Say It Back|| a.i

After

I woke up in a light blue room and the first thing I saw was a girl with long brown hair sitting in chair, but her head lying in my lap. It didn't take me long to realize she was asleep.
She was familiar. I've seen her in school, I think. But she looked different. Her hair was a mess, you could see she hadn't brushed it in days and I think she looked older than the last time I saw her.
But why was she in my room? We didn't really know each other.

But this wasn't my room. My room isn't blue. Where was I?

I took a deep breath and the moving of my chest woke the girl up. She lifted her head up and looked at me.

"Ashton?" she asked, her voice cracking. Her cheeks were stained and she had big dark bars under her eyes, but she still looked... pretty?

She smiled like a fool.

"You're awake." she whispered, a single tear slipping down her face. "Nurse! He's awake!"

"Where am I? What happened to me?" I asked and her face dropped. She tried to reach for my hand, but I moved it away. It was weird. I didn't know this girl. I wasn't comfortable with holding her hand.

"Who are you?" I asked. She stayed quiet.

"It's me, Naomi."

I furrowed my eyebrows, waiting for her to explain.

"No." she whispered, more tears streaming out of her eyes now. "No, please no." she said. She started sobbing.

Why don't I know her?

"Mrs Swan? You'll have to leave now." a lady, apparently the nurse, said. The girl nodded and stood up. She walked to the door and turned around to see me once again and then left.

"Am I in a hospital?" I asked. I was. Why was I in a hospital?

After a few hours of doctors and my mom asking me weird questions about what didn't even seem to be my life and not giving me back any answers and diagnosis, there was visiting time.

I saw a familiar red haired boy coming into the room. Through the room window I saw him stop on the hallway once he saw that girl. Why was she still here?

"Are you okay?" he asked her, loudly enough for me to hear it. She shook her head no, then walked down the hallway.

"Ash, buddy! How are you man?" the redhead asked somewhat unsurely once he walked to me. "It's me, Michael."

"I know who you are, Michael." I lightly chuckled.

"Okay, cool. Awesome. I'm so happy you made it, bro." he said and I could see his eyes watering.

"Made what? And why am I not in school? It's like 12.30."

"Dude, you finished school two years ago ago."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You were in a big car crash. You were in a coma for nine days."

"What?" I repeated after a few minutes.

"You'll have doctors checking you in half an hour, they'll tell you if you're okay or if there's something wrong. Okay? And till then, your mom and Harry and Lauren are coming soon."

"Okay," I said, "but what's the point? I remember just how we ate dinner together. There's nothing wrong with me."

"Ashton!" I heard a familiar voice and saw my family next to me soon. They all took turns in hugging me.

"Mom, what happened? Why am I here? I don't understand anything!"

-

"Mrs Irwin, we've got the results." the doctor said. Him, me and my mom were all in my room and he was checking how I was. I still didn't understand anything, but the doctor was about to tell me everything.

"So, Ashton. You're 21 years old, and you finished school two years ago. You've got a brother and a sister-"

"I know my family." I said stubbornly.

"You've got a best friend Michael-"

"You're talking like I don't know anything about my life!"

"You were in a car accident, Ashton. Your health is okay, and you'll only have to stay in hospital for a few more days. But you've lost your memory. You don't remember anything from the last 3 years." the doctor explained. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Are you joking?"

"No, I wouldn't joke with these things, o-obviously. I'm a doctor." he stuttered. I shut up for a minute.

"So what you're saying is, that I don't remember any moment from the past three years, or any person I've met in the last three years? And I'm 21? I thought I just had my 18th birthday party." I said.

"Do you know Luke Hemmings?" my mom asked.

"No."

"You met him about 3 years ago. He's grown like a brother to you. Ashton, do you remember Naomi?"

"Who's Naomi?"

"Oh my God." my mom said, her eyes watering again.

"What's the last thing you remember?" the doctor asked.

"I remember coming home from school late, doing my homework and studying and then having a dinner with mom and Lauren and Harry and dad. It was just a few days after my 18th birthday, I was still getting Happy Birthday calls."

"Dad?" mom asked.

"Yeah."

"Honey, your dad is not with us anymore."

"What?"

"He left us." she said.

"But I remember-"

"No sweetheart. You don't remember." mom cried, leaving the room.

"I have to go for a walk." I said to the doctor. He nodded and let me go out of the room.

When I stepped to the hallway, I saw my mom and that girl from before, both crying.

"He doesn't remember me? No. Please. Any-anything." the girl cried. Was she talking about me? Was I supposed
to remember her? I didn't know one could cry so much.

"I've lost him. I've lost everything, the love of my life. I love him more than anything, and he doesn't even know me." she said. She leaned her back on the wall and slid down, so she was sitting on the floor, sobbing hysterically. I walked over to her and looked down.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly. She looked up at me.

"I'm so sorry if you were important to me." I said, grabbing her hand to get her up from the floor. She wiped her tears and looked at me in the eyes. I could see how hurt she was.

"We were together?" I asked carefully.

"It's me, Ashton. Naomi. Nami. You called me Nami. Please, Ashton." she whispered. "You have to remember me."

"I don't remember you, I'm so sorry." I said, letting go of her hand which I forgot I was holding, and walking away.