A Stitch In Time Is Free....Eight Stitches For Your Son's Gashed Leg Is Not~ Ancient Infidel Proverb

The oldest Infidel son, Buster, fell in the garage today. He fell hard. He fell really, really hard.
The impact of his weight as he plunged heavily down upon a tire cover from my truck was enough to send the sharp tire cover clips straight into his uncovered leg, slashing it deeply in the process.
Papi rushed him to the new emergency clinic that just opened in front of our neighborhood where Buster bravely faced the doctor who expertly weaved and sewed in 8 stitches to close up the gaping leg wound.
Buster's a veteran of the Stich-And-Don't-Bitch Academy, though. See, he's already has his head stapled, a dislocated collarbone, ear wicks, and several rounds of simple, old-fashioned Stitch Me Up! fun. He has never cried during E.R. visits. Never.
In fact, Buster was completely stoic and shed nary a tear until he heard the staff going over the itemized list with Papi. When they got to the grand total for medical services rendered, he sobbed.
Even a 10-year old boy fully understands the gravity of a situation where there's no health insurance coverage to magically swoop in and save the day with simply the flourish of a pen as you sign your name on the dotted line.
We estimated each stitch to have cost around $71.50 each.
We barely had enough money to cover it, which would have undoubtedly been interesting.
Can they keep kids as collateral in an effort to collect a medical debt?!!?
Yes, my Buster is a one-of-a-kind, hand-sewn original now......and I've got the receipt to prove it.

*I didn't want to freak out any blog readers who may suffer from Frankenstein-O-Phobia so I waited to post the picture of the actual stitches. Oh holy frickin Cheez Whiz on toast.......the stitches look more like the lacing on a football than a simple needle-and-thread operation......they're incredibly ginormous! The boy practically butterflied the skin on his leg and it took some really deep stitches to close it all back up. Disregard the laundry on the floor behind him. Thank you.*