The hospital called, saying an elderly family member had been in a car wreck. My husband, thinking it was my mom, tried to talk me out of rushing to the rescue. "Hospitals are just scams, you know? They'll drag a dead body into the ICU and run up the bill." "Mom's getting up there in years. Even if they save her, who's going to take care of her? It's better this way; we'll get a bigger settlement." "Ashley, baby, life and death are fate. Maybe we should just let it go?" I agreed with a straight face, "Yeah, you're right! Fate is fate. Let's not." Little did he know, thanks to a twist of fate and a do-over, I knew the one lying in that hospital bed wasn't my mom, Susan... it was his! 1 "Hello, is this Ashley Miller?" "Your mother-in-law has been in a car accident and is being rushed to County General. You need to get here right away." The phone was on speaker. The doctor's urgent voice filled the air, hitting both my husband, Kevin, and me. It was below freezing outside, but I was ready to bolt out the door without even grabbing a coat. Kevin was still planted in place. I yelled at him in exasperation, "Kevin, what are you waiting for? Your mom's at the hospital, waiting for us to save her!" He didn't budge, even fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. "Ash, it's after midnight. I've got work in the morning." "Why don't we just skip the hospital? We're not doctors, we can't do anything there anyway." This was life or death. Kevin's attitude ignited a fury in my gut, and I exploded, "Kevin, what the hell are you talking about? That's your mom who's been hurt!" He slouched even further. "Your mom? She's your mother-in-law, not my responsibility!" My blood ran cold. A flood of memories slammed into me, the sheer weight of the information making me freeze. Kevin, seeing I wasn't reacting, got a cunning look in his eyes. "Hospitals are rip-offs, Ash. They'll drag a dead body into the ICU and run up the bill." "Mom's getting old. Even if they save her, who's going to take care of her? If she dies, we get a bigger payout." I hesitated, "But... she's still your mom, Kevin. People will talk if we don't at least try." Kevin puffed out his chest, "Just say I made you give up on treatment. Who's gonna blame you?" "Ash, baby, life and death are fate. Maybe we should just let her go?" I feigned agreement, "Okay, sure. Fate is fate. Let's not." I slipped my phone, recording everything, behind my back. Little did he know, thanks to a do-over from some cosmic twist, I knew the one lying in that hospital bed wasn't my mom, Susan… it was his! 2 Last time, that's exactly how it went down. The hospital called with the news about what they assumed was my mom. Kevin’s mom was listed as "Daughter-in-law" in my contacts, so he automatically assumed it was my mom, Susan, that was in the accident. I frantically tried to drag Kevin out the door, but he was convinced it was my mom who was hurt, and he flat-out refused to go to the hospital. I explained, again and again, that his mom used "Daughter-in-law" in my contacts as an endearing pet name. I reminded him about how at our wedding, she announced to everyone she'd treat me like her own daughter. Kevin dismissed it, claiming I was just making excuses to drag him to the hospital. He wouldn't believe a word. Finally, I had to rush to the hospital alone, dealing with all the arrangements and racking up insane medical bills to keep his mom alive. She barely made it, but the delay left her paralyzed. Kevin sauntered into the hospital the next afternoon. And then the performance began, he gave the teary-eyed paralyzed woman the show of a lifetime. "Ash, why did you keep this from me? The doctor said if they'd started the machines half an hour earlier, Mom wouldn't be paralyzed!" "Just because you don't like my mom doesn't mean you can condemn her to a wheelchair." My explanations fell on deaf ears. Her eyes locked on me with pure venom, like I was the one who crippled her. If I didn't do exactly as she wanted, she'd go to my mom's workplace and blab the whole story. I had no choice but to quit my job and become her full-time caregiver. Before the paralysis, Kevin's mom was a textbook bad mother-in-law; afterward, she became a monster. Three square meals a day, four courses each, water at precisely 115 degrees Fahrenheit, massage and bathing every single day. I slaved away, catering to her every whim, while Kevin became the neighborhood saint, the dutiful son everyone gushed over. When I complained to Kevin about her demands, she overheard. She smothered me in my sleep. And then I woke up. I was back in the present, listening to Kevin trying to talk me out of getting his mom help. If fate was giving me another chance, I was going to make Kevin and his mom pay. 3 Kevin was still trying to dissuade me from rushing to the rescue. "Honey, I saw on the news that Mom got messed up bad. Better to die quick than be stuck as a vegetable." "She'd be stuck in a bed, needing help with everything, even going to the bathroom. It's just not dignified." "Mom was always a proud woman, Ash. Don't let her die without her dignity." Humph, I snorted inwardly. Pretending to be so concerned, and he's really afraid of taking care of a paralyzed old woman. I smirked on the inside, keeping my face calm and trusting. "You're right, baby!" Kevin wrapped an arm around my waist, blowing smoke in my face. "I heard the trucker was drunk, so we’ll get a big payday, right?" "Our place is way too small. Let’s get a bigger place with the settlement money." "I got my car when we got married; I’ll spend the rest on a new ride." "..." He was lost in the planning of how to spend the settlement money, and the thought of the windfall made him grin like a fool. Even knowing that it wasn't my mom, Susan, in the hospital, I couldn't help the scowl that formed on my face. Kevin realized he had gone too far, so he made a rare attempt to make it up to me. "Baby, and with what’s left, I’ll buy you a gold bracelet." "You can show it off to everyone." 4 I stared at Kevin, asking, "Are you sure you want to let this go?" "Even if it was your mom lying in that hospital bed?" Kevin's face turned red, slamming his hand on the table. "My mom isn't that unlucky." "She called me an hour ago, said she found a car battery, and sold it for two hundred bucks." He pointed his finger at my nose, shouting, "Ash, I just told you all that, and you still didn't listen, did you?" "Mom had a good life, so let her go out with dignity. Don't fight it." I locked eyes with him. "Even if it was your mom in the hospital, we shouldn't help?" "Nope, nope, nope! I’d say it a hundred times, we are not helping!" Great. After his mom died, I’d blast this recording right in front of her tombstone. "Hey, Old Hag, your son doesn't want you." Last time, the doctor said that even though Kevin’s mom’s injuries were severe, if she got help half an hour earlier, she wouldn’t have ended up paralyzed. I was ready to run to the hospital. Kevin knew I’d help, so he froze all our credit cards. I called my Mom, Susan, and she coughed up what we needed for the medical bills. Not this time. I wouldn’t waste my time on Kevin’s mom. I wanted to see how Kevin would put the paralysis on my head without my help. Of course, his mom needed to survive first. 5 Kevin was still happily planning how to spend the settlement money. He even spent a dollar to ask a lawyer how much he would get in the settlement. When he heard that the settlement could be $1.2 million, he asked the lawyer the key question: "If I'm the kid of the dead person, can I get settlement money?" "Yep, you sure can." News posted about the accident with a picture of the scene. Kevin’s mom was passed out with blood everywhere. It was tough to see her features. Even her shirt was covered in blood. Underneath were the comments: [“I heard the accident was by the bridge, where a lot of old people live.”] [“I know the victim; she lives in Happy Acres neighborhood.”] Kevin’s mom came to visit us a while back from back home. I didn’t want her to live with us, so I told Kevin we could rent her a place in my mom's, Susan's, neighborhood. My mom and Kevin’s mom could hang out, and we could visit my mom and his mom in one trip. Kevin looked at the picture of the bloody woman, and his voice shook. "Ash, does that look like my mom?" "Was my mom in an accident?!" He freaked out, spamming the comments, asking what clothes the person was wearing. Someone responded with a picture of her back. Kevin’s mom was wearing my mom's, Susan's, white shirt while shopping. The shirt had my mom's initials on the sleeve. I looked at the bloody shirt and knew the truth. Kevin’s mom loved to steal, so she was always at my mom's house. The shirt was one of those things she stole. 6 Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. He was almost smug. "Ash, you tried to trick me into thinking my mom was hurt to help your mom, Susan? I almost fell for it." "The woman in the accident picture had your mom's shirt. Are you sure it's not your mom?" "I told you not to fight it. We need to let her go with dignity." I couldn't believe Kevin. He treated my mom and his mom completely different, and he still wanted a settlement? Kevin looked at me with an air of superiority. "Ash, you might lose your mom, Susan, but I'll let you think of my mom as your mom." Ha! Who says who's losing a mom? My phone started to ring, and it was my mom. I showed Kevin the contact and said, "It's Mom calling." Kevin couldn't hide his happiness, his eyes filled with the hope of big bucks. "The doctor can't do anything. Your mom's calling to say goodbye." "Baby, make sure you get the bank information and passwords. Once she's gone, it'll be tough to get the money." My face showed my anger, but I answered the phone and put it on speaker. 7 Before I could talk, Kevin started yelling. "Mom, don't say anything. Just tell us where all your banks are and what the passwords are." "Once the bank knows you're gone, it'll be tough to get the money. We need to grab the money before the bank knows." Mom was confused, and it took her three seconds to respond. "Kevin, are you okay? I don't understand what you're saying." "Mom, tell us the bank passwords! Don't make things tough before you go." "You are…" I grabbed the phone from Kevin and heard my mom's familiar voice. I was almost crying. I started to sniffle and said, "Mom." Mom thought I was sad because of Kevin's mom. She tried to calm me down. "Ash, I heard Kevin’s mom was in an accident. How is she?" "If you need the money, tell me. I want to make sure everyone is okay." "Where are you? I'm coming to see you." Kevin was snickering when my mom said it was his mom in the accident. "Where else would we be except at home?" "Mom, I heard it was you in the accident. Ashley and I talked and we want you to die with dignity, so we said no to the rescue." "Don't pretend it was Ashley's mom. We are not helping." "Kevin, is this… Okay, I'm coming over right now!" Mom knew that Kevin had gone crazy. Ten minutes later, she showed up at our door. "Kevin, your mom's in the hospital. Why are you here?" 8 Kevin was shocked. "Mom, why are you here? Aren't you in the hospital?" Mom was confused. "Who said I was in an accident?" Kevin dropped his cigarette on the couch. The red-hot ember left a hole in the fabric. He ran to my mom, Susan, and grabbed her shirt. "The accident picture showed the victim in a white shirt with your initials. Who else would it be?" "Why are you here and not at the hospital?" Kevin was yelling and I watched him clench his fists. He was pinching his thigh, trying to prove that it was my mom, not his mom, that was hurt. Mom knew Kevin was out of his mind, so she grabbed my hand to take me to the hospital. I didn't budge and helped my mom, Susan, to the couch. "Mom, Kevin and I have talked. We want you to go out with dignity, so we said no to the rescue." "What?!" I told my mom what Kevin said to me earlier. Mom started to suspect something wasn't right. She grabbed my sleeve and said Kevin was up to no good. Kevin panicked and grabbed his car keys. He ran to the hospital. I watched him leave, without even a jacket in below-freezing weather. Ha! He's running now. I hoped he would get to see his mom before it was too late. 9 When we arrived at the hospital, Kevin’s mom was still in the ER. "Mom, I'm Kevin! How are you?" "Mom… Mom… Mom!" Kevin screamed and screamed. His mom was in a hospital bed, and she didn't move an inch. Her breathing was shallow. Doctors were surrounding her, and the head doctor was on the phone. A nurse noticed us and ran over. "Are you the family of Eleanor Johnson?" Kevin nodded and the nurse explained the situation. His mom was in danger, and they needed a $20,000 piece of equipment. Kevin started to run over to pay, but I stopped him. "Baby, didn't you say we needed to let her die with dignity? Now we need to start planning her funeral so she has a good sendoff." Kevin turned mean. "Are you trying to curse my mom to die?" "Ashley, I'm telling you right now. If something happens to my mom, I'm divorcing you!" I put my hands on my hips and said, "Didn't you say not to help? Is your mom's life worth more than my mom's?" The nurse got angry. "The patient is in danger! You need to pay!" She left us to talk to the doctor. "Where's Dr. Miller? Only he can do the surgery!"
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