I email Dave and tell him my plans. He calls to say that he will meet us at the mall for lunch.
We get the mall and head inside. I see that KB Toys is going out of business and even though is only one rack of stuff left, it's 90% off so I stop to look. There is a few High School Musical things on the shelf so I shop for Bella.
I'm terrible at math so I walk to the counter and ask the girl how much one of the toys are. I notice that the toy is opened and missing a few pieces so I go back for an unopened one. I lean over the shelf to get the toy and poke myself in the eye with one of the metal stick hooks that the toys hang from. I actually hear it poke my eye. I think, "I've poked my eye ball. Oh my gosh - I have literally just poked my eye. Can I see?" There are a few seconds of denial because of the embarrassment over not seeing the stick hanging off the shelf. I blink - a lot - to be sure I can still see. I walk back to the counter and touch the corner of my eye because it's watering. When I look down at my finger it's not water, it's blood. Oh my gosh!!! The lady behind the counter says, "Oh. You're bleeding." I turn to look at my eye in a display shelf mirror and in the brief second I can stand to look, it seems that I have poked through my eye lid. I can remember thinking, "Oh boy! Breathe. The kids are here. Remain calm. Call Dave."
I walk back to the counter and ask the nice ladies for help. One calls mall security and the other kindly digs through the stroller to my purse and finds my phone. I know if I call Dave from the store's phone, he won't pick up because he won't recognize the number.
I call him:
"Are you at the mall yet?"
"Yes"
"I'm at KBToys and I've poked my eye. I'm bleeding and I think I need to go to the hospital."
"What do you mean, you've poked your eye?"
"I've poked my eye and I need you to come down here."
It's every amount of everything I have in me to remain calm, control the tears and not scare the kids.
"What do you mean, you've poked your eye? How?"
"Just come down here, please."
He comes running around the corner and looks at it. One look at him and I slowly lose control of my composure. He looks at my eye and asks if I can see. Thankfully - yes! It could have been so much worse and I got lucky. I can still see! This realization sets in and I begin to lose all control.
Mall security walks in and wants to call an ambulance to transport me. This is probably the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him at work. We politely decline and head for the nearest ER.
I cry all the way to the hospital. A small amount of tears for pain and a large amount of tears for thankfulness. I can still see!!
The doctor comes in to look at it. It's not as bad as expected. I have not poked through my eye lid and it's a "superficial wound". I am moved to a different room, given an updated tetanus, a numbing shot on my eyelid, 3 stitches in my 1.5 cm "scratch", a prescription for vicodin, and a pirate patch. Noah is ecstatic about the pirate patch so they give me two "in case one gets lost".
As we leave the hospital, I begin to tear up again. I can still see!
Yes, I would have still been able to see out of one eye had I not been so lucky. But I was lucky and I can still see out of both!
For those you wondering - the toy would have been a $1.
She asked, as I'm walking out dripping blood and tears - literally, if I still wanted to buy it.
"No, thank you."
