A Slight Setback

I returned to the Urgent Care to get my stitches removed today, as previously arranged. I was giddy with anticipation, awaiting the freedom that I would again enjoy with the uninhibited use of an unwrapped, unsplinted, and ungloved finger. Everything was looking great, until the sutures were taken out by a nurse practitioner. The guy had chuckled when he first came into the room and learned that my stitches had been in for two weeks. (“Whoa, that’s a long time. Outta be shut by now, ha ha.”) He sliced away at the threads with a scalpel, and then a puzzled look came over his face. The nurse practitioner proclaimed that he was shocked that after 14 days, my laceration was still not completely closed. As a result, I have to keep the injury covered and dry, and not bend my finger for five more days. Just my luck, to have the only wound that doesn’t heal after being stitched and splinted for a fortnight.