Seven days later

Today I got my stitches out. It was great! I'd been wary of returning to the ER, somewhat dreading retracing the bike route that got me there and anticipating a long wait, but I made it safely and one of the triage nurses took care of me right away.

There was a room right there behind the desk, and Nurse Flo had me lie down under a very bright lamp. I told her I'd just close my eyes and pretend I was at the beach. In fact, the operation really was quite relaxing. She counted down the stitches as she removed them, and even with the one that was a little more stuck ("There's always one!" she said), I had no pain and very little anxiety.

She said I'd done a really good job caring for them and that my chin was already healing really well. If I ever had to have this done again, she said, I should do exactly the same thing. We both agreed we hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

The best part of the adventure, though, happened after the stitches were out. As I was heading out of the ER, I caught the eye of a woman coming in. She was wearing a flowing gold top with matching metallic eyeliner, a striking combination that I'd never seen before, but she looked familiar. Her split-second hesitation indicated that she recognized me, too. Realization dawned at the same moment for both of us, and she grabbed my arm, smiling hugely and pulling me so close her tummy brushed mine. The woman who took my information when I checked in! I showed her my healed chin; now that I think about it, she's the only person other than me who has seen it in both states. It felt like seeing an old friend; I glowed the whole way home.