Artemis (CanEm Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Twenty Seven

When they pulled up to the Divit household, Can turned to Sanem to notice that she had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. They'd made a speedy trip to the hospital for her head wound and it seemed everything had taken its toll on her. It had been a few hours since her assault and Can was still as worried as he was when he'd first discovered it had happened. Sanem's head had dropped against the window and a weird sort of peace had possessed her facial expressions. She wasn't crying anymore and there wasn't this horrified look in her eyes.

Can didn't have it in him to wake her up so he gingerly (yet awkwardly) slid her out of the car and into his arms again. Her breathing hitched a little and Can froze – scared that he'd woken her up – but she cuddled closer into his chest before letting out a content hum.

After a sigh of relief, Can took her into the comforts of his home. He scoffed lightly at the image of him carrying Sanem over the threshold resembling that of a newly wed bride and groom. He had never pictured anything like this happening ... the whole love and commitment thing just hasn't been for him. And now he didn't want the little bundle of joy in his arms go. He wanted her tucked up in bed beside him for the rest of his life ... However, on the way there, he ran into Emre.

"What happened to her?" Emre had been resting at home since his accident and was nursing a neat glass of whiskey in front of the TV instead of partying with the rest of his colleagues. But as soon as he'd caught sight of Sanem, he knew something was wrong. She was covered head to toe in bruises and a pretty evident bandage was wrapped around her head.

"Fabri-" Can closed his eyes as he envisioned all of the unthinkable things that Fabri had tried to do to Sanem when he'd only been metres away. "He ... assaulted Sanem."

"What?" Emre practically spat out his drink, chocking on the remnants down his throat. He and Sanem didn't have the best of relationships but ultimately, she had still been kind to him. When he'd been lying on that hospital bed by himself, she had been the one to convince Can to go speak to him. She had helped aid the two brother's on their journey to mending their relationship and Emre was thankful for that. He wouldn't wish sexual assault on anybody and he was genuinely horrified for what Sanem had had to endure. "We have to call the police or something!"

"I'm just going to get her to bed first."

"Okay."

Can lay Sanem down gently on his bed, his hands taking off the tuxedo jacket he had given her at the hospital. He then moved down to her heels, his fingers gingerly stroking her ankle before peeling away her shoes. Her body was quickly replaced by Can's blanket, one that Sanem readily enveloped herself in. Subconsciously, she was aware that it smelt like him. It was comforting and she let out a gentle moan as she dug her nose deeper into the cosy material. To Can, thankfully, it looked as if she was enjoying her sleep and he sat by her side for a few minutes. He moved a stray piece of her hair from her face and just admired her beauty. He could get lost in her for hours.

After, ensuring that she was in deep sleep, Can got changed himself and headed back to the living room where he had left Emre. As he sunk abruptly into a chair in defeat, Emre pushed a pre-prepared drink towards him. The amber liquid was as inviting as ever and Can downed it all in one go. It burned as it went down and Can just pushed the glass back towards Emre, silently urging him to hit him with another. "Take it easy, Abe."

"That asshole put his hands on her." Can practically growled, his hands clenching together in absolute anger. "He touched her-"

"Where is he now?" Emre asked, mortified by what he was hearing about Enzo Fabri. He had had pleasantries with this guy, invited him into his business and his home and the thought of him attacking someone made his blood curdle just as much as Can's.

"He went on the run once Sanem escaped him." Can didn't like that idea, that he was out running havoc, loose, whilst Sanem was fearing for her life. "The bastar-"

"So let's call the police, they'll find him in no time and lock him up-"

"I can't do it ..." Can shook his head, the anger boiling in him slowly before overflowing. Going to jail was the easy route out of this situation; Can wanted Fabri to pay for what he had done. "I'm not letting him go to prison and get out on bail in a few weeks. That isn't enough for me." In slow increments, Can's voice was increasing in volume.

"So what?" Emre asked.

"I'm going to go after him myself." With a confidence that was impalpable, the cynic in Can found pleasure in seeing Fabri suffer.

"And what? You're going to punish him yourself, are you?"

"He assaulted her, Emre!" Can smacked his palm against the arm of the sofa loudly, the sound echoing throughout the room. "He had the nerve to come to my agency's party and assault my girlfriend? I'm not having it. He needs to be taught a lesson."

"Okay so say you do go after him, then what? You punch him a few times, give him a piece of your mind. You lose control and then you go to prison for assault or worse." Emre was trying his best to be the voice of reason. He knew Can was angry and he didn't want him to do anything that he knew would regret later on.

"I'll take it. If it means he never comes near Sanem again, I'll do it."

"She needs you. What use are you to her when you're in prison-"

Before Emre could continue, he was interrupted by a loud scream from Can's room ... Sanem's scream. It was earth-shattering and both Can and Emre raced towards her in fear. What if Fabri had made his way into the house somehow? What if he was peering through the window? Can cursed at himself for leaving Sanem alone and he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, practically giving himself whiplash as he rounded the sharp corners typical of the Divit home.

When he got this room, he found her upright in bed, shaking, the tears falling from her eyes by the bucket load. Initially, Can looked about to see if there were any signs of danger but there was nothing and yet Sanem kept screaming. It was obviously louder in her, shrill and pain-filled, and Can felt utterly helpless. He couldn't fix her pain and that was demeaning to him.

"Sanem, Sanem, it's okay, it's okay."

"I woke up and ... I didn't know where I was and ..." She muttered frantically and all Can could do was engulf her into a tight hug, his heart aching for her evident distress. He squeezed her as tightly as he could, almost as if clutching her tightly would forge their bodies together so he would never have to leave her alone again. "You weren't here and I was scared, so scared-"

"Shh, shh, bebek, I'm here, it's okay. I'll always be here." Sanem let her head rest against Can's shoulder, her heart rate plummeting back to a normal rhythm. He rubbed her back soothingly, his fingers running up and down and then around as if she were a child. "It's okay."

And with Can with her, Sanem knew – eventually – it would all be okay.