Cuts Like a Knife

Our Sunday night was progressing quite typically; Josh was coming over with his girls to play and hang out. I was in the bathroom with Bella getting one leg in her pull up -- when all of I sudden I hear shouting from Charles and hear him running to the kitchen sink.

I leave Bella (one leg in and one leg out) to see what the commotion was and just saw his right hand clenching his left and blood spurting between the fingers. I quickly went into nurse mode and tried to figure out what happened. He tells me he stabbed himself - lots of blood splatter. He's holding so tight that his right hand's knuckles have gone white... in the meantime, Charles has also gone pale as a ghost though he's not squeamish with blood at all. He started to break into a cold sweat. I grabbed a chair and sat him down before he could pass out (though he didn't thankfully).

At this point he won't let go for me to see it or dress it. His thumb, where he's finally told me he stabbed himself, was blue at the end from the pressure. Apparently, Charles was rewiring behind the TV and cutting some cables when the knife slipped. I examined the living room and found blood splatter as far as the other side of the room and in various places on the floor. (The CSI freak in me confirmed the blood was arterial based on blood splatter; he had cut an artery.)

I called Josh to tell him to turn around because we would need to head to the ER for stitches. He offered to come over anyway and watch Bella since the girls really wanted to see each other. They arrived and Charles finally recovered and let me bandage his wound. (We've got the coolest first aid bag, by the way).

The funny thing is that you'd think we'd go to Charles' ER. Not so, my friends, not so. Charles, always thinking of work like he is, wanted to go to his competitors free standing emergency department. (For those of you that don't know, Charles proposed, planned and is building a free standing ED in Redmond.) So, we passed his hospital by 20 minutes just to go check out the competitors. Sheesh. (Bonus: this place was near the Krispy Kreme...)

Stitches, antibiotics and a recommendation to follow up with the hand doctor is what we left the emergency room with. Charles still cannot move his thumb at all and we worry he has damaged the tendons some how. I'm crossing my fingers (haha) that it's just the inflammation that's preventing movement.

I left Charles to get ready to leave and I assigned Bella to keep an eye on daddy. As I left the room, I hear Bella ask, "Daddy, are you ok? You have an owie?"

Careful with sharp objects, kiddo.