From the couple that brought you Squirrels After Dawn and the Voyeuristic Gopher....

Okay, so we're sleeping last night and all the sudden, the Highlander jerks half up out of the bed. I assume he's having a some kind of internal trouble, like acid, but when he barely makes a sound except a startled grunt, I start to think he's having a heart attack!

I go "Hon, what IS it?" and then he jerks a second time and I hear something hit the wall. He stammers something about there being "something", then flicks the light on and stares at the wall for second. Then he goes "Holy !@#$ it's a BAT!", jumps up and says "I gotta get something to put him in" before running out.

Either I totally missed him saying this or just didn't get what he was saying, so I end up laying there in the bed trying to see what he's seeing. I look over on the sill and hanging off it IS a BAT! Panicked, I go to get up and move and its HEAD follows my movements. This panics me into "deer-in-batlights" mode, so I'm just laying there frozen in place while he rushes back in with a plastic cookie thing.

He goes after it and catches it in the container while I bravely waited below the blanket, then he sighs and says "Well, it BIT me, so we're going to have to go to the hospital and THAT means I'm going to be TIRED in the morning!" Not "Oh, I could die of rabies...hold me, my love for one last kiss" or "gosh, shots really sound TERRIBLE!"...no, the Highlander's hacked because he's going to lose sleep over a winged mouse! (did I mention how much he HATES his second job at the lab???)

So, we (yes, even our new buddy) pile into the car and go to the hospital where the entire night staff (including some EMTs) come by to visit and express sentiments along the lines of "wow" or "gross" or "you gonna EAT that?". Eventually, they gave him a tetanus shot and some antibiotics, then they kept the bat to give to the health department. They'll have results on Monday after they destroy it and check the head, I think they say (Snappy's, of course, although for the right price, I MIGHT have let them check the HIGHLANDER'S head...would explain a LOT...!). They also let us take some pics that I have to scan in and show you guys.

The funniest part to me was when one nurse came in and said "Well, don't get too attached...we'll have to give it to the health department and they have to destroy it." The Highlander got all cute and wide eyed and tells the lady, "Oh, but I've already named him! I call him Snappy!" Maybe it was because it was so late at night, but when he started to nod happily, she looked like she really believed him and thought he was just getting messed up from the rabies or something!

So, this morning I told him company policy frowns on draining the blood from others and he was like "Don't worry, I'll be a pile of dust LONG before I get to work this morning! LOL Poor guy. Honestly, he's had the rash, the beasts, the burning fire (from his butt, anyway). So...I'm thinking locusts next.

The (shampooing her hair with garlic) Sprite & the (eyeing up the only non-garlicked eligible young females in the house to attack...our 3 cats) Highlander

Quote

OMG!!! You guys have THE most exciting life around there!

Bat bites in the middle of the night now. How can the rest of us mere mortals measure up? ;-)

(loftily) Yes, bat bites are all the RAGE now...mere mortal boxers wouldn't understand such things! ROFL

Quote

Glad the Highlander kept his sense of humor through the whole thing. Hope the rabies test shows up negative.

My dad says it's a good thing I've got him instead of some city boy...with all his nature knowledge, my husband sat and talked about the kind of bat it was, the amount of shots needed, the food bats eat, but never ONCE did I hear more than a panicked grunt when he woke up. And the JOKES he had were nonstop today! :-)

As far as rabies, I think he's decided to go ahead and get the shots, regardless (just to be on the safe side). Much as I don't want to see him in pain, I know it's just 5 shots in the arm now instead of the stomach ones.

Quote

i first have to say i love your storytellin style!

Thanks! Y'know, you're the second person to say that this week! I've always thought EVERYONE told stories the same way, so I'm gonna have to figure out what it is I do different.

Quote

2nd, i've had a bat in the house twice. it was so cute & small. we got it to just fly out the front door after about an hour of flyin the same flight pattern in the house.

Yeah, we'dve shooed it out if it HADN'T bitten him. Through all that, he knew the importance of keeping the animal for the DEC to check...amazing control.

Quote

sooooo..... when do we find out if the bat gave the highlander some cooties... er... I mean rabies?

He called today and they said they'll call back with results this afternoon or tomorrow. Oh, and guess WHAT? If he DOES have rabies, we BOTH have to have the shots. YAY, shots for EVERYONE!! (sobs happily) I just can't WAIT!

The (looking for cooties to give to the HIGHLANDER now) Sprite & the ("you weren't complainin' when I was floating in the WINDOW all Bram Stoker-like the other night!") Highlander

Good news, everyone! The bat was negative and so are we, thank goodness!

Now I can MAKE the Highlander stop hanging from the ceiling by his toes. Not that I'm complaining about the view under his kilt, but I like to see his FACE as well (looks like a hairy Jimmy Durante from the other end!) ;-)

The S & H