out down below. I don’t see any abnormalities. We still have to swab, like usual, but I think we will be fine. Unless you’ve been having unprotected sex? Bullseye, we’ve talked about that,” I sigh, pulling the test tube free, along with the needle.
“Can I get a cool band-aid? Like Star Wars or something? Just because I’m an adult doesn’t mean the kids should get all the cool shit.”
Who doesn’t like a cool band-aid? “You got it, Bullseye.” I open up the cabinet and take out a few for him to pick from, along with a sucker, because I don’t care how old you are, patients love suckers.
I won’t give it to him now since he’s naked. It’s weird to give a man a lollipop when his cock is out. It’s a line I won’t cross. “Are you going to talk to me, or what?” I place the band-aid on his arm, shove the lollipop in my pocket, and grab the swab for his cock. I don’t know how he stands getting this Q-tip up his dick so many times throughout the year, but when you’re as sexually active as Bullseye, I’m glad he cares enough to get the full workup.
“Can we talk after you stick that thing in my pee-hole?”
I fucking hate it when they call it that. “Sure, Bullseye. Stand up.”
He stands, and I do my business. He doesn’t even flinch. I place the swab in the plastic tube as he puts on his jeans.
I take off my gloves, toss them in the biohazard bin, and lean back. Now I hand him the sucker. A smile blooms across his face, and I chuckle watching him unwrap it like a kid at Christmas. “Okay, you’re worrying me. It isn’t like you not to share something that isn’t personal. You’re nervous, and I’m starting to wonder if I need to be concerned.”
“I … I…”
I lean my head forward, waiting to hear what he has to say.
“Fuck, Doc. I… I haven’t been able to get an erection in the last two weeks. I’ve been … dizzy and losing chunks of my hair.” He turns around and shows me a few patches by lifting up the longer parts of his brown hair. There are a few bald spots. “I’m freaking out. Don’t get me wrong, I have a healthy sex life. I’ve fucked enough to cover the rest of my life, but losing my hair? Doc, that scares the shit out of me. I haven’t told anyone because I think they’ll make fun of me and blame it on sex. My hair falls out in clumps when I shower. I’m going to have to buzz it soon. I’m fucking terrified, Doc.”
This isn’t what I was expecting. I figured it was something shallow and conceited because it’s Bullseye, but he has tears swimming in his eyes. He waited too long to talk to me because now he’s thought the worst and is freaking out over an assumption.
“Okay, hey…” I lay my hand on his shoulder and look him in the eye. “We’ll figure this out; don’t panic. I know it’s easier said than done because this is out of the ordinary. I need to take more blood, and I have a lot of questions to ask you. First, I need to know if anything in your routine has changed? Is there something in the garage that is different, products, tools, anything with a chemical compound? Tell me everything from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Don’t leave any detail out. I know I’m your friend, but I’m your doctor; even if you think it’s embarrassing, I need to know.”
“Yeah, yeah, anything. I’m an open book for you. You know that, Doc.”
He has no idea how much easier he makes my job by being like that. “Okay, I’m not worried. It can be something as simple as stress.” I’m a man of science, and until I see the problem, I won’t believe it.
“Thanks, Doc.”
The whites of his eyes are red as he leans back. Bullseye doesn’t scare easily. He deals with death all the time, but it’s different when the arrow is pointed at you. The value of life changes, and the want to live is increased by a million. You think about the things you haven’t done and want to do, need to do. Everything becomes urgent when you feel like a clock has been mounted on your timeline.