For three months Rodney had stayed out of trouble, doing his homework and paying attention to the teachers durring school. Then at the end of August Katrina and his father got married. At the reception after the wedding, Rodney met Katrina's sister, Barbara.
Barbara was a younger version of Katrina, smaller not quite so plump. She was nineteen. Rodney found that he could talk to Barbara just as well as he used to talk to Katrina. Also Barbara had just finished doing a course at the local Polytechnic on fashion design, her clothes reflected the talent that she had. After the reception they went off to the movies and found that they had similar tastes in music and movies. When they got back to the Welch's home, Barbara was staying in Katrina's old room for several days, they continued talking.
After the weekend Barbara went back to her parent's home and Rodney went back to school. It wasn't long before he was in trouble again for day dreaming in class. This time the dreams were about Barbara. He was warned by Mr Blumstone, in history and then Mr Feltham, in English had a go about him. Finally Mr Feltham had told him that he would be paying another visit to his office at the end of school.
At the end of school he trudged along the corridor to Mr. Feltham's office and knocked on the door.
"Come."
Rodney entered the office and found both Mr Blumstone and Mr Feltham waiting for them. On the desk was a cane, as far as he could recall the same one that Feltham had lashed his bumwith last time.
"Welch, we are both surprised that you did not learn a lesson from the caning that you got three months ago. At the end of the year you will have important exams and Mr Blumstone and I have no intention that you will let yourself down or the school, by getting a result in History and English, that is far below your capabilities."
Mr Blumstone took over before Rodney could answer or even think of an excuse.
"Therefore Welch, we are both going to give you six of the best. I would like to make it on your bare buttocks as I was when I got caned at my school in England, but regulations forbid that, so after talking to the Headmaster it has been decided that you will be caned over your underpants.
Rodney looked at the teachers with some amazement, then shrugged his shoulders, he wondered about going home, and then thought that he was in enough trouble already and now that his father had a cane, it was likely that he would add to the total number of strokes. The only good thing about the cane at home was that goody two shoes Keith had got six decents whacks last week for getting too cheeky with their father. He rubbed his backside reflectively wondering about hockey practice where he was going to be a line judge. As he started to undo his belt, then the zip, he saw the two teachers look at each other. Easing the shorts over his hips they then fell at their own accord to his ankles.
Mr Feltham picked up the cane. "Welch, I want you to bend over and touch your toes. Rodney did as he was told. He felt the cane tap against his bum then with a swish and a loud whack the first stroke was delivered. As before Mr Feltham landed the strokes all over the place. The end of the cane had wrapped around Rodney's thigh on bare flesh where there was no protection from his underpants for a couple of the strokes. When he had delivered the six, "Ok Welch, you may stand for a moment." He handed the cane to Mr Blumstone. Rodney grabbed his burning buttocks, not rubbing, just holding in an effort to lessen the burning. He could feel the raised weals through the thin cloth of his briefs.
After a moment Mr Blumstone shifted one of the chairs in front of the desk then said to Rodney, "I want you to bend over the desk, keeping your feet shoulder width apart. Rest your head on your arms and stay that way until I tell you otherwise. Understand?"
"Yes Sir," said Rodney as he shuffled over to the desk hobbled by his shorts at his ankles, then following instructions bentt over the front of the desk, resting his head on his arms. His backside was still burning, but he knew that it was going to be much worse shortly. Again he felt the cane resting at the crown of his buttocks as the teacher took aim. There was the swish and then the crack. For a nano second the thought raced through his mind that geeze that didn't hurt as much as I expected, then bloody hell. A line of white hot pain lanced across his bum. It felt as though he had been hit with a piece of hot wire or something. Rodney winced.
"Keep still Welch," as the second stroke was delivered exactly parallel to the first only a bit lower.
"Yoowouch."
The third landed lower still as Mr Blumstone worked his way down the now sobbing Rodney's buttocks. Rodney didn't register strokes four or five, they were just additions to the terrible fire that was already burning. Then the final stroke was unleased. It was the best in the teachers arsenal of expertise in caning boys. He put his weight and shoulder behind the stroke and it was aimed right at the crease where thigh and buttock meets. In Rodney's case the area was mostly bare as the covering made by his briefs basically covered just the divide between his buttocks, preserving that last bit of modesty.
"YOWWWOUCH." Rodney lay on the desk sobbing. Again the teachers looked at each other, this time wondering whether they had gone overboard with the punishment.
"Get up Welch and pull up your trousers," said Mr Blumstone.
Hearing the voice dimly from the distance, he got up and reached down to pull up his shorts keeping his back to the two men. As he bent over the pain in his backside became acute as the muscles were stretched momentarily to their utmost and then he felt a slight relief as he straightened. Again more pain as he dragged the flannel shorts over his buttocks and without thinking pulled up the zip and then did up the belt automatically.
He turned to face the teachers tears still streaming down his face.
"We hope that this time Welch, you will remember to pay attention in our classes," rasped Mr Feltham.
Rodney looking at the teacher through a blur saw only two hazey shapes. Saying nothing he turned and left the office going through the deserted corridors to the toilets where he splashed water on his face. He dryed his face using a couple of paper towells and looked at his face in the mirror. His eyes were red otherwise there were no outward signs that he had been crying. Feeling the need to relieve himself he went over to the urinal and dug out his _c_o_c_k_. After peeing and again going to the basins to wash his hands he made his way slowly to the hockey ground.
Arriving late at the ground he was yelled at by the sports master, Mr Trumble, who wsa usually pretty easy going. "You've held up the whole game Welch. Get your act together or you will be dropped from the squad. Turning to the waiting teams, Right guys now that Welch has graced us by his presence, we can get started," and blowing his whistle he led the two teams onto the field.
Rodney had a easy time as most of the play was on the other side of the field, he was able to move up and down the field slowly keeping roughly in line with the ball. Thinking about the terrible pain in his bum, he never even saw the ball coming. Next thing he knew was that he was on the ground with it seemed like dozens of people standing over him as the world spun.
"Are you ok Welch?"
Blackness descended and the world stopped spinning.
He woke again momentarily as he was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.
Next time he came around he was in a high ceilinged room with a nurse at his side. He was dressed in a blue gown thing and he wondered what had happened and where he was. He made a sound in his throat.
"Take it easy Rodney, you are in hospital, you've had a bang on the head from a ball. Your father is on his way here and a Mr. Trumble from your school is just outside, now just lay there quietly while I go and fetch the doctor." The nurse left the room and Rodney driffted off again.
"Now young man, been in spot of bother have you?" This question was asked as a light was shone in his eyes. Rodney could feel his eye water and then the other as the light went back and forth. Finally seeming satisfied the doctor said, "Well I think all that is a matter is that you will have some concusion so we will keep you here overnight, more for observation than anything else. Nurse as there is no skin broken you can put a cold compress on the bruise to keep the swelling down." Muttering about barbaric practices the doctor turned and abruptly left the room. The cold compress when it arrived felt very soothing as the nurse placed it gently on his forehead. Reaching up with his fingers he could feel what seemed to be a huge bump on his forehead.
He driffted off to sleep again and when he awoke he saw his father sitting beside the bed. "Hello Rodney just lay there quietly. The staff here have told me what happened so we can talk tomorrow when you get home." Rodney wondered whether his father knew about the caning he had got. His bum was still very sore and laying on it was not helping the situation. He turned onto his side. "Son you have got to be as still as you can," his father said gently. Rodney driffted off again.
When he came around again the nurse was back in his room. She had tucked him up again as he had been tossing and turning.
"Rodney I will be checking on you through the night. It is only a precaution so don't worry as there is nothing seriously wrong with you. Your father told us that you are a clever guy and he wants you out of here with everything intact."
Looking more closely at the nurse Rodney could see that she was different from the one that had tendered him earlier.
Seeing the question forming, she pre empted him saying, "I know all about you from your chart, also from the briefing when the shift changed. How are you feeling?"
"Sore."
"I'll bet you are you stopped quite a thump."
"No not there, my bu..... I mean my buttocks."
The nurse picked up the chart and looked at it.
"I see, the doctor has made a note that you have been caned and if you need something for the pain to rub in some cream that he has prescribed that will sooth the affected area. We cant give you pain killers because they might upset your head. I'll be back in a moment." She left the room and came back again in a few moments with a small tube in her hand. "roll over onto your side." After he had she lifted his gown gently she gently rubbed in the cream with felt cool and soothing. After she had finished Rodney sighed and rolled back onto his back and drifted back to sleep.
As she had said the nurse was back at regular intervals through the night checking on Rodney, then before breakfast was brought around the doctor came into the room with the sister in charge of the ward.
Quickly checking his head, he also shone the light into Rodney's eyes and this time Rodney did not blink or water from the eye as the examination was carried out. "Well young man I think after breakfast your Dad can take you home." The doctor picked upthe chart to check it and to complete the case notes. I see Nurse Stratton gave you some treatment for your backside. I had better have a look just in case, roll onto your side please." Once again Rodney felt his gown being lifted gently. "Yes, young man you are going to have some considerable bruising and the skin is broken in three places as well." Turning to the sister, "Sister, get one of your girls to rub in a little more cream and then give this young man the left over tube to take home with him. He can treat himself at home. "Do you know what day it is?" this was to Rodney.
"I think Thursday Doctor."
"You are right," with a chuckle, "Even if your backside has been skinned, you can have some comfort in that your brains havent turned to mush. Take care now." Turning he left the room.
After breakfast, which wasn't that appetising, a young nurse approached Rodney with a tube in her hand and said that she had been instructed by the ward sister to treat his wounds. She was as gentle as the nurse had been the previous evening. After that she brought him a shirt and some underpants and some new jeans. "Your father left these here last night and he took your other clothes home with him. He has phoned this morning and said that he will pick you up at 9am which is in thirty minutes. Go and have a shower and then you can wait in the reception area until he comes."
At 9am sharp Mr Welch came along to the reception area. He checked with the sister in her office and then came up to Rodney. "Come on son, lets get you home."
"Can I say thanks Dad."
"You surely can." They went to the sister's office together where Rodney thanked the sister and her staff for looking after him. Then walking slowly they made there way to the lift and then outside to the car.
In thirty minutes they were at home and Mr Welch looked at Rodney and said, "Barbara is coming over to keep an eye on you for today and tomorrow. Katrina and I are going to Sydney for a conference as one of the others from the firm cant go at the last minute. I want you to behave yourself. When we get back we will sit down and have a chat about everything, but I don't want you to worry. Ok?"
"Yes Dad. Thanks for collecting me from the hospital when you are so busy."
"That's the least I can do son, now remember I love you." Katrina came into the room. She dropped a kiss on Rodneys hair.
"I love you too. I'd like to stay and look after you, but Barbara has offered as this trip will be the first time I have been out of New Zealand."
His father spoke again, "You will be off from school until next Monday and we will be home on Sunday about noon. Barbara will be here at 11am today so you will have about 45 minutes by yourself. Can you manage?"
"I think so Dad, I'm feeling pretty weird so I go up to bed and just rest."
"That's understandable after what you went through yesterday son. We will talk on Sunday when we get back."
"Yes Dad. Have a good time in Sydney Katrina, you too Dad."
"It is work for me son, but Katrina will be with some of the other wives, no doubt learning how to spend money."
Rodney took himself upstairs and got undressed and flopped into bed in the nude. It wasn't cold so he pulled a light blanket and sheet over himself. After doing the final bit of packing and checking that his briefcase had all the necessary papers, Mr Welch opened the door to Rodney's room. Seeing him sound asleep, he wrote a quick note saying goodbye, and to nothing too strenuous until he felt completely ok.
Barbara who had been fuly briefed by Mr Welch and Katrina arrived just after 11am and checked on Rodney and found him still sound asleep. She woke him at 12 noon.
"Rodney I've made you some srambled egg on toast. Do you want it in bed or will you get up?"
"I'll be down in a minute."
Babara waited to see if Rodney was really getting up, then saw that he was and that he was naked left the room in a hurry and went back downstairs.
Even though he was now at home, Rodney didn't feel self-consciece about his body after having the two teachers seeing him in his underpants and then the doctor and several nurses looking at him in just a gown. He pulled on his shirt and then decided that his underpants were too tight to go over his bruised behind, so just got some summer cotton shorts out of his drawer and slipped into those.
They ate in the kitchen instead of the dinning room and Rodney winced as he sat on the hard plain wooden chair.
"Do you want me to bring a cushion?" asked Barbara.
"No I'll be ok," but deciding to push his luck added, "you can help me treat my behind though as I cant see what I'm doing."
Barbara had been told that Rodney had been caned pretty savagely and like Katrina had seen he brother's behinds after they had been caned at school said, "I can do that for you because I used to help my brothers after they had been caned. They ate their lunch chatting about what had happened to them since the wedding.
After lunch Rodney went into the lounge to watch TV while Barbara tidied up. She came into the lounge with the tube from the hospital in her hand.
"Its time for your teatment young man," she said mock serverely. "Roll over onto to your stomach and let me deal with your wounds." Rodney did as he was told and he felt her trying to pull down his shorts. He raised his hips and undid the button and slid down the zip. Barbara gasped at the sight that was revealed before her. "God, this is far worse than anything that was ever done to my brothers. Is it still hurting?"
"It feels very tender. The cream seems to help."
Barbara had a look at the ingrediants listed on the tube. "Its got all sorts of things in it," she said, including skin anesthetic and antisepics, that will be because the skin has been broken." She started rubbing in the cream very gently.
Rodney for the first time since his caning, started to get a hard on. He felt very uncomfortable laying on the couch his _c_o_c_k_ was trying to dig into the couch without much success. He wriggled a bit, trying to get more comfortable.
"Keep still for a little longer and then I will be finished......There that's done," giving him a little pat on the upper part of the bum where there were no weals. Then she leaned down and kissed Rodney on the back of the neck. He could have raped her on the spot. Instead he raised his hips and pulled up his shorts and zipped and buttoned up before turning over and thanking her. He drifted off to sleep again feeling better than he had in a long time. As for Barbara, she thought that he was best thing to have come into her life in a long time even though he was three years younger. While he was sleeping she could see his _c_o_c_k_ making a tent in the front of his shorts and thought that he was well endowered for a boy.
Keith arrived home just before 4pm. "The school is talking about what happened to you yesterday. Both the caning you got and the whack on the noggin with the ball. The head made an announcement at assembly and asked for the school to pray for your complete recovery. Dad was in a real tizz last night, he read the riot act to the Head after he got home from hospital and wanted to know if tortue had been added to the ciriculum. He told the Head that there was caning and there was tortue, and he regarded what had been done to you as tortue and the doctor at the hospital agreed with him."
Keith went to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of coke. "I have to do some homework. Oh by the way Mr. Willis sent you some books about science. He said that you wont have a test or anything, they are just to keep you from getting bored." Keith left the lounge and went upstairs.
At 4.30pm there was a knock at the door and when Barbara opened it she found a man in his thirties standing there. "Good afternoon, I'm Dennis Trimble, the sports coach/teacher at Rodney and Keith's school. How is Rodney? May I see him?"
Barbara looked at him, "You are not the sadistic sod that beat him up are you?"
"Good God no. He was late to practice and I yelled at him, not knowing what had happened. I just wanted Rodney to know that he is welcome back to the team anytime after he is fit again."
"In that case he will be glad to see you, come in, and she led him into the lounge where Rodney was still resting.
"Hi Rodney, How's the head."
"I'm still a bit dizzy and also I seem to want to sleep all the time."
"That's understandable you took a solid knock. You are lucky that you are not in a coma or something worse."
Rodney just nodded.
"Look, when you are fit again you are welcome back on the squad. If you practiced a little more and concentrated all the time you would be a ace player.
"Thank you Sir. I will try harder in the future."
"If I had known what had happened earlier I would have excused you from the game. You were in no condition to be around flying balls or anything else for that matter."
"That's ok Sir, don't worry about it."
"Rodney, if I think you are out of line I will whack you myself, but I hope that I draw the line at four or at the most six well laid on."
"Thanks Sir," with a brief grin.
"Take care. I've heard in the staffroom that you should be back at school next week. The Headmaster told me to tell you that he will have a chat with you then. Well I'll be off now and leave you to rest and recover." He got up and shaking Rodney by the hand, turned and left the room. Barbara who had sat nearby got up also to show him out.
She came back into the lounge, "Well I wouldn't mind his shoes under my bed."
"What about mine?"
"We will see." And with that he had to be satisfied.