During the spring, summer, and fall, we spend a lot of time swimming.

The other day, while I was the lifeguard, Hewitt and Jade were lowering the ladder in the deep end of the pool into its proper position.

I wasn’t paying any attention to them – until Jade wailed, “my fingerrrrrrr.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, thinking that she’d just pinched it.

“It’s bleeding,” she said, starting to cry and holding her finger tightly with her other hand

I was about to suggest that she go find a bandaid, thinking that it was just a little cut, when she pulled her hand away to show me and blood started spurting everywhere.

“Everyone out,” I ordered as I swam frantically for the stairs. I bolted for the bathroom, drying my hands off on a towel before pulling several feet of toilet paper off the roll and hurrying back to her. “Let me see it,” I said.

There was blood all over the pool deck, and I knew I needed to stop the bleeding. I wrapped the toilet paper around her finger and held it tightly.

“Hewitt, go get Dad,” I ordered when the thick wad of toilet paper began to grow red. “Quickly.”

He ran.

Jade continued to cry.

Dad came barreling through the door and knelt next to Jade. I relinquished my spot gratefully – Dad would know what to do.

I knew it was bad when my Dad – who never says stuff like this – said it was time to go to the hospital. “Go get Mom,” he told Hewitt. “I think this one’s going to need stitches.”

Dad and Mom got the bleeding to (mostly) stop, wrapped it well with gauze and electrical tape, and set off for Kosair Children’s Hospital in Lousiville with Jade, while I stayed with the rest of the kids at home.

The x-ray showed that it wasn’t broken – but she’d gone right through the fingernail and would need stitches.

She got ready for her “surgery” in a hospital gown that everyone said was very cute.

And several hours later, after getting five stitches, they were back in the car and on the way home!

But after that ordeal,  before they got home they obviously had to stop and get pizza (since she couldn’t eat until after the surgery).

For the next few days, we wrapped her up really well to keep it dry when she went in the pool.

And a few days after that, she got the bandage off and was able to go in the pool without anything on her finger! Now we’re just praying that the fingernail grows back completely – and we won’t know that for a few more months.

Oh – and don’t worry about anyone else getting hurt by the ladder. We told Lucky about it and he fixed it so no one will pinch their fingers in it ever again! He’s the best! 🙂