Arslan watched in puzzlement as the humans rushed around the house, throwing random items into a big duffle bag and shouting at each other from opposite ends of the building.
"What do we need? Towels? Toothbrushes?" Leyla yelled from the bathroom.
Mevkibe appeared in the doorway. "Do you have a have a hospital bag packed already?"
"We do," Sanem replied, keeping her breathing steady. "There's one in the house - and another in Can's car."
"We can pick one up on the way."
Arslan crouched guardedly next to Sanem on the bed, unsettled by all the comotion and by the fact she smelt strange - she smelt like anxiety. Stronger than he was familiar with; it came and went in harsh waves, her hand burying into the scruff of his neck as she pinched her eyes shut.
He heard the engine of Sanem's car at the front of the house, someone must have pulled it up outside the door. Convenient. Sanem wasn't particularly keen on walking at the moment.
Leyla and Mevkibe appeared in the bedroom doorway a few moments later and were soon helping Sanem waddle carefully down the stairs as he trotted down behind them. The makeshift hospital-bag was thrown into the back of her car and Sanem clambered inside. He was shocked when Leyla grabbed him by the collar, preventing him from jumping in beside her, instead, tugging him through to a different house that smelled unfamiliar and entirely unlike home.
What was happening? Was she about to have her puppy? Why wasn't he allowed to be there? But his questions were disappointingly answered with a rushed apology from Leyla as she closed the door in his face.
--- --- ---
A rushed detour to the house; a frantic drive to the hospital, and a blush-inducing pelvic exam later, Sanem could finally breathe.
Luckily Naysül had been on duty at the labour ward and had intercepted them at the door with a bright smile, leading Sanem's wheelchair through to a private room before confirming that she was, in fact, not having a baby today. The contractions had spontaneously dissipated on the drive over. Now replaced with his much more pleasant occasional kicking. You have the best timing little guy. What was all that about, huh? Are you that upset that your dad is away that you staged a protest?
"Thankfully, it was just Braxton Hicks - granted quite an intense case but there has been no change in your cervix that would indicate you're going into labour," Naysül reassured. "It was just a false alarm. The little joey is staying in his pouch for now."
"Oh, thank god." Sanem sighed. Can was still half a world away, it would have been a miracle for him to return in time. She pushed the panic from her veils - happy that she wouldn't have to face this without him.
"Contractions like these aren't unusual, but I would recommend taking it easy for the rest of the pregnancy. Try not to do anything even remotely strenuous." Naysül warned.
"Is that a free pass not to exercise? Brilliant, I'll take that."
Naysül laughed. "Walking should be fine, but anything more than that is a definite no-no."
Ayhan would be disappointed. No more yoga. "Am I okay to work?" Sanem asked.
The Doctor hummed "It shouldn't be a problem, but if this happens again I may have to enforce bed rest on you. So please be careful, Sanem. I don't want to see your face again for at least a few more weeks, Tamam?" Naysül requested playfully.
Sanem nodded, they were in agreement on that. "Tamam."
--- --- ---
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Leyla said, almost annoyed, as she climbed back into the driver's seat. Sanem's belly was making driving a cumbersome task now, she'd eagerly handed over the keys.
"Yeah," Sanem let out a deep breath. Thank god.
"I told you, didn't I. I told you it was false labour." Mevkibe reminded them smugly, climbing into the back seat.
"Yeah, you did. You were also the first to start freaking out when they kept coming back for over an hour." Sanem laughed. The anxiety of the morning was making her slightly delirious. "What did you guys do to my dog anyway?"
"I took him round Ayhan's." Leyla started the car. "We can pick him up before heading into work."
"Work?" Mevkibe interrupted. "You're actually going in? Sanem, you need to rest."
"I'm fine." Sanem protested. "Naysül said I'd be fine, I'll be sat down all day anyway and we have a presentation today I need to go to."
"Why would they make a pregnant lady give a presentation?" Mevkibe huffed.
"I'm not giving the presentation - Deren is. I'm just there as moral support."
"Allah, you are too stubborn child. Honestly, I don't understand how Can puts up with you."
--- --- ---
Conversations of chickens were running rampant through the office; Aunt Remide had returned.
Truthfully, dropping in on Can and Sanem had been her main priority, negotiating the advertising contract for the upcoming year was just a convenient side goal.
The old lady had a soft spot for Can, which had naturally extended to Sanem and had earned Remide an invitation to their wedding. Still rightfully smug over her successful matchmaking, she entered the building, keeping an eye out for the young couple. A small entourage of employees trailing behind her.
As usual, she didn't wait for the receptionists to announce her arrival, but proudly strolled straight into the office. Ceycey was the first to greet her, leading them through to the boardroom.
Deren was beyond grateful that Sanem had arrived - Remide could still be acrimonious at times, Sanem seemed to have a knack for hacking into her soft side - but she was also disturbed to find out her friend had arrived straight from the hospital.
"Are you sure you should be here?" Deren asked. Again.
"I'm fine. Stop fussing." Sanem insisted, checking over the collection of design layouts, inspirations and archetypes strewn over the conference table.
Ceycey opened the door, letting Remide and her colleagues enter the room before pulling out a chair for the older lady. She ignored it for a moment, dropping her coat over the back and stepping around the table to greet Sanem.
"How are you, my dear?" Remide asked, smiling in greeting.
Sanem grinned. The table provided perfect cover from her unambiguous baby bump right until the moment she stood up. Conscious of the fact Remide had not seen her since the wedding, Sanem beamed cheekily. "I'm very well, thank you."
"Goodness me, look at you!" Remide gasped, her smile widening. She took Sanem's hands and held them out to the sides to get a better look at her. "I faintly recall a little bird telling me you two were expecting, but after I heard no official announcement, I assumed it was just a rumour."
"Apologies for that, we should have told you properly, things have been a bit hectic recently."
"Never mind, just name the little one after me and we can call it even." Remide winked.
"I would in a heartbeat, but we're actually having a boy."
"Nonsense, just knock the 'e' off the end and it could still be a boy's name." Remide teased, pulling Sanem in for a hug. "And where is that husband of yours?"
"Can is in Mexico at the moment, visiting his baba." She replied, pulling away.
The old lady tutted with mischievous eyes. "Typical man. Gets a women pregnant then disappears off to another country."
Sanem snorted, then was slightly started as Remide turned serious, still holding Sanem's hands in hers.
"I do hope he has been looking after you Sanem. You're a gem. I hope that boy knows how lucky he is." Sanem nearly blushed. The words were spoken with the gentle teasing of a grandmother, she wished Can had been there to hear it. His family may have been broken, but he was so loved by so many people - his own extended network of surrogate family members who cared for him so deeply.
"Thank you, but you shouldn't be worried. He's been very attentive to us both. I think I'm the lucky one." Sanem smiled fondly.
"Good." Remide nodded, finally taking her chair and indicating for the presentation to begin.
--- --- ---
Sanem spent the rest afternoon drumming her fingers against her desk and eagerly waiting for Can's confirmation that they'd arrived back in Turkey. When the message finally chimed through on her phone, Sanem immediately began scooting her wheelie chair towards her sister's office.
"Leyla," Sanem pestered. "They're back. Will you drive me to the airport?"
Leyla's eyes flickered away from the computer "Oh, yeah. Just give me one moment." She said, saving the files on her computer and shuffling her belongings into her handbag. "Are they still planning on coming by the office?"
Sanem shook her head. "Not today, Can says Aziz is too tired from the flight, they're taking him straight home. They'll all visit tomorrow."
On Leyla's stubborn insistence they didn't even leave the car, waiting outside the airport in the drop-off area rather than taking the trek into the building. Sanem sighed, but it was probably sensible.
She would have run to him if she could. Instead, she opted to clamber out of the passenger seat and let him sweep her into his arms - as best as he was able with her belly in the way.
"Hey," Can breathed into her shoulder in relief that he was back with her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. We're fine." She smiled as she pulled away to look at him. Had it only been three days? It felt like a tiny eternity.
"Anything happen while I was away?" Can asked, loosening his arms from around her slightly.
In the excitement of seeing him again she had almost forgotten the events of that morning. "Um... about that."
--- --- ---
Can nearly had a heart attack.
"Why didn't you call me?" He wasn't angry but his words were slightly louder than he'd meant them to be.
"It's not like it would have done any good. You were sixteen hours away. And anyway it's fine now, nothing happened." She squeezed his hand. "Of course, I would have eventually called had it been the real thing. But everyone was just making a fuss. There was no real need for me to have even gone to the hospital. My mom was more alarming than the pain, honestly."
Can winced at hearing she had been in discomfort. "Please don't do that again." He demanded, placing a hand over her stomach.
"Oh, I don't know," Aziz interrupted, sitting in a wheelchair a few meters away with Emre standing behind him. "Coming home to a grandchild would have been a nice surprise."
He grinned and stood feebly as Sanem walked over to give him a tight hug.
"I have missed you."
"I have missed you too, my dear."
--- --- ---
It was a slight squeeze to fit the five of them in Sanem's little car but they managed it nonetheless - the drive was only short. The wheelchair was folded up into the boot next to Arslan who was released for a few moments to eagerly greet Can and the others.
Can drove. Taking them all to Emre's house and spending the warm afternoon in the garden together. Arslan ran around the grass, jumping in and out of the pool as Emre and Leyla threw a deflated football for him to chase. Sanem sat next to Can on a recliner, catching up with Aziz and showing him pictures of their home and the new nursery.
"I'd love to see your new house. Can tells me you two renovated it together?" He asked. Sanem nodded.
Can relaxed, noticing his father seemed genuinely cheery, a bright smile on his face that was reflected on Sanem's as they talked.
Leyla and Emre disappeared inside the house, volunteering to cook dinner when Can's phone began ringing. His mother's name appeared on the front screen. He hesitated but answered anyway after a heartbeat.
"Hello?"
"Can," She seemed relieved that he hadn't hung up. "Emre told me you were bringing your father back today. Are you home now? How is he?" Her concern seemed honest, a promising reminder of the mother he had seen glimpses of as a child. He chatted with her, letting her know what had happened over the last few days. It was strangely easy, it made him anxious how open he had become with her in the last few months. He hoped his trust wouldn't be shattered. Again.
"Would it be okay if I came over?" Huma asked tentatively. Can stilled, repeating the question to Sanem and Aziz.
"I guess that's up to you." Sanem smiled reassuringly.
Can thought for a moment before replying. "Sure. Yeah, you can come over." His answer shocked even himself. But when she arrived with a bundle of flowers in hand and joined them for dinner in the garden, the usual acidity left by her presence that he had become accustomed to was pleasantly absent. Sat under the setting sun, laughing at Emre's jokes, and pretending not to notice the others sneakily feeding Arslan scraps under the table, Can was beginning to feel that maybe his broken family wasn't so broken anymore.
--- --- ---
Sanem and Can said their goodbye's late in the evening. Emre offered to drop Leyla home and they all trickled back to their own houses.
Sanem headed straight for the bath when they returned. Climbing out of her clothes and stepping into the water, squealing slightly when Can suddenly entered the bathroom too. He followed her lead, shedding his clothing and slipping into the bath behind her. She rolled her eyes when he offered to wash her hair, but let him anyway. Humming when he began massaging his fingers into her scalp.
"I have officially turned into a whale." She joked. "I think it's time you released me into the ocean so I can swim with my brethren -"
"Sanem, stop being so dramatic. You don't look that big."
"I might not look it but I definitely feel it." She sighed, leaning back against his chest. Sanem's belly was beginning to feel stupidly large - and heavy. She'd had enough. Everything hurt and she kept leaking in embarrassing places every time the baby used her bladder as a trampoline, she was very ready for this pregnancy to be over. "I think it might be about time I stop working."
Can smiled, he'd been waiting for that decision. "Tamam." He agreed as he began rinsing her hair with a water jug.
It didn't stop her from visiting the office occasionally and opting to spend most of her time at Emre's house with her father in law, and consequently Huma - who offered herself as Aziz's substitute nurse. Sanem could keep her father in law company but she was almost as immobile as he was.
--- --- ---
Ihsan was turning into a trip hazard. The ginger cat was furious over their three-day disappearance. How dare they heartlessly abandon him for so long? His bitterness manifested into overbearing neediness, he wouldn't leave them alone for a second. They were in debt and he was adamant they would repay him, tangling himself between their legs as they walked, climbing onto their laps every moment they sat down. Watching movies, eating dinner, working on their laptops - he would be there. Getting in the way and making an adorable pest of himself.
One evening, Can entered the living room to find Sanem settled on the sofa with a blanket draped over her lap and a bucket of popcorn in one hand. The cats were mysteriously absent - until Can pointed out the irregularity and Sanem simply lifted the blanket off her tucked up legs, revealing both Ilkay and Sannie boy who had snuggled under the tent made by the material draped over her knees.
As of yet, the cats had not discovered the comfort of Can and Sanem's bed. It was a luxury afforded only to Arslan, but with an onslaught of heartbreaking wailing in the middle of the night, Can and Sanem suddenly found themselves inviting all three animals to sleep with them, Ilkay naturally following her brother.
"I think we are going to need a bigger bed." Can joked. "Especially when the baby arrives."
Sanem hummed in agreement.
The cats were painfully indiscreet about their favouritism for Sanem, especially Ilkay. Can wasn't certain if it was because she'd practically raised them or if they were drawn to her because she was pregnant. Could they sense her hormones? Is that what made her lap more enticing than his? He tried not to be jealous. Even Arslan had become exceptionally gentle and loving with Sanem the bigger her belly got.
But they weren't the only ones being exceptionality needy with her. After the incident while he was away in Mexico, Can had become oppressively affectionate. Demanding that she never be left alone on her own, in the office or at home, someone always had to be on 'baby-mamma duty' keeping an eye on her.
She kept waking up feeling hot and muggy, with his arms cuddled around her. The temperature was still uncomfortably high and she had to kick him away before she could settle back down to sleep.
"I love you but this is getting ridiculous."
But it wasn't all bad. He'd started the adorable habit of talking to the baby every morning. It made her heart flutter. Trying to be tactful about it, he shuffled quietly down the bed, laying in front of the bump while he thought she was still asleep. Yet the quiet conversation was often enough to wake her. She squeezed her eyes shut, feigning sleep and listening to words she couldn't quite make out, but knew were not meant for her. She held back a smile, not wanting to disturb their moment.