Moments.
Split second decisions, the quiet stillness of contemplation or even sudden and unexpected interventions of fate - gifts from the angels themselves. They make up the building blocks of our very existence, commanding the direction of changes and transitions from one chapter of our lives to the next. No matter how hard we hold on, attempting to force moments to align with an idealised perception of the future that we had in our head is entirely pointless; moments can be chaotic little things. They are also not impartial to sneakiness.
Sometimes, and more often to than most people realise, the biggest moments greet us quietly and without fuss. At the time, we may barely notice they are even happening, entirely unaware of the consequences about to unfold. Slipping into our lives like quiet whispers.
For Sanem, falling in love with Can had been one of these moments. It had crept up on her slowly, and when she had finally accepted her feelings for what they were, they had already taken up such a familiar place in her heart that it just felt normal; like something she'd been holding for years, she couldn't remember life without it. Falling pregnant had been the same. The life growing in her womb had started off so discreetly, as if he were a beautiful secret her body was trying to keep. After the initial shock, progressing slowly and gently, allowing her time to adjust to every little change before the next one came along, introducing her gradually and gently to the concept of becoming a mother.
But sometimes - as it would becoming alarmingly obvious to Sanem - moments are not quiet, they are not discreet, nor are they gentle, and they certainly don't give you time to adjust before colliding into your life like a freight train.
The morning had started so peacefully. She'd woken up to find Can had wriggled down the bed, repeating the same ritualistic 'good morning' to the baby he'd been doing for weeks.
Sanem smiled, then rolled over to discover it was well past 10 am. A frustrating and equally endearing consequence of Can's recently developed habit of turning off her morning alarm before she had the chance to wake up. While she'd been working, it had regularly caused them to stumble into the office well past clock in time. Despite the fact she was now abstaining from work, it was still mildly irritating; she didn't want to waste the day away in bed. But she loved him for it anyway.
Can disappeared into the bathroom as she nudged away the dozing cats who were still curled up against her. She groaned, the movement making her aware of an unpleasant ache in her hips.
She wasn't surprised. Her long list of discomforts had been getting longer over the last few days.
She'd been spending most of her time with Aziz, lazying around either her own or Emre's house, watching movies, playing board games or just talking for hours on end. Napping when they needed to and sending the odd message back and forth from the office when someone needed her assistance. Both being equally as physically inebriated as the other, messing around with Aziz wheelchair and taking it in turns to encourage the other on short walks around the garden was about all they could manage. Arslan proved a faithful walking aid. Allowing them to lean on him for balance support.
Sanem wasn't even dissuaded by Huma's presence. And even tolerated her mother-in-law in joining them in her own home when it was Sanem's turn to host. The animals stayed well clear of her, but that was probably for the best.
But today, Aziz was visiting the hospital for some routine check-ups, so Sanem was entrusted under the supervision of Deren for a few hours while Can, Leyla and Emre attended a lunch meeting with the Kırmızı Kurt's CEO.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Can asked for the fifth time after dropping her off at the office. "I'll keep my phone on the whole time in case -"
"Can, stop it. My due date is still three weeks away. You're literally going to be a forty-minute drive from here. Nothing catastrophic is going to happen that means you won't be able to reach me if you need to. Stop stressing and go, or you're going to be late." She laughed and gave him a kiss goodbye.
