Catherine's morning took an interesting turn when she checked her phone during her coffee break between patients. As usual, Ryan only texted her whenever he needed a favor.
Mom! Need help. Can I swing by the clinic? Swim team starts tomorrow. I want to join now. Coach said ok, but need medical form completed. Thx!!!
Reading the text immediately made Catherine cringe. Did Ryan expect her to rubber-stamp his form? Ethics are vitally important in the medical profession and over the course of her career as a physician, she had never bent rules.
And what was his deal wanting to join the swim team at the last minute? He was attending a religious university, following their Irish roots, and academics was supposed to be his top priority.
Sipping her coffee, Catherine texted a reply to her son.
I'll squeeze you in at 11:45. We can have lunch after. Fair warning, you're getting a FULL EXAM just like any other patient. x love, mom : )
Catherine giggled. If only she could have seen the look on her son's face, knowing he'd be treated like everyone else. Frankly, she wouldn't have been surprised if he canceled.
After all, what kind of son would want a physical examination from his own mother? She thought to herself, amused.
***
It was approximately 11:39 and Catherine finished seeing her last morning patient. Sure enough, when she went to the waiting room, still wearing her white coat, there he sat, like a perfect angel. In his hands were a packet of forms.
"You're actually here," she said, holding open the door to the clinical area. "I'm kind of impressed."
"Of course I'm here," he replied, confused by the assertion. "I need these forms filled out."
"Then right this way, Mr. McMilton."
Into the maze of hallways they went, towards Catherine's exam room. She noticed that her son looked way too relaxed for something like this. Ryan hated doctor appointments. Obviously, he expected to get his medical forms signed without a thorough exam.
Sure enough, Ryan reached into his folder and produced a stack of papers held together with a metal clip.
"You'll need to check the boxes, fill in some notes, then sign it."
Catherine took the stack of medical forms and inspected them. "Why the sudden change of heart? I thought you decided not to join the team."
"It's a long story."
"Well, we're alone here," she said, her eyes still scanning the pages.
"Okay, here it goes. Mom, I'm in love."
Her eyes darted upward in surprise. "You're what?"
"I'm in love with a girl from campus."
"Wait, I didn't know you were dating someone."
"Well, we're not officially dating yet, but we have a 'thing' going on," he replied.
"A thing? What does that mean? Does she know you're in love with her? Does she love you back?"
"It's a long story," he tried to explain. "She majors in sports science and is super busy. She works a lot with the sports teams."
"And this is your way of spending more time with her?"
"When you say it like that, it sounds bad. But yeah, we'll have more time together."
Catherine sighed. "Ryan, the swim team is a huge commitment. What about your school work?"
"Don't worry, mom. My grades are great and I love swimming. I workout all the time anyway, so I might as well do something that will look good on my grad school applications."
"But still, joining for a woman you barely know? Are you turning into a stalker or something?"
"We know each other... um... really well..." he tried to explain delicately, while squinting and nodding his head. "This whole thing isn't as crazy as it sounds. She wants to spend more time with me, too. We agreed that if I join the swim team, we'll see each other more often."
"This seems crazy. Your campus is filled with hotties. What's so special about her?"
"She's smart and beautiful, like you, mom," Ryan said, playing to Catherine's love of flattery. "And we have a real connection."
The tone in Ryan's voice was completely sincere, and Catherine could definitely relate. As a proud Irish family, they had big hearts that were filled with love. Maybe this was the real deal. Catherine certainly knew the feeling, since she met her husband in a religious college, too.
Why deny her son the same chance at love?
"Are you positive about this girl?" she asked.
"Yes, it's an intense connection."
She nodded in acceptance. "The swim team is pretty intense, too. It will require a great deal of dedication."
"I know that. You watched me compete on the high school swim team. I was one of the strongest members. Don't worry, I won't let you and dad down."
"Fine, I'll sign the note" she sighed. "But first, strip down to your underwear and hop on the exam table."
"Huh!?!"
As expected, Ryan was utterly shocked. But Catherine had switched from a concerned mom to professional medical practitioner in the blink of an eye. She put the forms down and prepared to work.
"Is there a problem?"
"All I need is the note," he reminded.
"Yes. And?"
"Why do I have to strip?"
Catherine rubbed foam sanitizer into her hands. "Why do you think? Do you want me to do these forms, or not?"
"Are you serious?"
Her patience was running thin. She raised an eyebrow, making clear her expectation.
"Do you want the note signed, or not?" she asked yet again.
"Yeah, that's why I'm here, but..."
"If I do these forms, you need a full exam. Period. It would be negligent of me to sign them without checking you over."
"Okay, this is going to be awkward," he muttered.
"It'll be even more awkward if you can't join the swim team because you don't have a doctor's note. Now strip."
Catherine started to fill in her son's past medical history on the forms, while listening to him undress. Ryan had been a swimmer for years, so seeing him nearly nude was nothing unusual.
When she heard him settle on the paper covered exam table, Catherine turned. The scowl on Ryan's face made it clear that he was miffed.
"Don't be such a grouch," she said, walking over to the table. "It'll be over soon, then I'll buy you a burger. You look like you could use one."
She playfully tickled her son's abdominal muscles, which were incredibly toned from exercise.
"I'm on a strict diet," he said, stifling his laughter.
The tickling and promise of food seemed to have turned Ryan's mood around and he appeared more relaxed. Sure, she had given her son plenty of health checks at home over the years, but this was the first complete physical she had ever performed on him in an exam room.
Catherine treated him like a normal patient and started at the top. She checked his ears, eyes and mouth with the wall mounted otoscope/ophthalmoscope unit. Then she moved down and felt for enlarged lymph nodes below his chin and under his arms.
After putting on her stethoscope, she listened to his lungs and heart; there was nothing abnormal. Then she pulled out the table extension.
"Go ahead and lay back," she instructed.
Hesitating for a moment, her son shrugged and laid down, with his hands resting peacefully over his abdomen. He seemed unusually quiet and uncomfortable while lying flat on the table. At home, her son had no issue walking around in a speedo after swimming in their backyard pool. Maybe he was squeamish now about being touched by his mother.
"Almost done, okay?" she said, rubbing her son's skin. "Put your hands down so I can check your liver and spleen."
Her son complied and she pressed into his abdomen. She was satisfied with everything so far as her fingers dug into his flesh. Before moving on, she noticed a growing bulge in his underwear. Surely he wasn't getting aroused during a medical exam from his own mother!
It was normal for men to get erections while being examined; as an attractive woman, Catherine was used to accidentally making men hard (and she was convinced many men did that on purpose). She was just surprised about getting this reaction from her son.
"Is that for your girlfriend?" Catherine teased.
Ryan's body tensed. "Very funny."
He crossed his legs in a failed attempt to hide the evidence. Coincidentally, only one organ remained unchecked and she knew it would make her son even more embarrassed. She had no problem discussing sexual topics with patients and did so every day. But this was her son, so she braced herself.
"Are you sexually active?" she finally asked, conforming to protocol.
"Is this necessary for a sports physical?"
"Yes. I need to know that you're disease free, since you'll be sharing facilities with other athletes."
He sucked in a breath. "Kind of."
"I'm assuming that means oral-only."
He blushed and nodded. "Yes."
"Do you use protection?"
"No, but she's clean."
"I'm assuming it's only with this girl that you really like," she immediately inquired.
Catherine mentally chided herself for asking such an unnecessary question. Obviously, she was abusing her professional status to find out about her son's personal life.
"Kind of, basically, yes," he said shyly.
Once again, Catherine regretted asking the question, because she immediately pictured a sweet young college student sucking her son's dick. Feeling disgusted, she rallied to finish the exam. Yes, she was his mother, but they both needed to shake off the unusual circumstance and forge ahead.
She patted his chest lightly. "We're almost done. Now stand up and pull down your underwear. It'll be over before you know it."
"Are you serious?" he asked, wide-eyed. "You're really doing....
that
?"
