The Price of Pride

Chapter34

"Anne? Why are you answering this phone?" Doctor Barış asks, confusion growing by the minute.

"Why are you calling this phone?" his mother counters.

He just sighs in frustration. Emine Yilmaz is a force of nature even he can't go against. It's one reason why he left home so long ago and never returned. His mother is best in small doses. He loves her of course. She's his mother. But their personalities never quite meshed. He had needed to leave home if he wanted to continue to get along with her. So he did. As soon as he was eligible for military duty, he left. He came back briefly when his duty ended, but by that time, she was trying to marry him off to one of her empty headed socialites. So 25 years ago, he left for good. He hasn't seen his parents in about 2 years, hasn't spoken to them in about 6 months. And that's when it hits him.

"Oh," he says when it all starts to come together. It's like a light bulb suddenly came on inside his brain. "That girl you and Baba essentially adopted. I remember you telling me about her when we last spoke. Reyhan. I knew that name sounded familiar when he said it."

"When who said it?" his mother asks frantically, jumping on his last words. "Barış, Son. Who's been talking about Reyhan? How did you get her number?"

"Do you know a man named Emir?"

His mother gasps and he starts to get concerned at her silence. He's about to call out to her when she finally speaks.

"Sorry. I needed to step outside. I don't want Reyhan to hear me," she says, her voice lowered.
"Did you really say Emir? Emir Tarhun? Have you seen him? Is he the one asking about Reyhan? Son, what's going on?"

"That's what I was hoping you'd be able to tell me," he says, letting out a sigh. This has suddenly gotten very complicated. He really needs to figure out what's going on. "I can't say much because of confidentiality laws, unfortunately. So let's just say that I have a patient who may or may not have a connection to Reyhan."

He almost laughs at the very unlady like curse his mother utters. But this matter is too serious. If what he's thinking is true, then his patient has been held against his will at this hospital. He's essentially a hostage. A turkish citizen being held hostage in a greek hospital against his will. This isn't good. This is an international incident waiting to happen. His panic only grows when he gets an incoming message from his mother. It's a picture. A picture of his patient.

"That's Emir," his mother explains. "Reyhan's husband. The two were on vacation with some friends when Emir disappeared right from off the beach. We've been searching for him ever since. The police stopped looking because his mother claimed he left on his own. But Reyhan doesn't believe that. Neither do your father and I. Emir wouldn't leave like that."

"This man is my patient," Barış finally admits. "A woman claiming to be his wife brought him in and said he needed treatment for a drug overdose."

"Drugs?" Emine gasps. "Never."

"I believe you. The man shows no signs of being a drug user. And he's been saying all along that Cemre has been lying."

"Of course, it's Cemre," Emine sighs in exasperation. "That girl is obsessed with him. And she's crazy. I'm not surprised she's in this. Especially if his mother has been cooperating. That woman is just plain evil."

Barış had known something wasn't right with this whole situation from the start. But he had nothing but Cemre's word to go on. Nothing but Emir's mother's word. Why would both women lie? But that's exactly what they did. And Emir had been telling the truth the whole time. Barış feels guilty for keeping the man separated from his family. A family they apparently have in common. Talk about a small world. But that's a topic he'll revisit later. He's not sure how he feels about a new "sister" dropping into his life. But he does know it's time to reunite her with her husband.