Sheikh's Demand

by Leah Leonard

  Sarah tugged his sleeve from behind. "Ghazi, wait, I have something to tell you. It's important. Then I’ll go if you want."

  Ghazi swung around, his eyes blazing hot. "What could you possibly have to say? I haven't seen you in over two months."

  Before Sarah could reply, a siren blared and a swarm of doctors and nurses headed to the Sultan’s room.

  A doctor shouted, "Sheikh Deniz! Come quickly. I'm afraid there isn't much time!"

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sarah's hands trembled at the sight of the team of doctors and nurses who descended on the Sultan's room.

  After scolding her, Ghazi turned to her with a vulnerability she'd never seen before. "Will you wait?"

  "Of course. I'll be right here. I promise." She hoped he believed her. She would never leave him now, she couldn't.

  "Good. I'll be back." Ghazi ran after the doctor and disappeared into the Sultan's room.

  To her relief, within a minute, the sirens had stopped blaring and a quiet fell on the entire ward. Did that mean Ghazi's grandfather was out of the woods now? God, she hoped so! She hoped he would be okay!

  Still shaken by the shock of literally running into Ghazi here in the hospital, she had a million questions she wanted to ask - when had the Sultan been admitted? What was wrong with him? When would he be better?

  How selfish she'd been thinking she could just barge in here today after being gone so long and tell Ghazi about his child when his grandfather was fighting for his life!

  Of course there were other questions, deeper ones, that would need answers too, such as who was that woman at the house? What about the tabloids? How many of those whores have you bedded? Those would have to wait.

  She would have to see how things went, make sure the Sultan was okay before she tried broaching any sensitive subjects. Regardless of the fact she was bursting to tell Ghazi the news, she needed to keep her secret hidden a little longer. At least until the Sultan recovered. She hoped that would happen sooner rather than later.

  Sarah had no experience with pregnancy, but she had noticed her clothes fit a little tighter than normal and she worried if she had to keep quiet too long, she’d be showing by then.

  Regardless, she still had some time before she had to go home to Dallas, so with any luck, she could tell Ghazi right before she left. No, not luck, she reminded herself. She had to find the time and more importantly, the courage. If not now, soon.

  ****

  Ghazi’s arousal quickly faded when he heard the sound of the alarms and the doctor calling him into his grandfather's room. What had he meant by not much time? For what? Until emergency surgery to repair his damaged heart? He wanted answers. Now. He grabbed the doctor's shoulder, spinning him around. "What is happening? I demand answers!"

  "There's no time for that now."

  "What are those alarms for?”

  "I told you," the doctor said with a grave expression. "He doesn't have much time."

  Ghazi’s gut churned as the weight of the doctor's words hit him full on. "No! It can't be!"

  "I'm so sorry," the doctor lowered his eyes.

  "Don’t you dare give up on him! He will be fine," Ghazi shouted.

  Folding his arms across his chest, the doctor remained silent.

  "If you can't help, then I will take him elsewhere." Ghazi turned to a nurse. "Get my grandfather's paperwork together along with his personal effects, now. Call my driver and arrange for my helicopter to be on the rooftop in ten minutes. We are leaving!"

  The frightened nurse ran down the hall.

  The doctor placed a reassuring arm on Ghazi's shoulder. "Ghazi, please. I’ve known you and your family your whole life. You know we did all we could."

  “Could?” Ghazi seethed. “How dare you after all this family’s done for you over the years.”

  The doctor kept his gaze fixed on Ghazi and calmly added, “I’m sorry.”

  A deep and hopeless well of despair washed over him as he stared into the eyes of the man who, years earlier, assisted his mother through her final bout with cancer, and more recently ushered his grandmother out of this life due to old age. Yes, he had been to the Deniz suite at the hospital before, and at no time did any of the stories yield a happy outcome. "This can't be happening."

  “There’s not much time, please.” The doctor held the door open. "Come in."

  Numbed by the chaos around him, Ghazi finally entered the room.

  "How is he?" the doctor asked.

  "Stable," one nurse said.

  "For now," another nurse added.

  "For now?" Ghazi shouted, despite his best efforts to keep calm.

  The doctor addressed the staff. "Give them some space, everyone."

  The swarm of medical personnel backed away.

  Ghazi wasn’t finished with them though. "What kind of medicine are you practicing here? I want him up and around, walking out of this hospital by the end of the day, do you understand me? I should have your medical licenses revoked! Each and every one of you! Do you hear me?"

  "Ghazi," came a whisper from the bed.

  Ghazi glanced down and saw the Sultan there, his eyes half open. "Grandpapa? Are you okay? Tell me." He rushed to his side, brushed his grandfather's hair from his damp brow. "You will be better soon, I promise. I will take you somewhere else, to a more prestigious hospital. Anything you want, I will see to it."

  "No." The Sultan choked and chuckled at the same time. "Impossible."

  "What are you saying? Anything and everything is possible for a Deniz! You taught me that, remember?"

  "Not this time," the Sultan croaked.

  "Yes! I insist! I should have taken you out of here weeks ago. I know that now, but you'll be okay, you'll see. I will take you home to Bodrum, to the place you love so much and you will get better. I promise.”

  “No, son.”

  Ghazi refused to hear this defeatist attitude and continued telling his grandfather all he would be doing to better their lives for the future. “Everything you told me about family, what is important in this life, is all true. I want to go home. I will settle down, you'll see. I can do it. You don't need to worry about me. I will do whatever you want. You will be so happy and we will run the company in alignment with your vision. You have my word. We will be fine, I assure you."

  "No, Ghazi."

  "I have made up my mind to do as you ask, marry, and settle down in our gorgeous familial home. You will live your life in peace. I will see to that. My future wife and children will provide a great comfort to you, I assure you."

  "…your company…" the Sultan wheezed. "Not mine, yours."

  Ghazi choked back emotion. "No, grandpapa, it's yours. Remember? Or how about ours? How does that sound? You and me, taking over the world, dominating markets around the globe."

  "Sit."

  Ghazi remembered other times his grandfather asked him to sit, how he argued and pushed his will on the situation. Today, he pulled up a chair, scooted it near the bed and without argument, sat down.

  "Come," the Sultan whispered, "Close so I can tell you."

  "Tell me what?" Ghazi leaned his ear to his grandfather's lips.

  "I am dying."

  "No." Ghazi fought the tightness forming in his throat. He clenched his fists. "You aren't. You can't be."

  The Sultan nodded slightly. "I have been for quite some time. I have terminal cancer."

  "No!"

  "It's been under control for a few years thanks to those pills I've been taking, but it spread…" he tried lifting his arms, but failed.

  Ghazi recalled his grandfather's strange regimen of supposed vitamins. He clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the raw emotion bubbling up within him. "You said you were taking supplements. You lied. Why?"

  "I didn't want to worry you. They told me I could defeat this," he chuckled. "I did my best, but it still got me in the end."

  Heart racing, Ghazi clutched his grandfather's free hand. "You will not die on me! Do you hear me? I have no family
! I have nobody in the world except for you. What am I to do?"

  "Why do you think I asked you to marry?"

  Still refusing to believe his grandfather suffered the same ailment as his poor mother, Ghazi recalled the incident which led to his admission into the hospital in the first place, and sadly, his role in the stress which put the Sultan in jeopardy. "But what about your heart? You don't have cancer. Remember? You had a heart attack, I am sorry to say, thanks to me. I upset you so much with my selfish behavior and that ludicrous magazine article, I disrespected you and belittled your opinion. I was wrong. I apologize. Please accept my apology. Forgive me. It is my fault you're here!"

  "Is that what you think?" he brushed Ghazi’s head. "No. What a handsome and wonderful young man you've become. I want you to know that having you in my life, the way you helped me build the business these past several years, has brought so much joy and peace to my life."

  "Don't say that!" Ghazi demanded. "You are not going anywhere!"

  "You are not to blame. My heart attack was caused by stress from chemotherapy. I've been taking treatments on and off for several years, hoping to extend my time."

  Ghazi leaned back in the seat. His mind swam, his heart heavy. "No."

  "The doctor told me I would die months ago. I proved him wrong. I told him I needed the summer, just one more glorious summer. There are so many opportunities for you to meet a nice young lady this time of year with all the tourists. To help ensure success, I arranged for the scholarship. I thought things might work out between you and your friend Sarah…I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry, Ghazi. Please forgive an old man for trying. I hoped to see you happy while I was still around." He sighed. "I'm afraid now that won't happen."

  "But it will! I promise it will! Sarah is out there with me now, grandpapa. She's in the waiting room. Can you believe it? You were right," Ghazi told him, although in the same breath, he wondered if he should bring Sarah up at all. He had no idea why she was here and what she wanted. She might be coming to say goodbye for good this time, but if the hope of a possible relationship helped his grandfather get better, then so be it. He would lie if he had to.

  He turned and glanced over his shoulder, out into the hall. Maybe he should go get Sarah and bring her into the Sultan's room.

  Ghazi could smile, put his arm around her. He might even pretend they were engaged. If only he had a ring…Wait! He had an idea! He could ask to borrow one from a nurse…

  It all sounded like a reasonable enough plan, but Ghazi had his doubts about whether or not Sarah would still be out there when he returned. The fact of the matter was, he couldn't trust the woman as far as he could throw her.

  After her last disappearing act, leaving him stranded in the shower after making love to him, there was no telling if she would be reliable enough to pull off a charade, even a short lived one.

  The worst thing that could happen would be to promise the Sultan a well mannered fiancé and then show up empty handed. The shock and disappointment might be the final nail in his grandfather's coffin. He could not bear the idea of bringing even an ounce of worry or misery to the man whom he admired above everyone else on earth, who literally plucked him and his mother from poverty and provided such a beautiful life for them after his father left. No, he was done playing games.

  The question remained - was Sarah? He could only introduce her as his fiancé if she promised to stick around for at least a month or two, and with her past track record, he wasn't sure that was possible. She hadn't been able to stay put for a day, let alone a week or a month.

  "You don't have to marry anyone, Ghazi. Not unless you find someone special. The one. I know that now. You have a good head on your shoulders. I trust you. Besides," he chuckled again. "I won't be around to see you anyhow, which saddens me, but I have faith in you. You've made me so proud…" Sultan sucked in a deep breath, his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

  Half a dozen alarms sounded all at once.

  "Help!" Ghazi leapt from his seat. "Doctor! Nurse! Someone help!"

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Sarah was resting her eyes when she heard the commotion around the Sultan's room. The unsettling sound of alarms and pounding feet in the halls was followed by a grave feeling she'd only had one other time in her life - after hearing the news about her parents.

  Her first instinct was to go to Ghazi, see if she could help, but judging by the number of doctors pouring in and out of the room, she knew she would be in the way.

  Besides, she and Ghazi barely talked. She still wasn't sure if he wanted her here and exactly what he thought of her. The angry look on his face when they first ran into each other came as a surprise. She really didn’t think he cared. He was really angry, and had every right to be.

  She knew she should have confronted him about the blonde. Maybe then he would at least understand why she left.

  As of now, he apparently believed she abandoned him and had no idea why she was so offended by his behavior. They would need time to talk, see where they stood.

  She closed her eyes, folded her hands across her belly, resting her palms on the Sultan's unborn grandchild, and prayed.

  ****

  Ghazi backed against the wall and watched the entire medical team descend on his grandfather. He hadn't felt so helpless since his mother died, only then, he was still young. His grandmother had been alive at the time, and she helped him through it. Now they were both gone, along with Ghazi's not-so-dependable father. He never thought he would be back in this hospital room so soon after his father's death.

  "Tell me what's happening," he shouted to whoever would listen.

  Nobody said a word. The entire crew remained one hundred percent focused on saving the Sultan.

  Doctors and nurses scrambled about, shouting the various medical terms he'd heard on television over the years - code blue, flat lining, clear. The team tore open the Sultan's hospital gown, applying the paddles to his chest three times before backing away.

  The doctor in charge called time of death.

  "No," Ghazi demanded. "Don't stop. What in the hell do you mean stopping?"

  "Sheikh Deniz," the doctor grabbed Ghazi by the shoulders.

  “You heard me. I demand you continue!”

  "Ghazi! Listen to me. Your grandfather gave clear directives in his living will he would allow defibrillation to be attempted once, and if unsuccessful, he wished to be released, with no further attempts at resuscitation."

  "What?" Ghazi cried. "What are you saying, doctor? I was not privy to such instructions and would have never approved that."

  "I'm afraid your grandfather is dead." The doctor said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “You will hear from my lawyers!” Ghazi shouted, practically foaming at the mouth from the fury boiling in his veins.

  With a calm, reassuring tone, the doctor patted him on the shoulder. "I am so sorry for your loss."

  The words pressed against Ghazi's chest, threatening to cut off his circulation and breathing completely. He gasped for air. His mind flooded with regrets. While he was off gallivanting around in the family jet, he should have been more mindful, more attentive to notice his grandfather's declining health. How could he have been so oblivious to not notice the Sultan’s suffering? The man had cancer! Ghazi paid no attention at all to any of the signs. Had he been more mature, more willing to participate in his family, he should have known his grandfather's last wishes. As it was now, he had no idea where he would go from here and what his future might hold. Of course he had his companies, his homes, his cars, but who cared about any of that material wealth? He used to. Not anymore.

  He had been through trying times before, but now, for the first time in his life, Ghazi Deniz realized he was truly alone in the world.

  ****

  Unable to sit and wait any longer, Sarah stood and paced the floor in front of the nurse’s station, hoping and praying for a good outcome to all of this misery.

  After about ten minutes, she heard talking and
watched intently while the doctors filed out of the Sultan's room, one by one, with their shoulders hung low, frowns on their faces, and in a few cases, tears in their eyes. The staff dispersed and disappeared into parts unknown. The ward became eerily quiet. She feared the worst.

  She waited to see signs of Ghazi, but he never appeared. Desperate to find out what was going on in there, she had half a mind to push past those doctors and go find out.

  She started up the hall, but stopped. She'd only been this frightened one other time in her life, during the early days after her parents died.

  She only wanted two things. First, to help Ghazi, and second, to avoid causing any trouble.

  She simply couldn't bring herself to go into the room because she feared his rejection. She wasn't quite sure Ghazi was up to seeing her at all. She would wait awhile longer. Ten more minutes, she told herself, and then, if he failed to reappear, she'd go find him.

  The nurse who helped her earlier came from the room.

  Sarah started to approach her, but a quiet fear overwhelmed her. She didn’t want to hear what the nurse was bound to tell her. No. She would wait for Ghazi. He could update her himself.

  ****

  Numbed by loss, Ghazi watched while the team of doctors and nurses unplugged his grandfather from all the machines tying him to this world. God! How had this happened? What would he do now? Who would he call? He had never felt so alone. Why? Because he was alone. His grandfather was right. He should have taken things more seriously and tried to settle down and find a wife. Now he had nobody, no family, nobody but a few shallow friends and a ton of one-dimensional women who most likely wanted nothing from him but his money.

  Once the doctors and nursing staff were gone, Ghazi moved toward the lifeless Sultan, who had a slight smile on his lips. He was at peace now, Ghazi realized. The poor man had suffered greatly these past few years, thanks to him. He touched his grandfather's hand, shocked by the lack of spirit there. The Sultan was gone. No doubt. Ghazi would have to begin anew. How, he didn't know, but one thing was for certain - he never wanted to come to Istanbul ever again.