True Love : A Raia Story

Chapter 7

Maia

The scene before my eyes hits me like a brick wall.

Lainey is laying on the hospital bed with her right arm in a cast. Her left leg, from the knee down, is also in a cast. Her lower abdomen is bandaged thoroughly, as well as her nose. And her left eye is black and blue.

Her hair is tied up in a bun and her face is scraped with bruised from the fall.

I leave Ross's side and run over to her and grasp her hand.

"Lainey.." I whisper. Her head turns to me as she tries to focus on me.

"It's Maia. Do you remember me?"

I'm guessing she would've nodded, if she could. But she moaned a muffled "mhhmnn"

She suddenly closes her eyes and started to snore.

One of the nurses comes over to me and says,

"Medicine. That makes her sleepy. Give her a couple hours and she'll wake up."

The nurses name tag reads: BETH

"Ok thanks."

Ross stops the nurse before she can leave.

"Where are her parents?"

Beth looks at him.

"You don't know?" She questions.

"Know what?!" I say, quickly getting up.

Beth sighs. "Lainey here doesn't have any living parents, according to her records. They-"

I cut her off. "But her father owns the restaurant we ate at during the accident! She told me herself! She said they were out buying groceries!" Ross takes my hand in his and laces our fingers together.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but Lainey's parents died 4months ago." Beth states.

"Well then who owns the restaurant?" I say impatiently.

"I only know this because my husband owns a place down there. But some man named Gabe took in the place after her parents passing. She will own it again once she is of age, I assure you."

I don't know why Beth is assuring me that Lainey will inherit the place. Like I should be assured by that. Whatever.

"Why should it matter to us rather or not she inherits the place?" Ross questions.

"Well, I figured it would be helpful for y'all one day. Now excuse me, I must be going." And with that, she scurried out of the room.

"Well, what are we going to do then?" Ross asks after a few moments of silence.

"I-I don't know.."

That poor child! I could understand why she wouldn't tell us about her parents. It's not exactly info you would want to share with people.

But why was Lainey working the place by herself?

Beth did say that a man named Gabe temporarily owns the place.

So why wasn't he there?

I need to find out.

***

After saying goodbye to a sleeping Lainey, we leave the hospital and drive back to the boardwalk where the restaurant is located.

Ross takes my hand before we get out,

"What exactly are we doing here again?"

Oh my sweet Ross. You've always been such a bright one.