Lost Time

18: In Debt

Lia's POV:

I slowly opened my eyes, wincing as pain shot through my head. Groaning, I scanned the room, my eyes adjusting to the brightness. When I made eye contact with Adele, everything that had happened came rushing back, and I simply said, "Oh boy, here we go again."

Adele and Simon laughed, but I couldn't join in; my head hurt too much.

Feeling something in my hand, I looked down to see Adele holding it. Confusion clouded my mind. Why were they here? Why had they come to look for me? I needed answers.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

Simon sighed, but before he could answer, Adele jumped in. "You were hit by a motorbike, and we wanted to make sure you got to the hospital safely," she said, squeezing my hand.

She continued to gaze into my eyes, tears welling up. Why was she crying? Was it because of me or something else?

"Are you alright?" I asked her, concerned about why she was crying.

"I'm just so glad you're okay," she said with a sad smile, kissing the back of my hand.

Now I was even more confused. Had my memory been wiped out? Because as far as I remembered, Adele was still somewhat of a stranger to me, despite technically knowing her my entire life.

"Listen, I'm grateful that you guys took me to the hospital and stayed here until I woke up, but why are you really here? You don't know me," I said.

Before Adele could answer, Simon spoke up. "We want to tell you... but we can't right now. It would put too much stress on your mind, and you suffered a minor concussion. We need to take it easy on you for now."

"What do you mean you can't tell me right now? Just say it! Is it something to do with my mother? Am I in trouble? Please, just tell me, because not knowing is causing me more stress," I said, frustration creeping in.

"Lia, this has nothing to do with her, but we can't tell you right now. We promise we'll tell you as soon as you get better," Simon replied.

"I need to know. I can't just trust you guys to take care of me if I don't know the reason behind it. I'll feel like I'm in debt to you," I said, feeling a sense of obligation.

"No, you're not," Adele said softly, her head still bowed.

"Yes, I will. I'll feel like I owe you something because of all your effort," I insisted.

"You're not the one in debt, Lia..." Adele's voice trailed off.

"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brow in confusion.

Simon walked up to Adele and placed a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head and said, "We're in debt to you, for all the lost time between us."

"What do you mean 'lost time' between us? What are you talking about?" I asked, feeling nervous.

"Lia..." There was a small moment of silence before Simon spoke again. "We're your parents."