Side Effects
By KB

Heather chose the nursing profession for practical reasons only; the pay was above average and the job security couldn't be beat. However, during her rotation on the psychiatric unit she discovered an unforeseen bonus. More than once she saw handsome but psychotic young men started on a treatment of sedating medications and forced inactivity. Within weeks, their thinking would clear, but they usually gained about 10 pounds, a common side effect of the drugs. Heather would imagine them continuing to gain weight after leaving the hospital, and she found herself strangely aroused by the idea. Even the plainest of the guys started to look attractive under those circumstances and she discovered a theme. At 20, she had little real-life sexual experience and what she'd had so far with skinny boys was lacking something. In fact, she didn't think she'd had an orgasm yet, although she wasn't sure. She began to wonder about sex with these chunky guys she liked to watch, thinking maybe sex with a body like that would be satisfying. It didn't make sense since everyone else seemed to think hard bodies so important.

Eventually Heather met a patient who sparked her curiosity more than any other. When John was admitted to the hospital, ranting incoherently and bound to his bed with leather straps, Heather was immediately impressed by his striking good looks. Certainly she was seeing him at his worse, but his appeal was undeniable. The other nurses felt it, too; they paid more attention to him than the other patients and they got giggly when they had to hold him down to give injections. Heather could tell from the way the nurses blushed as they held his limbs, they were all as aroused as she was. Most of the time he was too drugged to stop them so their hands lingered on his body longer than was necessary.

“Isn't there something else we need to do to him?” One of the nurses smiled wickedly.

“There's definitely something else I'd like to do to him.” Heather couldn't believe her supervisor actually said that but they were all thinking it. They laughed nervously as they filed out of his room, a natural reaction to being near such rugged masculine beauty.

At six foot three 190 pounds, everyone praised his long, lean body while Heather thought it would be too good to be true if he put on a few pounds. She didn't expect much, considering he climbed mountains for a living, but she would be happy with even the moderate gain she saw from the average patient. However, he obviously wasn't average. According to his chart he'd been training for some mountain expedition, accounting for the incredible toned physique, when he was disabled by a psychotic episode. Apparently he became too anxious to eat or sleep when he became convinced people were out to kill him. His climbing partners became concerned with is bizarre behavior, even more for their own safety than for his, and got him involuntarily committed to the hospital.

Heather could see he was the type of guy who thought highly of himself. He'd decorated himself with tasteful tattoos, often went without a shirt to show off his defined muscles and he had a charming habit of sweeping his golden hair away from his warm brown eyes. He was a stunning model of male perfection and even in his current state of mind he was aware of that much. Heather could feel those intense eyes on her at times and knew that he was attracted to her as well. It amused her that he had no idea what she was hoping for him.

John was so psychotic he really had no idea what was happening. He believed he'd been captured and that this place was only pretending to be a hospital. He fought everything the staff tried to do, thinking they were trying to kill him. Soon he was on maximum doses of anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers, and he just happened to be prescribed two of the medications most likely to cause weight gain. He remained so unpredictable he was restrained to his bed for weeks. Still Heather didn't really believe he would gain weight; he was already 36 years old and looked as if he'd never carried an ounce of fat in his life.

At first his body stubbornly retained its fitness, just as expected, and Heather was about to give up hope when she noticed wonderful results, as if overnight. Suddenly John always wore a shirt to cover the belly that was growing under it, although he really couldn't hide it. The medications were helping his thinking but he was unhappy with gaining weight. He confided in Heather, “I'm a physical person, I always have been. With the things I like to do, I can't be fat. I guess I'm just worried because I put on 30 pounds already.” He ran his hand over his stomach to show her, not knowing how blissfully aware she was of his situation.

“That much? Well, you were underweight when you got here, remember you hadn't been eating.” Heather tried to be reassuring.

“I know but don't you think this is overdoing it?”

“I think your mental health is more important right now.”

“It is important but so is my body. I've always been able to make a living through one sport or another.”

“You might have to make some changes in your life. The medications you're taking cause weight gain and slow you down so that will affect your athletic performance. In fact, we recommend you don't engage in any dangerous activities on these medications, that includes climbing.”

“Can't I try different medications?”

“Absolutely not, these are the ones that help you.”

“I'll just have to quit them when I get out of here.”

“Actually, with a mental illness you have to stay on the medications or the problems return.”

“For how long?”

“Well, you just stay on them.”

John continued to complain about the side effects so the doctor tried different pills. The weight that John had gained was gone almost instantly and he was happy to see his flat stomach return. However, the medications proved to be ineffective, as his behavior and emotions were out of control again. Heather had to admit she took guilty pleasure in seeing him restrained and put back on the former medications.

He was so sedated, all he could do was wake up long enough to eat and take his pills. Like most men he ate everything set before him, unaware that Heather ordered him double portions and the most fattening foods. Eating had a calming affect on him so all the nurses encouraged it, continuously offering him snacks that it never occurred to him to decline. His meal trays were so heavy they could have snapped but John thought he was eating normally and got accustomed to stuffing himself several times a day.

“Did you get enough to eat, John?” Heather would ask as she picked up another empty tray.

“More than enough. Eating is about all there is to do around here and it's starting to show.” He patted his round stomach that appeared even bigger than it was before his short-lived weight loss. “I've got to get out of here before I get fat.”

Heather thought better of telling him he already was fat, “That won't happen. You have the type of metabolism you can eat anything and get away with it.”

“You're probably right, it's easy for me to get in shape.”

In reality, he continued to gain weight as he stabilized mentally and emotionally. The idea of training for anything was a distant memory, along with his flat stomach, but the medications seemed to make him apathetic and he accepted being fat. The nurses seemed amused by his expanding belly and he let them play with it, as they felt entitled to do. It seemed that once a man's belly got big enough it was considered public property and people often poked or pinched it in passing.

“Look how fat you got on those medications.” One of the nurses shook her head as she viewed John's belly from all sides, “ I remember when you got here you were so hot, not an ounce of fat on you.”

John tried to cover his stomach with his arms, only managing to emphasize its roundness, “I can lose it any time. Once I get out of here I can start training again.”

However, his optimism sank when a climbing friend stopped by to visit before leaving on the expedition. John had been replaced when they realized he was taking longer than expected to come out of the psychosis. Heather met the visitor at the door and explained to him that John most likely had a chronic mental illness and he was being treated with medications. Heather noted the friend looked like a model from a fitness magazine and got a humorous amount of attention from the females on the unit.

“I probably should warn you he's put on a lot of weight, you might not recognize him.”

“John gained weight? Knowing him, it couldn't be much,” the dark haired athlete remarked as he scanned the room. His expression changed when he saw John and he was unable to hide his shock. “Hey, what happened to you? I brought you some food, but it looks like you don't need it.”

“No, they feed you well here, but I'll take it, anyway.” John was always good-natured when people teased him. He was the first to admit he was out of shape.

Heather tried to be discreet as she passed them, hoping to eavesdrop on the conversation and admire John's masculine curves. His shirt that once hung loosely enough to reveal a chiseled physique was now bulging to capacity with his expanding waistline. At the rate he was going it wouldn't fit at all anymore; already she could see slivers of skin between the overburdened buttons, threatening to expose him altogether. He'd progressed from L to XL pants and even they wouldn't tolerate much more pressure. His belly was definitely the first thing one noticed about him but he was getting nicely padded on the butt and chest as well. At the same time he wasn't losing muscle; in fact he may have been gaining muscle just from hauling around those extra pounds of fat. And to think she would have been happy with an average weight gain.

She tore her eyes away to compare him to his friend who had the type of body that John himself had not long ago. She knew he should have turned her on but instead he looked like a deflated insect, all stick and gristle. “I still can't believe you got so fat. I always looked up to you,” she overheard him saying.

“It's just these medications. Once I get out of here I'll stop them.”

“Doesn't that big belly get in the way? I couldn't stand it,” she watched him tentatively reach out and put his hand on the soft paunch between them, “Mind if I feel it?”

“No, everyone does.”

Heather became so aroused watching the scene she spent her lunch break having her first orgasm. After the first one it was easy and she found plenty of material for fantasy as she observed John's increasing girth. After several months he was finally well enough to leave the hospital and she had mixed feelings. She was happy to see him get better and she was actually starting to like him as a person, but once he left she probably would never see him again. That would be against the rules.

She watched him in the dining room, knowing it was the last time, admiring his single-minded focus on his eating. His belly had grown so big it reached the table and his love handles brushed the chair arms. He'd filled out perfectly, even better than Heather could have imagined. She was pleased to see him accept a meal refused by a skinny patient, after he'd just finished his own. She waited until he'd finished it all to approach him.

“Look at you eat. I thought you said you were concerned about your weight.” She teased.

“I was but there isn't much I can do about it. I tried eating less but it just made me irritable and I didn't lose any weight. The doctor says it's a side effect and I should just give up trying to get my old body back.”

“Actually it looks good on you. You're tall enough to pull it off and you have a strong frame.”

“You think so? Everyone else gives me a hard time. Women are definitely looking at me differently, if they look at me at all.”

“I can't imagine you having any trouble with women. Anyway, speaking of your weight, I need to see what it is before you leave today.”

“Are you kidding?” He actually blushed.

“No, I'm not kidding. Doctors keep track of these things. I'll bring the scale here, you won't even have to move.” She returned moments later excited to see that John had managed to find something else to snack on, “You aren't still eating, are you? It's time to get weighed.”

She watched him heave his body out of the chair, using his arms as well as his legs to support his new bulk. She noticed he wore a robe tied over his paunch where the hospital shirts stopped covering him completely, a recent development. His confident stride had become a slow, sensual amble now that he was carrying a belly. His stomach protruded so far against the scale, he almost had to turn sideways. He looked straight ahead, as if to spare himself the sight of his huge gut with a huge number glowing next to it.

“Wow, John, just look at how much weight you've put on, you're up to 250.” He had to see it for himself before he got off that scale as fast as he could. Heather couldn't help smiling as she watched him walk.

“Do you really think I look okay?” John asked as he lowered himself heavily in his chair to finish his after meal snack.

“Sure, you were too skinny.”

“You're a strange girl.”

Before he left that day, John went out of his way to thank Heather for her support over the months. He casually but suggestively mentioned a place he liked to drink beer, a place where he might be found more often now that he wasn't training. He wondered if she had ever been there. He thought how funny it would be if they should ever both be there at the same time. Maybe they could forget where they'd met.

Heather pictured his belly getting even fuller from drinking beer and decided she could make that happen.