Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Kross always felt like he was born with a bad set of cards dealt to him.
Hence the fact that he went through life with a chip on his shoulder.
If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Since getting out, he’d been the furthest thing from a child of God, but his faith was the only avenue he felt he could turn to when it came to Aniyis.
If Aniyis left this world, then so would he. He simply would have no use in living.
Darkness took over the sky as rolls of thunder shook the city.
Kross weaved in and out of traffic, prompting blaring sounds of horns to be heard in the distance whenever he cut somebody off.
He knew it was going to storm today. What he didn’t expect was the rain to wash away his son’s life.
He prayed to God that Aniyis would be fine.
However, based on what he heard in the background of the call he had with Raq, Aniyis had his entire medical staff in a panic.
He took a quick turn off the interstate, allowing the glowing red lights of the hospital to shine through his windshield.
Since Aniyis had become an established patient in the children’s intensive care unit, he would usually park his vehicle in the parking garage and make his way over to the west wing of the hospital.
Due to the circumstances and the urgency of the situation, he had to get to his baby boy, so he hastily pulled into the emergency triage entrance.
Once the car was set into Park, he hopped out and was immediately drenched by the pouring rain.
“Sir, you can’t park there!” he heard security call out from behind him, but he was too focused on getting to Aniyis to pay him any mind.
He cut through the emergency triage area and took the first elevator that was offered.
His heart felt like it was pounding outside of his chest, a contrast to the mellow elevator music that sounded through his ears.
With every attempt the elevator made to stop on another floor to pick up other guests, Kross slammed the button for the doors to shut, not caring who he left behind to catch the next lift.
Once he got onto the sixth floor, he did the dash on foot over to the west wing so he could get to Aniyis. The hospital was only fifteen minutes away from the trap, and from how heavy he had his foot on the gas pedal, Kross was sure he made it in nine minutes.
His urgency caught the attention of many staff members who were desperate to get him to stop; however, he made it clear that if anyone got in his way, he would bulldoze right through them.
Many of the staff on the pediatric intensive care unit knew him as Aniyis’ father.
Cassie’s and Aniyis’ story was still making its rounds on the news, and everyone was hoping Aniyis would shake back from the coma he was in.
“Mr. Hunter, please stop!” he heard from behind him as he busted through the double doors that led to the hall of Aniyis’ room.
Right before his eyes, he could see Aniyis’ bed quickly being wheeled out of his room while doctors and nurses surrounded him. Not too far behind Aniyis, Raquel hurried out of the room with tears cascading down her face.
“Aye, what’s going on with my son?!” Kross throated out in distress as he witnessed the compressions that were being done on Aniyis’ chest. He rushed over to be by his son’s side; however, he was blocked by a few nurses who were a part of the team working on Aniyis.
“Mr. Hunter, we are taking him to the operating room. We will be sure to return with an update soon,” Aniyis’ day-nurse, Nurse Moriah, assured him as she sat her hand on his Kross’ chest in an attempt to stop him from interfering with the rush the medical staff was in.
“Operating room for what?! What the fuck happened?!” he roared as Aniyis was rushed out the doors of the intensive care unit.
“Please, Mr. Hunter! We need all hands on deck to ensure Aniyis receives the best treatment right now. We will come out and give you an update soon,” she advised him again.
Kross knew it wouldn’t serve Aniyis anything if he turned the hospital out and demanded answers now, so as painful as it was, he agreed.
He watched as Nurse Moriah jetted down the hall in pursuit of Aniyis and the rest of his medical team.
Seeing the doors close behind her had Kross feeling like he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him.
He was praying that his last image of his son wouldn’t be what he had just seen.
Raquel made her way over to her son, still in distress and in tears since she witnessed the situation from beginning to end.
As weak as he felt, Kross knew he had to have strength for his mother.
He opened his arms for her, and Raquel convulsed in heavy cries right into her son’s chest. He held her tight and consoled her until her strength was restored, something he wished Cassie was around to do for him right now.
“What happened, Ma?” he asked as his hand stroked her long dreads. Her cries had finally subsided, so he figured she had enough strength to give him the details on what happened while he was gone.
Raquel lifted her head from his chest and looked up at Kross.
“I don’t know. I dozed off a bit after the nurse came and checked up on him.
Then, an hour or so later, I woke up to the sound of all his monitors going off.
Before they could rush me out the room, I heard them say something about his lung collapsing,” she advised.
Kross could feel his chest tighten. What did that mean for his son?
Aniyis was strong, but how strong could he expect a six-year-old little boy to be?
He’d witnessed the death of his mother, then survived two gunshot wounds, and was now suffering from a collapsed lung.
If Aniyis didn’t make it out of this, Kross had no choice but to understand that little man tried his best.
Eventually, he and his mother were ushered to the waiting room to wait for an update.
Kross sat with his head in his hands. It was times like these when he missed Cassie the most. She always had her shit together and knew exactly what the fuck to do in these situations.
He could recall when she went in to get induced to give birth to Aniyis.
Despite it being her first time in labor, she was so calm and easy-going about everything.
When he did get the chance to call, he expected to have to coach her to breathe and relax.
He ended up being the one losing his shit on the other side of the phone.
Cassie held everything down like a beast. Kross knew he had some big-ass shoes to fill when it came to being the best parent he could be to Aniyis.
“Kross, c’mon,” Raquel called for her son’s attention. He lifted his head from his hands and turned to his mother. He was surprised to see her on her knees for prayer in the designated waiting room that was occupied by other families who were in distress over their loved ones.
“Ma, this not the time. Get up.” He shook his head, declining her request for him to join her in prayer.
Through her eyes that were puffy and bloodshot from crying, she shot him a stern look. After all these years of not speaking to him, he still managed to be as hardheaded as ever.
“Kross, c’mon, and I’m not gonna tell you again,” she ordered him.
It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his faith in God.
He just didn’t think it was normal to bust out in full prayer on his knees in front of everybody.
He always thought prayer was something that was to be done in private just to share an intimate moment with God, away from any monitoring spirits.
Raquel would get on her knees and pray anywhere, no matter who she was around, where she was, or the time.
Right now, there wasn’t anything Aniyis needed more than a prayer, and she was going to provide that for her grandbaby.
Putting his son first, Kross opted out of fighting with his mother and joined her on his knees. It was so humbling to do this since he always felt like he had to resolve all his problems alone. Gearing up to share the load with God and deliver all his issues to the altar was so refreshing.
Raquel took her son’s hand into hers, prompting him to close his eyes and bow his head.
“Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today to express our gratitude for all that You’ve done for Aniyis.
You have brought him through situations that others weren’t fortunate to get out of.
Lord, we ask You to cover Aniyis in that operating room and serve him the strength he needs to survive this.
God, bless the hands of every surgeon and nurse in that operating room and allow their skill to reflect through my grandson’s good health.
During this time, cover and protect my son.
Lord, I ask You to keep Kross’ mind sound as he stands in strength for his son.
We trust You and have full faith that this will not be the end of Aniyis. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”
“Amen,” Kross let out, hoping his mother’s prayers would guarantee his son’s life. Turning to his mother, he embraced her with a tight hug. “I can’t lose him, Ma. He’s all I got.”
“I know, Kross, and you won’t. God will see us through.”
“Ma, I done did a lot of shit. You think God listening to me and willing to bless me with what I need?” He shook his head, full of doubt.