CanEm One-Shots (English)

Patriotism and Pregnancy

Plot: Can is doing his military service when Sanem finds out she's pregnant. 

Patriotism - devotion and support to one's country.

Sanem loved being Turkish, was proud of her heritage and its vibrant culture but it wasn't something she consciously considered daily. She didn't wake up in the morning with the red flag waving at the forefront of her mind; patriotism wasn't just something she thought about.

However, when her husband was drafted for his mandatory military service, Sanem began to think about patriotism more and more. 

Can had been gone from her life for months now and she considered whether her sleepless and lonely nights were worth it ... worth whatever the government was making Can do. She knew, in the grand scheme of things, she was being selfish. Military service was usually for the greater good, but Sanem couldn't help but dwell on the empty side of his bed or the fading scent of his cologne on the sheets.

Especially, now that she'd gotten the good news, the loneliness had gotten worse.

Her and Can had dreamed of having children together. They had talked about having a handful of children and an equally as big kennel of dogs to match. It was a rather picturesque image that had seemed easily obtainable as of lately. Gone were the days the likes of Huma, Fabri, Polen or Yigit had interfered with their relationship - Sanem and Can were as sturdy and as loving as ever. 

And they'd tried, exceptionally hard to have kids since their wedding. 

Of course, they'd spent their honeymoon bouncing between the Galapagos islands; Sanem eagerly keeping her eye out for a real albatross and Can eagerly watching Sanem's eyes light up at the smallest of things. Her smile would brighten every time she spotted a musician on the street or a brightly coloured bird taking flight. She was like a child experiencing the world for the first time and it was truly sight for Can to see.  But when night fell and the albatross' took shelter in the darkness, Can was adamant to treasure the body that  he knew would soon swell to bare his child.

He'd caress the flat surface of Sanem's stomach, pepper it with gentle kisses before whispering huskily into her ear, "I'm going to put a baby in there." 

Embarrassed by his forwardness, Sanem would swot at his chest but even she couldn't deny the butterflies that soared through her at Can's words (or the throbbing between her legs) Truth be told, she was just as excited by the prospect of having his child. She desperately wanted a family with him and didn't dare deny his advances every time he said they try. 

But every month, Mother Nature's way of telling Sanem that she wasn't pregnant came in the form of stained panties and stomach cramps. Every second week of the month, that same disappointment settled over her like a dark cloud. She didn't even had to take a pregnancy test to confirm that she wasn't pregnant. 

"It's okay, bebek." Can would kiss her cheek and hug her tightly, his arms encircling her waist. "It will happen when it's meant to me ..." Sanem nodded solemnly, sucking in the silent tears that threatened to fall. "Until then, we keep trying." 

With his sinful tongue and his dirty words, Can was always able to distract Sanem with the hope of next time. 

And finally - after seven or so next times - Sanem's period had been late. Can had been away for months and Sanem hadn't even bothered to track her menstrual cycle with him gone ... until the strangest of things started to plague her monotonous daily routine. 

It had hit her one morning when she almost threw up after her first sip of tea. For a week after then, queasiness became her best friend. She threw up twice one day, three times the next. When she realised that she hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary, Sanem had pinned her sickness on the stress that she'd been under since Can's departure for military service.