"Fragmented Reality"

Ashley walked out of the supermarket, taking the baby in her arms. "We have to go, drive," she said, shaking and crying uncontrollably. Ryan stood there, frozen in shock, his eyes fixed on the baby in Ashley's arms. "What the heck, Ashley? Who's baby is that?" he asked, trying to reason with her. "Our baby," Ashley replied, her voice shaking. "It's our Theo. He came back." Ryan looked at her and shook his head, concern and sadness etched on his face. "Baby, it's not Theo. He passed away, remember?" he said gently, trying to bring her back to reality. But Ashley was beyond reason. She looked up at Ryan with a mix of desperation and delusion in her eyes. "No!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the parking lot. "He's back, I know it. I can feel it." Ryan took a step forward, his arms outstretched, but Ashley backed away, clutching the baby tightly to her chest. "Ashley, sweetheart, you're scaring me," Ryan said, his voice laced with worry. "This isn't our baby. We need to take him back to his mother." But Ashley just shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "No, no, no. This is our baby. You're just trying to confuse me." Ryan sighed, trying to think of a way to calm her down. He knew that Ashley's mental health was fragile, but he had never seen her like this before. He took a deep breath and tried to approach her slowly. "Okay, okay. Let's just go home and talk about this, okay?" he said, trying to reason with her. But Ashley was already walking away, the baby in her arms. "We have to get out of here," she said, her voice shaking. "They're going to take him away from us." Ryan followed her, his heart heavy with concern. He knew that he had to get Ashley help, but he didn't know where to start. As they drove away from the supermarket, Ashley's grip on the baby tightened. She looked down at him, and for a moment, she could have sworn that she saw Theo's face looking back at her. She smiled, a mix of joy and sadness on her face. "Welcome back, baby," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Ryan's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, and he felt a pang of sadness. He knew that he had to get Ashley help, and fast. But as he looked at her, he wondered if she was beyond saving.