The Richard Kimble Moment

At about the same time as my oldest son was leading the marching band down main street on Monday my dad was pulling a Richard Kimble back home, wrapping a deep shin wound with one hand using amateur tape and gauze like the Fugitive character, driving himself to the urgent care in what was a race against time. He had fallen in the garden trying to relocate a hosta only to slip or get dizzy and slam his right shin into a rock. He would later tell me he ‘wanted to get it stitched up before mom found out….’ But the so-called 24-7 urgent care was closed—two of them in fact—so I made my way to dad’s house to pick him up. We averted going to the hospital ER, finding the only urgent care open in the region. The PA was sharp, and a great teacher – allowing a Bay Path College student just enough independence to clean the wound and put in 8 stiches on his own, with a small bit of oversight. I think back to Memorial Day – yeah, I missed the barbeque, but I spent a day with a veteran, my dad, and stories about his penchant for falling and first aide. Here’s to all the vets out there.