A/N: Hey guys! I'm actually really enjoying writing this story so far, and I hope you guys like it as well. Thanks for reading, and please make sure to review! Sorry this is a shorter chapter, I'm working on big ideas for later chapters :)

As she opened her eyes, everyone around Aria gave out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh my god, Aria, you're alive!" They all shouted out in unison, tears of joy plaguing many of her friends' eyes.

Even though she was indeed physically alive, the Aria that entered the hospital would not be the same Aria that would leave it. The old Aria did not have a gash across her forehead, a patched up skull, a broken left leg, or a loss of memories.

Everything was blurry, fuzzy, unclear to her. Unaware of where she was, or what had happened to her, Aria's eyes widened in shock, as she gave out a desperate, pleading cry. "Where am I? What's going on? What's happening to me?" PLEASE, someone tell me what I'm doing here!"

It was in that moment when pure fear struck everyone in the room. They all exchanged glances with one another, before Hanna left the room in a hurry to grab Aria's doctor, barely managing to hold back her tears. They had been friends for years and years now, and to imagine her best friend without memories, their amazing memories together, was far too painful.

Spencer and Emily were holding it together remarkably well, given the circumstances. Making up the other two in the iconic quartet, they also were very close with Aria, and the group spent most nights at one another's house. They weren't as close with Aria as Hanna was, but they were still tight. Hanna was the only one who knew about her secret forbidden relationship with Ezra, as well as her twisted "relationship" with Noel now. Of course, whatever they had, was definitely over the second he threw her out from not only his car, but his life, too. That was why Hanna was the one who immediately jumped at the offer to grab the doctor; once he was headed inside her room to handle the problem, she planned to call Ezra and let him now what's happened. He wouldn't be able to come visit her right away, for obvious reasons, but she had to notify him of her serious accident, whatever it was, and the condition she was currently in.

Back in the room, Aria's scary questions continued, and everyone in there with her silently prayed, crossed their fingers, did whatever they could, to prevent their worst nightmare from becoming reality. There was no way that she could have amnesia, she just couldn't; it just wasn't possible. A few minutes later, Hanna returned into the room after making the much-needed phone call to the former lover, and silently queried the others if there had been any changes. A gentle shake of Spencer's head answered the question for her. The doctor continued to examine Aria, but it wasn't looking good. Still no memories have resurfaced.

After what felt like forever, Hanna finally broke the silence, finally acknowledged the massive elephant in the room. "So, are we really going to ignore the fact that Noel isn't here? Didn't you call him?" Hanna exclaimed.

The room went back to its former state of silence. They all looked uncomfortably at one another, because they all were thinking the same thing, but didn't know how to say it aloud. He did this to her. It was general knowledge that Noel Kahn was a major party boy, and wasn't exactly famous for being the sweetest boyfriend in the world. They were aware of his numerous infidelities, and the bruises slowly appearing on Aria. They begged for her to be honest with them, but she just couldn't, not without explaining everything. They wouldn't understand, and she feared that they would tell someone, and Ezra would get sent away. It was hard enough telling Hanna, but after being friends for so long, and helping her through her depression phase that occurred after the binge-eating one, it was practically obligatory to confide in her. As much as Hanna wanted to help, she knew the situation well; she would lose Ezra if she left Noel behind. So, she acted as the most best friend she could under the circumstances; she would let Aria come over anytime she could escape and let her cry. That's what best friends were for. She couldn't even picture all of that being erased from Aria's mind.

Suddenly, chills corrupted her body.

What seemed like hours later, though was most likely only mere minutes, the doctor finally shed light on Aria's… condition. "I understand how difficult and frustrating this must be for all of you," he began. "While at the present moment, Aria has seemingly lost all her memories, there is a likely possibility that she will regain most of them back, if not all. This occurs in many post-op patients who undergo a major head trauma and neurosurgery, and many of them are back to normal within a short while. It may take a few hours or days for some, but occasionally there is the patient who takes a little while longer, say, a few weeks to a couple months."

The veins in Hanna's forehead intensified, and her mouth gaped slightly open, her eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? MONTHS?! No, Aria can't be like this for months, it's not possible."

The doctor, named Dr. Adams, gave a sympathetic head bob in her direction, and delicately reached for her hand. "I know how hard these times can be, but your friend has suffered a major accident. It never feels so at first, but we should be grateful that she's in the condition that she is in now; it could have ended much worse. Now, I think that we should leave your friend to get some rest, okay?"

Everyone's faces immediately tensed at the thought of leaving her all alone, but after little protest, they realized rest is crucial to her recovery. "Okay," Emily said.

The group fled into the waiting area from Aria's room, who sat and observed the past hours with confusion. Not recognizing anyone, but seeing how upset they looked at someone they didn't even know, was a terrifying thought. Even though Aria was told she was in an accident, the details didn't line up. What kind? Who found her? Why were there bruises all over her body, and why was she so unhealthily thin? Nothing made sense. Sleeping seemed to be the only way to escape the haziness of reality.

Hours passed, and it wasn't long before the days became weeks. Not knowing who you really are, without anyone having to explain your life story to you, is by far the most traumatic experience that can occur. Needless to say, Aria was having a hard time. The broken leg was one thing, but her identity was gone, maybe forever. There had been no significant improvement in her memory. Last week she was being told a funny story to help cheer her up, and as Hanna was telling it, she forgot the name of the aunt in the story. Without realizing what a major breakthrough it was, Aria casually stated, "Aunt Flora, remember, the one who paints pictures of flowers a few hours a day and calls it a career?" That was an amazing day for her; everyone was so shocked that she actually remembered someone. Even Dr. Adams was beginning to worry about her by that point. However, her breakthrough was a one-time occurrence, and now they were starting to give up hope again for a full recovery.

Today was Saturday, and before she started her new job at the dentist's office, Hanna stopped by to check on Aria, the same thing she did every morning. She carried two paper cups in her hand, a foam latte for herself, and a mocha with an espresso shot for Aria. Just because Aria doesn't remember it, doesn't mean their weekend tradition had to end.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you?" Hanna asked, smiling because today seemed to be one of her friend's better days. Aria was wearing light makeup, and had a sketchbook in hand. The curtains were even wide open, exposing the dull room to bright rays of early morning sunshine. Hanna just about dropped their jumbo coffees when she sat down on the end of the bed, and heard what her confuzed friend had to say.

"Han, where's Ezra?"