Constantinople's Cherry

III - 39. Ovadaki kargalar

This chapter is the result of hard feelings. Read with your heart braced.

....

Eda looked down at Kiraz, pain on her face, the baby was weaker and weaker. She was losing weight like melting under the sun. And that made her immune system so weak that she seemed to never heal of the bad flu she got.

She curled against her chest and her eyelids seemed so heavy she even semi-closed them when awake. She made tiny squeaks of discomfort and pain against Eda. Her fists, once flailing and active, now languidly rested. She had no energy at all.

It was days since she had milk again, and to Eda's horror, Kiraz didn't even cry for food anymore now. If her furious cries had distressed her before. Her silence ate at the young mother's guts.

It felt like losing her, she was lethargic, Eda had to shake her sometimes, gently, scared she was leaving. She tested her reflexes, moving her limbs, but Kiraz was unresponsive. The only reaction she gave was tiny grunts and moans of discomfort.

"Kiraz..." Eda called her, ever so tenderly, trying to get a reaction, but even her voice, that was what Kiraz responded to the most didn't seem to work now.

The baby let out a tiny squeak and only slightly shifted her head, turning it more towards Eda's heart, as if wanting to escape the outside stimulation.

"Güzel kizim benim...Kiraz, are you hearing me ?" Eda tried again, using her index to slowly stroke Kiraz's cheek.

Kiraz didn't react, her eyes only shifting slightly behind her eyelids. Eda bit the inside of her jaw. Her heart was breaking, tearing further and further with Kiraz's state.

She was hungry herself, Serkan was too. There was no food. No supplies, they were left to their state. Forgotten by a crumbling Empire and a new Republic that had more problems at hands than it could handle.

Serkan walked inside the tent and Eda locked eyes with him and sighed looking down at Kiraz. She avoided expressing her worry now. She didn't want Serkan to do something crazy, she knew it was hurting him too.

"Is she still sleeping ? She's slept all day." Serkan peeked at Kiraz, worry on his features too.

He reached for her and Eda handed him the baby. "Hello, Kiraz, baby, it's time to wake up, open your eyes." He prompted. Kiraz barely reacted, a tiny grunt leaving her throat, barely audible.

Serkan had fear in his heart seeing her like this, the baby was lethargic. "Kirazcim...it's not ok to ignore us." Serkan cooed.

Eda looked on with worry. "She's not reacting, what does that mean ?" The young mother asked, looking on at her baby with fear.

Serkan locked eyes with Eda, worry in his eyes, he couldn't tell her what it meant. Their baby was suffering from malnutrition and hurting even if she couldn't express it. She was dying.

"We need to test her reflexes.." Serkan decided.

"How ?" Eda asked confused, Serkan laid Kiraz down on the bunk, the baby barely reacted to being shifted.

He loudly clapped right above her face. Kiraz, like a normal baby, used to startle, and cry. She didn't startele nor cry, just shifted her head away in a tiny frown of disconfort.

"Kiki, baby, open your eyes..." Serkan clicked his fingers above her face, hearing the noise, Kiraz opened her eyes ever so slightly, pained.

Eda looked on, it seemed like it was taking her girl so much efforts to just open her eyes.