The Price of Pride

Chapter 39

Barış manages to catch up with Emir by the elevators. He sends a quick prayer of thanks that the elevators are running slow today. And that Cavidan is on a different floor as Reyhan. It gives him a chance to continue to try to talk Emir down from the ledge. He completely understands the man's anger. But this anger is only going to lead to disaster for Emir. And right now, Reyhan and his family need him.

"Emir ..." he starts, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. He's about to attempt to defuse the situation when the perfect solution walks up to them. Well, runs is more accurate.

"Daddy!"

Barış lets out a sigh of relief when Ayla zooms to her father and launches herself at him. Emir doesn't really have any other choice but to catch her. And in true Ayla fashion, her infectious happiness spreads to everyone around her.

"This little girl wanted to see her Mama," Zafer says, coming up to the group. "When we got the call that Reyhan had woken briefly, Defne told me to bring her."

"That was a good decision," Emir says, hugging Ayla tightly. "I missed you so much, my baby."

"I missed you too, Daddy." She gives him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Where's Mommy?"

"She's taking a little nap, so we can't see her just yet. But," he says quickly when Ayla gets a little pout on her face. "We can go to the gift shop and buy Mommy lots of presents for when she wakes up. We can get balloons and flowers ..."

"And there's a giant teddy bear in there that I know she would love too!" Ayla squeals giddily, clapping her little hands.

Emir just laughs. He knew that bear would catch Ayla's eye. He was going to get it for her as a "congratulations on becoming a big sister" gift. But this works too.

"Let's go," he says, setting Ayla down and taking her hand.

He turns to Barış and Zafer, giving them both a grateful look.

"Thank you both," he says, realizing how they both saved him just now. Barış, for trying to stop him from going to his mother and doing ... he doesn't even know what he was going to do to her. And Zafer, for bringing him a reminder of what he has to live for.

"We're brothers," Zafer reminds him, turning to Barış and including him too. "We will always have your back."

Emir gives them one last smile before walking off with Ayla.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" Zafer asks Barış once Emir is out of ear shot.

"He was on his way to his mother," Barış explains. "Things wouldn't have ended well. I was trying to stop him, but if you hadn't shown up with Ayla just now ..."

He doesn't even continue. Emir was angrier than he'd ever seen the man. And that's coming from someone who saw Emir at his lowest when he was falsely imprisoned in that mental hospital in Greece. There would have been no stopping him.

"You keep an eye on him," Barış says, nodding towards Emir and Ayla just as they reach the end of the hall and turn a corner.

"What are you going to do?" Zafer asks curiously.

Barış lets out a heavy sigh.

"I guess to finish what Emir started."

Someone has to confront Cavidan. Looks like that lucky person is Baris.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After the gift shop adventure, which ended with Emir buying every coloring book Ayla could find, a set of both markers and crayons, as well as that giant teddy bear, they head to the cafeteria for some food. They eat and also get a couple of sandwiches for later. But then Emir can't keep Ayla distracted much longer. So they go to see Reyhan, who has just woken up and has just finished an exam with the doctor. She's sitting up in bed and looking a hundred times more alert than she did before. Emir lets out a quick sigh of relief at how much better she's looking.