Let All Our Tomorrows Begin
Author's note: Clay owns himself and his own name. I only wrote the words
to the story.
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The office of Doctor Koko Alexander
Kate sat waiting for her obstetrician/gynecologist, the doctor who would be caring for her through out the remainder of her pregnancy. The doctor had been recommended by one of Clay's team, and Kate hoped that the two would get along well in the months to come. With a name like Koko Alexander, Kate wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
After a knock and Kate's invitation to enter, the door opened to reveal a tiny, white-coated woman of east Asian heritage. "Kathryn Aiken?" she asked, a light accent in her medium-range voice.
Kate nodded. "Yes. Please call me Kate. That's what I go by."
Doctor Alexander extended her hand. "Doctor Koko Alexander."
"Beautiful first name, Doctor," Kate told her as she shook her hand. "What origin is it?" she asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
Rolling her eyes, Doctor Alexander snorted. "Japanese. My father had a
strange sense of humor, giving a Japanese name to a Filipino daughter..."
She gave Kate a wicked smile. "I have the last laugh. When I came to
Kate blinked. "A bird?"
"Yeah, a bird. Koko means 'stork' in Japanese." Doctor Alexander snorted again. "My father..."
Oh my goodness... my baby doctor is named after a stork. Unable to help it, Kate clamped her hand over her mouth to hold in the giggles. Speaking of sense of humor... Poppa God, that is just too funny.
"Is my name that bad?"
"No," Kate gasped. "It's... it's a pretty name, Doctor. But I don't know if you know the extra irony behind the name you were given."
"I'm listening..." Doctor Alexander said quietly.
Kate took a moment to collect herself before starting. "I don't know how many of the American 'old wives tales' you've heard about how babies are born. We have several of them - their parents find them in the cabbage patch, et cetera. One of the more popular ones... is that the stork brings them. With your chosen field of expertise, I can't help but find humor in the meaning of your name. I'm so sorry, Doctor..."
Much to Kate's surprise, the doctor placed her hand over her mouth as her shoulders quaked with silent laughter. "Are you serious?" she asked.
"Completely serious," Kate giggled helplessly. "Ask your colleagues but don't tell them why, and you'll see that it's the truth."
Doctor Alexander continued to laugh along with her patient for several minutes. "You know," she said at last, "I enjoy my work a lot. I enjoy my time with women and their babies and their families. But I have a hard time connecting with the celebrity wives." She slowly shook her head. "You are not a typical celebrity wife, Kate Aiken. I think we'll get along just fine."
For the next little while, Doctor Alexander talked with Kate about her prior medical history, as much as Kate knew about it. They discussed everything from any conditions Kate herself might have to conditions that ran in her or Clay's family. Doctor Alexander took particular interest in Kate's mention of Clay's food allergies.
"Do you have any idea when you might have conceived?" Doctor Alexander asked.
"My birthday," Kate admitted sheepishly. As an amused grin turned the corner of Doctor Alexander's mouth, Kate went on. "Clay surprised me with this really super-romantic picnic and hike in one of the wilderness parks we've been to before. We really didn't plan to conceive before we went on our mission trip to Haiti, but the mood really hit us both and we didn't have any um, protection on us, and..."
Doctor Alexander raised a wry eyebrow. "Happy birthday."
Kate giggled. "Oh yeah... That's the only time we haven't had any protection. At least until shortly before the trip when we speculated that we were pregnant, then it was a matter of 'forget this'..."
"I have to admit," Doctor Alexander stated as she scanned Kate's chart for her birth date, "that certainly makes it easy to calculate your due date. It should be the middle of February."
"The eighteenth," Kate nodded.
Performing a quick bit of mental math, Doctor Alexander came up with the
same conclusion. "I heard you mention a trip to
"Food was pretty much the typical Haitian fare," Kate shrugged, "only they knew not to give me anything spicy since I was pregnant. Rice and beans, goat, chicken, fish, vegetables... filtered water and decaffeinated soda pop. Breakfast was fruit, pastries, and fruit juice."
"Good, good," Doctor Alexander nodded. "Activities?"
Kate scowled lightly. "Clay made me behave..." she sighed. "I mostly taught bible school. The only purely physical activities I did was swim in the pool, and help out moving buckets on bucket brigade."
"Were they heavy?"
Instantly Kate shook her head. "Clay wouldn't have let me carry them if they were. There was something else that happened to us down there that I thought might have affected our child, but the doctor from my parents' hometown assured us he's fine."
"What happened?" Doctor Alexander asked, her keen eye focused on Kate.
Keeping it short and succinct, Kate told them about what happened to them in the jungle from the bridge to the moment they met up with John in the village. She reported that Doctor Kelley's office had already given her a quick examination and an ultrasound to determine the health of the child.
Doctor Alexander nodded. "I am thankful that the other doctor took things seriously, but I still want to check everything out for myself this morning, including giving you another ultrasound. I will give you a few minutes to change," she stated as she pointed towards a nearby gown, "and then we'll begin with the rest of the exam."
Once Kate was changed, Doctor Alexander returned. She started with a basic head-to-toe exam to see for herself the state of Kate's basic health before proceeding on to a pelvic exam. Because of the short engagement (moreover during the holiday season), Kate was not able to find the opportunity to have a pelvic exam before she and Clay had married. Keeping this in mind, Doctor Alexander talked her patient through the new experience to calm any concerns that she might have.
"You look to be in healthy condition to me, Kate," Doctor Alexander reported as Kate sat back up, "and so far your child seems to be healthy too. The ultrasound should tell me more, and there are other tests we can run if we decide we should need to monitor your child's condition and growth."
"If we need," Kate agreed. "I have full confidence that he should be fine."
Doctor Alexander grinned wryly. "Are you sure it's a boy? Did the other doctor tell you?"
"No," Kate admitted. "Clay saw him in a dream while we were in the jungle."
Sighing lightly, Doctor Alexander shook her head. "Kate... one thing I should tell you right now, because I can see this will be one issue where we might not get along as well. I hear from the way that you talk that you are Christian, and that your husband is too. I am not, and hearing people talk about God makes me uncomfortable."
Kate frowned sadly. "I'm sorry that it does, Doctor. I'll try not to be in-your-face about it, but I won't promise not to talk about God. It's so much a part of our lives that I can't separate it out. All I can promise is to respect you and that I'll try to be understanding."
"I suppose that's all I can ask for." From there Kate was taken for an ultrasound, which the doctor planned to watch for any abnormalities as well as signs that all was well.
"Oh my goodness," Kate breathed as the baby once again came onto the screen. "His face is so much more defined now. Oh my gosh, I can see his fingers!!" She gasped in wonder as her son moved ever so slightly in front of them. "He's moving... Oh, I wish Clay were here to see this. He's so beautiful. Our little miracle..."
Doctor Alexander glanced over warmly at the awe of the mother-to-be. With few exceptions, all of the women who came into her office expecting were gleefully excited during the entire ultrasound experience. There was something about seeing the unborn child on the screen that made it that much more real to the families. She couldn't help finding Kate's choice of terms interesting... many couples called their babies miracles, and some truly were. There was something about the way Kate said it that told Doctor Alexander that she meant it in a deep and profound way. Considering that Kate's answer would probably be about God, she wasn't about to ask for clarification.
"Doctor, he's moving a lot as we watch him right now, but I don't feel a thing. When will I feel him move?" Kate asked quietly.
"In about another four weeks, you'll feel your child move," Doctor Alexander reported. "That typically happens around week fourteen of the pregnancy." She smiled again at Kate. "But I wouldn't tell Clay right away. Once you admit to your husband that you feel him move, he's going to be putting his hands on your stomach every chance he gets to see if he can feel him move."
"Fun..." Kate drawled. She recalled some late nights where she
unexplainably woke up to find Clay reclined down around her stomach, lightly
running his fingers over it, talking in hushed tones to the baby, or both. Once
she had seen him lying with both his head and his hand on her stomach, as if by
doing that he was somehow bonding closer with his son. Every time she had
caught him at this "male bonding" activity he had sheepishly blushed
with embarrassment... and yet next time he would be doing the very same thing
as if he had never been caught. He can't keep his hands off me now...
she mused. Not that I mind that...
Doctor Alexander nodded with satisfaction at something she saw on the screen. "His heart seems to be in very good condition. Whatever happened to you in the jungle doesn't seem to have affected him adversely, at least not in any way I can tell right now."
"That's good news to hear."
"We'll continue to monitor your child," Doctor Alexander continued, "and at the first sign of fetal distress I can perform other tests as needed."
Kate smiled. "All right. How often do I need to come in for check-ups?"
"Every four weeks until your third trimester," the doctor responded, "then at Week 28 we'll increase the frequency of your visits to every two weeks, and finally at Week 36 every week until you deliver."
That worked for Kate. Hopefully the next time she had an ultrasound, Clay would be able to attend. She remembered the look of complete joy on his face as he saw the first few images of his son on the monitor screen. The love shone in his eyes, love for her and the child both. Kate wanted very much to share as many experiences like that with him as she could.
The technician helped Kate clean the conducting jelly from her abdomen, and within minutes Kate was back in the examining room putting back on her street clothes. With the appointment over and the next one scheduled, she left to return home and to the next order of business for the day. She continued to mull over details from her first appointment with her obstetrician. Doctor Alexander was a very nice lady who believed in connecting with her patients on a more personal level, she thought, and she was clearly knowledgeable and skilled at her craft. Her spirituality aside, Kate felt very good about the budding relationship with her doctor. She would easily trust the well-being of herself and her children in Doctor Alexander's hands.
Stopping at one of the local card stores on the way home, Kate browsed the racks for a suitable card to hold the photographs she had brought from today's appointment for her husband. In spite of the fact that they now lived together in the same house, Kate had never quite broken the habit of giving him supportive and friendly greeting cards. What had changed, however, was the lack of postage and the closer level of their relationship. Card selections that had once been restricted to encouragement, thinking of you, and humorous subjects grew to include the sweetly romantic and the more overtly suggestive. (Hey, they were married, after all...)
At last she found a suitable card for the father-to-be, and she headed to the checkout counter. The cashier, a pleasant lady in her sixties, recognized Kate immediately. Giving Kate a knowing smile and a wink, she rang up that particular card and the others that she had found. "Is that all for you today, Kate?"
Nice to have fans recognize us without making a big deal of it. Kate nodded. "For today, yes."
"That will be $11.67." She watched Kate dig in her purse for payment. "When is little one due?"
Kate blinked. One disadvantage to having announced your pregnancy on national television was all the people asking questions about it later... and she wasn't even showing yet. "February sometime."
The cashier nodded. "I bet the two of you are looking forward to it."
Even with the two of them wanting to keep their lives reasonably private, Kate couldn't deny that one. "We are. He is going to be a wonderful dad..."
"He will," the cashier agreed. "His love for children is obvious."
Finished paying for the cards, Kate drove the rest of the way home. She signed the card, writing a sweet and heartfelt note inside before adding the pictures from the ultrasound. Since he was unable to be at the appointment today (considering how thorough the exam had been, she wasn't that disappointed), Kate wanted to keep him up to date with the news about their son.
Kate heaved a deep sigh with everything she had done so far today. It may have been about two in the afternoon, but she was surprisingly tired. And lightheaded - that wasn't good, but Clay insisted that lightheadedness and fainting was not completely uncommon to pregnancy. Rather than chance something more serious happening, Kate chose to grab a light snack and take it easy for a while before tackling anything else.
Crossing the room to raid the refrigerator, Kate searched its contents for what she thought might sound good and still be healthy for the baby. Could always reheat a slice of leftover pizza, she pondered. Meat, cheese, bread in one snack. She pulled out one of the smaller slices, quickly reheating it and taking it into the living room with a glass of milk to wash it down.
With a spot on the couch all picked out, Kate sat and ate her snack. The food seemed to help with the lightheadedness, and Kate knew that her blood sugar had evidently needed replenished. Still tired, she debated exactly how relaxed she wanted to get - should she sit and relax in thought, or should she lie down and take the chance that she might fall asleep?
Ultimately Kate decided that she was tired enough to lie down. She grabbed one of the nearby throw pillows and stretched out with the pillow under her head. Within minutes, she was asleep and dreaming of the addition of Joseph - and other children, including some of different ethnic backgrounds - to their family.
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Kim's place, late July
Kim placed a glass of tea in front of Kate and one in front of herself. "How are you doing, girl?"
"Fine," Kate nodded. "Very busy... but Clay and I are doing our best to balance and reorganize everything it is that we need to do versus what we want to do." She smiled wryly. "I would love to have a hands-on role in Emeline's Hope... but with Clay appointing me his 'project manager' for his independent CDs, I'm finding that there's no way I'm going to be able to keep up with that once we start pushing to actually record those. Right now I'm trying to set EH up and get it organized. There's enough interest with volunteers and church worker types that I won't be short with help or people to run it, and I can pretty much stay on in an advisory capacity."
"Like Clay's doing with Bubel-Aiken," Kim suggested.
Kate nodded again. "Yep. Good thing, because leadership roles have never been my thing. I'm surprised I survived the classroom as long as I did."
Kim cocked her head to the side. "I had the impression that you were a good teacher."
"In my own way, I had some strong points. My big advantage is that I was rarely dull. But in some ways Sarah was better - once she laid down the law and made them respect her, they learned quickly she knew her stuff backwards and forwards." Kate smiled warmly at remembering some of Sarah's reports as her semester with Kate's students had worn on. "They also learned that in spite of her iron fist she had a heart of gold. Towards the end they loved her every bit as much as they did me, and were every bit as sorry to see her go."
"That's good," Kim replied. "If Sarah ever decides that she wants to return to teaching, I'm sure any number of the schools out here would take her on."
Kate shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me if she did that some day, but considering she's carrying a pair, I'm betting she'll do the full-time mom thing for a while. Multiples are a handful."
Kim couldn't have agreed more. "What about you? Are you going to keep doing your thing when the baby is born, or are you going to be a full-time mom?"
"Really," Kate began, "what I'm doing now setting up Emeline's Hope has been done entirely in our home, unless we're having a meeting with someone. Once we get things lined up there will be need for an office... and by that time I'll have someone picked out to be the head honcho running it. I'll let them play desk jockey while I work on any projects I can that will help Clay."
"Like the CDs."
"Like the CDs," Kate agreed.
Slowly Kim heaved a pent up sigh. "Putting together your own CD is a lot of work."
"That's what Clay tells me." Kate took a sip of her tea. "I'm letting him have first read of the book that Clive Davis had sent over to the house. Once he's done with it, I'll read through and see how bad we've got our work cut out for us. Right now we're in the stage where we write and compile songs for the albums anyway - between Mom, Sally, Clay, and me, there should be enough material to cobble together two good CDs worth of material."
"Well, I have every faith that you and Clay would be good songwriters," Kim told her. "You both have good language skills and enough creativity to pull it off."
Kate snickered. "And between the two of us we have just enough music knowledge to be dangerous. Just recently we bought one of those electronic keyboards that can be hooked up to your computer, and some music software."
Kim's eyes lit up. "Oh wow. What program?"
"Finale," Kate answered. "Mom and Sally swear by it."
Kim whistled. "You picked one of the best. It's not an easy program, but once you and Clay master it, you'll be doing all sorts of things with it."
"I've watched Sally with it before and came away with my head spinning. She's been using it practically since its beta days. Apparently one of her college profs was one of its original backers, so she's been helping him field test it."
"Nice."
Kate nodded. "Yeah. So if we ever want hands-on training, we'll hire out her for the day."
Kim smiled. "Clay says you guys already have a few things compiled already."
"Both of us have been 'dabbling' in this for years," Kate acknowledged. "It's been a matter of sorting through our scribblings for what's good and what has potential. We've even tried to write one or two together."
"That is great! How is it going?"
Kate snorted. "It's a challenge. Some days we're completely on the same wavelength. Other days I wonder if we speak the same language."
Clapping her hands with delight, Kim laughed warmly. "Kate, Kate... Between you and Sarah, I am very much enjoying my single life."
"Just wait, Kim," Kate retorted. "Some day your Mr. Right is going to come along and POW! That will be all it takes. You'll be head over heels and married in no time."
She shook her head. "Not as fast as you two gals were."
"I'll grant that."
Kim's eyes twinkled merrily. "I wanted to bounce an idea of my own off of you. It's been three years since I saw some of the gang from American Idol, and I was hoping to have a reunion party for everyone. Would you be willing to help me put it together and host it?"
"Yeah!" Kate said excitedly. During the entire second season that
Clay, Kim, and the others had been on, she had watched the cast with warm
feelings about almost all of them. (The only exception had been Corey Clark.
With her bad experience in
A smirk crossed Kim's face. "Brave woman."
"I said I'd have to talk to him," Kate answered. "We know better than to assume things for each other."
"I meant hosting everyone at your house," Kim chuckled. "You knew what a bunch of pranksters they all are, right?"
Kate snorted. "Sweetie, I married one of the ringleaders. If I go into this with blinders on, I have no one but myself to blame."
"So how did you cure Clay of pranking you on a regular basis?" Kim asked curiously.
"Threatening him with a few nights on the couch did wonders," Kate drawled. As Kim gaped, she continued. "Now he knows I'm okay with a mild prank from time to time, but he also knows that my limits are different from other people he knows."
"The couch?" Kim laughed helplessly. "Oh, I bet he hated that..."
"I never did make him sleep there, Kim," Kate admitted. "Since we've agreed to pray every night before bed, that assures that we always make up before we pray. It took only one big fight to learn that we couldn't pray together while we were still mad. So I threatened him with the couch, but I never had to follow through."
"But the idea alone..."
Kate gave her a knowing wink. "He threw a hissy fit."
Kim laughed again. "Girl, I should give you a few of the things I picked up from rooming with him. Talk about your learning experiences..."
I bet. Kate grinned wickedly. "I've got one other thing I want to bounce off of you, and then I'm all ears to hear your dirt on Clay."
"Go ahead, Kate."
Kate shrugged. "His birthday. I want to pull a fast one and throw him a small surprise party, but I'm going to need some help in order to pull it off."
"A surprise party?" Kim asked. "We should save that a couple years until he turns thirty."
"That's half the surprise," Kate snickered. "Nail him now, so that he's less likely to suspect a big thirty bash." She sighed. "The only problem with being younger is that he can get me back twice as bad later on."
Kim grinned. "I love it. You've got a partner in crime."
"Do you think Ruben would be up to helping?"
Giving it only a moment's thought, Kim nodded. "I'm sure he would be happy to help. We'll have to ask him, but I think he'll be game."
"You know," Kate mused, "we're going to have to call him about this reunion party anyway. It would be the easiest thing to ask him while he's on the phone..."
Once more Kim let out a delighted laugh. "See? You're more devious than you give yourself credit for." She took another sip of her tea. "I don't think I've ever heard when your birthday is. It could have been yesterday, and I would never have known."
"It wasn't yesterday," Kate acknowledged, "and I'm just perfectly fine with it going by almost unnoticed." She smiled. "This year I got phone calls from our families and a picnic with my husband."
"Aw, that was sweet," Kim cooed. "Was it romantic?"
A blush colored Kate's cheeks. "Very romantic."
Kim caught her expression in an instant. "Very romantic?"
Her blush deepening, Kate leaned back in her chair with her hand laying on her abdomen. "I got a gift that's going to keep right on giving for years to come."
"Too much information!" Kim giggled. "So that was the day you guys... oh my goodness..." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Congratulations, Mom."
"Mmm-hmm..."
"You know for sure?"
Kate nodded, a wry expression on her face. "Yep."
"You realize that means I missed it," Kim chastised gently.
"Yep."
Kim glared at her. "And you're just fine with that, aren't you?"
"You've got it."
"Kate..." Kim complained.
Kate shrugged. "It's just my birthday. It's not like it's a big deal or anything."
Heaving an annoyed sigh, Kim glared some more. "You want to plan a surprise birthday party for Clay... but you would rather keep yours a secret from everybody."
"I don't do well as the center of attention," Kate said quietly. "That's what happens when people know it's your birthday. They make a big fuss over you and stuff."
"Forbid that someone would make a fuss over you," Kim retorted, the sarcasm obvious in her voice.
Kate nodded. "Exactly."
With the same tone as before, Kim asked Kate a smart-aleck question. "How in the world did you survive your wedding? After all, everyone knows that the bride's the star of the show."
"Not at my wedding," Kate said firmly. "The star of the show that day was God. Clay and I got second billing."
"At least you're claiming second billing to the right person."
Giving her a sheepish smile, she shrugged. "Like you say, it was the only way I could handle it."
"You're hopeless," Kim groaned.
Laughing quietly, Kate agreed. "Yeah, I know..."
Unable to help herself, Kim chuckled at Kate's strange point of view. "That's one thing I like about our friendship," she told Kate honestly. "It never seems to be short on laughter."
"Thank you," Kate responded. "You're a blessing to both of us. You're certainly a blessing to me!"
"I'm happy to be your friend."
Kate sighed thoughtfully. She had so many incredible, faith-filled and loving individuals in her life. Often Kate couldn't help wondering why God had blessed her so richly when she saw her own faults on an all-too-personal level.
"What's on your mind?" Kim asked, hearing the sigh and seeing Kate's face turn slightly pensive.
"Am I good enough for Clay?" Kate asked bluntly.
Her eyes the size of quarters, Kim stared. "Where did that come from?"
Kate winced, knowing she would have to explain a few things. "I've always had a really big perfectionist streak," she confessed. "But the only person I ever expect it from is myself. I'm able to give forgiveness for any faults out to everyone but me."
"Go on," Kim answered, hoping to draw more out from her.
Kim wasn't disappointed. "The other day after a mood swing Clay told me he doesn't expect me to be perfect." Kate smiled ever so slightly. "Unfortunately that perfectionist streak is something I really battle with all the time. It's the kind that's always trying to tell a person that they're not good enough for something... or someone." Closing her eyes, she swallowed. "Kim... I see every day how much I have to learn and how much I screw up. Am I really good enough for Clay, or am I just fooling myself?"
"Kate," Kim breathed, reaching across to squeeze her hand. "Of course you're good enough. You love God and you love Clay. And you love him the way he is. That's exactly what he's looking for."
"But is that enough?" Kate whispered.
"He thinks it is," Kim answered. "But you're more than that, girl, and he's always asking me if he's good enough for you." Kate's head shot up sharply, and Kim nodded. "That's right. He wonders if he's good enough for you."
"Oh gosh, yes," Kate replied quickly. "He loves God. He sees me for who I am, loves and accepts me as I am, and believes in me. That right there is all I've ever wanted in a man. That right there makes me love him." A lovestruck grin lit her face. "But he's so much more beautiful than just that."
Kim smiled. "He feels the same way about you, Kate. And now you're going to get my view on your relationship." Continuing to hold reassuringly onto her hand, Kim began. "You both love God with all your heart, you both love each other the very same way, you believe in each other, you build up and support each other, you work as a team... Kate, that's better than a lot of couples out there!"
Feeling more reassured, Kate squeezed Kim's hand. "Thanks."
"Just keep in mind the next time he comes moaning to me about not being good enough for you," Kim warned, "I'm telling him we had this conversation."
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Mid-September, at Doctor Alexander's office
Clay looked up as the petite doctor entered the room. "Hello," he greeted, extending his hand.
Doctor Alexander extended hers in return. "Good to meet you, Clay. I'm Doctor Alexander."
"I've been looking forward to meeting you," Clay told her honestly. "Kate has a lot of good things to say about her baby doctor."
"You honor me," the doctor nodded with a smile, sensing his sincerity. Maybe part of it was that Kate was blushing... "Before I kick you out for her medical exam, I want to ask you some medical background questions that she wasn't able to answer last time. These will give us a better idea of possible issues that your baby might have with his health."
"All right."
The doctor asked her questions, including some that Kate had answered but Doctor Alexander chose to ask again for verification. Clay seemed well-informed regarding his own personal and family health issues, she noted, and Doctor Alexander was impressed by his approachable nature. While she had heard of Clay Aiken, she hadn't heard any of his music. She might have to check some of it out sometime after this appointment, if only to satisfy her own curiosity.
Clay was exiled to a private room where he waited out Kate's examination until it was time for another ultrasound, one of Clay's two reasons for his presence at the office today (the other being the opportunity to meet Doctor Alexander). Joining his wife in the room with all the equipment, Clay sat down beside Kate as medical staff prepared her. "Looking forward to this?" she asked gently.
"Yeah!" Clay replied excitedly, taking her hand. "Any chance we have to see our son is a real gift, and we're blessed to have it."
Doctor Alexander glanced at the couple. Kate had warned her that the two of them would not be able to separate themselves from their faith, and she had been right. "We should be able to see him on screen shortly," she told them evenly.
Instantly the couple focused on the monitor as the tech touched the wand to Kate's abdomen, which still gave no hints that she was pregnant. Clay squawked with glee as the monitor focused on the baby's face. "There he is!" he cheered, squeezing Kate's hand lovingly. "Oh my goodness, he's grown so much since I saw him last."
Kate squeezed his hand back. "I know. Isn't it amazing?"
"Wow," Clay breathed in awe. "Last time I saw him, all I could see of his face was his eyes. Now I can even see his eyebrows." He whistled. "This is amazing, all right. He's so beautiful."
"And he's our baby," Kate told him quietly, giving Clay an affectionate glance.
Clay beamed at hearing it. "Our child... Yours and mine." He turned his gaze to Kate. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you." Kate squeezed his hand again, exchanging a sweet kiss with him.
Continuing to monitor the child, Doctor Alexander couldn't help but smile at the lovestruck couple. It surprised her at how completely genuine and down-to-earth Clay seemed. She found it hard to believe that this was the same man who reduced legions of fans to hormonal mush. I wonder how the birth of his first child will affect that sex-symbol status. Doctor Alexander hoped that his fan base would not see any significant decrease, just a maturing that came with Clay's transition from single-and-unattached to family-man. If it could work for Mel Gibson and Fred Astaire... "He still looks healthy," Doctor Alexander stated. "Heart rate good, development on schedule. Looks like a healthy baby."
"We're relieved to hear that," Clay told her gratefully. "I know for a while we were kind of worried whether he was even alive, much less healthy."
Doctor Alexander shook her head. "Considering the symptoms Kate described to me, I'm surprised he's still alive. Those were definitely miscarriage symptoms she was having."
"The power of prayer at work," Clay breathed, leaning over to place a kiss on Kate's temple.
"As soon as we clean up," Doctor Alexander said with a tolerant sigh, "our appointment is done for today. We can schedule you for next month."
"Sounds good, Doctor," Kate replied.
The tech helped clean off the mom-to-be, and after scheduling the appointment the Aikens walked out of the office hand in hand. "When was the last time I told you how lucky I am to have you for a wife?"
Kate snorted. "I bet you didn't feel so lucky this morning when I burned the bacon."
"Now, now, honey," Clay scolded. "I told you I was practicing my distraction techniques."
"The bacon wasn't the only thing burning in that kitchen..." She fanned herself with a hand.
Clay snickered. "Besides, I've said it before. I didn't marry you for your cooking."
"Good thing," Kate drawled. "If you did, you definitely got the raw deal."
"The only thing raw is your steaks, honey." Clay eyed his wife. "One of these days it's going to get up and walk right off your plate, and I'm going to sit there and laugh at you."
Raising an eyebrow at him, she returned the look. "That's called 'medium rare' and I happen to like them pink in the middle, wise guy. It's what you call 'blue rare' that's inches away from walking off and grazing the lawn."
Giggling at her choice of words, Clay helped her into his car. "Blue rare? Never heard of it."
"Considering you like yours well-cooked, I'm not surprised." Kate explained once he was situated in the driver's seat. "Basically a blue-rare steak is one that has been seared on both sides, but that's about it. Half the time the thing is still cold."
Clay made a distasteful face. "Oh yuck! Please tell me you don't eat them like that."
"I don't," Kate qualified, "at least not on purpose. Though I did once know a guy that likes his steaks that way, and ordered them blue-rare whenever he could."
A small pang of envy rumbled in his stomach. "Was he one of those losers you dated in college?"
Kate immediately shook her head. "Heavens, no. He had a lot bigger problems beyond how he ate his beef." She snorted. "My father nursed back to full health critters in worse condition than those steaks."
This time Clay laughed warmly at her phraseology. "Oh, honey... You're a gem. My own diamond in the rough..."
"You're kidding, right?" Kate shook her head in confusion. "I make a quirky, offbeat statement and you call me a diamond in the rough."
"Kate honey," Clay began as he reached over and squeezed her hand, "I say that because I see so many strengths in you, so many possibilities. The only thing keeping you from accomplishing great things is your own lack of confidence. The potential's there, hon, if you'd only believe in it."
Immediately Kate blushed deeply. "Clay, you're the one with all the gifts and talents," she insisted. "You're the one who has the potential and the opportunity to impact people's lives. Look at how many lives have already been touched, simply because God called and you answered."
Inspired by her choice of words, Clay spoke firmly. "You have that potential too, Kate, and now that you too are in the limelight, you have the opportunity. Believe me, I'm glad that we're working on these albums together. Once you get your name out there, that will give you even more credibility and more opportunities to show the world your beautiful heart."
"Clay, I... I..." Kate stuttered.
Suspecting that she still needed to be convinced, he went on. "There are reasons I chose you as the project manager for the independent CD's, honey. I trust you to have the best interest of the project and the two of us at heart... and I believe that you have what it takes to do it well. I can't think of anyone I'd rather trust with the CD's." Clay smiled. "I believe in you, Kathryn. I always have."
Kate took a deep, shaky breath. "I... know. It was obvious from the first few times we talked."
"Honey, we both have God-given abilities and talents, and He provides each of us the opportunity to use them." He shrugged. "I want to give you a chance to shine."
Stealing a glance at him, Kate smiled coyly. "I'm happy to be working together with you on this. Somehow it makes it that much more special."
Clay caught her expression from the side of his eye. "Not just special, hon, but better. We share common hearts and goals, and now we're sharing the effort. It'll be that much more successful with your help."
Kate laughed warmly. "Ye of much confidence!"
"You inspire me." Clay shot a warm look at her. "And if some of your songs are any indication, I inspire you." He shook his head. "I should have hired you as a songwriter a long time ago. We might have gotten together that much sooner."
"You're incorrigible," Kate giggled. "Besides, if I had been out here with you sooner, I wouldn't have had some of the students I did."
An odd look flickered across Clay's face. "You still think of them from time to time?"
"Yeah," Kate acknowledged. "A few in particular."
Clay watched her gaze turn thoughtful. "Who's on your mind?"
"
"Ah," Clay answered, recalling the gal who had come to talk to Kate privately the day before Christmas break. "How is she doing?"
"Better," Kate reported. "She took my advice and went to rape crisis counseling. In fact, she's doing so well that she's actually become more outgoing."
"Wow," Clay responded.
"It gets better." Waiting until she knew she had his attention, Kate went on. "The kid confessed."
"What?!"
"The kid confessed," Kate repeated. "For a while he was just
going to let it slide, but between my story being told in eighth period and
"Wow," Clay breathed. "I know you said that he was one of the popular kids in the school. How did that go over with everyone?"
Kate smiled. "It would shock you. The kids don't know what to think, of
course, that the boy who supposedly did no wrong did this terrible, awful
thing.
Clay shook his head sharply. "Oh my gosh."
"I know."
"If
"Oo," Kate cooed, her eyes lighting up. "You're devious." She smiled wickedly. "I love it. I'm sharing that one with Mom, so she can pass it on to the family. That's a 'punishment' even his parents would be willing to agree to... if only it means their son doesn't face court time." Kate grinned. "I always did like creative discipline."
"Kate honey, he already knows he made a big mistake and hurt her badly," Clay told her. "His heart is already convicted by your story and changed by her desire to forgive him. Now it's a matter of how he can take what he's learned and share it with others. How can the two of them take this experience and make a difference because of it."
Kate studied her husband's face. "That's an interesting way of looking at it."
"So many times people wonder why bad things happen to good people," Clay mused. "There's so much to be learned from the bad things, so many ways that people can grow... and ultimately so many ways they can touch other people's lives with that. The bad things are seeds of opportunity. They are a ministry waiting to happen."
Wow, Kate breathed, awestruck at her husband's faith and perspective. That's certainly a unique way of looking at trouble. "When you look at it that way," she responded quietly, "it almost tempts one to ask God for trials and challenges so that a person could become more useful to Him."
"It's a double-edged sword," Clay agreed. "You want to grow and be useful to God, but you don't want the bad things to happen for their own sake. If there was only a way to grow stronger without all the pain and struggle..."
"That would be nice."
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Saturday, September 16, 2006
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Clay and Kate Aiken's place
The buzzer sounded in rapid-fire machine gun-like burst as if someone was pressing it repeatedly. Clay shot a knowing look at Kate and Kim. "Bet you that's Josh."
Remembering the country singer's impish antics around the American Idol mansion, Kate snorted. "Very possible."
"Aw, and I was hoping you'd take me up on the bet."
Kate raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Hon, I've already agreed that's probably Josh. What were you planning on wagering just in case it isn't?" Glancing slyly at Kim, Clay bent down and whispered in his wife's ear. She listened for a minute before a matching sly look entered her eyes. "Well... that's certainly worth a wager, no matter the outcome. You're on."
"Hey, now," Kim protested. "No secrets, and get that buzzer."
Clay walked over to the door and pressed the button. "Yes?"
"Dawg," Ruben's voice filtered through the speaker. "You gonna stand there chattin' all day, or you gonna let us in?"
As Clay hit the button that allowed Ruben access, Kate crowed with laughter. "Oho! That was indeed well worth the wager! I am so glad you talked me into that..."
"Me and my big mouth..." Clay moaned.
Kim placed her hands on her hips, an impish smile on her face. "Why do I have the suspicion that neither one of you are going to tell me what the wager was?"
"Probably because I chose to whisper it to my wife," Clay retorted, "instead of saying it aloud so you could hear it and tell everyone later."
"Fine," Kim answered as Ruben entered the house. "Don't tell me what the wager was. I'll just tell everyone that it's probably over what you guys will be doing later after we all leave."
"Don't you dare!" Kate protested as Clay flushed brilliantly. "It's just one of those wagers where we both win. You know, like when you and I wager over who pays lunch - we both win, because we're spending the lunch together. Same sort of thing, we're spending the time together."
Her smirk still in place, Kim nodded. "Mm-hm. Spending time together doing what?"
"Um..." Kate shot a guilty look at her husband, who was still crimson with embarrassment. "It's... between Clay and me."
"I'm sure of that," Kim purred.
Ruben laughed warmly. "She's gotcha there, Kate."
Kate shrugged. "We're married. It's all good."
"I don't doubt that," Kim retorted. "So are you going to admit it, or do I have to embarrass you two in front of everyone?"
"Fine, be that way." Clay quickly grabbed a nearby tiny gold-framed photograph and thrust it into Kim's hands. "It's the kind of activity that gets you one of these. Satisfied?"
"Ooo," Kim cooed as she looked at the ultrasound photograph of Joseph. "Is this his latest?"
"Latest as of last week," Kate answered.
"Wow. I still can't believe you guys are going to be parents..."
"Let me see." Ruben held out a hand for the photograph. Holding it up to where he could see the photo better, he shook his head. "Clay man, hard to believe you're gonna be a daddy. We always knew you were gonna be one, but we didn't think it would be this soon."
"I know," Clay breathed. "It kind of surprised us too."
"Once is all it takes, Ruben," Kate confessed. "Trust me on that one."
The buzzer sounded again, and once more Clay attended to doorman duties. A few at a time the rest of the second season American Idol contestants arrived with their families or significant others. It didn't take long for the living room to fill, prompting Kate and Kim to invite everyone into the backyard where they had planned the festivities to take place. Kim had arrived a long time ago to help host, but Clay took a quick visual count of the others - Ruben, Julia and her husband, Josh and hhis family, Kim Caldwell and her boyfriend, Rickey and his wife, Carmen and her fiancé, Charles and his fiancé, Trenyce and her boyfriend, and Vanessa were all here. Only Corey was notably missing, but knowing Kate's discomfort with the somewhat wild young man, Clay suspected that she was probably relieved. Seeing everyone who was coming already there in the backyard, Clay caught their attention. "Of course all of us who were on the show know each other, but for the most part we haven't been able to meet each other's families. Let's go around the circle and introduce everyone." Wrapping an arm warmly around Kate, Clay began. "I'm Clay, and this is my wife Kate. We've been married eight and a half months."
"Eight and a half months?" Kim Caldwell cheered. "Where has the time gone?"
"I know. It goes fast when you're busy."
Josh grinned at him. "You're still a couple of newlyweds."
Clay wrapped the other arm around Kate as she returned the gesture with a smile. "And proud of it. The one who still isn't showing up just yet," he smirked, glancing down at Kate's stomach, "is our son Joseph. He has a little more time to go before he'll make his debut."
Trenyce glanced over at Kate. "When are you due?"
"Middle of February," Kate told her. "The eighteenth, if he's on time like babies rarely are."
A wry look went through Clay's eyes. "If he's anything like you, he'll be early."
Kate smirked. "As long as he waits until the nursery is done, he can come whenever he wants."
"What if you aren't done on time?" Clay questioned impishly.
"I'll just have to make sure that I am."
"You guys," Julia told them as everyone chuckled at the couple, "are so cute that it's disgusting how cute you are. You couldn't be more perfect for each other."
As the Aikens flushed self-consciously, Carmen quickly agreed. "She's right, guys. I've watched you two on both Regis and Kelly shows, at your concerts, wherever. It's so natural, as if you've known each other all your lives."
Giving Kate a loving glance, Clay smiled. "It sure feels that way."
Kate closed her eyes briefly to savor the kiss Clay placed on her forehead. "Thanks, hon. Not to take away from the compliments, but let's get back to introductions. I have always wanted to meet all of you, and this evening is about the camaraderie you have with each other."
"That's really nice of you, Kate," Carmen replied. "I can't speak for the others, but I know I've been looking forward to finally meeting you." Kate blushed and smiled, but said nothing more in response.
Kim took up the cue from her spot to Kate's left. "I'm Kim Locke, and I came alone today because I knew my cats would not be welcome here." She laughed warmly as Clay gave an obliging shudder.
"I like your cats," Kate answered quietly.
"I noticed," Kim nodded. The feeling had been mutual, as one of them had chosen to sleep with Kate the entire time Kate had stayed at her place during the forced separation. Kim suspected that her furry friend somehow sensed the other woman had needed the comfort. Several times she had caught the newlywed confiding tearfully to the purring cat as she stroked her head and ears. Kim glanced at the fellow Idol mate to her left, Josh. "Your turn, soldier."
Josh grinned at the endearment and took up the invitation. "I'm Josh, this is my wife Ann, daughter Briana, and son Jake."
Ruben smiled gently. "I'm Ruben."
"Don't you mean, 'Ruuuuuuben'?" Charles asked with a wicked grin.
"Yeah," Ruben chuckled.
Rickey squeezed his wife's hand. "I'm Rickey, and this is my wife Michelle. Our first child," he said, grinning at the lump that was very definitely visible at Michelle's waist, "is due in the middle of October."
Vanessa whistled. "You don't have long to wait."
"Nope."
"You know what it's going to be?" Julia asked.
Rickey shook his head. "We want to be surprised."
"How do you two know it's a boy?" Michelle asked the Aikens.
"Um," Clay winced and glanced at Kate. "That's kind of a long story that we don't share much."
Michelle looked disappointed, but seemed to accept the couple's choice to
keep the story private. Meanwhile the introductions continued around the
circle. Charles introduced himself and indicated his lady Gloria with his hand,
letting everyone know when the upcoming wedding was going to be. When she
responded to questions with soft-spoken answers of one word, Clay immediately
suspected that she was going to be hard to draw out in a conversation. Kim
Caldwell and Trenyce both introduced themselves and their respective beaus,
while Julia introduced herself and her new husband as of a month. Carmen also
introduced her special man
Getting everyone's attention again, Clay pointed to the food table. "We've kept it simple today - there are plenty of sandwich fixings and other picnic mainstays. Let's have a prayer and we can start." Leading the group, Clay gave thanks for all that had gathered, for the friendships that had formed and for the strengths of each unique individual. He prayed for safe travel for all, and blessed the food before wrapping it up with an 'Amen.' Noting that Rickey's wife was showing far more than his own, Clay sent the two of them through first followed by the Gracins, and everyone else. He smiled at the cheerful, even jovial, mood of the gathering and wrapped his arms warmly around Kate's waist.
Kate leaned back contentedly in her husband's embrace with a light sigh. She closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. Suddenly she felt an odd sensation, almost as if someone tapped her... but from the inside. Kate knew it wasn't her stomach growling - too low - and she had dealt with enough other gastrointestinal issues to recognize those. This was something different. She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Doctor Alexander had told her that it was anytime from Week 14 on when a woman typically felt her baby move for the first time... and Kate was getting ready to start Week 17. I wonder. Not wanting to create a scene with an overexcited dad-to-be, she held off on telling Clay for now until she knew for sure that's what it was. She wanted to ask Ann and Michelle what it felt like when their babies started moving.
Finally through the food line, Kate placed her plate next to Clay. "I'll be right back. I have a question I want to ask one of the other moms here."
Clay raised a curious eyebrow at her. "What is it?"
"Something I need the experience of one who's been there to know."
With that Kate departed, leaving Clay watching after her. Is this something I should worry about? Clay pondered as she knelt down next to Ann Gracin with a serious expression on her face.
"Hi, Ann. Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Kate began gently.
The other lady turned to Kate with a smile. "Sure. What's on your mind?"
"Since you've had two children already, I was hoping you would be able to describe what it was like the first time you felt the baby move."
Ann's eyes twinkled. "Do you think you felt him move?"
Kate nodded. "I do... but I wanted to get the story of what it feels like from another mother before I decided that's what it was for sure."
"How would you describe it?"
"Well..." Kate made an uncertain face. "For lack of a better way to put it, it felt like something tapped me from the inside."
Ann nodded. "The first couple of times that's what it felt like for me. I was starting to wonder if I had swallowed a goldfish or something, because it felt like one was swimming inside my stomach!" The two women laughed for a minute before Ann continued. "Of course he will keep moving as time goes on, and those movements will get stronger. And," she leaned closer, "he'll pick the worst times to do it. Jake always seemed to choose bedtime or intimate time for when he wanted to be most active."
Amused at the story, Kate giggled warmly. "It only figures that the kid would pick the most inopportune times..."
"Kate, that's normal. A lot of babies are more active at night."
"And here I thought it was because he was taking after his impish father," Kate teased.
Ann nodded thoughtfully. "Somehow that would not surprise me."
Kate made a face. "I wonder if that's any indication. If this one's like his father..." She sighed. "If he's anything like his father, he will be a handful, but he will be one of our greatest joys."
With a laugh Ann squeezed Kate's shoulder. "I don't doubt that for a minute."
Noting that Kate's serious expression had turned joyful as the two women continued to talk, Clay decided that whatever Kate had wanted to discuss with Ann was nothing to be concerned about. But he was dying of curiosity. How was he going to pry this out of her later?
"Real world to Romeo..."
Clay turned with a sudden jerk to see Kim sitting beside him with an expression on her face of barely contained laughter. "How long have you been there?" he asked sheepishly.
"Long enough," Kim told him. "When you have something on your mind, very little distracts you."
"It's called 'highly focused'," Clay defended smartly, "and I thought that it was supposed to be a positive thing."
Kim laughed. "It's also been called having a one-track mind. So what did she do this time?"
"She? What do you mean?"
"Don't give me that," Kim chided. "You were staring at her. Tell me what's up."
Clay indicated his wife over with Ann. "She's asking a 'mommy' question, and she didn't tell me what it was all about."
Rolling her eyes, Kim sighed. "She'll tell you when she's good and ready, Clay. In the meantime, just trust her."
Clay sighed too. "All right."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Later
After the reunion was over, cleaned up, and everyone had gone home, Clay and Kate sprawled out together on the couch. Clay groaned. "Next time someone else hosts the reunion." He glanced at Kate. "I bet you're exhausted, hon." Hearing a fake snore from his wife, Clay laughed.
"Did you have fun?" Kate asked from where she laid her head on his chest.
"Yeah! It was nice to see everyone again." Clay gently ran a couple of fingers up and down her back. "So when did you want to collect on the wager?"
"Not tonight," Kate told him with an amused smile. His energy was exhausting at times. Fortunately for him, Kate was in her second trimester... and women tended to be more, um, interested during their second trimester. But still not today. "I kind of want to recuperate tonight."
"Oh." Biting his lip, he moved on to the next subject on his mind. "So what was the 'mom' question you had for Ann?"
"There's nothing wrong, if that's what you're wondering."
"Don't avoid the question, hon." He nudged her. "I trust you, hon, but that doesn't stop me from being curious. What was it?"
"I don't have to tell you everything," Kate groaned.
Clay lightly started to tickle her sides. "Tell me."
"The only thing that will accomplish, mister," Kate drawled as she grabbed his hands, "is to get both of us and the couch all wet."
From his experience tickling her last Christmas, he knew the threat was good... and she didn't have the additional bladder stress of pregnancy then. He stopped tickling her for now. "Come on, tell me."
"Clay..."
"Please?" Clay asked. "Pretty please with honey on top?"
Kate sighed. There were time she just had troubles saying no to him... and this was one of them. "I'm going to regret this..."
"No, you won't, hon. Promise."
I'll believe that when I see it. She took a deep breath and began. "Doctor Alexander said I could start feeling the baby move any day now, so I asked Ann what it felt like. That way when Joseph starts rearranging the furniture, I'll know. I'll know what's our baby... and what's merely gas."
Clay laughed warmly at her blunt honesty. "Got it. So how long do you think it will be until you feel him move?" When Kate said nothing, Clay's head shot up. "You didn't answer my question. You are feeling him move, aren't you?"
"I'm... not sure. Which is why I asked Ann. I wanted to be sure."
He squawked with excitement. "Oh my goodness. Can I try to feel him move?"
Kate closed her eyes and stifled a groan. And so it begins... Heaving a patient sigh, she spoke quietly. "Clay, I can barely feel him, if that really is what I felt earlier. If I'm barely feeling him right now, you for sure won't be able to."
An expression of extreme disappointment furrowed Clay's brow. He wanted very much to feel their child move, but there was very little either of them could do about that right now. Except wait. "All right." He laid his head back down. "Kate... when did Doctor Alexander say that I'll be able to feel him move?"
"She didn't say," Kate answered honestly. "You'll have to ask that question of one of your friends or family members who's a father."
"I'll have to do that," Clay mused. "Thanks, hon."
I was being facetious, Kate thought as she hid a snicker.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9