A male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. A pretty young student nurse arrives to give him a partial sponge bath.

“Nurse,” he mumbles from behind the mask, “are my privates black?”

Caught completely off guard, the embarrassed nurse blushes but decides to reassure him. She carefully lifts the sheet, takes a quick glance, and smiles politely.

“No, sir,” she says. “Everything looks perfectly normal.”

A few minutes later, the old man asks again.

“Are you absolutely sure they’re not black?”

Trying to calm his worries, she checks a second time and replies, “I’m positive, sir. There’s nothing unusual at all.”

Still looking concerned, the patient slowly removes the oxygen mask just enough to speak more clearly.

“My hearing isn’t what it used to be,” he says. “The doctor came in this morning and told me, ‘Your operation is scheduled after your blood work because you have to be B positive.’”

The nurse nods.

The old man sighs and says, “Well… through this mask, I could’ve sworn he said, ‘Your privates will be black.’ I’ve been worried sick ever since.”

The nurse can’t hold it in anymore and bursts into laughter. Soon the other nurses and even the doctor are laughing too.

The doctor pats the old man’s shoulder and smiles.

“Good news,” he says. “Your hearing may need attention—but everything else is just fine.”