We heard footsteps in the corridor, and I hastily got back into my seat, Beth tugging her uniform straight. "Everything OK in here?" we heard a voice, and a security guard came round the corner, torch in hand.
"We're fine," Beth smiled. "Not seen you up here before?"
"It's a big place," he shrugged. "But we try and get around as much as we can."
He looked at our uniforms. "You're students, right?"
"Mmhm."
"You managing OK on your own, all night?"
I nodded. "The patients are all asleep, and we can get the on-call doctor if we're worried about anything."
"Good stuff. Well, I'll be on my way, then."
"Night."
When he'd gone, Beth grinned at me, her eyes dancing. "If he'd been a minute earlier, that'd have been a very different conversation."
"True," I laughed. "Now, we were going to look for stuff for my trousseau?"
"Only if they've got it in both our sizes," teased Beth...
***
When we got home the next morning, Tim blinked at the enthusiasm with which we almost-dragged him into the bedroom. "Did you two have an imaginative night, then?" he teased.
"Oh, you have no idea," I breathed. "But if half of what we thought up comes true, you are going to be a very happy man."
"Can't wait," he grinned. "Give me a clue?"
I threw Beth an amused glance. "It's a maths problem - if two nurses is fun-squared, what are four of them?"
Tim's eyes widened. "I'd say, more than I can handle."
"Don't worry," chuckled Beth. "As long as you remember to put the plus signs in the right places, it all works out nicely."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tim shook his head, smiling. "But I'll join in the equation if you want."
"Oh, we definitely do," I nodded. "Next week, right, Beth?"
"Mmhm..."
***
When Saturday came, Beth and I napped for the morning, then showered and dressed. "Off somewhere?" queried Tim.
"It's a surprise," I grinned, raising my eyebrows.
"OK," Tim held his hands up. "I'm sure I'll like it, whatever it is."
"Oh, bound to," I teased. "Come on, Beth."
We walked into town, and Beth looked at the screen of her phone. "Down here, it says."
She stopped at the door of the shop. "Are you sure about this, Alice? I'm afraid of it hurting."
I touched her hand reassuringly. "I'll go first - if you really can't, just say."
We went inside, and the girl behind the counter looked up. "Is it Alice and Beth?"
"That's us," Beth ventured, sounding braver than she obviously felt. "You're Amy?"
A nod, then "OK - well, if whoever's first can sit down here, lift up your top."
I sat in the chair, tugging my t-shirt out of my jeans, while Beth looked on anxiously.
Amy pulled on disposable gloves, then poured clear liquid from a bottle onto a cotton pad from a sterile packet. "This'll feel cold," she warned, then carefully wiped the skin around my belly button with the pad. "Brr," I nodded.
She reached for the needle, and I saw Beth's eyes widen. "You can sit down too if you like," Amy invited.
Beth took the chair next to me, unable to take her eyes off the needle as Amy pressed it against my skin, then through. I managed not to make a sound - if I'd let Beth guess how much it stung, I was sure she'd not go through with it herself - and caught my lip between my teeth as the tip of the needle reappeared. "Wow."
"That's the hard part," Amy nodded. She reached into the steel tray beside her. "You wanted this one, didn't you?"
"Mmhm."
The bar slid easily through the new opening in my skin, and Amy removed her fingers. "There."
Beth leaned closer. "Wow, Alice, that's so pretty."
She took a deep breath. "OK, I'm convinced. After all, we don't want Tim to know the difference when he -"
She halted, her face warming, but Amy just smiled. "None of my business what you two do with your ornaments," she chuckled. "OK, Alice, that's you done - you remember what the website says, right? Don't fiddle with it, use salt water if it does get a bit inflamed, and it should be fine in a week or so."
Amy stripped off her gloves, putting everything she'd used aside and getting fresh gloves, another tray. "Beth?"
Beth took my place, and Amy went through the same process again. Beth gave a quiet whimper as the needle pierced her, and I squeezed her fingers. "It's OK," she breathed. Amy slipped in her bar - Beth had chosen clear crystal to my dark red - and we were done.
We thanked Amy, paid, and I let my t-shirt fall back into place. "Now we just have to let him discover our little secrets."
"I wouldn't mind some lunch before we go back," Beth suggested.
We went to the burger place - "Mm, I can't resist the one with bacon in," enthused Beth - and shortly we were sitting at a table near the window, Beth teasing me by stealing one of my French fries when I wasn't looking. "I'll get you back," I promised.
When we got home, Tim was just finishing the washing - "Your uniforms are nice and spiffy again," he grinned. "Am I allowed to know where you went yet?"
Beth shook her head. "But you'll be able to guess later."
"If I don't die of curiosity first," Tim chuckled.
"We'll give you a clue," I said. "The sooner we get to bed, the sooner you'll know."
Tim pretended to look worried. "Another toy?"
"Hmm," said Beth, "there were a couple of things in that box we've not tried yet. But no, not that."
"You'll just have to wait," I wagged my finger at him. "Now, we treated ourselves to lunch out, so we'll treat you - what would you like us to make for dinner later?"
Tim's choice was Beth's lasagna, and we pottered around the kitchen finding ingredients, pulling down pans, then chopping, peeling, stirring a sizzling pan. Finally the pasta was layered with meat sauce, cheese, sliced boiled eggs - "That was Grandma's special ingredient," grinned Beth - and we slid the pan into the oven. "Right, what can we do for an hour or so?" I wondered.
Beth smiled suggestively. "While we're spoiling Tim for the day, there's a treat which somehow we've never got round to giving him."
I pretended to scratch my head. "I thought we'd done most things that two girls can do with a man?"
Beth grinned. "Are you kidding? I suppose that wasn't in the book we bought, was it, but there are quite a few more things we've not tried yet."
"Mm." I felt a thrill run through me. "We're on days this week, aren't we - that means we have our evenings before bed. Want to see what we can tease Tim into doing with us?"