The Return To Istanbul

Chapter Nine

      Leila gasped, she never thought that Aziz Divit could possibly be in the same hospital as her dad, let alone on the same floor and only a short distance away.

      " CeyCey are you sure. You're sure he is just down the hall?" She asked, her voice trembling. CeyCey nodded, " I'm positive. I just came from there. Can caught me at the nurses station as I was about to ask for directions to your dads room. He thought I was looking for them, so he whisked me off down the hall to Mr. Aziz's room 406. So yes, I am sure."  He replied sarcastically.

      Leila held her head and paced back and forth in front of the door. " We can't let them see each other CeyCey. I don't know what Sanem would do if she ran into him." She mumbled frantically. She stopped abruptly in front of CeyCey, " You know she's already asking about him. If I knew anything about him." She spewed, shaking her head. " And she's going to ask you too, she said so. I couldn't tell her anything about him, so she got huffy and said she would just ask you."

      CeyCey's throat tightened, " Leila,....Can did the same thing. And he wants to meet me later to talk. He saw Sanem's name come up on my phone when she called a bit ago." He told her, as he fidgeted about. " He knows I still talk to her. And he wants to know about her." He leaned back against the wall letting out a heavy sigh.

      Leila thought for a second, she knew there would be know way around it if they both were wanting to know about the other. But she didn't want to be the one to tell her sister that the person she had spent the last 6 years trying to forget, was in fact just down the hall.

      " CeyCey, I think we need to keep this to ourselves for now. Like we have no idea that Can Divit is even in Istanbul. That's the only way, for now anyway. I'm afraid that Sanem will jump on the first plane back to Spain if or when she finds out he's here." Leila replied.

      " I think you may be right, but what do I say to Can. You know I'm the worst at lying, especially to Can or Sanem." CeyCey exclaimed, already dreading the thought if it. He knew that ignoring him would not work, not with Can Divit, and not if he really wanted to know something. The stress was already beginning to wear on him and he wished he had never came to the hospital when he did.

       The door swung open and Sanem stood there glaring at the two of them, " Hey, what's going on. That's enough of talking about work. Come on CeyCey, lets go get some air." Sanem grumbled as she snatched ahold of CeyCeys arm, pulling him down the hallway and toward the elevator.

      As hard as CeyCey tried to resist, he also knew this woman better than most people, and if she wanted to get some air, than they would get some air. He looked desperately over his shoulder at Leila as Sanem pulled him away from Mr. Nihats room.

      " Leila, we will be back soon. Call me if there is any change with dad."  She called back to her sister. She glanced at CeyCey, " What's wrong with you, you look as white as a ghost. We're just going for a walk, just relax." She muttered to her friend.

      As they got to the end of the hallway, CeyCey looked around nervously. He quickly looked down the hallway toward room 406 which was on his left. He didn't see Can, so he quickly pushed the down button on the elevator. Sanem was babbling on about something, but he hadn't heard a word she was saying as they waited for the doors to open on the elevator.

      " Sanem, my dear, let's take the stairs." CeyCey blurted out all of a sudden, interrupting what Sanem was saying. She looked at him, puzzled at his unusual behavior. " Why, the elevator should be her soon. You are so nervous, what is going on." Sanem questioned him. 

      She knew that CeyCey was completely different from other people. He was always a little bit unhinged, but today he was really acting strange, she thought. But maybe it was just because she hadn't been around him for so long, maybe that was it, she wondered, as she let him lead the hallway toward the stairs.

      CeyCey knew that Sanem was taking him away from everyone else just to talk to him about Can. His head was already filled with the questions he knew she would ask. But what he didn't know, was what answered he was going to give her.

      The fresh air felt good as they stepped out the door of the hospital. She stopped and drew in the smell, tilting back her head to let the sunshine cover her face with warmth. " Oh CeyCey my friend, how I have missed the smell of this city. You wouldn't think that there would be a difference in the air, but there is." She spoke, her eyes closed and a smile across her face.

      They headed down the sidewalk toward the small park that was adjacent to the hospital. It was full of flowers and trees, and there were benches scattered throughout, nestled up next to the flowers. " Here, let's sit." She said, stopping in front of one of the benches along the stone pathway. CeyCey nodded hesitantly, knowing what was coming next.

      She snuggled up next to him with her head resting on his shoulder. She felt the comfort of his arms around her. " CeyCey, I have missed this place and you, so much. I thought I was doing so well in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, well I am doing well, it's just, this is home still." Sanem spoke softly.

      CeyCey hugged her up a little tighter to his body, " I missed you too, and so did Gulize. How is your home there in San Cristobal. Do you have a lot of friends, I know you do. You talked to me about of couple a girls you met there." He asked, trying to keep the conversation off of Can.

      Sanem smiled slightly, " Yes, I have a couple of good girlfriends, and they keep me busy." She answered. CeyCey knew she had never mention a man to him in any of their many conversations, besides her publisher in agent Javier Soto, but he needed to ask that question anyway.. " So Sanem, you haven't met a man there. Someone that you have feeling for. What about Javier, your agent?" He asked her cautiously. 

     Sanem rose up, looking him in the face, " What, another man? Well no not exactly, not a man that I would consider spending the rest of my life with. And Javier, we did go out to dinner a few times, you know, when I went to Madrid, and when he came to San Cristobal." Sanem told him, looking quite puzzled at his question.

     " CeyCey, my heart has had only one love. I thought that you of all people would understand that." She uttered in astonishment. " So to answer the question that you do not want to ask,... I haven't replaced Can with anyone else. 

      She felt the sting of the tears as they filled her eyes, " Are you trying to tell me that Can Divit has found another woman. Is he in love with someone CeyCey?"  She asked as her voice cracked with emotion....