The Wild Bites Back

The hubby and the boy went to the "the wild" this morning to have a little adventure. "The wild" is a heavily wooded spot just minutes from our house. The boys have enjoyed exploring the area many times over the years.

Their plan was to hike around, shoot the BB gun, and try out the boy's new slingshot and pocket knife (both gifts from Santa). Sometimes things don't always go according to plan.

After they had been gone for about an hour, I got a phone call from the hubby. He informed me that the boy had an accident with his pocket knife and that a trip to the hospital was in order. Since they were just minutes from the house, they decided to swing by and pick me up.

The hubby had wisely wrapped the boy's hand in the sleeve of his jacket to try to stop the bleeding. As I pulled the blood-soaked jacket away, I was able to examine his hand. It was then that I realized that he had not just cut one finger, but three.

His middle, ring and pinkie fingers had been sliced open on the top of his hand between his finger nails and the first knuckle. The cut on the ring finger was especially deep. Grabbing a clean towel, I assured the hubby that his first instinct was right. We needed to go to the hospital.

At Vanderbilt, a nice resident named Dr. J. (no, I'm not talking basketball) came in to examine the boy's hand. He told us that the cuts on the middle and pinkie fingers were not serious. The ring finger was a different story. The doctor was concerned that the boy might have severed a tendon. He called his supervisor for a consult.

After 4 x-rays and, as the boy would say, way too much digging around and poking, we were relieved to hear that the boy had dodged a bullet. The attending informed us that his tendon was still intact. The boy let out a sigh of relief.

Our kind doctor decided to slap a couple steri-strips on the boy's ring finger, seal the other two cuts with surgical glue and send us on our way. He also made the boy promise to keep his fingers dry and take it easy for the next few days.

As the doctor was finishing up, the boy muttered, "I just want to go home."

"Thank you for waiting. We've been very busy today," Dr. J. replied.

After a long pause the boy said, "Is that why you call us patients?"

"Something like that," the doctor said, trying not to laugh.

The boy then proceeded to tell the young doctor that the photo on his badge didn't look a thing like him.... that the shadows behind his ears made him look like he had a mullet.

At least the boy didn't injure his sense of humor.