Jasen

            As soon as I saw Ariana open her eyes, my heart skipped a beat. I was so happy. I wasted no time running to the door to call for a nurse. When I turned to look back at Ariana, I could see that she held a very confused look on her face. I didn't blame her. There was so much going on around her. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but the machine in her mouth was stopping her from talking.

            Before I could say anything, a nurse, along with everyone else, piled into the room. They all looked as relieved and ecstatic as I felt. Ari's mother stepped forward first. The nurse began to remove the machine from her throat. She fed her ice after, I was assuming, due to the likely soreness. Once the machine was removed from her throat, Ariana blinked for a few moments before speaking to her mother.

            "Mom," she crocked out, the sound of her voice breaking my heart. She sounded so weak. "What happened?"

            Jessica looked around at all of us before turning back to Ariana to try and answer her question.

           "Honey, there was an accident," she began gently, ever so lovingly." Placing her hand on Ariana's hand. "You hit your head as well."

            Ariana frowned in confusion. My heart started beating quickly in my chest. Did she remember our last encounter? How long would it be before she started screaming at me? Or maybe even for me to leave the room? I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted nothing to do with me after everything that happened.

           "I don't remember," she murmured, barely shaking her head as it was still bandaged and was probably very sore.

            "Some memory loss is normal after hitting your head," the nurse who was adjusting the machine still chimed in soothingly. "You have a pretty big gash."

            Ariana looked around the room in confusion and fear. I was not prepared for the next thing that came out of her mouth.

             "Mom," she whispered. "Who are all these people?"

             We all gasped in horror. My heart dropped all the way to my stomach, and I could feel nausea washing over me. She couldn't remember any of us? Tears filled my eyes, threatening to fall. I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. How could I let any of this happen?

           "I'll go get the doctor," the nurse said, much more visibly concerned this time around.

            "Ari," Chase stepped forward with devastation written all over his face. I felt somehow responsible. "You don't remember me?"

             All Ariana did was stare blankly back at him. It was obvious that nothing was coming to mind for her and she didn't know what to say in return.

            "Chase," Jessica called, giving him a reassuring look. "Have faith. She may just be hazy from waking up."

           "Ariana" I whispered out heartbrokenly.

           When she looked at me, something quickly washed over her that looked like pain when she met my eyes. I held my breath at the hurt expression that seemed to flash before I could really tell before it was gone. Her face suddenly twisted, and she suddenly vomited all over her sheets. I felt so torn. All I wanted to do was go to her, and I couldn't. I wanted to comfort and help her. And all I could do was look on helplessly. Her mother quickly shooed the rest of us out of the room, probably to give her privacy, and buzzed for another nurse.

            As soon as the door swung shut, Chase charged after me and grabbed the front my shirt. He shook me hard.

           "What the fuck did you do?!" He screamed at me.

           Before I could react, Rylan pulled him off of me. Once he was pulled off of me, I turned on my heels and started making my way toward the elevator. I couldn't be here. I had to get out of here for now. There was a storm brewing inside me, and I couldn't deal with all of them on top of it.

            "Jasen!" My sister yelled chasing after me.

            She managed to slip into the elevator before the doors shut. I began to collapse. My sister reacted and wrapped her arms me. We both ended up falling to the elevator floor, and I just broke down. My sister said nothing and just let me cry in her arms. When the doors opened, she helped me to my feet, and we walked until we got to my car. Once inside, I just sobbed and cried. I felt like a child that had done something horribly wrong and didn't know how to fix it. Or whom to turn to because everyone was mad at me.

            "Jasen," my sister whispered, rubbing my forehead. "I know you feel like it is, but this is not your fault. It was an accident."

              My sobs had finally come to a halt. There wasn't much left inside me to cry. I figured I was dehydrated as well. I could admit I hadn't been taking very good care of myself. My sister may have had a point. But it wouldn't be forgotten she had gone out into the storm to get away from me. I was the one who yelled at her and treated her like an afterthought from day one.

            "There is nothing you can say to convince me this isn't my fault," I whispered bitterly.

            I could see tears fill my sister's eyes. I did feel bad. I knew my sister loved me. All she had ever wanted was the best for me. After we lost our parents, she basically got forced into the mother role in a way. And she took it all on without complaint. I didn't deserve a sister so amazing and selfless. She was part of the reason I took on this lifestyle. I was tired of seeing her struggle to support both of us. I wanted to be able to give us both a better life.

           "Jason, it was an accident," Elizabeth firmly stated. "You do not control another person's actions."

             All I could say for sure was that Ariana was suffering horribly and it had a lot to do with me. She didn't even remember parts of who she was. The whole thing tore my fucking heart to pieces. The scared and unsure look in her eyes. The same one I had seen in her eyes before all this had happened that night before she ran away from me. It had been there again. It still haunted me now as much as it had then. Not to mention my childhood friendships were basically almost all falling apart. I couldn't help but look at myself in my car mirror and silently ask myself had all this really been worth it...?