Labor Day

I didn't know if I wanted to write about this because I know some of the reactions I'll get, but it's been on my mind since it happened and I've spent a lot of time replaying it and thinking about it.

On Labor Day weekend, I was working at the bar where I work on Sunday night. We had a larger than usual crowd for a Sunday since most people had off the following day (this was expected and anticipated). Everything went well until the end of the night.

At about 1:55, a fight broke out inside. I was at the front door and heard about the fight from patrons leaving. One guy was escorted out of the club by another bouncer and when he got to the front door, he broke loose and a fight broke out in front of the club. Now, this stuff happens occasionally and it's not that big of a deal. However, this night was different. This night, the fight ended with one man getting stabbed.

I did not see the man get stabbed, but I tackled a guy who people were pointing at as the stabber. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) it wasn't the right guy & I had one of my security guys pat him down and go through his pockets. As I was holding this guy, I looked up the street and the real stabber was walking back towards us, right in the middle of the street. One of the security guys stepped into the middle of the street (I was in the street holding the guy I had) and told the stabber to get the hell out of there. Fortunately for everyone involved, he left.

Now I had to go deal with the guy who had been stabbed. I ran back into the club to get towels, gauze and gloves. Luckily the first aid I had learned when I trained to be a lifeguard (didn't know I was a lifeguard? Oh the secrets we all keep...). I got back out the guy and found the stab wound. He was stabbed on the left upper torso, right at the top of his rib cage. I had one of the security guys get me a chair for the guy to sit on and I applied pressure to the wound. Several people had called 911 and we were just waiting for them to show up.

I've often heard the phrase "life slipping out of him" but until this night, I never knew what that meant. This guy was covered in blood and as I'm holding a towel on the cut to slow down more bleeding, he literally was dying out on me. He was complaining of not being able to catch his breath and we (another security guard was holding his hand and helping me talk to him) had to keep calling his name because he was losing consciousness. I literally had this guys life in my hands. The ambulance eventually arrived and took the guy to the hospital. Several hours later we found out he would survive.

What an experience. Never have I been in a situation where I've had to essentially save someone's life. This whole situation put a new perspective on life for me. Before this, I've had a rough time thinking of a lifeless body. Just a pile of bones & flesh. I struggled with this concept of a person. Yet on this night, I finally understood. I watched a person slowly dying. Had he not been rushed to a hospital, I'm sure he would have died ten or fifteen minutes longer. Had he died there or even at the hospital, I'm not sure how I would have taken it.

I still have many thoughts running through my head Fear. Pride. Elation. Happiness. Disgust. Fear. What is a life??