Minutes later, Fatih could now see the entrance to the secluded cave area at the top.
He turned and looked at Deniz, and although she was exhausted, there was a smile on his face because they had finally reached their destination.
Fatih immediately put the equipment bag in the corner and extended his hand to Deniz.
Deniz fixed her gaze on Fatih, trying to hide her bright red face with sweet embarrassment. She extended her hand and murmured in a faint voice:
"Thank you, Captain... Have you always been this kind? Or is this feature of yours newly activated?"
Fatih took great pleasure even from Deniz's sarcastic tone.
"I'm acting so you don't have a nervous breakdown in times of danger, Engineer," he said.
Deniz sat on the rock with a smile and caught her breath.
Her choppy breathing and the sweat running from her temples had caught Fatih's attention.
In an uneasy tone,
"Didn't you run a bit fast for someone who runs 40 minutes every morning?" he said.
Deniz, without even turning her eyes, wanted to brush off the subject.
"I think it was from fear... They just rained bullets on me, isn't that normal? Captain..." she murmured.
It didn't seem very convincing to Fatih, but right now the only issue was for the support team to arrive in the area as soon as possible.
He immediately reached for the radio from the bag, checked the frequencies one by one, but he still couldn't get a signal.
He was truly starting to worry now.
Just then his eyes caught on Deniz. Her eyes were now closing from exhaustion.
He took out a water bottle from the rations bag and held it out.
"Take it... you're dehydrated of course. Drink some," he said.
Deniz reached out and took the water bottle.
Fatih then thought it would be good for her to eat something too, reaching into the bag and grabbing a pack of crackers.
When he turned his head, he was struck as if shot in the brain.
The water bottle was on the ground and flowing into the dirt.
Deniz was lying on the ground with her slender body.
Fatih immediately embraced her in fear.
"Deniz! What's happening? Deniz, wake up!" he was shouting.
Then he noticed the dark stain on her leg, immediately reached for it and his fingertips were covered in blood.
Deniz had been shot in the leg while coming down from that radar tower...
But what kind of willpower did she have that she hadn't told Fatih about this?
The cold sweating, constantly breathing while holding her leg throughout the journey...
They were all signs.
"Damn it! Fuck! How didn't I realize!" Fatih was cursing at himself.
His soul was literally beating in the heart of Deniz in his arms.
"It can't be like this! I can't leave you like this Deniz, Please!" he said.
Tears were streaming from his eyes like pearls.
He had never felt this helpless in his life before.
Fate had always been on their side. Since the beginning of this story...
Now it was playing its final move...
Suddenly an announcement came from the radio.
"Captain Fatih Ulutürk? Respond, your area signal has been received!"
Fatih immediately reached for the radio.
"Thank God! Soldier, listen to me! I activated the vehicle transmitter, it's still on me! We have wounded, soldier! I need medical assistance immediately!"
"We have wounded, Commander?"
Fatih swallowed.
"Yes... Engineer has been wounded," was all he could say. His lips were trembling, his voice was literally shaking.
His eyes looked at Deniz with tears. He was stroking her face with his hand.
"Yes sir, Captain, we're deploying urgently!" said the voice on the radio.
Fatih was still delirious, as if he couldn't comprehend it himself and was repeating:
"Engineer is wounded... She's wounded..."
The helicopter sound really did hit the top of the mountain in a short time.
Someone inside was shouting, "We're landing!"
Harun descended first with the rope. His eyes were sharp and cautious like flames. As soon as he landed, he scanned the surroundings.
"CAPTAIN!" he said.
When Fatih heard the voice, he stuck his head out from inside the cave.
"I'M HERE!" he said.
Harun immediately ran. When he came to his side, he paused for a moment.
Seeing Deniz lying in blood on the ground had shaken his heart too. But he quickly pulled himself together...
"Wounded confirmed!" Harun shouted into the radio.
"Medical intervention team, take position!"
Musa came from behind. As soon as his eyes saw Deniz, his face fell...
"Man, the engineer has been shot! Dude, this is serious!" and immediately crouched down.
He was seeing Fatih like this for the first time. "We came, Commander, we're right here!" he said.
But Fatih seemed unable to let go of Deniz from his arms.
Behind them, Cihan and Samet also descended with ropes.
Samet couldn't take his eyes off Deniz. Seeing that strong woman he admired now with a pale face had pained his heart.
He couldn't say anything. He swallowed.
The medical team quickly intervened with Deniz. Stretcher, oxygen, serum...
Everything happened within minutes. While Deniz was being placed on the stretcher unconscious, Fatih didn't leave her side.
When everyone moved to the helicopter, no one was talking but everyone's eyes were saying the same thing: "Deniz was now part of the team too and she had to be okay..."
The moment the helicopter's wheels touched the ground on the runway at Main Headquarters Army Hospital, the hospital medical team was ready. They were waiting at the door.
The stretcher was lowered quickly. Fatih had quickened his steps and was following them.
Deniz's breathing was so slow...
It was as if Fatih couldn't breathe anymore either.
"Make way!" said one of the nurses.
Fatih stepped aside but his eyes never left Deniz.
Harun slowly approached Fatih waiting in the hospital corridor. "Commander, the Colonel wants an urgent mission report," he said.
Fatih had heard what Harun said. Being a soldier felt like a heavy burden on his shoulders for the first time, because a soldier obeyed without question...
He turned his gaze from the operating room door, slowly turned to Harun.
"Don't leave this door, you'll answer the second I call you. And you'll give me information! Is that understood, Soldier!" he shouted. His voice came out harsh but was still trembling.
Harun immediately stood at attention. "Yes sir, Commander!" he said.
Fatih first had the report minutes written by the clerk, about 1 hour later, he was in Colonel Mehmet Bey's office at headquarters.
His under-eyes were sunken, his face pale. He slowly placed the report pages in his hand on the desk.
The Colonel quickly glanced over the reports,
"You escaped by luck," he said, looking over his glasses.
"This team you encountered doesn't seem like ordinary smugglers."
Fatih nodded.
"I think their purpose was to keep the radar inactive. When we activated the radar and moved away at that moment, they could have destroyed it again. But it was as if they didn't want the radar to be active even for a second, Commander. That's why we should examine all the data detected by the radar in the area. Also, yes, they weren't very well-trained but they knew how to hold a gun."
Fatih's gaze darkened, he swallowed and continued. "There was a mark on the third man's gun grip, Commander. A die symbol... It had '3' written on it."
The Colonel sighed deeply. His gaze had sharpened.
"This... could be one of those Armenia files closed years ago. There were organization structures known as the Lucky Six. But this was left in the past, Fatih. Looking at it from any angle, it's an incident from 12 years ago. Why now? For what purpose?" he murmured.
Fatih, with anger in his gaze, "I don't know, Commander. But if you give me this case, I aim to conclude it in the shortest time possible," he said.
The Colonel nodded in approval.
"I'll talk to headquarters and do an archive scan. Also, I'll give the assignment order in your name today. But be careful! You and your team play a key role in the construction of the border headquarters, Captain!"
Fatih quickly stood up.
"Yes sir, Commander. With your permission... I want to return to the hospital."
The Colonel nodded.
"Go, Captain. Your report is approved. The rest will be discussed at headquarters."
Fatih saluted and quickly left.
The time was past midnight.
He quickly arrived at the hospital, the hospital corridor was quiet. While on the road, he had called Harun and when he heard that Deniz had been taken out of surgery and admitted to a room, he had ordered him to return to the barracks.
Fatih's steps were slow as he entered the room. It was as if he still carried the fear of seeing Deniz covered in blood in his heart.
He slowly went inside.
Deniz was lying among white sheets. Her left leg was bandaged. Serum tubes were in her arm.
But her face... was finally peaceful. Warm. Her skin color had returned...
Fatih moved further into the room.
He silently sat on the edge of the bed. He reached out and touched her hand.
He sighed...
"You're sleeping now. You can't hear me," he said.
His eyes had filled.
He was a soldier. A commander... but right now he was just a man.
A man in love!
"When I first saw you... at that ridiculous arranged meeting when you were trying to kidnap me...
I looked at you for a moment. Just for a moment. In that moment your face was engraved in my memory, your auburn hair was the most beautiful scenery..."
His voice was trembling.
"Then I said goodbye to you there, at that patisserie. I returned to my duty. I thought I had forgotten you. Life was flowing. But there... You were in front of me again. With your beautiful smile... And still the same look..."
Fatih closed his eyes, took a deep breath.
"I used to not believe in the existence of something called love. Wars, operations, death... When life can be this short for a soldier, what can a person make time for, I used to say. But... when you came, everything became different."
He leaned down, gently touched her hair.
He buried his nose in her hair. Quietly smelled it.
He stayed like that for a while.
"Your laughter, your intelligence, your upright stance... your courage. I love it all.
But most of all... I love the man you've transformed me into. I'm feeling my soul warm for the first time..." he said and gently wiped the tears in his eyes.
He smiled,
"I want to banter with you a lot. I want you to laugh at my jokes.
It may seem ridiculous to me too, but... I want to be ridiculous with you, Deniz."
He squeezed her hand a little more.
"With you... I want to survive. I want to live with you!"
Fatih, in the face of this woman's love,
Continued with all his vulnerability.
"I wish I had met you earlier.
Maybe then I would have had to postpone some things less.
But I don't want to postpone anymore.
You wake up... I'm here.
And this time I won't run away..." he said and slowly brought the hand he held in his palms to his face and kissed it...
Today...
In the night, a secret was revealed.
This confession that Fatih thought hadn't reached anyone. Had reached someone!
Harun was leaning his back against the wall outside the door, listening with sadness in his eyes.
He had arrived minutes ago. He had a patient file in his hand but couldn't step inside.
When he heard Fatih's words, he froze.
He couldn't move.
Harun leaned his head slightly against the wall. His soul was heavy...
He held the file in his hand tightly.
There was a strange expression on his face. Both astonishment and...
A fear!
Had he now completely lost the woman he loved and waited for?