re: Snake Stories: Too Close for Comfort Edition

I was a medic on the AZ/Mexico border in my former life.
Brought a patient into an ER in southern AZ, little rural hospital with a three bed ER.

I am at bedside consulting on treatment with the ER doc when a rancher comes in with one of his workers and a paper grocery sack. He sets the sack on one bed and the worker hops up on the other bed. His boot is off, one pants leg rolled up and some blood on his lower leg. Ranchers announces that his field hand got bit by a rattler. Not that uncommon there. The doc and two nurses are taking the guys vitals and what not when the bag on the other bed rustles and moves a bit.

Doc asks the rancher: "Whats in that bag?"

Rancher: "The snake, they always say to bring the snake so y'all will know what kind it was. Right?"

Doc and both nurses disappear in a puff of dust out the door like in a kids cartoon. I am standing there with my patient, the rancher and his field hand.

I suggested to the rancher he take the snake outside. He leaves and kills it in the parking lot. Best part is when he walked out the doc and nurses were out there and immediately charged back into the ER.