Nick was very quiet on the ride to the doctor’s office and I wasn’t sure why. Was he pouting about having to go? Was he worried about having contracted something? Or was there something else I was unaware of? I wasn’t sure, so I merely drove on, but he was still silent as we walked in and announced our arrival. We took our seats and waited to be called. As we sat in the reception area, Nick finally spoke to me.
“You’re coming in with me, aren’t you, Pop?” I looked at him kind of surprised.
“I wasn’t sure you’d want me to,” I told him honestly, but saw his mildly shocked expression of surprise.
“Why? You’ve seen me naked plenty of times and I want you to see and hear what the doctor has to say. I want to prove to you this wasn’t necessary.” He had a very determined look on his face and I knew I wasn’t going to get away with saying ‘no’ to him.
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll go in with you,” I advised him. He grinned and nodded in response, so we waited to be called.
It wasn’t long before a nurse showed up and called us back to an examining room, where she weighed and measured Nick before the doctor arrived. Once she left the room, Nick sat on the examination table, while I sat in the chair, and we waited for the doctor to show up. When the door opened and the doctor walked in, he made the usual small talk before asking Nick why he was there.
“Pop wants me to get checked out, to see if I picked up any diseases in Brazil,” he told the doctor, who immediately looked over at me.
“Anything in particular you were concerned about?” he asked, studying me for my response.
“Yes, there is,” I told him. “Nick is a sexually active young man and I want to make sure he didn’t pick up any sexually transmitted diseases while he was an exchange student.”
“A very wise precaution,” the doctor confirmed, before turning back toward Nick. “Don’t you practice safe sex, young man?”
“I usually do, but there were a couple of times when I didn’t have anything to use, and I guess rubbers don’t always work anyway.”
“That’s true,” the doctor admitted, “so, let’s check you out. Why don’t you get undressed, so I can examine you? Do you want your father to wait in the reception area?”
“Heck, no,” Nick responded. “He’s seen me naked before and besides, I want to prove to him I’m okay.” The doctor nodded his understanding.
Nick immediately took off all of his clothes and stood naked in front of us. The doctor had already advised me he thought it best to give Nick a complete physical, and not merely check for diseases, just to be safe. I concurred, so he began by doing the usual things, like checking his eyes, ears and throat, before listening to his heart and lungs, and then he moved down to the genital area.
The doctor had Nick lie on the examination table and then he slipped on a pair of latex gloves, before he handled Nick’s penis. The doctor lifted his manhood, twisted it around and checked it over completely. He used a magnifying glass to examine the area and then walked over to a cabinet, where he pulled out a battle of liquid and some large cotton swabs. Delicately, he coated Nick’s penis with the liquid, and before long a few small white patches began to appear. The doctor looked up and spoke.
“Well, it seems you have picked up some genital warts during your travels,” he advised Nick.
“How could I?” Nick countered. “I was really careful and the only time I didn’t have protection was a week or so before Christmas and a couple of times during Carnival.” He announced this as if it would clarify everything and prove the doctor’s observations were incorrect.
“Well, genital warts can take weeks or even months before they begin to appear,” the doctor told him. “They are caused by human papilloma virus, or HPV, and genital warts are probably the most common STD in the world.”
“What was that liquid for?” Nick wanted to know.
“Sometimes genital warts can’t be detected using the naked eye and I wasn’t sure if that’s what you had. In some cases, the warts only become visible after they have been coated with a thin layer acetic acid, like I used on you.”
“You put acid on my dick?” Nick asked, alarmed. His voice was a little louder than normal and even a little shaky.
“It’s not the type of acid or in a quantity that would harm you,” the doctor assured him, “so calm down. It only helps to show us where the warts are.”
“What do we do next, doctor?” I asked the physician.
“Well, let me check him out completely, to see if he might have contracted anything else. Once we’ve determined the extent of the infection, I’ll have a better idea about how I want to treat it.”
He now swabbed Nick’s scrotum in the same liquid, with only one small white patch appearing, and then he had Nick roll over on his stomach. With Nick in that position, the doctor pulled Nick’s butt cheeks apart and swabbed the area around and inside his rectum, as he looked for more warts. Eventually, the doctor made his announcement.
“Although he does have genital warts, the spread is limited. I think it’s best to treat them with podophyllum, which we would swab onto each infected area. It’s a cell poison that will start to kill the warts on contact. It will take several treatments in all, but it is usually quite effective, with such limited cases.”
“First you put acid on my dick and now you’re going to rub poison on me? This doesn’t sound good.” Nick looked incredulous.
“Well, young man, you might have been wise to keep it in your pants in the first place then,” the doctor countered, which caused Nick to quickly give up his protest.
“Will that take care of the problem then?” I asked the doctor.
“For the time being,” be told me. “Once someone is infected with the virus, you can never really get it out of the body. Even though we can get rid of the warts, there is always the possibility they could return at any time, throughout the rest of his life. It may not happen, but it is a very real possibility. Therefore, it is imperative that he never engage in unprotected sexual activity again, to avoid the risk of infecting any of his partners.”
Nick and I both looked at each other and then he nodded that he would comply with those instructions. I think he’s learned a valuable lesson, but I just hoped it isn’t too little, too late.
“Isn’t there a drug you can prescribe, to keep others from contracting the warts,” I asked the doctor, as I thought about the other boys.
“No, I’m afraid not,” he conceded. “The only way to prevent the spread of HPV is to avoid having contact with an infected person.”
That wasn’t terrible news, but I hoped there might be something we could give everyone else, to keep them from getting the warts too. Knowing Nick, this wasn’t going to stop him from being tempted to mess around with others in the house.
“What’s next, doctor?” I asked, to learn what else we should do.
“Well, I’ll swab those areas down with the podophyllum and then we’ll do a blood workup on him, to check for other possible infections, including HIV,” he announced.
This news seemed to strike Nick hard, almost as if he’d been punched squarely between the eyes. I was sure Nick would relate all of this information to the rest of the boys, so they might benefit from this more than he would. I just prayed the doctor wouldn’t discover anything more serious.
After treating the visible genital warts, the doctor gave us some more information.
“We’ll have to repeat this procedure several times, to make sure we’ve gotten rid of all of them and more haven’t appeared. I’ll have the receptionist set you up with another appointment before you leave.”
Prior to leaving, the doctor informed us a technician would be coming by soon to draw some blood and have Nick supply them with a urine sample. He told us to wait about ten minutes, to let the podophyllum sink in and dry first, and then Nick could get dressed again. He advised me that once Nick was presentable again, I should open the door to the examination room to let the technician know it was all right to enter and do her job.
“How long before we know the results of all the tests?” I asked the physician.
“We should know something within a few days,” he responded. “My office will call you and set up a time you can come in for a consultation, once we have them back. We like to see you in person to do this, just in case there are other issues to discuss.”
“So you won’t tell me over the phone?” Nick questioned.
“No. We only do that during a face to face consultation,” the doctor confirmed.
Nick didn’t like that idea, but he knew it wouldn’t change how this was going to go down, no matter how much he protested. Therefore, we both thanked the doctor for his help and he left us in the room alone. After he had departed, I looked at Nick and could see the concerned look on his face.
“Damn,” Nick began, now that we were alone. “I didn’t think I had anything to worry about. I guess I was a little stupid, huh?” he asked me.
“Well, you do seem to listen to the wrong head most of the time,” I advised him. He only nodded weakly in agreement.
“I’m sorry,” he told me, somewhat sheepishly. “I really did think I had been careful enough while I was there. I guess I’m not too bright about these things.” He hung his head again.
“You aren’t the first and won’t be the last person to make such mistakes,” I informed him, “although we always hope we can protect those we love from everything that’s harmful to them.”
“I know and I’m glad you made me come get checked out now,” he confirmed. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for infecting Shannon or any of the others. Does this mean I can’t have sex for a while now?”
“Yes, it does. Until your other tests come back, I don’t want you doing anything with anyone,” I advised him. “Besides that, I hope you paid attention when the doctor said you have to be careful and always have protected sex from now on. It’s not just for your benefit, but to keep your partners from being infected with the genital warts or anything else you might have contracted.”
“You think I’ve got other stuff too?” he asked, alarmed and shocked.
“It’s a possibility,” I warned, “but we’ll know for sure once the other test results are in.”
Nick gave me another weak nod and then I told him he could get up and get dressed again. As he buttoned the last button on his shirt, I opened the door to the room and then we waited for the technician to arrive. We only had to wait a few more minutes before she appeared and then she quickly filled several vials with Nick’s blood. She also gave Nick a bottle to urinate in and directed him to the toilet. Before she left, she told Nick where to leave the urine sample and then advised us we should go to the front desk and see what else we might need to do.
Other than paying the co-payment and being given a card with the next appointment date on it, there were no other instructions, so we headed home. Now, we just had to wait for the call notifying us we could come find out the results of his tests.
On the way home from the doctor’s office, Nick addressed me again. “I’m sorry. I kind of blew it, didn’t I?”
“Well, let’s just hope the warts are the only thing you picked up down there.”
“I’m going to have to tell Shannon, aren’t I?” He was looking intently at me, studying my reaction.
“Yes, he’ll have to know, so he can protect himself too,” I agreed.
“Isn’t there something he can take to keep from getting them?” Nick asked, hopefully.
“No. Don’t you remember when I specifically asked the doctor that?” I responded.
“No,” Nick answered. “I guess I must have been thinking about other things when you did that.” He was looking very uncomfortable at this point and I knew there was more on his mind than what we just talked about. Finally, he let me know what it was.
“Do we have to tell Shannon’s dad too?” he asked, looking very worried. “I think he already hates me and this will only make it worse.”
“Jake doesn’t hate you,” I told him, but realized my assurance would not be enough to relieve Nick’s fears. I had to try to explain Jake’s concerns to him, so maybe Nick could identify with why Jake might have some questions about Shannon and him being together.
“It’s just that Jake knows you like to have a lot of sex and you do it with many different guys,” I continued. “He’s worried you might pick something up and then give it to Shannon.”
“You mean, like this?” Nick wondered.
“Precisely,” I concurred. “Jake’s biggest worry is for his son’s well-being, but that doesn’t mean he hates you.” Nick let out a little snort before he responded to my comments.
“Yeah and now he’s going to find I DID pick something up, so he really won’t want me with Shannon any more.” Nick slumped down in his seat and looked very dejected.
“I don’t think Jake will do that, because he knows how much Shannon cares about you,” I confirmed, “but he will probably insist you two be more careful in the future.”
Nick turned his head toward me now and I saw a glimmer of hope registering in his eyes. However, his body language told me he wasn’t quite sure he believed what I had told him.
“Look, Jake wants Shannon to be happy,” I continued, “but Jake’s biggest concern is to keep Shannon safe. That’s why I insisted you be careful while you were away and why I sent you all those supplies. I wanted BOTH of you to be protected. If you were monogamous, Jake wouldn’t question your relationship with Shannon at all, so that should prove to you that he doesn’t hate you.”
“Monogamous, as in meaning I don’t fool around with anyone else?” Nick asked, in an effort to make sure he understood the situation completely.
“Yes. Technically, the word means a person would be faithful and only involved with one person,” I explained. “More precisely, it means a person is exclusively limited to one sexual partner.”
“Man, that would be tough,” Nick responded, honestly, “but I guess if it meant Jake wouldn’t try to split us up, I’d be willing to try. I really do love Shannon and it’s not just about the sex either. There’s something about him that I haven’t felt with the other guys I’ve been with.” I looked in awe at Nick, as he told me this. I was truly surprised he felt this way. ”I was thinking about it while I was away,” Nick continued, “because it was never quite the same when I was with anyone else. I think that’s when it finally dawned on me how much Shannon really means to me and that I really do love him. You can’t understand how bad I feel, now that I’ve found out I picked something up fooling around with someone else while I was away and I’m scared I might lose Shannon because of it.” Nick paused briefly and I could see the pained expression on his face.
“I guess it also makes me realize how dangerous the things I do really are and that how I act doesn’t just affect me,” he reasoned. “I mean, I could have picked up AIDS and be dying now, but worse than that, I could have given it to Shannon too.”
Nick hung his head after saying this and I could tell he was finally coming to grips with the fact that his actions had consequences. Even though he was still very young, he was beginning to realize he was not immortal. I would even wager he was thinking about Brent and Cody’s deaths too, as he accepted the fact it’s not just old people that die.
“I think you’re finally beginning to grow up,” I told him, “and I don’t mean physically. Some people don’t actually grow up until they’re in their twenties or thirties, while others never seem to grow up at all, so I’m not belittling you here. It’s just that the things you’ve just told me means you’re beginning to put other people’s welfare on an equal plane, or even ahead of your own, and to me that marks a very big sign of maturity. I’m very proud of you.”
He looked up and gave me a weak grin. “Thanks, but why didn’t you just tell me this before?” he wanted to know.
“Oh, I could have told you, and many times I’ve tried to indicate such things to you and the others, but people don’t always learn by being told. Sometimes they have to piece things together for themselves and draw their own conclusions, or else it doesn’t have the same meaning. You’ve finally come to that realization on your own, so now you’ll be more deeply committed to living by your decision and not trying to live by what you’ve been told.”
“Do you think I can really do this?” he asked, looking concerned. “I mean, I’ve never been able to limit myself to just one guy before.”
“I think it’s because you’ve lacked the motivation in the past,” I told him, honestly. “However, since you’re so concerned about losing Shannon or exposing him to some potentially fatal disease, I think you might be able to do it.” His grin broadened slightly, as my words began to sink in.
“I’ll try my best, because I really do love him,” he explained. “You know, I never thought I’d be able to say that and really mean it, but I think I can and do now.” That alone shocked and impressed me and maybe Nick was changing and maturing. I’m sure both Shannon and Jake will be pleased to hear this.
“Nick, I have to tell you I’m impressed with your change in attitude and have faith that you will do your best to succeed.” He smiled and nodded, as his way of letting me know he appreciated my support.
“I just hope all the other tests come back negative,” Nick advised me. “Now that I’ve decided I want to be with just Shannon, I’d hate for any of the stuff I did while I was away to ruin it.” He did look extremely concerned.
“Nick, I hope they all come back negative too,” I agreed, “but we will know for sure in a few days, so let’s just wait and see.”
Nick nodded again and we dropped the subject. Shortly after that, we arrived home, so Nick went off to find Shannon. He wanted to inform him he had genital warts and apologize for his cavalier attitude while he was away. I knew this wouldn’t be easy for him, but he seemed determined to go through with it.