Untangling the Web

Chapter 25

Kemal has finally convinced Reyhan to eat a little. It's been about eight hours since they've arrived at the hospital and he knows she has neither slept or eaten anything in that time. He knows she was already exhausted from the gala to begin with. She has to be running on fumes right now.

"Reyhan," he starts.

"I'm fine!" she snaps, before taking a deep calming breath. "Please, Kemal abi. I can't be anywhere else right now. I can't leave Emir."

"Sweetheart, I know you're exhausted. You've barely eaten. And your ankles are starting to swell. You can't tell me your back isn't hurting."

She doesn't get the chance to answer. The doors to the operating room open that instant and Reyhan is up faster than he imagined she'd be able to move. Cavidan and Suna are close behind them. Narin and the other surgeon walks towards the assembled group to deliver the news.

"Doctor. Narin. How is he?" she eagerly asks them. "Can I see him?"

The doctor and Narin look at each other for a few moments before the doctor nods and lets Narin take the lead.

"Reyhan, canim. Let's sit down for a minute."

Narin takes her arm and gently leads her back to her seat.

"You look exhausted. Have you eaten?" Narin looks up to Kemal and asks him instead. "Has she eaten anything?"

"A bit," he confesses. "She had some broth earlier. And a little tea."

"Narin, please," Reyhan interrupts them. "How's Emir?"

Narin sighs and gives Reyhan a concerned look. But she presses on anyway, realizing the woman is getting even more stressed by the delay.

"He made it through the surgery," she starts. "But there was a lot we had to do. A lot of damage to fix."

"But he's fine," Reyhan says hopefully. "You said he made it through the surgery."

"It's all going to depend on when he wakes up, canim. And unfortunately, we don't know ... if he will," Narin finally confesses.

It's as if they all stop breathing at once. The silence in the hall is deafening.

"They're getting him settled in ICU right now," the other doctor says after that terrible silence. "If you all go up there, the nurses will let you know when you can see him. Just one at a time for now and just for a few minutes at a time."

"Well I'm his mother," Cavidan says. "I'm going in first and no one is stopping me. Let's go Suna."

Kemal watches them go before turning back to his visibly broken niece.

"Are you ready to go up too?"

"Give me a minute," Reyhan manages to say, raising a shaky hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

He nods and steps away, bringing Narin along with him.

"How about you?" he asks his wife. "Are you okay?"

When she just blinks away her tears, he has his answer. He pulls her into his arms and she instantly collapses into his embrace.

"That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Narin admits. "Doing surgery on him and also coming out to tell Reyhan that her husband isn't out of the woods yet."

He sighs at the sadness in her voice. And all he wants is to take that sadness away.

"What can I do for you?"

"This," she admits. "Just hold me, Kemal. And don't ever let me go."

The smallest of smiles grows on his lips. It was the answer he was hoping for.