Now it was my turn to be overcome with jelly legs and topple to the floor. Both Mom and Xander immediately swarmed over me, fussing and worrying and so forth. I ignored them for a bit while choosing whether or not to pass out. In the end, shock won out over dignity, and I drifted off into blackness.
When I came to, I had no sense of the time, but Mom and Xander were at my side, Mom patting my hand and Xander tapping me on the forehead.
“Anybody home?” he kept asking.
I took a deep breath, announcing my return to the living, and opened my eyes.
“How long have I been out?”
Xander exchanged an unreturned glance with Mom before shrugging his shoulders and replying. “Maybe ten seconds.”
“Oh.”
“Are you alright, Honey?” asked Mom.
I nodded and sat up with their help, then turned to Xander. “Is she telling the truth? Did you kill my father?”
“It's complicated,” he answered.
“You sawed into his skull!” accused Mom. “How complicated is that?”