This morning I got off the train at Clark and Lake like I always do. I got on the escalator, the walking side, and was walking up. Someone stepped on the back of my sandal, no big deal, right? Except today, they really stepped on it. I tripped, my shoe came off, I had to put my hands out to brace my fall on the moving escalator. My bare foot hit the edge of the escalator step and it hurt really bad. I got my shoe back on, righted myself, and stepped off the escalator. That’s when I knew something was not right.

My foot felt wet. When I looked down it was blood. Lots of blood. I was wearing these sandals and the entire foot bed quickly filled with blood and started splattering out when I walked, leaving a trail in the station. All I could think about was stopping the blood flow. I limped over to the bodega across the hall, frantically asked if they sold band aids, secretly cursed the lady in front of me leisurely purchasing lotto tickets and paid for the band aids… all the while my foot was bleeding like crazy.

Then I limped over across the hallway again to Cosi. All I could think of was to get to a bathroom with a faucet where I could rinse off my foot and assess the damage. At this point there was so much blood I was sure I was going to have to go to the hospital so there were flashes in my head of wondering where I’d go, how would I get there, and if I had my insurance card in with me.

At Cosi, there was one bathroom stall off of the kitchen. It didn’t really look like a bathroom so I asked an employee if that was it and she said yes, but someone was in there. So, I’m standing there with my little pack of band aids, that seem woefully inadequate, trying not too bleed too much in a restaurant, waiting for whoever is in the one bathroom stall to finish up their business. I don’t think anyone at Cosi noticed my foot, which is good, because I don’t know if they’d have let me in if they did.

Finally a guy came out of the bathroom and I could go in. I washed my shoe off in the faucet and wet paper towel after paper towel to mop the blood off my foot. So gross. The blood was so red. Like unnaturally red, which I think is just because there was so much of it. After I got all the blood off my foot I saw that there was a slice from the tip of my big toe all the way down lengthwise to the base of my foot. The good thing was that it didn’t appear to be too deep, but I still wasn’t sure. I stacked paper towels up and laid them in the bed of my shoe and then put my shoe back on. The bleeding had slowed some, so that was good. I felt bad to be doing this in a public bathroom, but made sure to clean everything up when I was done.

I gave Dallas a call quick. Luckily he was at home and I asked him to stay there. Then I hobbled to work, grabbed my computer, and took a cab home. A long cab ride. The driver took Milwaukee all the way and was delicate about going around pot holes and bumps. OMG. I wanted to yell at him like some crazy Amazing Race contestant. By now I was also feeling really nauseous.

I got home and Dallas had me take my pants off and sit in the jacuzzi tub seat while he washed my foot off and applied antibiotic cream. The paper towel I’d put on my shoe was blood soaked, but the bleeding had slowed a lot. I don’t know why it was gushing so bad right when the injury occurred, but it was frightening. After a through, painful cleaning and ointment, Dallas applied some bandages.

Now I’m at home working on some wireframes, trying to keep my foot elevated. It’s throbbing a bit, but the bleeding has stopped. I don’t think I need stitches or anything, but what a way to start a holiday weekend. Egads!

Oh, also, I’m working in “safe mode” because my work computer won’t boot normally. Awesome.

I should have stayed in bed this morning!