Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Touching down in Chicago filled Kross with so many different emotions.
It was his first flight he had taken since coming home, and he wished it was under different circumstances.
After getting the call from the hospital, Kross booked the first flight out to Chicago.
Melo made the conscious decision to stay back in Miami with Ava, trusting that Kross would contact him as soon as he touched down and was at Remedy’s side.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Kross slung his backpack over his shoulder before hopping out of the car. He didn’t expect his stay in Chicago to be long, so he packed lightly. He rushed into the hospital, going straight to the front desk to get clearance to see Remedy.
“Remedy Harris,” he cut straight to the chase, not even bothering to offer the guy behind the desk a greeting.
He eyed Kross up and down, testing the little bit of patience he had left.
A heavy huff of air filtered out of him before he began typing away on the computer.
Kross didn’t fuck with Chicago at all. Since he touched down, all he’d been running into was rude-ass locals.
He was ready to get his girl and get the fuck out of there before he ended up fucking somebody up. “ID please,” the guy requested.
Kross reached into his wallet and pulled out his driver’s license. It was a huge upgrade from the prison ID he had to hand over when he first got out and had to visit Aniyis. The man ran his ID through the scanner before his eyes trailed up to Kross’ face.
“And who are you to the patient?”
“Her boyfriend. Look, can you hurry your ass the fuck up?” Kross snapped with a scowl embedded on his face.
Seeing how visibly agitated Kross became, the man typed away on the computer once more before a visitor’s pass was printed.
Kross stuck it onto his hoodie before taking the elevators up to the seventh floor where they were holding Remedy.
Kross jogged through the halls, paying close attention to the room numbers to ensure that he didn’t bypass room 713.
Halting in front of the room door, he could feel his heart rate pick up in pace.
It had been three long months since he last saw her.
He needed to prepare himself for what he was about see on the other side of the door because he just knew she wasn’t the same as when they last seen each other.
No longer able to bear being away from her, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The lights were dim, and upon entrance, he could see her lying in bed in the fetal position with her back facing the door.
She didn’t move a muscle at the sound of the door opening.
She had been under close supervision, so she had gotten used to nurses and doctors coming in and out of the room.
“Rem,” Kross throated out lightly, not wanting to startle her.
At the sound of Kross’ voice, Remedy felt her heart swell.
She made a hasty decision when she gave the social worker Kross’ number.
She was in distress, and he was the last person who made her feel safe, so he turned out to be the person her heart longed for.
Now that he made it all the way to Chicago, she was drowned with shame and desperately wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
She was no longer the girl who intrigued him and had his nose wide open.
She was broken, in despair and mentally scarred.
Before Tone held her captive for three months, she and Kross weren’t heavily invested in each other, so he wasn’t bound to her in any kind of way.
He could have one look at her and decide he didn’t want to deal with her messy-ass life and walk away from her for good.
She feared being disposed of by him because he was all she ever thought about for the past three months.
It would devastate her past any return if he bailed on her now.
Her not turning around prompted him to slowly walk around the bed. He had to be cautious and considerate of what she had just endured. Once he got closer, she buried her face in the pillow, too ashamed to look at him.
“C’mon, love. Don’t do that. You called, and I came. Let me see you’re okay,” his baritone voice drifted through her ears, filling her up with warmness and security.
Tears stained the pillowcase as she kept her face hidden. Kross reached over and lightly stroked her hair, hoping his gentle touch would calm her emotions. He craned down and sat a kiss on top of her head.
“I damn near burned the city down looking for you, shawty. I swear to God, nothing like this will ever happen again,” he declared.
Remedy continued to cry. He was everything she imagined him to be when she finally did make her way back home.
Her heart ached for him while she was gone, and being back in his arms was one of her main motivations that kept her fighting.
Finally, she lifted her head from the pillow and blessed him with the sight of her face.
His heart filled up with so much love and admiration upon locking eyes with her.
He was in denial for a long time, finding it impossible for him to fall in love with Remedy as quickly as he did, but looking into her eyes proved otherwise.
In that moment, he felt nothing but love for her.
The empty, gaping hole in his heart that formed the day he last saw her was finally filled.
“I’m sorry,” Remedy croaked in a shaky voice that could barely be considered a whisper.
She could only imagine the stress and turmoil she put him and her family through while she was away.
She could tell Kross had done some wild shit while searching for her, and the last thing she wanted was to be the reason he went back to prison.
Quickly, he shook his head. He wasn’t about to allow her to blame herself for anything that happened to her. “None of this shit is your fault, love.”
Gazing at her, he was overwhelmed with so much pain.
Her eyes were sunken, and dark circles had formed around them from the black eyes she was healing from.
The darkness around her eyes intensified the heavy bags that weighed them down, making it evident that she was lacking sleep.
Her eyes no longer sparkled; they were so empty that anyone could see right through them.
Tone stripped her of everything, including her dignity.
She lost a good bit of weight, causing her face to appear more chiseled, but none of this took away from her beauty.
She simply just looked like she had been through a lot of shit, which she had.
Over the course of the three months she had been away, she had to take down the bundles that were sewn in her hair.
Her naturally curly tresses grew out wildly, and since Tone never had the decency to allow her to clean herself up aside from an occasional shower, her hair was matted in some areas.
She felt disgusting to say the least. She wasn’t to be considered vain, but she took a lot of pride in the way she looked, and Tone knew that.
The first thing he did over the three months he held her captive was break down herself image.
He saw her as nothing and made sure her appearance reflected that.
Remedy felt so low about herself, she didn’t even want to glance at herself in the mirror.
Allowing Kross to see her in this state proved to her that her heart truly did beat for him.
He grabbed the seat at her bedside and cupped her small and frail hand in his massive one. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it a few times.
“All these bruises and scars don’t faze me none, shawty. You made it out, and that’s all that mattered,” he continued to breathe life into her.
In response, Remedy nodded her head weakly as tears continued to stream down her face. There was a light knock on the door, garnering both of their attention. A nurse popped her head into the room with a nurturing smile, knowing that she had to be gentle with Remedy.
“Hey, hun. Do you want to proceed with the examination now or do you want me to come back later?” Kross was Remedy’s first visitor since coming into the hospital, so she didn’t want to intrude if they needed more time with each other.
Kross’s deep brown orbs seared into Remedy, and she bit down on her bottom lip and gnawed on it in deep contemplation. He didn’t want her to feel as though she was obligated to do anything, so he loosened his grip on her hand.
“I can step out if you need me to, love,” he assured her in a soothing voice.
Quickly, she shook her head and tightened her hold on his hand. He made her feel safe, so him stepping out wasn’t an option.
“We can do it now,” she confirmed for the nurse.
The nurse pushed the door open wider and revealed the ultrasound equipment she was rolling around.
With her hand still in Kross’, Remedy repositioned herself in bed so she was now lying on her back while she fixed her eyes into the ceiling.
A dryness surfaced into Kross’ mouth as he shifted around in his seat a bit.
His eyes darted between the ultrasound equipment and Remedy, wishing she would just say something to confirm the speculations that were bouncing around in his head.
This was a sensitive and vulnerable time for her, so he had to be cautious with his statements, questions, and reactions.