Page 76 of Don't Kross Me
Kross felt his chest tighten as he bumped his brows together. “Yeah.”
“We have Remedy Harris here as a patient. We have already notified the authorities since she was reported as a missing person. She advised me to call you.”
“Remedy’s alive?” Kross questioned in disbelief, prompting Melo to snap his head in his direction.
“Thankfully, she is. We urge you to get here as soon as possible.”
“I’m on my way,” he declared before ending the call.
“W-what about Remedy?” Melo rattled out, eager to know the details of the call pertaining to his sister.
Still in shock himself, Kross peered into Melo’s eyes as a sense of relief washed over him. “She’s alive. She’s at a hospital in Chicago.”
Melo felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. All the strength he had been maintaining withered away, and he could feel tears scorch his eyes. After three months of not knowing what happened to Remedy, hearing this news was truly a miracle that only God could’ve worked. Kross could see Melo struggling to manage his emotions, so he pulled him into a hug, and Melobroke down. He didn’t feel any shame finally setting all the pent emotions he carried free, and Kross didn’t pass any judgment.
“I knew it,” Melo croaked. “I fucking knew it. She’s a fighter.”
Remedy was alive.
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.
Kross’ heart drummed against his chest the entire plane ride. He was anxious to get to Remedy. To just hold her and let her know she was now safe. He didn’t even want to get into the details of what happened to her. All that shit was unnecessary in his opinion and could wait. He took an Uber straight from the airport to the hospital. He was stepping into dangerous territory now that he wasn’t in his own city. The target he had on his back from knocking off the Zone 7 crew in Miami never even crossed his mind. He was moving comfortably while out in Chicago and didn’t give a fuck who had a problem with it. Remedy’s wellbeing and getting her back home to Miami was his main priority.
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 intothe 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 withher 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.
