on around him.
"Garnet Wisefemme?" a confident feminine voice called out from behind Dean, almost giving him a fright. The imperious German accent almost sounded threatening.
The mother put the magazine down and smiled up at the doctor.
"You must be his mother, Sally," said the doctor. Despite her softer tone, her voice still seemed cold somehow.
"Yes. Doctor Proudcoven?" the mother responded as she rose to her feet.
"That's me. Right this way," she stood to the side with a welcoming gesture.
The mother gestured urgently for her son to put his phone down and hurry up. After a moment, he caught up and the two of them walked past the doctor, following her cue.
"First door on the right," she said as the young man walked past her imposing presence.
Dean caught the doctor quickly scanning the school boy up and down as he walked by.
"You have a lovely son, there are some gorgeous pieces laid out to get him ready for graduation."
"Thank you doctor. He can't seem to pull his nose out of those fashion mags so I'm sure he'll-" the sound of the mother's response was dampened, but not completely cut off by the door closing behind them. Dean could still hear the murmurs of femme voices but couldn't make out the words from the waiting room.
"The walls must be unusually thin," he thought nervously.
He got up to get a cup of water from the cooler and smiled at an attractive lady in her 30s who was positioned next to it. She smiled back before nervously returning her eyes to her phone. He wasn't sure, but he could just about feel a couple of elderly ladies on the other side of the room staring at him when he wasn't looking. He wished that more young femme would show him the same level of attention.
A quick glance at the coffee table didn't reveal any magazines of interest so he sat down and browsed his phone. He opened the medical app to take another look at Dr Huan Ling's profile in the hope that keeping himself busy would fight off his nerves. The forty-something lady seemed professional yet friendly in her profile photo. She had just enough wrinkles to seem wise and trustworthy, and her bio made her stand out from the rest. It read:
I'm passionate about high quality healthcare for all my patients. As a firm believer in equal care for femme and men I will always listen and respect my patients. Gender equality in care is foundational to my approach to-
Dean's concentration was interrupted by a voice calling his name.
"Dean Johnson," called out Doctor Ling.
Her thick Chinese accent indicated that she hadn't been in the west very long. Between that and her profile, she seemed to be the most pro-male doctor he could find.
He felt a slight shake in his legs while getting up; this was going to be difficult.
As she led him down the hall, the voices coming from the room on the right came into focus, "-help him find a wealthy wife and maintain his integrity. It will be a big boost to his desirability. Isn't that right honey?"
There was a gap between the bottom of the door and the tile floor. It was big enough to fit his hand through, and was more than enough to enable the sound to carry.
The doctor led him down the white sterile hallway to the second consultation room on the left. He was grateful that this door appeared normal. Opening it for him, she offered a seat before closing it herself.
"Good to see you again Dean, I'll just bring up your file," she said as she sat down behind her fine wooden desk.
Dean frowned and his eyes darted around the immaculately tidy office.
"Um, I don't think I've seen you before doctor," he said.
"Really? Are you sure about that?," the doctor said as she began typing away at her computer.
There was a long awkward pause as she clicked a couple of buttons.
"Uh," was all that he could utter to express his bewilderment.
"Oh I see you are right! Silly me, It's been a long week. I've pulled your file up through the system anyway."
"That's so strange!" she said, "I could have sworn that I've seen you before! Hehe."
"I guess that I just have one of those faces," he said nervously.
"I guess so!" she added with a chuckle.
"So. What seems to be the problem Dean?"
Her chair made a squeak as she pointed it directly at him with a warm smile.
He had practiced what he was going to say but was now thrown completely off. Why did the doctor think she recognised him? A paralysing anxiety came over him as he wondered if even she had seen his porn films.
"Take your time," she said in a motherly tone.
He took a deep breath and began.
"I'm here because I need an operation," he paused when he saw a stunned look in her eyes.
She glanced back at her monitor.
"Well sort of. Not really. I just need something removed," he said.
"Really? There's no mention of growths or anything like that in your file," she said.
