It had been five days since I woke up. Now three people were in the room with me — the woman, man, and little girl. Who were apparently my mom, dad and little sister, Lily. I was about to be released to go home.

I don't remember home, so I was kind of scared to go there. I know I should have been excited, I should have known what my home looked like. I knew this because of how my parents reacted when I said I didn't remember home.

I couldn't remember anything before the day I woke up in the room — I recently learned it was a hospital room. And the beeps were a machine that I had heard before when my grandfather had been in the hospital after he had a heart attack.

I overheard that Levi, Finley, and her boyfriend, Chase, — the other person who had been in the hospital room with me— were all coming over after I settled in. They were going to try and help me remember at least some things that I have forgotten.

I looked over as the door opened and the White Jacket guy, Doctor Smith,appeared in the doorway. My parents go over and the three adults talk in hushed voices. I can only make out a few things.

"Make sure... a lot to take in... not too much."

"We will... she will just stay... tell her friends."

The little bit that I got didn't make much sense to me. At last, my parents turned to me. Doctor Smith said, "You are good to go home. Be sure to let your parents know if you feel any head pain."

I nodded, although I wasn't actually listening. I just wanted to know what home was. As nervous as I was to go home, a place I couldn't remember, I felt a small bit of excitement.

I sat on the edge of the bed, standing up on shaky legs. I slowly made my way to the door, holding onto the wall. I had been in a coma for a few weeks and now it was hard to walk. I was getting help to get strength back in my legs and I was making progress. But it was still hard to walk without holding onto something.

"Would you like a wheelchair?" Doctor Smith asked me. I shook my head, determined to get the strength back into my legs. If I accepted a wheelchair that would be like giving up and I wanted to feel normal even if I wasn't exactly sure what normal was at this point.

I followed my parents through the maze of hallways in the hospital, using the wall to support my weight. My legs felt heavy and tired but I wouldn't admit that after I already denied the wheelchair offer.

Finally we got to the front desk. I leaned against the wall next to the door as my dad talked to the front desk lady. Lily was standing next to me, telling me all about what happened while I was in my "big sleep" as she called it. Currently she was rambling on about her cat stuff animal having a fight with our real cat, Shadow. Apparently this did not end well for the stuffed animal.

My dad came over to us. "We are good to go now. Mom is pulling the car up to the door." He told me.

"Okay." I said, hiding the nervousness in my voice. I looked out of the glass door, watching a black van pull up near the door. There wasn't really any wall for me to hold onto outside. So I had to hold onto my dad's arm to get out. He helped me into the van then went to the other side to strap Lily into her carseat.

I fumbled with the buckle for a moment, trying to click it in. It took me the time for my dad to get Lily in her carseat and get himself in the car until I finally got buckled.

My dad looked back at me, a smile plastered on his face. "Are you ready to go home?" He asked me. I swallowed my fears and nodded. I wasn't sure if I was actually ready. But I was going to have to be.

The car engine rumbled as it started to move. I watched out the window as we drove away from the hospital. We drove past a few houses but mostly it was just fields and farms and forests. I enjoyed looking out the window. I spotted three animals in a field. I tried to remember what it was but I didn't have to because as soon as Lily spotted them she screamed "Deer!"

The car jerked as my mom started to stop the car then continued to go as she realized the deer were in the field. "Lily! We talked about you yelling when I am driving. If you keep doing that we are going to get into a car crash." She scolded.

Lily looked down at her lap, frowning. "Sorry mommy." She mumbled. I wasn't sure if Lily was actually sorry or just saying that because she got in trouble.

It went quiet after that. I just watched out the window, the only sounds were cars passing by. I decided I was not a fan of silence. I looked over at Lily, who was still looking down at her lap.

I opened my mouth, trying to say something to break the silence. But dad did it for me. "We are almost home!"

I suddenly felt sick. My stomach turned with nerves, threatening to bring up the little oatmeal I could stomach from breakfast. I didn't want to go somewhere I couldn't remember. Being close made it so much more horrifying.

My mom was saying something. Something about showing me to my room when we got there, to be careful of the cat getting out, about stuff that my nerves made impossible to follow.

Before I knew it we were pulling up to a two story, boring cream colored house. The car parked and I unbuckled my seat belt. I hesitated as I grabbed the handle to open the car door. When I opened this door there was no turning back or chickening out. I had to go into that house. Follow my parents through the brown door. Into a place that might as well have been a black void because that place was not some place I could remember. But I couldn't just refuse to leave the car. I couldn't stay in it.

So I opened the car door, following my mother up to the front door, leaning on the outside wall as soon as I could reach it. I heard the small click as she unlocked the front door. Then the squeak of the opening door. After my mother walked in I would have to follow. I paused as I stepped into the house.

The floor was wooden. The walls were a similar boring color as the outside. A stand with a family picture leaned against the wall.

"Come on Ashley, I'll show you your room." My mom said, so I followed her up the flight of steps and through the hallway. My room was at the end of the hallway, past the bathroom and Lily's room.

We stopped at a white door with a sign that said, Ashley's room. My mom turned the doorknob, opening the door before stepping back. I stepped forwards to get a good look at the room.

The ceiling was pure white with a bright yellow-tinted light and the floor was a gray carpet only seen between the clothes, ps5 games, and controllers scattered on the floor. All the walls were blue, except the one parallel to the comfortable looking bed. That wall was covered in drawings and pictures of me with my friends that had been in the hospital when I woke up. The bed itself had about 5 blankets, too many pillows to count, and stuffed animals that made it impossible to see the sheet that covered the mattress. A TV sat on a dresser on the wall closest to the door, a ps5 connected to it. I stood in the doorway, trying to remember the room that I was in most of the time, playing video games and talking with my friends. At least, that's what my mom told me when she was telling me about the house yesterday.

I leaned against the doorway, taking in the sight of the room. My room.

I slowly made my way in, stumbling slightly as I tried to walk. Walking was even more of a struggle when I had stuff I had to step over. I stopped at the wall that had all the pictures on it. There were alot of pictures of me. More so me with Finley, Levi, and — in a few — Chase. There were also drawings. Dogs and cats that weren't exactly cartoony but far from realistic.

I felt something furry rub against my legs and I almost fell backwards. A black tabby cat with emerald green eyes was rubbing against my legs, purring loudly. It sounded like a motor. I grabbed onto the dresser the TV was on and slowly sank to the ground, almost losing my balance. When I sat down and settled into a comfortable position, the cat curled up in my lap. I stroke the black cat's back, seeing a navy blue color around the cat's neck. The tag on it said 'SHADOW' with an address and phone number in case he got lost.

I looked at the mess on the floor, spotting a blue ps5 controller. I picked it up, looking down at the buttons and joysticks. I set my left thumb on the X button and my right thumb on the joystick closest to it. The position felt both awkward and normal to my hands.

I pressed the ps5 button, jumping as I heard a sound from the TV. Which made Shadow run off from the sudden movement and sound. I looked up at the TV, seeing the TV turning to a screen with the ps sign in the back. So... that must have turned the ps5 on?

I scrolled through the games, stopping on what seemed interesting. Fortnite. I clicked the X button. It said that I had to insert the disc to play? I wondered where the discs were.

I started to look through the mess of my room before I heard a knock on the front door. My head shot up and I hit it on the bed frame. "Owch!" I squeaked, pulling myself out from under my bed. I rubbed my head, glaring at the stairs mostly because I couldn't see the front door to glare at it. And probably also glare at whoever knocked on it.

"Ashley! Your friends are here!" My mom called up.

"Alright!" I called. I looked around the bedroom again, trying to keep it all in my mind. I never wanted to forget anything again. I hated not remembering anything.

"Ashley!" My mom yelled up again. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay! I'm coming!" I said. I left my room, closing the door behind me. I glanced at the sign on my door one last time. Ashley's room. I smiled at the sign, feeling more calm. All the nerves I felt earlier disappeared. I felt in place which was something I was not expecting to feel when I left the hospital with no memories of the place I was going. And just that was enough to make me feel that I would be okay despite having no memories.