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. Shesimply 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.
The firmness of her grip on his hand let him know she needed his support more than anything. Instead of serving himself by asking her the question that was hot on the tip of his tongue, he served her and remained supportive of her during these tough times. Once the nurse sanitized and gloved her hands, she approached Remedy and aided her with pulling her hospital gown up before tucking it underneath the cuff of her breasts. He was able to see all the dark bruises that were along her rib cage and sides, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of her usually flat stomach which was now rounded with a small bump.
Still, he said nothing. He leaned back in his seat and watched as the nurse proceeded with the ultrasound. Remedy shivered at the feeling of the cold gel that was placed on her stomach. She never once glanced at the monitor as the nurse moved thedoppler around to get a clear view of the baby. Kross, however, fused his eyes onto the screen, looking at the baby Remedy had growing inside of her.
“It looks like you’re about twelve weeks along.” The nurse smiled lightly, still trying to gage Remedy’s emotions about the pregnancy. “Do you want to hear the heartbeat?”
“Yeah,” Kross quickly let out, prompting Remedy to snap her head in his direction.
“No.” She shook her head while swiftly pulling her gown down, putting an end to the ultrasound.
“Remedy—”
“No! I don’t want to!”
Kross shot the nurse a glance, indicating that he and Remedy needed a moment in private. She proceeded to excuse herself, giving Remedy and Kross the room. Kross stood up from his seat and began pacing the floor.
“Remedy, you’re three months along. That baby mine,” he stated confidently.
A deep breath rolled out of her as she shook her head. “Kross, I don’t know whose baby it is.”
“A’ight, then. Let’s find out.”
“I don’t have time to fucking find out, Kross,” she stressed. “The longer I wait, the smaller the window is for me to get this baby out of me.”
Kross halted his pacing and immediately returned to her side. She was in clear distress, and that triggered her flight or fight instincts. Remedy wanted to run far away from the matter of actually having a baby. It was too much to wrap her head around while recovering from what Tone did to her. The pressure was so heavy that she felt like her brain was going to explode. Now, here Kross was, already making claims on the baby and building an attachment to it. This was exactly why she refused to listen to the heartbeat. She didn’t want to feelobligated to the life she was carrying inside of her while her own life was falling apart.
He used his thumb to wipe away her tears that had sprang from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know this shit is a lot for you right now.” He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a comforting embrace.
Remedy cried in his arms, torn by the decision at hand. Kross was an amazing man, and she knew that if the baby was his, he would be an exceptional father. Her concern was that if the baby wasn’t his, she would have to deal with the burden and trauma of carrying what Tone implanted inside of her. She wasn’t strong enough to face that music, so she just wanted to get an abortion as soon as possible.
“If it’s not yours, then what?”
Kross sighed deeply as he rubbed her back, still consoling her. “We do whatever you want to do.”
“I can’t get an abortion in Florida because I’m over six weeks. I would have to get one while we’re here.”
