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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Thursday, June 29, 2006

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At Live! With Regis and Kelly

 

Regis Philbin handed his co-host Kelly Ripa the box of Kleenex that had been passed to him by one of the stagehands. Immediately Kelly grabbed for two of the tissues, using them to wipe the tears from her eyes and her cheeks before carefully blowing her nose. He understood how she felt. For approximately the last ten minutes, they had shown a montage of video from Clay and Kate Aiken's Haiti mission trip to the studio and home audience. While there was plenty of Clay and Kate on the video, much of it was of the Haitians - centering mostly on the children that were in their daily classes. Even though the couple had warned them that the video did real life little or no justice, the footage stirred the hearts of the studio audience as most of them sat in awed silence... or in tears. Surprisingly enough, Regis himself had nearly come close to losing his own control.

Although he planned to hear more about everything that happened in Haiti from Clay and Kate, one or two tidbits were mentioned on the video. The story that had turned most of the audience into a teary mess was about a girl named Emeline. She had been brought to the church by her mother, a woman little more than skin and bones. And her daughter hadn't been any better off. The badly malnourished six-year-old was as tiny as a two-year-old toddler, and was too weak to walk. Instantly moved to compassion, the mission team had immediately taken her under their wing and had started feeding her from their own plates. Video footage showed Clay holding Emeline close on his lap as Kate gently fed her bite-sized portions of fruit and meat that she alternated stealing from her plate and Clay's. Emeline's mother had been given a meal as well while Pastor Macy talked with the local Haitian pastor about finding work and food for the two women. Unfortunately with the coup, the fate of Emeline and her mother was yet unknown. Clay and Kate, however, were hopeful.

"Well," Regis began, almost hoarsely, as he turned to the young couple quietly holding hands nearby, "when you said you two would share your mission trip with us, you don't disappoint!"

"It was absolutely an amazing experience," Clay told him breathlessly, "every bit as life-changing as Kate had promised it would be."

Kate smiled, a thoughtful expression on her face. "The interesting thing about a trip like that is one never knows whose life will be impacted the most - those people you meet and share the gospel with, or you yourself."

"I bet I know the answer to that," Clay responded. Noting Kate's puzzled look, he quickly answered. "Will's."

Snickering under her breath, Kate nodded to herself. She couldn't argue with that idea.

"Will?" Kelly asked with one last sniffle. "You mean as in, Will, your bodyguard?"

Clay also nodded. "Will, one of my bodyguards on the trip."

"What happened to Will?" Regis asked. "It's got to be something pretty big."

"I don't think you'll argue with my assessment when you hear what happened." Clay began to tell a little more about the trip. "First there was everything we saw and experienced around us. Meeting the children and teaching them. Seeing the living conditions. Feeling the heat and humidity so thick you could almost reach out and touch it. Then there was the uprising. Because of what was going on down there, we had to leave straight from the church and hike through the jungle with whatever was in our backpacks. We left all of our luggage behind at our hotel!"

Regis smirked. "I can see some Haitian bellhop getting rich selling Clay Aiken's clothes on eBay!"

As the audience laughed warmly, Clay giggled a moment before going on. "Then because of another crisis which affected our group, he eloped with his girlfriend as soon as the team got to Port au Prince. That's the reason Will's not with us today - he's off on his honeymoon with his new wife!" He sharply cocked his head at Kate. "Which is her best friend Sarah, by the way."

"You set your bodyguard up with her best friend?" Kelly asked.

"We tried, yes," Kate admitted, "but we quickly discovered we're horrible matchmakers. The Christmastime blizzard did a far better job getting them together than we did."

Clay continued the story, counting off on his fingers the reasons why he felt Will was the one most affected by the mission trip. "There's the trip itself, there's the fact that he got married in Haiti."

"Then there's the fact that he came to a living faith relationship with Christ in Haiti," Kate broke in.

"Wasn't going to forget that," Clay agreed.

"The networks are going to love you for coming out and saying it like that," Regis warned her.

Kate frowned. "What are they going to do, fire me?"

Once more waiting until the laughter had died down, Clay verified Will's faith journey. "Will's always been one of those reality-based people. You know, I'll believe it when I see it? In order to believe in God, he wanted something that proved His existence beyond a shadow of a doubt. Well, God took him up on that and gave him something undeniable to see so that he couldn't help but believe that He existed."

"Something undeniable," Regis repeated. "Does it have anything to do with the crisis you said affected your group?"

"It has everything to do with that crisis," Clay answered quietly. "That crisis affected each and every member of our team. Especially Will and Sarah, especially Kate's cousin Sally, and especially the two of us. It even affected our families back home in the States."

"Okay," Kelly broke in. "Now you gotta tell us. If it affected everyone that much, we have to know. Your fans and the rest of America deserves to know."

"I wouldn't go that far," Kate told her firmly, defending their own privacy. "We are going to tell the story because it glorifies God and inspires and edifies the listener."

"Well put, honey." Clay looked over at Kate, his eyes asking her if she wanted to tell part or all of the story of what happened to them in the jungle.

Instantly knowing what was on his mind the way that only his wife and love of his life would, Kate shook her head. "You can tell it, sweetheart, just like you did at devotions. You did it so well that night. Only make sure to add the things that I did, okay?"

Sighing with resignation, he smiled at her. "All right, honey. It's either that or know that you're going to tack them on to the end of my tale anyway." He squeezed her hand warmly before turning back to Regis and Kelly to begin telling their testimony. "As I stated before, once news of the assassination reached the church we decided to leave quickly. Didn't return to our hotel or anything - left straight from the church. Since we knew there were going to be roadblocks and trouble, we chose to take our backpacks and hike through the jungle to where our vans would meet us outside of the city. There weren't any major problems until we got to a river... a very full, raging river, and the only bridge anywhere in sight that crossed it was a really, really shaky suspension bridge." Seeing knowing glances from the audience, he went on. "You already know of my fear of water, but most of you don't know that Kate's afraid of bridges. And if we were going to survive, we both had to deal with these things."

Clay went on after another deep breath. "We prayed for strength for a few minutes, until we got enough courage to cross the bridge. Kate borrowed her friend Sarah's trust rope to tie the two of us together. We were physically tied to each other, around the waist with a line of rope in between." Clay smiled warmly at Kate and squeezed her hand again. "It was the most beautiful expression of love and trust and devotion this amazing woman has shown me yet."

"I wouldn't go that far..." Kate mumbled, repeating her earlier sentiment.

"I would," Clay told her, kissing the back of her hand before continuing. "With encouragement from the rest of the team, we got almost all the way across the bridge. I bet we were only about ten yards away from the other side when I ended up putting my foot through a rotting section of the bridge. After that, the bridge wasn't strong enough to hold us. It fell apart, and we got thrown into the river." This time he heard murmuring and gasps from the crowd. "I got hit in the head by a tree branch or something, so I was out cold while we were going downstream. I have no memory, no memory at all of Kate pulling me out of the river. I have no memory of her giving me CPR because I wasn't breathing." Pausing in the deafening silence, he glanced back up. "I do have a memory of waking up coughing in her arms. Unfortunately we no longer had our backpacks. We had given them to Jerome and Will so they wouldn't distract us while we were crossing. So with only the clothes on our backs, we set out to see if we couldn't catch back up to everyone else." Glancing once more at Kate, he sighed and continued. "I don't remember when it happened, but she ended up getting some kind of cramps there in the middle of the jungle. They were so bad that she couldn't walk. I had to carry her on my back for a while if we were going to keep traveling."

"Gives a whole new meaning," Regis quipped, "to I Will Carry You."

Clay laughed briefly before continuing his tale. "We ended up spending the night in a village we found. One of the locals was kind enough to put us up in his home for the night. The next morning we got up early to start traveling again, and um..." Clay chewed his lip thoughtfully, trying to see how he could leave out the dream and how they escaped. He had a feeling that not too many would believe him about the dream - he had a feeling that all too many would join the chorus of those who had thought he did some amazing, incredible thing.

Kate cleared her throat. "Just tell them," she mumbled under her breath.

"But honey," Clay protested in a similar fashion, "if I tell them, it's going to make me look like I'm some sort of hero or something."

"Forbid that idea," Kate rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a hero!" Clay said emphatically. "I'm just an ordinary guy who did what he had to in order to look out for his family."

Seeing clues of definite interest and curiosity among the audience, Kate held her hand towards them. "Why don't you tell them, and let them decide?"

Good idea, Clay thought to himself. Maybe I can put this 'hero' nonsense to rest once and for all. Biting his lip one more time, he began. "Ah, well... just because everything was so crazy the day before, I peeked out the door to see if the coast was clear. It wasn't - in the clearing near where we were staying was a man with a shotgun, the same shotgun that the guy who let us sleep in his house shoved in my face the night before."

"You had a shotgun in your face??" Regis asked as the audience murmured.

Clay nodded. "Believe me, I don't recommend it for anyone. Anyway, I'm almost sure it was the same gun, but I'm quite sure it wasn't the same guy. Which meant we were in a lot of trouble."

"Why were you in trouble?" Kelly asked. "That guy might have been his relief."

"No, he wasn't," Clay answered, "because I saw the guy who put us up nearby and he was - well - dead." Clay said the last word quietly, almost as if he was somehow apologizing for the truth.

"So you really were in trouble," Kelly breathed. "Why did the first guy shove a gun in your face if he ended up helping you out?"

"Because we were strangers," Clay told her, "and until we were able to get around the language barrier to discover that we had a faith in common, he thought we were a threat to his way of life. Once we established that we were all Christians, he decided to help us out." Having put that question to rest, Clay went on with the story of their escape from the village. "Since there's no way I would have the brute-force advantage over a man with a gun, I took a little time to figure out what I could use to my advantage. In this case, my advantage was surprise. He didn't know we were there, so I was able to sneak up on him and knock him out with a pot."

Regis stared as the audience gasped their amazement. "You crowned the guy!"

"I did what I had to in order to protect my family!" Clay retorted. "Wouldn't you have done the same thing if you had been in my place?" Seeing the guilty grimace on Regis's face, Clay turned to the audience and nodded. "A man has to do what a man has to do. I did what I needed to take care of him, and Kate and I ran out of that village and didn't look back. We didn't want to see how many chimeras might be on our tail." Turning back to Regis and Kelly, he continued. "Of course since we just ran without looking where we were going, it didn't take us long to get turned around in the jungle. It looked like there was no more hope left... but God has a way of giving out fresh hope to those who have none. He gave us a guide through the jungle - in the form of a white cat!" He made a motion with his hand in the space in front of him. "So we followed this cat through the jungle until we got to another village where we met up with one of the local missionaries to Haiti. Since he was from the same church as most of the team members, he was able to bring us to the rest of the team in Port au Prince."

"You're kidding!" Regis marveled. "A cat! You followed a cat!"

Clay nodded. "Hard to believe, but yes. I followed a cat."

"We tailed the cat..." Kate drawled. Clay skewered her with a look, and her smile turned impish.

As the audience howled with ironic laughter, Kelly leaned towards Regis. "I never thought I'd see the day when he willingly followed a cat anywhere..."

"Mm," Regis agreed. "So this was the crisis that you say prompted your bodyguard Will to step forward in faith and become a Christian."

"This was the event," Clay agreed. "He told me later that he would only believe in God if he saw a miracle in front of his own eyes, and our against-all-odds safe return was nothing less than a miracle."

"I'll say," Kelly replied.

"Our time together in the hotel pool was pretty much a miracle in itself," Kate told him.

"POOL??" Regis exclaimed amongst the clamor that quickly arose in the room. "I thought you just said you were afraid of the water! What gives?"

Clay winced, and glanced weakly at Kate. "I... I am. But since we had just come from a traumatic experience with water, Kate wanted to address that while it was still fresh and go swimming in the pool. That way she wouldn't come away with her own fear of water. I uh... I decided that I didn't want her to face it alone. I went in the pool with her."

Kate smiled gently. "It's debatable who was encouraging whom," she told them. "Both of us were badly shaken by what happened the day prior. But we figured that if God got us through that, He could certainly help us get around our own fears in a relatively harmless swimming pool."

"Now that's the video that we should be watching!" Regis stated.

"It turns out," Kate purred, "that there is just a bit of footage available..."

"Oh great," Clay moaned, covering his eyes with his free hand. He felt Kate squeeze his hand and was slightly a little more reassured by her gesture.

Regis turned to the camera. "And we'll be back with that rare footage of Clay in the water after the break. We'll be right back." Immediately once the show had gone to commercial, Regis turned to them. "Well well well... it seems that this was a trip to remember."

"We'll remember it the rest of our lives," Clay acknowledged.

The four of them shared a little more small talk until the commercial break was over, and Regis introduced the show again. The cameras quickly panned to Clay and Kate, who were singing a rare duet on television. Starting the song with a power beginning, Clay boldly sang the melody while Kate unobtrusively harmonized.

Partway into the second verse, Clay's voice faltered and cracked. Kate glanced at him but otherwise ignored it as the two of them sang on. A little later, his voice faltered again, and for a brief moment Clay thought he was going to lose his voice entirely in the middle of the song. Then as if someone flipped a switch it returned, but with half of its usual energy. Clay didn't let it show on his face as he kept on singing, but Kate's eyes were alarmed. The two finished the duet, and as Clay acknowledged the audience applause, Kate continued to study him with concern. Nudging him slightly, she waited until he met her eye. Clay saw the look in her eye. "Later," he mouthed to her, and took her free hand with his.

When their song was through, the couple rejoined Regis and Kelly. "I had hoped the two of you would do a little dancing for us up there," Regis teased, hoping to set Kate more at ease.

Clay winced. "That would have been a disaster."

"No kidding," Kate agreed. "You guys remember what happened the last time I tripped over my own feet." Remembering back to approximately one year ago, she recalled when Clay had dedicated a beautiful ballad to her... and in her enthusiasm, Kate had accidentally knocked both of them over mid-hug.

"You dance fine, honey," Clay told her, ignoring the snickers of the crowd. "I'm the one with two big left feet."

"Either way, it will be a while until I dance on any stage," Kate acknowledged.

"Why?" Regis asked. "You afraid of what the fans will say?"

Kate shook her head. "No, hubby won't let me."

Kelly pounced on that immediately. "Clay won't let you? Why not?" Not content to wait for an answer from Kate, she turned to Clay himself. "Clay - why won't you let her dance?"

Clay glanced at Kate, whose sparkling eyes gave him full permission to tell everything. "I don't want her to overdo it," he began. He inhaled deeply, knowing that once this was out there was no taking it back. Clay placed a warm arm around Kate before delivering their bombshell. "It's not good for the baby."

Immediately the studio audience broke into a chorus of cheers and whistles, prompting Kate to burrow her embarrassed face into Clay's shoulder. Both were bright red.

"We need to have you on our show more often!" Regis exclaimed. "You never seem to be short of major news!"

Clay shrugged. "Ever since American Idol, my life has been anything but dull."

"Do you have a name picked out yet?" Kelly asked.

"We've picked out Joseph for a boy's name," Clay said. Suddenly he paused. They really never did pick out a girl's name. With mischief in his eyes he turned to Kate. "What did we say we were going to use as the girl's name?" he questioned, knowing full well that he was putting Kate on the spot.

Aware of the prank he was pulling, Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "Ruth," she told him without missing a beat.

Ruth... from the scripture passage she quoted at the bridge that day. Even though they already knew their child was going to be a boy, Clay appreciated her impromptu choice. "We haven't picked out middle names yet. We're still sorting through the book... and believe me, it's a big book."

"So, Clay, Kate..." Kelly began. "If you end up having a boy, does that mean you'll be Ruth-less?"

As Kelly laughed along with the audience at her own joke, Clay and Kate joined Regis in giving her a wry sideways look. "I should have seen that one coming," Kate muttered. "Better than Faith or Hope, I guess, because then..." She trailed off, letting the members of the audience finish that thought.

Regis shook his head at the flying puns. "And with that, I think we're ready for another commercial break. When we get back, we'll talk some more with Clay Aiken and his wife Kate."

Once the show broke to commercial again, Kelly quickly addressed Kate. "So were those cramps you had in the middle of the jungle something to do with the baby?"

Clay placed a gentle kiss on Kate's forehead. Warming to the sweet affection and encouragement that he gave her, Kate smiled up at him before she answered. "Yes. My former doctor told me that any number of traumas or other conditions could potentially cause an unborn child to miscarry. And although he assured me that our child is fine, that seems to be what I was going through... an almost miscarriage."

"Oh my gosh..." Kelly breathed and quickly moved to embrace Kate. "I bet you were scared."

"We both were," Clay admitted. "Although we weren't planning to conceive before our mission trip, we're looking forward to having this child. God chose to bless us with him, so we plan to welcome him with open arms."

"Him?" Regis asked, an amused expression on his face. "Do you know that for a fact, or is that just the term you happened to use?"

Clay shared a look with Kate. The two of them had agreed a long time ago to keep the family gift of discernment a closely-guarded secret, between immediate family, closest friends, and the two bodyguards. (Not even Clay's manager had this knowledge.) Any insights that Kate or her aunts received were treated as a gift from God, and the two felt that they should be given proper respect and recognition as such. Between its unpredictability and the pure shock value, they determined that they were probably better off to stay quiet about it. "The doctor didn't tell us the gender of our child, if that's what you're asking."

Regis somehow looked disappointed, as if he was hoping to get one more tidbit of breaking news. "Do you want to know ahead of time, or would you rather it come as a surprise?"

"Considering our ancestors never knew the baby's gender until the birth," Kate replied, "I'd be open to that tradition. Of course with all these medical breakthroughs and updates in technology, these days we often find out whether we planned on that or not."

"Speaking of doctors," Regis broke in, "Clay, you sounded like you were having trouble up there. Anything I need to know about?"

Clay bit his lip. "Ever since we got back from Haiti I've just been trying to take it easy and rest the vocal cords. But from the sounds of things, I should have been exercising them more. They're a little scratchy, and I wasn't planning on them cutting in and out like that in the middle of the song."

"Well, let's see how the rest of the interview goes. If worse comes to worse, you might have to give your wife a solo on center stage." Kate's eyes bulged nervously, and Regis could see she was less than enthused with that idea. A stagehand came up to tell Regis and Kelly that they were ready to go back on, and the foursome returned to the chairs at center stage. With the introductions out of the way, Regis re-introduced Clay and Kate. "Already this morning you've sang for us, you've told us about your mission trip, and you've told us that you're preparing for the birth of your first child. Can you tell us what else we can expect from the two of you in the near future?"

"Sure, Regis," Clay answered. "Both of us believe very much in trying to make a difference in the world, trying to make it a better place. I've been working with special education students, Kate's been working with missions. The thing we've noticed that they both have in common is education, and that nearly every other project we've been involved in has had education at its core. Teaching people what they can and are willing to learn." Kate squeezed his hand warmly, and he continued. "Kate and I have talked it over, and we are creating a sister organization to the Bubel-Aiken Foundation called 'Emeline's Hope' with the idea of making a difference to mission work as well. And right now we're planning for Kate to be at the helm. She's going to start with the organization, the brainstorming, the contact-making... until we get everything set up. She claims that she has her work cut out for her, that she has no talent for leadership and administrative work, but I have faith in her." Smiling gently at her, Clay squeezed her hand.

Kate smiled back at him, almost self-consciously. "Thank you, sweetheart. You always have believed in me, and that means a lot more than I can say. I believe in you, too." She squeezed his hand back, warming to the bright twinkle in his eye. Having answered Clay's positive, loving affirmation with one of her own, she went on telling everyone about the fledgling organization. "Some of the most successful mission programs are the ones that are based on education. Teaching a second language, teaching some vocational skill, teaching simple bible school. The ones that help people become better human beings. Because not only do those programs give them the gospel of Christ, they give them hope to improve their own conditions and their own lives." She glanced between Regis and Kelly as she spoke, making sure to give both of them her attention. "As I've said, there are already several successful programs in place. Our wish is not to rival these organizations, but to partner with them. How can we help out the Baptist and Lutheran churches in Haiti, the Ingrian church of Russia, the mission churches to the Native Americans and the inner cities, the Orphan Grain Train and the Red Cross type of groups, the local food pantries and Habitat for Humanity groups. That's what we're trying to do - raise awareness, funds and aid, members and volunteers."

"Wait a second," Kelly held up a hand. "You're talking about mission work, but I heard you say a lot of different groups. What are you trying to say?"

Kate smiled quietly. She had hoped for an opportunity to bring this up. "That mission work is everywhere. It doesn't have to be halfway around the world, though it is definitely that. It can be as close as your own back yard. There are a lot of churches here in America, both in rural and urban areas, that are considered mission congregations for one reason or another. It's all about finding people where they are and helping address their needs."

"So how can people help?"

"Any way at all," Kate told her. "There's no one way to make a difference. Donating food, clothing, medicines, school supplies, funds, and time and energy are some of the more common ways. Locally there's your food banks, your Habitat for Humanity, mentoring programs in the schools, inner-city mission work, different mission and outreach organizations within your own church. Nationally there's your Red Cross and your disaster relief programs, your immigrant ministries. Internationally there's your Orphan Grain Train and World Vision and other various mission societies. And the ways to help are as diverse as the groups available to do the work."

"Have you done any mission work other than the trips to Haiti?" Kelly asked.

Kate winced. "I've tried, but most of my attempts were pretty laughable. Or at least my attempt at helping at a Habit for Humanity build was laughable. I don't have enough upper-body strength to do much of the grunt work required to be truly useful, and what I know about building things and code can fit in a thimble. So having me on a house-building project was a disaster in the making."

Regis's eyes lit up. "Is this another adventure-packed episode of Calamity Kate?"

As the audience howled with laughter, Kate glared at him. "Who told you that nickname?"

"I made it up!" Regis protested as Clay giggled uncontrollably. "If I apologize, will you tell us what happened?"

"I was trying to carry several planks of timber," Kate admitted weakly, "but as usual I grabbed more than I could handle, and as big as they were I couldn't keep hold of them very well. Dropped two of them in such a way that they knocked a guy's feet out from under him, and he nearly fell into the basement of the house through an uncovered window well. He would have, if someone hadn't caught his arm on the way down." She grimaced with guilt. "After that I decided that I was useless on the building site and tried to figure out what else I could do to make an impact... and hopefully not in the back of someone's legs this time. I got involved in a very different care ministry through my church, one that didn't involve lifting really heavy things."

Clay shook his head with amazement. "So it's a good thing we kept you indoors in Haiti. With your track record, you would have gotten yourself in trouble for sure." Kate gave him a mild glare before sticking her tongue out at him.

"So you have this new project in the works," Regis continued, cutting off the trouble before it could begin. "What else do you have coming up? New albums, your summer tour..."

"I've always wanted to record a benefit album," Clay mused. "The hard part is finding ways to keep the production costs low so that as much of the proceeds as possible will go to the cause. You almost have to write and arrange the music yourself to keep from having to pay out royalties to anyone."

"Clay Aiken - singer, actor, songwriter?" Regis asked.

Clay made a skeptical face. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't know how good of a job I could do there."

They talked a bit more about Clay's upcoming summer tour, and how Kate was still planning to go along, but her role would be limited as the rigors made unreasonable demands on her health now that she was pregnant. Just as Clay was starting to breathe easy, Regis remembered what Clay had hoped he forgot. "I believe that Kate said there's some video footage of you in the Haitian swimming pool. Why don't we take a look at that before the break?"

Ooooohhhh great... Clay moaned and slid down in his seat, covering his face with his hand. He was positive in his own mind that if anything would sink the ratings of the show, this would be the thing.

"If it's any consolation," Kate whispered to him as she threaded her fingers in between his, "I made sure that it was the section of video with the wide angle, before Lisa tightened up the zoom."

"Thank you," he whispered. "America does not need to see the two of us in our swimsuits."

Kate shook her head vigorously in agreement. "I'm especially glad that I was wearing the one-piece instead of the two-piece," she muttered. "I know whale-watching is perfectly legal, but..."

Clay poked Kate in the side. "One of these days I'm finally going to talk you into believing that you're beautiful."

"I don't have to believe it as long as you do," Kate hinted with a slight smile.

"And believe me, honey," Clay whispered, his eyes alive with light, "I do."

From the video clip of the couple swimming, the show went to its last break, and Regis skewered them with a knowing look. "Emeline's Hope, hunh? Very fitting tribute to the little gal you met in Haiti."

"That's the way we saw it," Clay agreed. "Seeing the condition she was in really made an impact on all of us. She was so tiny... smaller than a six-year-old girl should be. No child should have to go through what she was living with... body and soul both slowly starving to death." The memory brought sudden tears to Clay's eyes, and he bit his lower lip sharply with the effort to keep them back.

Kate transferred his hand to her free one and placed an arm around his back warmly as he fought his emotions. "A trip like that changes a person for the rest of their life. There's no adequate way to describe everything, no adequate way at all."

"Well, you've done your best to bring us along with you, showing us the video of your experiences." Regis smiled lightly. "The people who put that together did us all a great service. That has the potential to touch a lot of people. And so does your story."

"That's what we hope," Clay admitted, finally back in control again. "Touch a lot of people for Christ, and raise awareness for the cause."

"Somehow," Kelly stated, "I think the two of you have done just that."

They were given the word that the commercial break was almost over, and Clay moved over to where he would be singing the latest single from his album. Regis reintroduced the show and the Aikens, and introduced the song before the cameras focused on Clay.

Kate watched and listened as Clay sang for the studio audience and the rest of America. He really does enjoy this - what a blessing for all of us that he has this opportunity. She briefly gave thanks to God for the combination of a beautiful voice and a beautiful soul.

It was during the song that the cameras ended their broadcast, and the rest of it was for the studio alone. Kate would later be thankful for that, because this time Clay's distress would be kept among only those in the studio. Once more in the middle of his performance his voice broke in and out, until at last it was clear that he was unable to continue. Not missing another beat, he turned and motioned towards his backup singer Jacob. Jacob quickly picked up the cue and took the melody over from Clay.

At last the performance was done, and everyone gave them a standing ovation. Clay recognized their appreciation, making sure to acknowledge Jacob for bailing him out. He also turned to extend a hand to Kate, smiling warmly as she walked over to join him center stage. The two of them embraced amidst the applause. "I love you, honey," Kate whispered near his ear. "No matter what."

"I love you, too." Clay was determined to remain calm, but after the unsettling events of the morning, that was going to be a struggle.

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Later that morning, in a secluded room in a Manhattan restaurant

 

Clay listlessly poked at his meal in troubled silence as Kate studied him. "Clay... eat something, honey. This is the first performance after we got back from Haiti, and that was just on Sunday. It's not like we've given ourselves a lot of time to rest. That's probably what happened."

"Maybe. My throat's been tickling and scratching the last couple of days," Clay confessed. "I thought for a while that I was just tired, but after what just happened at the studio I'm not so sure. Between my throat and a few other things, I wonder if I might be catching some sort of bug." He sighed. "Usually I can just sing right through it, but for some reason I couldn't do that this morning."

"You've been going through this the last couple of days?" Kate stared at him thoughtfully for a minute. "So what else have you noticed?"

Shrugging lightly, Clay shook his head. "Like I said, I'm probably just tired from the trip. It's not a big deal, honey."

"Humor me," Kate told him. Determined to get an answer, she pressed the point. "What else have you noticed?"

Clay pondered it for a moment, ignoring the meal that for some reason he didn't feel like eating. "Mostly I've noticed that the throat tickles and scratches, but sometimes I feel like coughing. I've also had headaches and stomachaches too, but I figure that's just because I'm tired and because I'm getting used to American food again."

"Honey..." Kate breathed. "You should have said something. We were just in a third-world country, and what you're experiencing could be anything." Immediately she yanked her cell phone out of her purse. "I'm calling Mom so that she can let Doctor Kelley know he's seeing you too."

"Kate - "

Kate held up a finger. "DON'T argue with me, Clayton Aiken. I may not be a musician by trade, but I know enough other professional musicians to have picked up a few things about the business. Just trust me on this one, honey."

Clay scowled at Kate as she placed the call. He thought she was probably just making a big deal over nothing. Like he said, he'd caught a few minor bugs over the years and his voice had recovered. None of them had ever stopped him from singing, though, and he doubted that this one would for long. A few more days to rest and get some of Mom Kirche's healthy home cooking, and his voice should be back to normal.

Jerome whistled lightly. "Stubborn one, isn't she?"

"You noticed that, hunh?" Clay muttered sarcastically.

"Don't start with me..."

"Yeah, Mom?" Kate began. "You see - yeah. Yeah, we're still trying to take it all in. Listen, would you do me a favor? Call Doctor Kelley and see if you can squeeze Clay in my time slot too. After what Sally went through, I want to take this seriously. Besides, if I go by what I just pried out of him, he may have brought back an unplanned souvenir from Haiti. Yeah, something like that. That's what I think, anyway. Yeah, I promise I'll try to make him behave himself. But you know in that sense he's just like me." In spite of a glare from Clay, Kate concentrated on her mother's voice. "I will. Give our love to Dad, and we'll see you later tonight. Love you too. Okay, Mom, bye."

"Let me guess," Jerome told Kate as she ended the call. "Brunch is over."

Kate nodded. "After he eats something, of course." Ignoring Clay's sulky scowl, she went on. "The sooner we can get home, the sooner we can take it easy. Since our appointment is tomorrow, we definitely need to get back to Kearney tonight."

"Kate honey," Clay protested. "I'll be fine. I just need to take it easy a few more days. Even if it is a bug, it's not a big deal. I've had them before. My voice will be fine, I promise."

"That may or may not be something you have control over, Clay," Kate said firmly. "Like I said, trust me on this one. Or in this case, trust my cousin Sally. Ask her about her troubles with her voice when we have our meeting with her over Emeline's Hope. And don't get her or Mom started on you singing when you're sick. I guarantee you will get an earful."

Oh really? Clay thought to himself. Somehow he suspected that he was in store for quite the tale, a tale that would give him even more insight into the unique person that was Kate's cousin.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That evening after the plane landed at the regional airport at Kearney, Nebraska

 

Clay assisted Kate down the stairs of the airplane with her overnight bag as Jerome waited at the bottom of the stairs beside Kate's parents Arthur and Patricia Kirche. "Hey, Mom, Dad," Kate said as she collected a hug from each of her parents. An impish twinkle in her eye, she immediately moved on to give a hug to Jerome as well. "Good to see you, Jerome!"

Jerome chuckled as she gave him a warm hug. "Kate, I just got off the plane."

Clay cast her a mock frown. "Sure, while I'm greeting your parents, you're off with another man."

Kate shrugged as Jerome rolled his eyes. Both of them knew that he trusted her completely and was merely teasing. "I like to steal hugs from people. Family, friends, unruly bodyguards..."

"What about husbands?" Clay asked, pretending to pout.

"From husbands too, but from them I also steal kisses." Standing on her tiptoes, Kate placed a quick kiss on Clay's lips. As he grinned, she went on. "Maybe debacle him later when my parents aren't around."

"Oooh, I like the sound of that," Clay purred as he pulled her close.

"We'll flip a coin," Arthur told them. "Heads, we get the house, you get the barn. Tails, you get the house, we get the barn."

Jerome shook his head. "How about we get all of you motel rooms, and I'll take the house!"

Arthur put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Say there, son, I like your thinking!"

Patricia raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Do I really want to claim any of you?" she drawled.

Kate smirked at her mother. "This, from the original Bunny Grand Matron herself."

"Just for that," Patricia responded dryly, "you're sleeping on the couch." Leaving her daughter gaping in surprise, she motioned towards the minivan. "Let's get going. It's hot out here."

"Compared to Haiti," Jerome said, "this place is comfy."

"I don't think I've readjusted yet," Clay admitted as he wiped his forehead. "I'm still plenty warm."

Arthur nodded at him. "It's hot."

The three loaded their bags in the minivan and left the airport for the Kirche homestead north of Kearney. Once at the house, the guys returned their bags to the guest rooms while Kate went to assist her mother in the kitchen with dinner preparations.

"Smells good," Jerome commented as he rejoined Clay and Arthur in the living room.

"It does," Clay agreed. "I'd go in and see what we're having, but with my luck those two would try to draft me to help them."

Jerome smirked. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Clay said quickly, "it's just that Kate has made it her mission in life to teach me a few basic household survival skills. She's told me that she'll do all that as long as she's around and able, but she wants me to be able to do some of those things if the need arises." Clay snorted. "I've got the basics down. That's what TV dinners and McDonald's are for. I went through my college days like that and survived them just fine. I don't need much more."

"Somehow," Jerome chuckled, "I don't think she'd be encouraged to hear you say that."

"It doesn't hurt to learn a few things about cooking," Arthur broke in. "Even your father-in-law knows how to fry an egg or two. My cooking's anything but fancy, but I could survive off it if I had to."

Clay gave Arthur an odd look. "Whose side are you on, Dad?"

"Yours," Arthur told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder with a chuckle.

The three continued to discuss the merits of basic cooking and household survival skills until Patricia and Kate brought the entrees for dinner out to the table. "Dinner's on," Patricia announced as they placed the homemade fried chicken and other dishes on the table.

"Smells wonderful, Mrs. Kirche," Jerome told her. "Your cooking is always top-notch."

"Thank you, Jerome," Patricia smiled. "A compliment like that earns you first serving of dessert."

"I wish I'd thought of that," Arthur said. "Whatcha cookin', Momma? Smells deeeee-licious."

Patricia glanced up at Arthur as he wrapped his arms around her, making Clay and Kate giggle at his antics. "Nice try, Art. Jerome beat you to it."

"Boo, hiss."

Dinner went with casual conversation and laughter. As promised, Patricia offered Jerome the first portion of dessert - strawberry shortcake and vanilla ice cream.

"Good dinner, Momma," Arthur told her when it was all through and everyone was sitting there in satisfied silence. "Just right."

"Thank you," Patricia replied. She smiled, noticing out of the side of her eye as Kate gently slid her hand over to Clay's and threaded her fingers in between his. Clay's fingers drew closer around her hand, and he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the surface of hers. Even when both of them were in "quiet" mode, they were still able to find ways to communicate with each other... especially communicating their love for one another, even without words. Patricia was going to keep on praying for the strength of her kids' marriage - she suspected that their relationship was going to have another test very soon. Based on her knowledge as a music teacher, she felt that there was more to Clay's morning mishap than met the eye.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, out in the fields at the Kirche homestead

 

Clay walked through the knee-high grasses deep in thought. With breakfast finished, he had decided to go out to get some fresh air. Kate had offered to go on his walk with him, but Clay had requested the time alone. Patricia had seen the concerned look in Kate's eyes and quickly put her daughter to work helping her around the house. Evidently Patricia thought that keeping her busy would keep her mind off the previous day's events.

Evidently what they had gone through in Haiti had weakened his immune system, because he was definitely catching something. This morning the tickle and scratch was still in Clay's throat, and if anything it had gotten worse. He felt the need to cough more often now, and kept trying to stifle them so that he wouldn't make Kate worry. And although he thought he headaches and stomachaches were probably just symptoms of being tired, he wasn't going to deny that they might be signaling something else. The question was, what was he catching this time? Just another cold? Sinus infection? Strep throat? Another round of bronchitis? Would he be able to sing through it, as he had in the past? And how would it affect the upcoming tour? He hoped that it would be nothing too serious - the last thing he wanted was to go into tour not being at the top of his game.

Out in the middle of where he thought no one would hear him, Clay cleared his throat in preparation to sing one of the songs from his latest album... the same song his voice had broken on yesterday. For several lines he seemed to do all right, but quickly his voice wavered and crackled. Immediately he stopped, rubbing his sore throat with annoyance. What's going on? Putting that song on the back burner for now, Clay chose a different song to attempt instead - Measure of a Man, a ballad. It onnly took a few measures for Clay to determine that whatever he had caught was going to keep him from having any sort of control over his voice during this song too. Clay ran his hands through his hair in agitation. He wasn't used to his voice betraying him like this. Maybe it was a good thing after all that Kate had scheduled that appointment. He would be able to get some answers and hopefully get this problem solved before the tour.

A black lab bounded up to him as he stood there in the fields contemplating his dilemma, barking happily. Clay knelt down and extended his hand towards the dog. "Come'ere. Come'here!" he coaxed, whistling gently as the dog quickly moved to sniff his hand. "Good dog..." The dog immediately sat down beside Clay, panting expectantly in hopes that Clay would decide to give his new furry friend an ear rub. Happy to oblige, Clay took the dog's face in his hands to give the dog a few affectionate strokes. "You somebody's buddy? Hunh?" he asked, rubbing his hands on the top of the dog's head and over the ears. The dog quickly gave Clay a slobbery kiss in lieu of a verbal reply. Clay chuckled, giving the dog another few minutes of head-scratching before standing up again.

Continuing his walk in quiet meditation, Clay meandered a little further with the black lab at his side. The idea of rehearsing for a tour without singing intrigued him, but he hoped that he wouldn't have to find out what it was like. Hopefully the doctor would have good news - that his bug wasn't serious and was going to be short-lived. Some good food, a little rest, and Clay's voice would be as good as always. It just meant that practices were going to be interesting for a while.

Finally he reached the edge of the field he was in and leaned his arms on a wooden fence surrounding the property. The dog squeezed through the fence and leapt through the field towards the farmhouse off in the distance. Clay watched the dog running through the field, missing little Raleigh back home. He watched the black lab until it was out of his sights.

Clay glanced at his watch. He'd been gone a little less than forty minutes, and knew that he should probably head back to the house before long. Once more contemplating how to deal with the situation, he decided to leave it in God's hands and bowed his head for prayer. He first gave thanks for the start of another beautiful day and his wonderful wife and family before moving on to asking for guidance regarding the tour. Clay asked for direction and input in knowing what God's will was, and what his plan needed to be for the next three or four months.

Once he was finished praying, Clay turned back toward the house and began walking again. Somehow he expected that Kate would be asking him twenty or more questions, trying to prod his mood. Hopefully she wouldn't pry too much - while there was that part of Clay that was a little bit scared that this was something bigger, he was pretty sure that this would prove to be no major thing and that the two of them would be worrying about nothing. For now he would keep the doctor's appointment to assure both Kate and himself that everything was all right. He had to have faith that God would take care of his family.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That afternoon in Doctor Kelley's office

 

Doctor Kelley walked into the room. "Well, Kate! It doesn't seem that long since I saw you last."

Kate snorted and raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't that long since you saw me last. You saw me two weeks ago for a pregnancy test."

Clay snickered. At least Kate's snarky sense of humor was alive and well...

"Which is partly why I'm back, Doc. If you saw Regis and Kelly yesterday, you'll know that we had a little, um... misadventure... while we were in Haiti. Although I have a suspicion that the baby is fine..." Kate began, "I'd rather have you double-check and reassure us that he's fine."

"That's a good plan, Kate. What happened in Haiti?"

Kate sighed. Somehow she was not surprised that he didn't watch the show. "We fell off a broken suspension bridge into a Haitian river. As we were walking through the jungle to get back to the group, I had some really bad cramps. Clay and I were wondering if they weren't somehow an attempt at a miscarriage or something like that."

"Possibly," Doctor Kelley acknowledged. "There's nothing like a traumatic event to cause a woman to miscarry her unborn child. We'll give you a checkup and an ultrasound to see what the status is on your child. The nurse said that you scheduled an appointment for Clay too?"

"Yeah." Kate glanced up at Clay, who didn't look very happy. "During this Haitian misadventure, he got knocked out, and I found him floating face down in the water. I ended up having to give him CPR. Considering that he was having troubles singing yesterday, I was wondering if somehow either the time in the river or the CPR didn't strain his voice or something."

Doctor Kelley frowned in deep thought. "I'm more concerned about what he might have picked up from the river if he took in any of the water while he was out. The water in that country isn't exactly world-renown for its cleanliness. That's why we're forever telling travelers to that country to not drink the water, even in the hotels."

"We knew that, Doctor," Clay informed him, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "We were careful to stick to the purified water."

"I'm not blaming you for falling into the river or for being knocked unconscious. That was a situation you had no control over, Clay," Doctor Kelley assured him. "But it does make me concerned about what you might have since there's a very real possibility that you ended up taking in some of the water from the river. That could be giving you any number of troubles depending on the impurities present. Let's see if we can't limit the possibilities, shall we?"

Doctor Kelley started with Clay, carefully examining his throat both inside and out. "You said you were concerned about vocal strain," he began. "What are the symptoms you've been noticing this past week? Don't stick with just things that seem to be related to your throat only - pick anything that you don't usually have on a regular basis."

"I really haven't noticed anything that can't be explained," Clay suggested. "I'm not as hungry as usual, but that's probably because I'm more tired than usual and a little achy, which is probably because we just came back from a weeklong mission trip in the tropics. It wouldn't surprise me if part of that tired and achy is because of what we went through in the jungle as well as jet lag. I feel a bit warmer than usual, but I know it's summer and I'm still adjusting from our time in Haiti." He shrugged a bit. "I have been noticing some headaches and stomachaches, but that's probably because I ate something that didn't like me."

Kate snickered at him. "I told you that you overdid it on the barbecue the other night. But did you listen to your loving wife? No..."

Clay cast a playful smirk at her. "You're just jealous that you can't eat it."

"Whatever..."

"Either way it um... didn't treat my stomach too kindly the other night..." Clay admitted.

Doctor Kelley smiled lightly at their banter. "There's also the Haitian food and water, too. There's always a possibility that your system is having a delayed reaction to some of that. Please continue."

"There's also a soreness and scratchiness in the throat, and a tickling feeling. That's probably why I've started coughing, and I do wonder if I'm not catching a cold or something. What brought me in is that what's going on with the throat affected my singing yesterday. Not good for a professional singer..."

Nodding to himself as he took it all in and continued to examine Clay, he agreed. "No, a singer can't be having troubles with the voice. And I do suspect you've caught something - but not what you think. If it's what I think, be very thankful that we caught this in the early stage."

I don't know if I like the sound of that... Clay sighed.

The doctor called for a nurse to collect from Clay a few samples to test, and as Clay waited for the nurse Doctor Kelley turned his attention to Kate.

Clay looked up as a nurse brought in a tray with several items on it. The first set of items he recognized quickly - they were going to draw blood. He grinned wryly as the nurse prepared his arm with a tourniquet and alcohol swab before picking up the needle. "Don't watch, honey," he warned his wife as the nurse came towards him with the needle.

"Oh - " Kate pinched her eyes tightly shut to keep from seeing anything.

Giggling lightly at her squeamish nature, he waited until the nurse finished and placed on the bandage before reaching over to squeeze Kate's hand. "It's all done. You can look now."

"Thank goodness for small favors," she murmured as Doctor Kelley continued with her own quick, basic exam.

The nurse picked up the next pair of items and Clay blinked with confusion at a small plastic jar and wooden paddle. "Do I even want to know what you're going to do with that?"

"Stool sample," the nurse said evenly. "Follow me."

Clay stared, a dumbfounded look on his face. "You can't be serious." When the nurse's expression didn't change, he knew that this was very serious. He heard a light snicker behind him, and turned to shoot a glare at his wife. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

"Not the situation," Kate told him matter-of-factly as she stifled a full-blown case of the giggles. "The look on your face."

"Remember this," Clay grumbled, shaking a finger at her, "the next time they give you some pregnancy-related test that's less than dignified."

Kate sighed, nodding. "I will, sweetie. Mom has already warned me that by the time little one has been born, I'll have very little of my dignity left."

"I wouldn't go that far," Clay told her.

"She's not that far off," Doctor Kelley chuckled. "Give it time, you'll see."

After a few minutes, Clay returned with an embarrassed scowl on his face. Kate smiled gently at him, extending a hand to beckon him towards her. Clay walked over and took her hand, standing just out of the doctor's way as he marked a few notes on his chart. "I think that should cover it, for what I can do. An ultrasound should be able to give us the remaining answers we want."

Finishing up with his exam, Doctor Kelley determined what he could before sending the young couple down for an ultrasound. A female ultrasound technician helped Kate prepare, draping her lap with a cloth before smearing the liquid conducting jelly over her abdomen. "Oooohhh, that's cold," Kate complained as the tech touched the jelly to her.

"Sorry," the tech chuckled.

"You guys could have warmed that up," Kate told her as Clay giggled.

"I'll try to remember that next time." The technician positioned the transducer on Kate's abdomen, moving it until she got a clear image of its contents. "Well..." she began as the three of them studied the image in front of them. "It looks like you still have a baby in there. There's the face right there - eyes, nose, mouth."

"Oh my goodness..." Clay gasped, staring for the first time at the image of the unborn child on the screen. Their child.

Kate reached for Clay, and he quickly took her hand tightly in his. "Clay - that's our son."

The technician smiled at the excited couple. "Did the doctor tell you you're having a boy?"

"No," Kate answered honestly, "God did." She beamed at the image and met her husband's eye. "He's beautiful, Clay. He's so beautiful."

"I said he would be, honey." Clay bit his lip, his eyes misting over with emotion. He turned to meet Kate's adoring gaze with his own. "Just like you," he told her before giving her a kiss.

For several moments the technician moved the transducer around on Kate's abdomen, examining the child to make sure he was still healthy. At last she gave the screen a light tap, pointing out where the heartbeat was monitored by the ultrasound. "Looks like he's perfectly alive and well to me. That heartbeat is well within the norm. You'll want to keep seeing a doctor for regular checkups, but from here your child looks fine."

They cleaned up from the ultrasound, and walked back to the examining room hand in hand and glowing with excitement. Clay glanced several times at the papers he held in his other hand, printouts of the ultrasound to share with their parents and grandparents. I can hardly believe this is our child... Father, this is amazing. You've blessed us so much to share this tiny life with us - I can't ever thank you enough.

"Well," the doctor drawled when he returned to observe the happy couple holding each other close. "It would appear that the results of the ultrasound were good news."

"Very good news, Doctor," Clay told him. "Thank you."

"I wish I had some better news about you for your voice, though," Doctor Kelley replied. "It seems as if you picked up one of the local bacteria. A specimen called Salmonella Typhi, better known as typhoid fever. Nasty little bugger. My guess would be that you picked him up in the river."

"Typhoid??" Clay asked in shock.

Doctor Kelley nodded. "I'm glad you came in when you did. Left untreated, it can be life-threatening. But since you've come in while it's in the early stages, you'll easily make a full recovery." As the younger man continued to stare, Doctor Kelley began to give his recommendations. "We're going to treat it aggressively. I'm ordering a full dose of a strong antibiotic for you. Make sure that you use it up, don't skip any doses. Wash your hands often, especially before and after meals, and definitely after going to the bathroom. Since it spreads through food and water, don't go sharing drinking glasses with anyone and stay out of the kitchen. And until we've completely killed it off, you are done singing. I'm serious - not another note, or you risk permanent damage to your vocal cords." Clay gulped, and at seeing his wide eyes the doctor continued. "I'm hoping that the performance on Regis and Kelly hasn't already done that."

Slowly Clay nodded, a stunned look on his face. Immediately he remembered his attempt at singing out in the fields in order to see if what had happened was a fluke, or whether he really was catching something and would have to take it easy for a while. He couldn't help wondering what, if anything, that had done to his voice. "Not another note," he echoed quietly.

"I want to get the contact information from your California doctor," Doctor Kelley stressed, "so that I can fax them the records of this visit for both of you. I want to equip him or her with everything they need to know to best treat your joint case. All right?"

"I think I have that information in my purse," Kate said quietly, squeezing Clay's hand before turning towards her purse.

"And since you are pregnant," Doctor Kelley continued, "I am going to recommend that Clay find a different place to live until we get this thing kicked."

Kate looked up sharply from where she had been digging in her purse. "You can't be serious," she moaned. Seeing Doctor Kelley's sharp eyes, she knew he was. "How long are we talking?"

Doctor Kelley answered the question with his best guess. "Several weeks for good measure. After that he can move back in your house to finish his recovery."

"Finish?"

"It only takes a handful of weeks to get over the disease," Doctor Kelley informed them, "but recovering from it may take a while longer."

But Clay was not so quick to let it go. "Is there any way we can at least stay in the same house if we hold off on being intimate for a while?" he asked. "We are newlyweds..."

Doctor Kelley shook his head. "Try it if you want, Clay, but you'll discover it's a losing battle. Because you're newlyweds."

Clay didn't look happy with that, but like Kate he let it go for now. "Doctor Kelley," Clay began anew, "how long will my voice be out of commission? We're supposed to go on tour within a couple of weeks. We need to start rehearsing again as soon as we get back to L.A."

Doctor Kelley gave Clay a sympathetic glance. "I don't have any definite answers as to how long you'll be out of business, Clay. It would be a couple of weeks, it could be months, it could be never if the damage is already done." Noting Clay's already pale face turn ashen, he continued quietly. "I would recommend that you postpone or cancel the tour," he suggested, "or else you risk the consequences of permanent vocal damage."

 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

 

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