Awakening to Reality

Ashley's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with the harsh fluorescent lighting of a hospital room. She tried to sit up, but her wrists and ankles were restrained to the bed by soft, yet firm, restraints. A wave of panic washed over her as she looked around the unfamiliar room. Her sister, Erica, sat in a chair beside the bed, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. "Where...where am I?" Ashley stammered, her voice shaking. "Where's Ryan?" Erica's expression turned somber, and she shook her head. "Ryan's gone, Ashley. He...he died." Ashley's eyes widened in horror as she processed Erica's words. She tried to struggle against the restraints, but they only seemed to tighten. "No, no, no! That can't be! We were going to be together, Ryan and I. We were going to be with our boy." Erica's face crumpled, and she reached out to Ashley, but Ashley jerked away. "You don't understand! I wanted to be with him, not leave him! I wanted to be happy again." Erica's voice was soft, yet firm. "Ashley, you're in a psych ward. You and Ryan...you tried to end your life. You took pills, and...and Ryan didn't make it." Ashley's eyes filled with tears as she screamed and kicked against the restraints. "No, no, no! I didn't want to end my life! I wanted to be with him! I wanted to be with my family!" The room seemed to spin around Ashley as she realized the gravity of her situation. She was trapped, restrained, and alone. The only sound was her own ragged breathing and Erica's soft sobs. "Why did you do it, Ashley?" Erica asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you and Ryan try to...try to leave this world behind?" Ashley's eyes locked onto Erica's, and she saw the pain and concern etched on her sister's face. "I just wanted to be with him," Ashley whispered, her voice cracking. "I wanted to be happy again. I didn't know how else to do it." The restraints seemed to tighten, holding Ashley in place as she broke down in sobs. Erica reached out, and this time, Ashley didn't pull away. She let her sister hold her, and she cried, releasing the emotions that had been bottled up inside her. As the tears streamed down her face, Ashley knew that she had a long road to recovery ahead of her. She had to confront the darkness that had driven her and Ryan to make that desperate decision. She had to find a way to heal, to learn to live with the loss of Ryan, and to find happiness again. But for now, she just cried, surrounded by the sterile hospital environment, and the loving, yet worried, face of her sister Erica.