Cheeks of Rose

He hated doing it, he despised doing it, but he knew that, at least for the sake of his future children and future partners, he had to.

Eric opened the door to the clinic and breathed in the stale, medicinal air. As he sat on one of the old, decrepit waiting room chairs, he thought, for at least the thousandth time, of how much he hated this time of year. For the past five years, ever since he moved out of his parents' house, he had promised to visit the neighbourhood clinic for a yearly checkup. This included blood tests, blood pressure tests, weight and measurement tests, and of course, because he was a male, testicular exams.

Now, things would've been different maybe if it was a kind old lady doing the exams, perhaps someone who reminded him of his grandmother, who he'd always felt safe and comfortable around, or at least as safe and comfortable as one could be in this type of scenario. But no. It had to be a testosterone-packed, six-and-a-half-foot-tall giant who looked like he was about to rip off Eric's nether regions in order to inspect them. Eric felt his manhood take a nosedive every time he came to this place, and that was why he hated check-ups the most.

"Eric Morrison?" called the receptionist. She was the same one who'd been here for the last five years, perky and sweet with the bows in her hair to match. "Hey, sweetie. You're in exam room eight."

"Thanks," said Eric. He followed the narrow corridor leading to the room, as he'd done many times before. As always, there was a vinyl-bound examination table in the middle of the room, covered in wax paper for sanitary reasons. He sat on it, knowing that the doctor would want to get the testicular exam out of the way before doing anything else. Eric supposed it could be construed as a good thing that he had an intimidating male doctor – at least there wasn't even the remotest possibility for something uncomfortable to come out of it.

He waited impatiently, tapping his fingers on his knee, staring at the clock on the wall, wondering when the doctor was going to show up and when he would be able to leave.

Finally, mercifully, the door opened, but instead of Eric's usual, there stood a petite, gentle looking young woman who couldn't possibly be much older than him, at twenty-six.

"Hi," she said sweetly. "I'm Doctor Rose. I'll be subbing for your usual – Doctor Slade?"

"Yeah," said Eric, weakly. She was beautiful, her hair pulled back from her face and her eyes big and brown, and the realization that she would be doing his check-up today was causing some tension in his trousers.

"Well," grinned Doctor Rose, "might as well get started." She walked to the counter, depositing her clipboard and pen. "Would you mind taking off your pants?"

"Uh... sure." Eric slowly slid them off, hesitant about revealing what was going on down there. Dr. Rose lifted an eyebrow when she saw the boxer-briefs.

"I would think you're more of a boxers man," she said lightly. "But I guess you can't judge a book by its cover." She stood in front of him, her fingers sliding underneath the waistband of his underwear and tugging it down enough to reveal a good-sized member. If she was impressed or disappointed, she said nothing. Her expression betrayed no emotion, either.

He shifted uncomfortably when she took his pride and joy in her hands, the feeling of her gentle fingers too close to the way a lover would hold him. Eric's eyes squeezed shut. Right now, he'd take Doctor Slade over this madwoman, hands down. Being scared half to death by a manly man was much, much better than being felt up like this by a woman who obviously had no idea of what she was doing to him.

"Are you alright, Mr. Morrison?" she said softly. He opened his eyes. She was looking up at him with concern, and when he looked down at where her hands were, he flushed a red like no other.

He was aroused. And she didn't care!

"I – I –" he stuttered.

"Shh, relax," she whispered. "Just relax. I'm almost done. There's no need to be embarrassed, it's perfectly natural to get an erection –"

"I – I don't usually," he put in.

"That's because Doctor Slade is a big, scary man," she smiled. "He's not gentle at all, is he?"

Eric shook his head.

"That's probably why you have this," she gestured at his prominence. "I'm gentle."

Eric was pretty sure that her gentleness had almost nothing to do with the fact that he was debating whether or not to just leave right now. He'd known from the moment she walked into the room that she was going to cause trouble for him. He ultimately decided to endure for another two minutes, his face squishing up as he tried desperately not to think of anything sexual. Thoughts of dead kittens, moldy bathrooms, and bills filled his mind, but nothing was working.

All of a sudden, she let go. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and she looked up, laughing.

"I didn't think I was that bad," she teased. "But everything looks good to me. You're doing those monthly testicular exams, right?"

Eric didn't think he could speak without embarrassing himself, so he just nodded. She turned around to check the computer files when he pulled on his trousers. He winced when pressure hit the wrong body part, and hoped there was a bathroom around here somewhere, preferably without a lot of traffic.

"You're really embarrassed," she noted. "Your cheeks are redder than roses."

The observation only made him blush more. She grinned.

"It's cute," she grinned. "Actually, I think I have another patient in. Your dietician will be here in a second, so just sit tight, will you?"

"What about the blood test?" he blurted. She looked apologetic.

"It hasn't come in yet."

"Oh."

"I'll see you later, I suppose," said Doctor Rose. "Well, maybe not anytime soon. I'm just the substitute for today. I'm just out of med school, you see." She leaned against the counter hip-first. Eric nodded.

"Your cheeks aren't red anymore," she continued. "Oh, wait, never mind." There was a cheeky little grin playing about her mouth, as if she knew just why he was blushing so much. "Well, Mr. Morrison, I guess I've been your doctor for a grand total of ten minutes. See you." She waved and left before he could even say goodbye. It probably would've come out in a squeak, anyhow, so it was just as well.

Half an hour later, as Eric was leaving with his coat, he passed through the waiting room, and the receptionist called him back.

"Doctor Rose left this for you," she murmured, sliding a business card across the counter. He picked it up. Doctor Rose's information was on it, for some hospital in the next city. He flipped it over, curious, and found a phone number scrawled on the back in characteristic doctor handwriting – big, sprawling, and indistinguishable.

"Can you read what that says?" asked Eric, leaning over the counter to the receptionist. She grinned.

"It's the same number that's on the front of the card, sweetheart," she replied.

"Oh." Eric pulled back. "Is this legal?" he couldn't help asking.

"She's not your doctor, not anymore. And she's perfect – beautiful, intelligent, dedicated – you're a lucky man, Eric. Besides," she added, grinning, "the two of you would make an adorable couple. You and your blushing, her and her dimples."

Eric was blushing again.

A/N: Just a cute little one-shot. Don't ask me where I got the idea. These things pop into my head at the most inopportune times. =D Please review!

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