CHAPTER 1

I answered Mom's phone with trembling fingers as footsteps pounded down the hall. "Dad, something's really wrong with Mom."

"Thank God! I've been worried sick. There was a horrible accident on the interstate. It took forever to get around it, but I should be home in ten. Why haven't you or your sister been answering your phones and where is your mother? I've been trying to get a hold of her. Wait, this is her phone. Why are you answering her phone? Where's your phone? You better not have lost it again." Dad hadn't listened to a word I said.

I tuned him out as he rambled on like Mom wasn't sick and unconscious.

A shadow crept over the bed, suffocating Mom's frail form. I glanced up. Suzie inched into the room with her hands covering her mouth and squeezing her nose. We had to do something. Mom's brain could be boiling right this very minute. She could die.

"Call 911," I instructed my sister.

"What?" Dad asked from far away.

I stared wide-eyed at Suzie as I waited for her to follow my orders, but she just held her hands securely over her nose and mouth, staring at Mom.

"What happened?" Dad asked.

"Suzie!" I screamed.

As if I'd slapped her, my sister jolted back to life and finally looked at me.

"Mom is boiling hot and I can't wake her up," I spoke slow. "Call 911. Now."

Suzie nodded with tears in her eyes. She removed one hand from her face and pulled out her phone.

"Oh my God! I should've come home earlier. Damn it! I knew something was wrong with her this morning, but she said it was only the flu and..." Dad kept talking, but his voice faded out.

My heart raced as I waited for Suzie to get through to 911.

"It's busy." Suzie shook her head. "Why's it busy, Case? I thought 911 always answered."

"Give it to me." I reached for her phone and handed Dad over to her. Both of us were shaking.

"Dad? I'm so so sorry. I should've answered when you called." Suzie's voice trembled as she backed out of the room.

I dialed 911. "If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again."

Ending the call, I glanced at the phone to make sure I dialed the right three numbers. I did. What the hell?

I re-dialed manually. Busy signal this time. What the hell was going on?

I called back two dozen times and still wasn't able to get through.

"What good is 911 if we can't get through?" I screamed at the busy signal.

Suzie walked back into the room and handed Mom's phone to me. "Dad will be here soon."

I let out an angry breath and flicked on the bedroom light.

We both gasped.

Mom looked like someone had used her face as a punching bag. Her entire face was swollen and covered in nasty bruises.

A greenish-yellow substance clung to the edges of her mouth and her eyelids, gluing them shut. What kind of sickness was this? She was completely unrecognizable.

Dad would help us get her to the hospital when he got here, but we needed to do something for Mom now.

"We have to wait for Dad," I said. "Go start Mom a cold bath. We need to cool her down."

Suzie nodded and ran into the bathroom.

Bending down to Mom's face, I listened for any breathing, but couldn't hear anything. I held my fingers under her nose.

Relief ran through me when a hot stream of air escaped her nostrils, but it was barely there just like her pulse. I stood at the sound of the bathroom faucet.

"Su, I need help getting Mom to the tub." I yanked the bedding down and my stomach flipped inside out at the gut-wrenching sight.

I doubled over and threw up all over Mom and Dad's floor.