BASIC INFORMATION:
NAME: Leyla Yılmaz. AGE: 29. PLACE OF BIRTH: London, United Kingdom. AFFILIATION: The Rutherford Family (loosely) OCCUPATION: OB-GYN Surgical Resident. FACE CLAIM: Hande Erçel. AVAILABILITY: TAKEN.
BIOGRAPHY:
It was hard to explain the pain that came with losing a loved one.
How much it physically hurt to admit they were gone.
Ceren had been the furthest thing from a violent soul. So much so that somehow, her brutal demise seemed all the more tragic. Leyla had always been much the same as her sister: gregarious, fun-loving, and always concerned with the wellbeing others, regardless of their walk of life, to a fault. The people of Haringey seemed content to blame their actions on the environment in which they were raised. Yet she and her big sister were both examples that it was still possible to be good people, no matter how much their home tried to encourage otherwise.
The path the gangs followed was a choice, not a product of circumstances beyond their control. Any one of them that tried to claim otherwise was lying to themselves.
Ceren dating a man well-known for his drug addiction, and eventual ties to the Rutherford family was also a choice, albeit one that Leyla had been too young to understand the consequences of back then. But Jai had always reminded her of them; kind, even if misguided, despite coming from a world that perpetually demanded otherwise.
Wood Green was a difficult place for almost everybody, but it always seemed to come down on the nice ones hardest for their nonconformity. Rather than solely focusing on Ceren, however, Jai had always protected Leyla like she was family. It meant a lot when the Indian gang he’d associated with in the beginning had so much hate for the Turkish. But, his reputation along with that of his best friend, Dev, made life a little easier when she hadn’t even asked, because people were smart enough not to cross their paths. Those aspiring to join the Rutherfords stopped trying to steal her bag on the way home from school; stopped spitting from the rooftops when she was the one passing underneath; stopped cornering the weak little Turkish girl in alleyways to see how much verbal abuse she could take before she started to cry.
“If anybody ever does anything to make you sad, you tell me, okay?” Jai had always told her. Back then, it had worked to comfort. He was the protective big brother that could make all the bullies go away. The one that would help her cross the street when Ceren walked her to school, and the one that would bring her chocolate if he was taking her big sister away for the night.
Leyla had only been fourteen when her sister told her that she was leaving London. Jai, along with many other Rutherford loyalists, had been picked to make the journey to Porto Velho to work, instead. Whilst it had broken her heart to lose two parts of her family, she understood that it was not an opportunity he could pass up, nor would she have expected her sister to leave the man she loved just to keep her sister happy.
Life without her sister felt empty, though. Their staunch Muslim parents had essentially disowned their eldest daughter for eloping with a drug-dealing Hindu, and it made being at home even more complicated than before. Leyla loved them dearly, but the way they talked about Ceren like she was an embarrassment—all judgment and disdain, as though they didn’t want to be known as her parents—broke her heart. Part of her felt like a bad sister for not defending her in her absence, but she soon learned it wasn’t worth the fighting, or her mother’s emotionally manipulative guilt-trips.
Even though she appreciated still that the Rutherfords kept an eye out for her wellbeing—at the request of Jai and her sister from Porto, little did she realise—without them, she had no reason to be involved with the gang beyond their passive protection. Instead, Leyla focused all of her attention on school, so as not to disappoint her parents further. As harsh as their outlook was, Leyla could sense that they blamed themselves first and foremost; wondered if it was bad parenting on their part that had driven Ceren to the path she’d taken.
So, unlike her sister, she prepared for a ‘real job’ in the world of medicine.
Leyla wasn’t the most intelligent person by any stretch of the imagination, but she was certainly smart enough to be able to achieve the goals she’d set for herself. What mattered most was that she worked hard, persevered when she found things difficult, and was never lazy when it came to accepting an academic challenge. Leyla liked the idea of being able to be a help for other Muslim women who needed advice, and during her time in medical school, she realised that her calling was a surgical one: specifically, OB-GYN.
London’s steadily growing Muslim population seemed to be accelerating faster than doctors’ training to keep up with the resulting cultural differences. She was also keen to be a source of understanding and comfort for women, like herself, who would likely be in particularly vulnerable medical situations when they reached her. Throughout her time in school, she made it her own personal goal to spread as much awareness and education to the non-Muslim medical community she was training with as possible. For that reason, she was hugely respected amongst her colleagues and remains so now, as she’s readying to finish her surgical training programme at St. Catherine’s Hospital, and to begin the long and arduous path toward her OB-GYN specialisation.
If she’d thought that her life couldn’t have been any better, it was just as she was starting said programme two years ago, to her utter joy, that her sister returned.
Leyla had been over the moon that Ceren and Jai had decided to move back to London, particularly as the city seemed to be growing more unsafe by the day. Even though they’d kept in close contact throughout their time in Porto Velho, she’d still worried for their wellbeing; needless, she soon realised, when the newlyweds made it clear that they were doing better than ever. Jai had gotten a promotion, and Ceren looked happier and healthier than ever.
It seemed so cruel that almost as soon as she’d gotten them back, they were taken away again.
In hindsight, she should’ve known something was wrong. Many times, Jai had shown up at her home in the middle of the night, asking for medical attention. If it had been anyone else, she would’ve said no—unethical practice was not her thing. But he would come in looking like he’d gotten into a fight with a grizzly bear, and she could hardly turn him away when he seemed to adamant he wouldn’t go to the hospital. Before she knew it, she was patching up his friends in a similar manner…
What had he gotten himself into?
Ceren’s body had been found first. Murdered. Merciful, but brutal all the same; her end coming from a bullet to the back of the head. To know their daughter hadn’t suffered brought little relief to her parents, particularly when they had to go through the trauma of her being autopsied instead of allowing them to bury her immediately, and start their grieving process. Leyla was at a loss; in utter shock that the person she loved most had been taken away so unkindly. She didn’t process. Instead, she distracted herself by comforting her parents.
Jai’s body had been found shortly after, and she wished with all her heart that she hadn’t pestered Amara so hard to tell her what had happened. Executed. Cut in two. Butchered like an animal.
Perhaps it was the first time that she’d really stopped to consider that their connection to the Rutherfords wasn’t just protection, and money, and good standing in their community like she had naively told herself for so long. It was dangerous, and it took away those who deserved it least.
Now, those that had once come knocking with Jai for a few stitches still seek her out, and after hearing about the bloody mess her big brother had been found in, despite her fear of being unintentionally dragged into a lifestyle she wants no part of, she can’t bring herself to say no to helping those in need.
They looked after her for so many years.
How could she not return the favour when she has nobody else left?
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS:
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Laurent St. Pierre (boyfriend) FAMILY: Ceren Yılmaz (sister, deceased), Jai Dalal (brother-in-law, deceased) CONNECTIONS:
Dev Daryani: Acquaintance. Though she doesn’t know him well, Leyla remembers Dev from when she was a youngster; back before he and Jai left for Porto. Knowing that he was so close to him almost makes her want to reach out, but thus far, she in unsure whether he even remembers her, let alone if he would want another reminder of the friend he lost in his life.
Nora Berkeley: Good friend/colleague. Leyla isn’t sure there’s anybody who’s met Nora who didn’t immediately adore her. Like Gideon, she met the woman whilst working at St. Catherine’s, and was immediately taken under her wing when she first started training. Nora always has so much time for those she cares about, and was incredibly supportive--perhaps due to knowing the pain of a sibling loss herself--as she mourned Ceren. That’s something she will never forget.
Gideon Rutherford: Friend/colleague. With such a daunting last name, she didn’t know what to expect when she ran into him, and realised that yes, it was that kind of a Rutherford. As it turned out, though, he was about as detached from his family’s business as she was. Though she doesn’t really see him outside of the hospital in which they work, he has become an unlikely professional confidant.
Amara Prévot: Best friend. Aside from Jai, Amara, his younger cousin, is the only person inside the Rutherford ‘mob’ she considers herself close to. They met because of him, and initially only spent time with each other to fill the void their respective family members left. Eventually, though, she grew to love her like another sister, and although she’d not fully aware of everything Amara does, there is no way she could ever bring herself to judge her for it.
Johnathan Parsons: Stranger/dislikes. Even though she’s aware it’s unfair to judge him based on rumours alone, particularly when she isn’t fully aware of the context, Leyla can’t help but feel slightly bitter that people seem to think Jai’s death was all about sending him a message. If her sister took a bullet because of him, she isn’t sure how she’s supposed to overlook it; a problem, if she finds herself more involved with the mob, as he seems to hold a high position.
