Orthodontics in the Zombie Apocalypse

9. The Unfortunate Story of Mikah's Mom (2/3)

"She had been battling cancer for four years," he explains.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I had a great aunt that passed away from cancer, too."

"Oh, no, it wasn't the cancer that killed her. She was actually starting to recover. It was some pretty severe liver cancer, so we were all kind of preparing for her time to come. But instead the treatment was working. Her health increased miraculously, and the tumor shrunk to the point that they could remove it surgically."

I almost forgot where this story was leading, but I remember before I say anything too stupid.

"I guess you could say she died in a car accident," Mikah says, eyes staring off, a frown on his face.

"Why do you say it like that?"

"She was walking across the street, only parked cars around. Turns out, it was a relatively steep hill and one of the cars didn't have an emergency break on that should have. It rolled right over her."

My hands clasp over my mouth. "Oh my gosh! And that's what killed her?"

"No," Mikah replies. "She got to the hospital with a collapsed lung and several broken ribs, but she survived the hit."

"So what happened?"

"Well, while she was recovering in the hospital, they were bringing therapy dogs around to see the patients. One of them was a repurposed police dog--the gentlest dog the hospital had ever seen, they said; very good with kids and sick patients." He scratches his head. "Anyways, my mom had just gotten a tube taken out of her throat, so she was having a hard time speaking. She tried to talk, got frustrated, and muttered how it was a real fuss. The dog heard 'fass', apparently, which it always knew to be the command to attack. The new handler wasn't an officer, so he didn't know how to get it to stop. The security guard finally came in to stop the dog from mauling her to death."

"But he was too late?"

"No, she lived through that, too."

"So what happened!" I ask, so anxious to know that I shout the question.

"Oh, uh, while she was in the hospital, I dropped the rubbing alcohol bottle and it broke, so my dad grabbed the nearest bottle to transfer it to. It was a vodka bottle. When my mom got home from the hospital, she was ready for a drink, so she grabbed her good vodka. But it wasn't vodka."

I wait before I ask.

"I don't think she realized it right away. She had been drinking a bit of tequila before, so she was a little out of it by then. We took her back to the hospital before she started seizing and died."

Anyways, it was right around Hanukkah, so she went to light the next candle of the menorah, but she dropped the shammash and instantly caught fire, because the actual vodka she had been drinking is flammable." He sighs. "She was running around like a madwoman, too crazy to drop and roll. She ran into so many walls, she lost consciousness, and with all her other injuries, her head couldn't take the new damage."

I lean closer, waiting. At this rate, I'm almost wondering if his mom actually is dead after all!

He picks at the blanket, entirely solemn now. "She didn't wake up. And the house burned down, too."