A couple of days later, after dozens of tests and every kind of specialist imaginable paraded through her hospital room, Irene was finally given clearance to go home.
One thing kept bothering Irene as she thought, 'Trouble is, I don't think I know what "home" is anymore.'
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Ashley, who was seated in the driver's seat, asked as she turned to look at her niece.
"I don't know. I'll either remember something at some point, or I won't, and I will just have to live with it," Irene responded with a sigh.
"The doctors sent you home for a reason. Dr. Martinez was optimistic that familiar surroundings might help your memories resurface. It will be okay. Something will come back to you soon, I just know it," Ashley said, while Irene nodded at her and thought, 'Let's hope so. I can't stand this feeling of missing everything that makes me, well, ME.'
The streets of Blackwood, her neighborhood—nothing seemed familiar to Irene as Ashley drove her home.
When Irene stepped inside the house, she inhaled the almost-familiar scent, trying to stir something in her memory, but there was nothing. "Well? Anything coming back to you?" Ashley asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.
Irene took another thoughtful look around before shaking her head, "Nope. Nothing."
Ashley's hopeful look vanished into one of despair, which she tried to disguise quickly. "Well, that's okay. We just need to be patient. Something is bound to trigger a memory of some kind soon enough."
Irene noticed a picture on the fridge of a teenage girl at the beach with her parents. She blinked, realizing that she was looking at her own picture. She almost didn't recognize a photograph of herself, let alone her parents. "Hey, Aunt Ashley. These are my parents, right? When do they get home? Why didn't they pick me up?"
"Oh, Irene. Your parents…" Ashley trailed off when the front door burst open, and two young adults rushed in—a boy and a girl of Irene's age, their eyes widened as they caught sight of Irene in the kitchen.
"Tristan, Amelia… I don't know if now is the best time—," Ashley was saying when Amelia cut her words off with enthusiasm.
"Irene! You are back. The stupid doctors wouldn't let us come see you at the hospital. I'm so glad you're home and you're okay," Amelia said, her tone dripping with excitement.
"Okay, Amelia, just give her a second," Tristan said, but the girl didn't listen. She ran happily toward Irene, slowing only as she read her expression.
The boy turned apologetically to Ashley.
"I texted Amelia when I saw your car in the driveway. I tried explaining to her what you told me on the phone. But as you can see, she didn't believe me," Tristan said, while Amelia turned to Irene with teary eyes.
"Irene, do you know who we are?" Amelia asked, looking hopefully at her.
Irene looked over at Ashley for some kind of cue, then back at the two before her. "We're friends of some kind, right?"
Amelia broke into a relieved smile at her words.
Ashley, though she didn't look convinced, shared a glance with Tristan, who looked the same. "See? She's starting to remember things again," Amelia quipped, a wide smile on her face.
"Amelia, let's not pressure her to remember everything right away. She's been through a lot. I did some research about how to handle people with memory problems. Asking Irene if she remembers every little thing is just going to get tiresome. We just have to be patient and trust that things are going to get back to normal eventually," Tristan explained.
"Right. I... I'm sorry," Amelia murmured.
"So, for the sake of context, I'm Tristan, and this is Amelia. We're your best friends," Tristan introduced, while Irene looked at them for a moment.
Then she parted her lips to speak, "I may not remember you, but I should consider myself lucky that I have nice people like you looking out for me."
Amelia burst into tears. She put her arms around Irene in a hug, holding onto her as if she was desperate to get her friend back.
Over her shoulder, Irene saw Tristan, who looked hesitantly like he wanted to join them but made the decision to hang back. After a moment, he put a hand on Amelia's shoulder, gently pulling her back from Irene.
"Okay, guys, I think this is enough excitement for tonight... Irene is still in recovery. She'll be back at school in a few days, and you can come back tomorrow, but for now, she needs to rest," Ashley said, and her friends didn't argue. They said goodbye to her, and Irene found herself watching Tristan until the door shut behind him.
****
The next day, Irene was just coming back to her room from a shower when she heard something on the other side of the door. "Aunt Ashley, is that you?" Irene said as she slipped inside her room and was struck breathless when she realized that it was Tristan. "What are you doing in my room?" Irene exclaimed, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Oh." Tristan's eyes widened when he saw she was just in her underwear. He took a good look at her figure, then winced and looked hurriedly away. "Ah, sorry."
"What in the world do you think you're doing? Close your eyes," Irene snapped as she covered herself with her hands reflexively.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Tristan apologized, keeping his eyes shut while Irene waved her hand in front of his face, making sure he really couldn't see her. "Are you still there?" he asked after a while.
"Yes. Don't look yet… You didn't answer my question. What are you doing in my room?"
"The book I read on people with amnesia suggested normal communication and keeping to a routine… So, I came through the window," Tristan answered, making Irene raise a brow at his words.
"And that's a usual thing for you and me?" she asked, and Tristan shrugged.
"It was," he answered, and Irene gave him a doubtful look, but she didn't have any reason not to trust him. After all, he bothered to do research into her condition.
"A natural routine will help me recover more quickly, is that right?" she asked.
"That's what I read," Tristan responded.
"My doctor said the same thing. Okay, you can stay. But don't look while I find something to wear."
"Okay." Head down, Tristan felt around for her bed and took a seat on it, while Irene turned away from him and faced her closet.