They were lying together on the bed a few hours later. Can's arms holding Sanem's back close against his chest. One hand placed tenderly against the skin under her navel, the other entwined with her fingers where it poked out from underneath her head - being used as a pillow. Sanem's headache had mostly faded by now, the dimming of sunlight helping to ease the stabbing behind her eyes.
"Oh, by the way..." Can began, rubbing a thumb over the skin of her abdomen. Making her sigh and rousing her from a state of semi-consciousness. "Arslan got the part." Can smiled, pressing his lips against the skin of her neck.
"Really?" Sanem asked, rolling herself over to face him.
"Yeah," Can nodded. "Osman too."
"Maybe the baby will get into acting as well - that way, we could have our own little empire of on-call actors in the future." She said.
"Maybe we should look at getting a contract with a baby apparel company, and sneak the little bean in as a model." Can suggested. "It would only be fair. Since both you and Arslan have been used in company projects. It could be a family tradition." He mused. Sanem smiled softly, her eyes falling shut again.
Can's soft gaze flickered down from his wife's face to her abdomen. He moved a hand to place his palm, once again, over the ruefully still-flat line of her stomach. He found that they kept gravitating there ever since he first found out about the pregnancy. Her worrying about losing the baby had stopped him from reaching out for a while. But Can was making up for it now, touching her whenever and as often as she would allow. A few days ago, she had nearly bitten his hand off when she had gotten fed up with it. Only to apologise a while later - blaming the outburst on a mix of hunger and hormones.
Now, she seemed happy enough with the attention. Humming when she felt his hand rest over her pajama top. Can couldn't wait for her to start showing. He wondered how much longer he would have to wait.
---
Sanem was feeling clear-headed and pain-free in the morning, so she returned to work. A nervous joy buzzed in her stomach when she realised they would be telling their colleagues today.
"Do you still want to?" Can asked, getting dressed. "We could wait a while."
"No, I want them to know. I don't want to have to talk about it in whispers, behind closed doors" She replied, fixing her hair. Can nodded.
"How do you want to tell them?"
"I have a plan." She grinned. "But best we wait till the end of the day, so we can escape if it sets off chaos."
---
When Sanem arrived she was greeted by a rush of 'Are you okay?' 'I hope you are feeling better.' It was a small office, and being wife to the boss made it difficult for her disappearance to go unnoticed.
"I'm fine. Thank you" Sanem brushed their concerns away.
Even Deren, the only one with a legitimate reason to be concerned, appeared at the door of Can's office to ask if Sanem was alright. Sanem nodded at her gratefully. Can had told both Leila and Emre the truth about Sanem being unwell yesterday. The two were pleased to see Sanem back and fit.
---
It was an hour before home-time when Sanem called Ceycey away, leading him into an empty room to put her plan in action.
"Ceycey." Sanem whispered, grabbing him by the shoulders. "I have a secret to tell you." Ceycey hissed at her in response.
"Do not, Sanem." He shook his head. "I don't want to know. Why would you want to do that to me? You know how I am about secrets. It hurts my insides. Do you want to hurt me, Sanem? I can't be trusted with these things. I'll have a panic attack. Is that what you want? To hospitalise me? Why do you want to do this to me Sanem?" Ceycey began wheezing.
"Ceycey! Ceycey, calm down." Sanem insisted. "It's okay."
"No, It's not okay! Why are you doing this to me?" He squealed.
"Because this is a secret I don't want you to keep." She replied, watching as the worry in his eyes trickled away, intrigue taking its place.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his racing heartbeat beginning to slow down.
"I mean that I want you to tell everyone... Scream it in front of the whole office if you feel like it." She watched as his eyes began sparkling with curiosity.
"Alright..." Ceycey agreed, somewhat tentatively. Sanem took a breath, preparing herself. Once this was out, there would be no going back.
"Ceycey..." Sanem began. "I'm pregnant." Ceycey stared at her.
"You're pregnant." He parroted back, the words not quite sinking in yet. Sanem nodded with a smile, giving him a few seconds to comprehend her words. "You're... You're pregnant... You're pregnant?" He repeated, a smile beginning to form on his face as he processed the words. "You're pregnant!" Ceycey gasped, finally. "You're having a baby?" Sanem nodded again. "You and Can... You're... I knew it!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. Sanem raised an eyebrow.
"You knew?" She asked, crossing her arms. "How?"
"Well... I didn't know. I guessed." He explained. "You kept staying home sick, I knew something was up." He tapped a finger against his forehead. "I am not stupid, Sanem. Did you really think I wouldn't notice something was going on?" he asked mischievously.
"Did you talk to anyone else about it?"
"No!" Ceycey shook his head. "Of course not. Nobody else knows." His eyes widened at the realisation. "Nobody else knows.... Nobody else knows!" Ceycey gasped. "And I get to tell them all!" Sanem could feel his excitement building like an avalanche. Then, in a flash, he disappeared down the hallway screaming "She's pregnant! She's pregnant" So loud she almost felt like covering her ears.
Sanem followed from a distance. Amused, as Ceycey ran into the center of the office, continuing to shout. He could be quiet an efficient personal herald when the need arose. A crowd began gathering, lured in by his clamorous announcement.
"She's having a baby! They're having a baby!" Ceycey cried, causing Deren to rush over. Her heels tapping against the ground as she confronted the rambling Ceycey.
"What are you talking about, Ceycey?" She yelled over his shouting. Her eyes went wide as Ceycey grabbed onto her shoulders.
"She is pregnant, Deren!"
"Who?"
"Sanem!" Ceycey rasped, shaking Deren's shoulders. The crowd gasped.
"I know," Deren said, pushing his hands off.
"You know?" Ceycey paused. "How do you know?" Sanem wriggled her way through the gathering of employees. Quiet whispers following behind her. Is it true? Is she really?
"She was there when I bought the test." Sanem explained. Ceycey frowned, still offended that Deren had found out before he had.
Sanem's words inadvertently confirmed Ceycey's announcement to the surrounding audience. She was immediately swept up in a sea of hugs and congratulations from the people surrounding her. She replied 'thank you' so many times that the words lost all meaning. It started to become a bit suffocating.
When Can finally exited his office to investigate the ruckus, he was immediately pulled into the gathering of employees standing in the middle of the room. Suddenly bombarded with pats on the back and acclamations. He wife smirked at his bewildered expression, as he realised what must have just happened.
---
They eventually managed to escape the crowd, using work as an excuse to disappear back into the peace of Can's office.
"As far as pregnancy announcement's go, that was a bit eccentric don't you think?" Can grinned in amusement. "You might as well have had Ceycey announce it from the town square."
"I thought it was quite labor efficient, to be honest. I barely even had to say a word, and now everyone knows." Sanem waved a hand in the air. Can smiled, grabbing her arms and pulling her towards him.
"And it's a good thing too..." He said, resting his forehead against hers, their noses almost touching. "Because now... I don't have to stop myself from doing this, when we are at work." He sighed, placing a hand over her belly. Sanem beamed, her own hand moving to cover his.
---
Sanem soon came to regret sharing the news with everyone when she became victim to a sudden onslaught of hands trying to feel her flat stomach. She wouldn't have minded so much if it were people she knew, but half of them were partial strangers. "I'm not a petting zoo!" She finally snapped at the seventh person who attempted it that day. Allah! If people were already being this grabby with her, she couldn't bear to think what it would be like when she was showing and there was actually something to grab.
Arslan eventually picked up on her discomfort and began following her around, shielding her from anyone that started invading her space. God, she loved that dog.