The ceiling swam as if he were awakening still drunk after a bout of heavy drinking. Eric slowly realized he was coming around after the operation. ‘Made it, then,’ he thought to himself groggily.

But he felt like he’d been hit by a car. His limbs all ached. His stomach felt…surprisingly ok, considering it had just been cut open and rearranged. Unblocked, in fact. The bowel obstruction had been massive, urgent and nearly fatal. He’d been rushed to hospital by Lily, with whom he had lost his virginity just a few hours earlier.

“Hey, you’re awake!” said his mum, looking up from her book in the corner. “The doctor said it went fine.”

“Good,” he whispered, although his mouth was parched and his throat sore.

“Can I drink…my throat hurts.”

“Sure. Just water, though, and not too much.”

“No whiskey, huh?”

As Eric sipped from the glass, a nurse bustled in. She was black, with a short afro, and she was perhaps twenty-two years old.  She was wearing blue slacks. Eric liked her on sight.

“How do you feel, Eric?” the nurse asked.

“Like I’ve been beaten up.”

“If you are in pain, press this red button, ok? It’s a morphine regulator. It will give a dose up to every four hours.”

“Thanks. Sorry, what’s your name?”

“Maria.”

“I always like to know my nurse’s names.”

His mum smiled knowingly.

“Can I sleep now?”

“That would be a very good idea. There is a bedpan beneath the bed, if you need it. There’s a girl been coming to sit with you, by the way.”

“Lily?”

“Yes,” said his mum, taking over, “She said she had to go but that she’ll be back. I have her number. I’ll text her to let her know you’re awake. She’s lovely, Eric…”

Eric took the point at once. His mother approved. But he was in no state to discuss his love life.

“How long until I can eat?”

“That’s down to the doctors, not…”

Maria’s words were lost on Eric as he drifted back into unconsciousness.

When he awoke, the room…the ward, in fact, was dark. There was a note from his mum by the bed.

“Gone home to sleep. I’ll be back in the morning. X”

His stomach hurt now, and he reached for the red button. He still felt rough, but his head was clearer.

He wanted to drink, and he reached across to the water pitcher, which was full…

His arm couldn’t hold it up, and it tipped onto the floor. Shit. Oh well, only water.

He pressed the ‘call nurse’ button. Maria soon came in.

“I’m sorry, I tried pouring…”

“You need to take it easy, Eric,” Maria gently scolded,

“The operation you’ve just had wasn’t an ingrown toenail. Cutting the abdomen is a serious, invasive procedure. It’s okay to need help for a while. Look, I’ll be back with a mop, hang on.”

“Maria? Could I get a gown, please? I’m kind of naked here!”

“Sure!” she said kindly and scuttled out.

She was soon back with the gown, and she airily threw back his sheet. In a flash, he was naked, completely exposed in front of her.

“Hey!” he protested, suddenly embarrassed. He reached down to cover his genitals with his hands.

“I’m a nurse, Eric, I see people naked every day,” Maria said, clearly trying to suppress a giggle.

“I guess…”

He had to surrender and hold up his arms so she could fit the gown over his shoulders. Just before it was covered, he wanted to see his stomach. He sat up a little, looking at his belly. It was covered with white gauze.

“What’s that for?”

“Protects the wound from infection. It’ll be taken off in a couple of days.”

Eric shook his head. He’d been told he’d be there for at least a week, but to be prepared for two.

When the water was mopped and the gown was on, Maria left him alone with the TV on. He watched a really bad Stephen King movie from the eighties then fell asleep.

And then he dreamed of Maria nursing him. In the dream, her scrubs were cut into a crop-top and he could see her tummy, and his eyes fell on her perfectly round, deep belly button. She peeled off the sheet and stared at his penis as if it were the first she had ever seen. He reached over and gently rubbed her bare abdomen, stroking her navel with a finger.

Maria took his cock in her hand, and it grew hard. She began to gently jerk him off.

“I’m sick,” he murmured, “I’m really sick.”

“So am I,” said Maria, stooping to slip his cock into her mouth.

His penis was soon being sucked hard. He closed his eyes in the dream. His dick was being tugged and jerked and it was so reassuring that his sex life had not been curtailed by the medical emergency. He thought of Maria, picturing her soft, dark belly, then he thought of Lily, naked and riding his cock, her pure white belly jerking back and forth towards his wide eyes…

Eric snapped back to his senses. He’d been jerking off in his sleep! His first post-op erection was definitely a good sign, but he was worried that Maria caught him wanking. Oh well. He was close now. He jerked hard and fast and then he came. Eric came all over the gauze that was supposed to protect his wound. He even felt drops of semen filter through the padding and onto his raw stomach.

Shit! He quickly reached for a tissue and dabbed it up. He’d have to hope that dried and no one noticed.

He looked at the clock. It was six am. His meds would be delivered at seven. The doctors did their rounds at nine. Lily was going to come and visit today. He’d ask if he could try walking soon…

His head still light from the orgasm, he drifted off to sleep again.

                                                                                          *

Three days passed. On the fourth morning, Maria brought unwelcome news.

“Eric, I’m afraid the doctor has asked us to do a colonoscopy to follow up. That’s where a camera is sent up your rectum and into your bowel. It’s to check that the obstruction is clear.”

“Wouldn’t an ultrasound do that?” he asked.

“No, the bowel is wrapped around and there are parts of it we can’t see. I’m sorry, but it has to be a camera. We’ll give you a strong sedative and it’ll be over as quickly as possible.”

Lily squeezed his hand.

“I’ll sit with you,” she promised, and he smiled affectionately at her.

Eric’s mum smiled, happy to see her son with a nice girl.

“When that’s done, if the doctor is satisfied, we’ll try some solid food. Get you up and walking again.”

“Oh, yes please!” Eric said delightedly. To his side, an IV bag filled with yellow liquid hung. It was feeding him intravenously. Being bedbound was what he was hating the most. The pain and discomfort, and the weird sensation in his empty stomach that was half hunger and half nausea, he could live with. But his helplessness and the humiliation of the bedpan burned inside him.

That night, in bed, he recalled the days when he had first experimented with sliding a finger into his rectum while jacking off. Although he had not been aware of the term ‘prostate massage’, he knew how good it felt to have his finger up there while he jerked off. He rolled onto his side and reached behind him. It would work better with lube, but obviously there was none to hand. He closed his eyes and thought of Lily. He thought of kissing her, as he had enjoyed doing for the first time since the emergency that day. Eric slipped his left middle finger up his bottom and caressed his cock, which soon grew hard. Ah, this was no kind of sex life, he thought grimly, nothing but masturbation. He was desperate to get back into bed with Lily.

His finger touched his prostate, and he felt a shiver in his peritoneum. Mmmm…this felt great. He drew a circle with his finger…shit, his stomach was starting to hurt lying on his side. He held the position as long as he could, but at last, had no choice but to pull his finger out.

He closed his eyes and pictured Maria riding his cock. She was naked below the waist and wearing blue scrubs on top. He pictured her brown thighs and her pussy split by his hard cock. How many had been there? he wondered, what sort of guy did she fuck when the scrubs came off? In his imagination, Maria reached down and pulled the scrubs over her head, revealing her hot belly and breasts. Oh, he could just eat off that tummy. In fact, that would be the perfect first meal. He pictured Maria lying on her back, naked above the waist. Her tummy was covered with soft red jelly.

“Are you going to clean me up then?” she said, “It seems only right, as I’ve cleaned you up!”

Eric knelt to Maria’s tummy and, pressing his lips to her bare flesh, sucked the jelly out of her navel. He was jerking hard now. The image was just luscious to him, even if he felt a bit guilty that it wasn’t Lily he was fantasizing about. He would definitely be asking her to recreate this scene…he came, and his orgasm fountained out over his fingers.

The next day, they wheeled him to a special room to do the colonoscopy. Lily came with him, which he really appreciated.

“This is above and beyond the call of duty, you know!” he said to her.

“Don’t be silly. I want to be here.”

“I’m going to take you on the biggest, most elaborate date in history after this.”

Lily smiled and they playfully shared ideas about what they could do.

“Paris by helicopter?”

“Maldives by speedboat?”

“London by private jet?”

“Seriously, thank you, Lily.”

They arrived at the room, and he was given a pill to take.

“That’ll make you very drowsy. It’s really important that you move as little as possible. The stiller you are, the quicker it’ll be over.”

He lay on his side and closed his eyes. He felt the touch of a rubber glove as lubricant was applied to his sphincter. Then, to his surprise, Lily leant over and started whispering in his ear,

“I’m going to talk to you to take your mind off it. First, imagine that it’s me playing with your bum. We’re experimenting with toys. I’m rubbing lube on your ass now. How does it feel?”

“Cold and wet.”

“Good. Now, I’m slipping a finger inside you. Do you like a finger in your ass when you jerk off?”

“I do.”

Eric wondered if the doctors could hear what she was saying. Her mouth was pressed so close to his ear that it wasn’t always easy for him to understand himself. Her breath was strong, warm and powerful. It was blowing right into his ear.

“Good, because my finger is going in there now. And I’m now looking at your cock. It’s swelling. A lot. You’ll be ready to fuck me soon, which is good because I’m so horny, Eric. I’m desperate for your cock. Every night, I lie in bed thinking about your big dick and how much I want it between my legs…”

Eric, listening to her talk, could hardly believe this was the same Lily that he’d sat in school with all those years. But it was working. He did feel the camera slowly making its way up inside him, but Lily’s dirty talk was taking his mind off of it. He closed his eyes and, to his amazement, felt himself getting an erection.

Lily reached for his penis, slowly, trying to be discreet. But when the doctor saw, he shook his head vigorously.

“Don’t even think about it, young lady. We’re all scrubbed in and sterilized.”

She said nothing but went back to whispering in his ear.

“I imagine that feels bigger than a finger?”

“Yes!”

“Well, imagine it’s my dildo. I’ve slipped it into your ass to reach your prostate, Eric. Does it feel good?”

“Yes! Weird, but good.”

“Reaching the small bowel area now. Obstruction site in ten seconds. Keep your eyes open, everyone,” one of the doctors said.

“My dildo is really far up now, sweetheart. In fact, we’re role-playing. You’re an ancient Greek on the couch, and I’m your naughty slave. Imagine you are on the couch, reclining. I’ll feed you a grape and then your slave can fuck you from behind. It’s a guy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t feel good.”

“Yes, it does feel good!” Eric murmured, feeling the tube slip deeper inside him, stretching his sphincter and brushing his prostate. 

“Obstruction site is clear. No sign of internal bleeding or residual blockage. Good work, everyone!”

The tube withdrew slowly, and Lily whispered, “I’ve come now. I’ve come inside you and I’m going to pull out. Then it’s your turn to fuck, ok? Just hold still and it’ll be over soon…”

When the tube was out, they cleaned him up. Between the sedative and the exhausting experience of the procedure, Eric slept the whole way back to the ward.

“I think you deserve a treat,” said Lily, pulling his gown up, “I’ve asked Maria to leave us alone for fifteen minutes.”

She’d brought lubricant and Eric felt her gently fondle his dick, bringing it slowly to life.

“Can I touch you, Lily?” Eric asked as she rubbed more lube onto the tip of his erect penis.

“Sure, just put your hand up my top!”

He did so and he fondled her breasts in turn under her bra. They were soft and squishy, and squeezing Lily’s breasts made his cock harden even more.

“No problem getting hard, I see!” said Lily playfully, then she knelt and put his cock into her mouth.

“Mmm…I should have massive abdominal surgery more often!” Eric murmured as she eased his dick slowly deeper into her mouth. She closed her lips around his shaft and flicked her tongue playfully around his cock. Then, she gave a soft, gentle suck. Then another. Eric’s cock was tingling, trembling, as hard as it could get.

“You’d better get your strength back soon, Eric. I want you to take me again,” Lily said, pausing from the blowjob for air.

“I want that too.”

“Tell me how you want it. Slow? Fast?”

“Little bit faster, please.”

The sight of Lily pouncing back onto his cock with such energy and enthusiasm brought Eric a good sixty seconds closer to orgasm. He’d never imagined a woman would suck a penis so willingly. It felt so, so fucking good. He took a clump of her hair gently in his hands and ran it through his fingers, closing his eyes. He was feeling every slurp, every brush of the tongue, every pull and tug on his penis and he knew he could not hold off much longer.

“Lily, I’m going to…can I…?”

“Can you what, young man?”

“Come? In your mouth?”

“Well, you’ve been taking lots of shots of medicine lately. Only seems right I should…”

Her joke was interrupted by a burst of warm, slimy cum and a muffled cry from Eric.

First, he was given soup. He kept it down. That evening, he was given dry rice crackers. Fine.

A piece of dry toast for breakfast the next day was next, then, a simple ham sandwich with the crusts off.

 Day after day, snack by snack, Eric built his strength back up. Two days after he started eating again, with the aid of a crutch to lean on, he made it to the bathroom by himself again. After ten days, he was able to walk unaided up to the hospital radio station, give an interview and make a request.

“I’d like to play ‘By Your Side’ by Sade. It’s for Lily, who has been with me every single day in the hospital. And today, we agreed to be officially boyfriend and girlfriend!”

Lily wasn’t entirely happy to have her private life broadcast around the hospital, but she let him off.

On the fourteenth day Eric, flanked by his mother and his girlfriend, walked out of the hospital. He felt like a phoenix that had emerged from the flames and he vowed never to take his health for granted again.

But his medical emergency had changed him in other ways too, as he was soon to find out.