Chapter 21
EKIN
I held my breath as I stepped off the elevator. Dread made my limbs feel like they weighed a ton each, but I thugged it out, continuing my walk to the nurses’ station.
“Hi, how can I help you?” The young nurse said, eyes scanning me from head to toe as she bit her lip. I rolled my eyes, not giving her any kinda play. People were dying all around us and there she was, trying to get fucked.
“I’m here to see Chanel King,” I answered, jaw tight at the mere mention of her name.
“Oh,” she frowned as she typed into her computer. “It looks like this patient is on high security lockdown.”
“Yeah, I’m sure I’m on her list of approved visitors, Chase Andrews.”
“Ohhhhh,” she said. “Room 812.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving her a nod before I set off to my destination.
When I got to the door, I had to pause to prepare myself mentally.
On my way over, I was able to find out that Chanel ended up in a coma after taking some pills that were laced with something, and that caused her blood pressure to drop to nearly fatal levels.
When I hit her open door, I was greeted with the welcomed sight of her alert face, as she sat up in the hospital bed.
She looked like she had been awake for ten days straight instead of in a coma.
Her normally vibrant brown skin looked ashen and dry, like her lips and hair, but she was alive. That was all that mattered to me.
“Chase!” Her face brightened to a smile. “You came!”
Honestly, I could have turned around and left right then, hopped on a flight, and went right back to my baby. All I needed to know was that she was alive. With her mom not giving a fuck, I would have hated for her to have died alone in some hospital bed, with no one who really knew her even caring.
“I just needed to make sure you were okay,” I said in a soft tone as I pulled a chair next to her bed. She held out her hand for me to hold, but I just looked at it, leaned away from it even. A look of hurt flashed over her face before she masked it with a fake smile.
“So, I see you’re still mad,” she said sheepishly.
“That don’t even matter right now… Are you okay?”
“I am now that you’re here,” she said, holding that hand out again. Once again, I just looked at it. My woman was a lil’ crazy and if I even thought about holding Chanel’s hand, I felt like she would probably hop a flight and bust in this bitch like the Kool-Aid man.
“Chanel… Once again, that’s not what this is.”
“So…” She pouted as the waterworks immediately started up again. “Y-You really don’t love me anymore?” I took a deep breath before addressing her again.
“I’m not trying to upset you, but I only came here to make sure you were okay. If you keep up with this shit, then I can leave right now. This is not romantic at all.”
“After all of this, you still don’t love me, Chase?” she cried.
“Chanel… please don’t tell me that you did all of this as a means to get me back. I know that’s not what the fuck you’re saying to me.”
“I just love you so much, baby! I can’t do this without you.
If I hadn’t been so stressed out with the case and the media, I never would have done this!
” she wailed. When she reached for me, I damn near flipped the chair over trying to get away.
It was that moment when I realized that I had been doing more harm than good in trying to protect her feelings and image, especially when she was working overtime to fuck up mine.
“Yeah, I’m out. Chanel, for your sake, I really hope you get the help you need.
But I need you to know that if you even think of breaking that court order, I plan to pursue any and all legal action to make sure you wish you never fuckin’ met me.
Have a nice life.” I didn’t give her a chance to reply before hurrying to my feet and stomping out the door.
When I hit the end of her private hallway, I ran straight into Toby, her longtime manager who I was almost positive was in love with her.
“Oh, Chase… You’re here,” he said with so much disappointment that any doubts I had about his feelings for her immediately disappeared.
“I’m on my way out man. Trust me, you ain’t got shit to worry about.
Listen, if there’s anybody who can get through to her, it’s gon’ have to be you.
I’m done. I thought maybe I could be on some friendly shit with her, but she’s impossible.
I truly hope she can get her shit together, but I’m not gonna be around to find out.
” He rubbed his hand over his face as his shoulders slumped in relief.
“That might be for the best. She needs help, and I’m really hoping this is her true wakeup call,” he paused, contemplating whether to share more.
“Her label reached out. They told her if she doesn’t complete at least one hundred-twenty days in rehab and start regularly seeing a therapist, they’re dropping her. ”
“Damn,” I said, cringing. Her career was the most important thing to her. “Well, like you said, maybe this will be what she needs. I wish y’all the best of luck with that.”
“You too, man,” he said, shaking my hand before I made my exit.
I had twelve days until I had to report to camp and the logical thing would be to stay my ass in L.A.
to get my shit taken care of in time, but when Amaya was constantly on my mind, there was no more room for thoughts and logic, so I planned to bust my ass for twenty-four hours straight, so I could be back on a flight to her.
Determination and lust had me wrapping everything up that same day, and by the time I settled down, it was damn near midnight, but I noticed Amaya had called me a few times, so I made sure to grab my tablet and hit her on video chat.
“Hello?” My tense muscles relaxed themselves the moment I saw her face and heard that voice.
“Hey… I didn’t wake you, did I?” It had only been two days, and my body seemed to be in withdrawal mode. Falling asleep without her curled up under me felt damn near impossible.
“No, I was up,” she answered quickly.
“Where are you?” I frowned. Even in the dark, I could see enough to know she wasn’t at home. I could also tell that she looked sad as hell.
“At my parent’s. Somehow Mona and I ended up having an impromptu sleepover over here… I’m in my dad’s Man Cave right now, so I don’t wake anyone up. Anyways, how’s your trip? Is um… everything okay?”
“Yeah, she’s okay… still crazy as fuck, but she’s alive.”
“Did that bitch try to fuck you?” she blurted out.
“Nah,” I chuckled. “Just tried to blame all this shit on me. Talkin’ bout how if I didn’t make her settle the case, then she never would have taken too many pills.
I found out that her label let her know that she would be dropped if she didn’t at least complete one hundred-twenty days in rehab and get some sort of counseling.
I pray that straightens her up, but if not, I told her ass this was the last time I was doing this. I’m done with the shit.”
“That’s good. You deserve some peace. You can’t hold yourself responsible for her actions anymore. At some point she’s gotta make the choice to be a grown woman and deal with her shit.”
“Thank you, baby.” My breathing got a little lighter as she confirmed what I already knew. For years I lived holding my breath, fearing the worst if I ever fully turned my back on Chanel. It took all the people around me saying the same thing for me to finally let go of the reigns.
“Well, I’m glad that everything worked out,” she said, looking anything but glad as I could see the sadness on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately sat up, body on full alert. I knew she would try to brush me off, but I wasn’t having that.
“Nothing, I’m good.”
“Amaya…” I called softly.
“Yes?” she barely whispered.
“Am I your man?” I said with a gentle scold in my tone. I gave her a stern look with absolutely no anger behind it, because I had been on her ass about letting me be there for her, but she fought me at every turn.
“Yes,” she said again.
“Then let me be your man. Talk to me.” I heard her sigh, then go silent for a minute. When she sniffled, my body reacted again, wanting to put hands on whoever upset her to the point of tears. She rarely cried, so I knew it had to be something serious.
“Baby, what happened?”
“Malcom came to my parent's house today,” she said with a shaky voice before sniffling again.
“Are you okay? Did that nigga touch you?”
“No,” she whimpered, now obviously trying to hold back her tears.
I was relieved that she let me in, but my fury grew every time she made a sound.
“He just wouldn’t leave it alone… I had no choice but to tell my parents.
It was a whole big thing.” I sat there, silently stewing in anger as she told me the dramatics of how she pulled up and he was there, and her dad ended up pulling a gun on him.
“Fuck—I should have been there. I can head back now, let me get a flight back.”
“No! I’m okay, baby. I promise. I know you have other things to handle while you’re home.”
“Amaya,” I sighed. “You take priority over any of this shit, babe. I know you swear you so tough, and that’s okay, but you don’t have to be tough right now.
Let me take some of this weight off you.
” No sooner than those words left my mouth, she broke, letting out a squeaking sound as the tears forced their way through, rushing down her cheeks in a never-ending downpour.
I let her sit in her feelings, not pressuring her to talk again until she was ready.
“They just… they looked so disappointed in me,” she sobbed. I could tell she was trying to keep her volume down.
“They weren’t disappointed, baby. They love you, and it hurt them that you had to experience that.
You did nothing wrong. You know that, right?
And even if you did, remember what you tell me all the time.
The people who love you don’t give a fuck about that.
They just want you safe and happy.” She sniffled and nodded.