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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Friday, June 30

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After their doctor's appointment

 

As Clay stared out the car window lost in thought, Kate drove back through Kearney in silence. She wanted very much to talk with him about everything they learned in the doctor's office, but somehow she knew that this was not the time. Clay needed this time to think, to process everything. Kate suspected that he would need a lot more time than just the drive from the office to her parents' house. To be perfectly frank, she needed some for herself as well. There was so much to take in - where to start...

The Aikens and Jerome arrived back at the Kirche farmhouse without incident, and began walking slowly to the house. Jerome shot the couple a glance from time to time, knowing from their silence that the news they had received wasn't good. "All right." He moved in front of the pair, halting them in their tracks. "I know it's probably not my business, but what happened in that doctor's office? The two of you are acting as if you've just been at a funeral or something."

Clay sighed heavily. "You familiar with typhoid fever, Jerome? That's what I have, and the doctor wants me to move out of the house until I get over it so that I don't pass it on to Kate and the baby."

"Typhoid fever? That's pretty heavy stuff, isn't it?" At seeing twin nods from Clay and Kate he grimaced. "At least we know your kid is still alive," Jerome noted, giving Kate a glance.

"We saw him on the ultrasound," Kate told him, her eyes lighting up with the memory of seeing their child on the monitor. "We saw our son."

"A son, hunh? So you decided to pass on the Aiken name there, stud?" Jerome grinned slyly at Clay. When both of them blushed fiercely, he chuckled. "So then you have some good news to balance the bad." Jerome looked back at Clay. "Typhoid. How serious is it?"

"Life threatening," Clay moaned under his breath.

"Life threatening if untreated," Kate added, reminding him of the doctor's words. "From what Doctor Kelley told us, Clay should make a full recovery because we caught it early and because he's going to be on medication to treat it."

"So that's what you got at the pharmacy." Jerome nodded. "Meds for the bug."

"Antibiotics to kill the bug," Kate acknowledged, slipping her hand inside of Clay's.

"Darlin', if he doesn't want us living in the same house," Clay whispered hoarsely, "I wonder if he even wants me so much as touching you."

Kate snorted. "Oh, baloney. He said that it gets passed on through food and water. Not through physical contact like this. Or were you listening past the words, 'move out and quit singing for a while'?"

"Then why would he have suggested me moving out for a few weeks?" Clay asked, clearly still at a loss at the news that he had been given by the doctor.

Jerome ran his hand over his face in thoughtful frustration. He could already tell that this was going to be a long few weeks either way. It was not going to be too soon for them to get back to L.A. where the two of them had other friends and support there - namely the couple's mutual friend Kim Locke and Kate's best friend Sarah McLeod. "Look - why don't we go into the house and talk with Kate's parents a while? They're going to want to know how it went, and maybe they can give you a couple suggestions about the living arrangement. I don't know how much advice they can offer on the singing thing though - you need to talk to the powers that be for that."

"Yeah," Clay mumbled with agreement.

The trio moved into the house, and instantly Patricia sized them up with a look. "That bad?" When Clay heaved an annoyed sigh and scowled, she groaned. "What is it?"

"Typhoid," Kate told her simply.

The look on Patricia's face changed from one of dread to oh really? "I wouldn't have expected that."

"You could have blown me away," Clay admitted.

"Doctor Kelley thinks he picked it up from the river," Kate replied. "After all, the river that people gather water for drinking and cooking from is the same river they bathe in and wash clothes in and cars in... and dump half their sewage in."

Slowly Patricia nodded. "Very possible. Does he think that's what is giving you throat problems?"

"I think so," Clay said, "and he gave me a directive to stop singing until I get over it."

"That's a reasonable precaution." Patricia studied her son-in-law for a moment. "How is that going to affect your upcoming tour?"

"I'll find out when I talk to my manager," Clay informed her. "The doctor recommended that I either cancel the tour or postpone it indefinitely. Depending on how long it takes me to get over this bug, it would affect the tour anyway. I either wouldn't be able to rehearse because I couldn't sing, or else there's a possibility that my voice won't return in time for the tour itself. I'd go on tour and wouldn't be able to do the music or the fans any justice."

Kate smiled at him. "You sound like you're getting used to the diagnosis."

"Getting used to it because I have no choice!" Clay grumbled as Arthur entered the room. "I can't escape the facts. I don't have to like them, but I can't change them."

"If your voice problems are due to the typhoid," Patricia began, "then it will just be a matter of following doctor's orders and recuperating the best you can. Once you're back up to speed, then you can resume with your music career in whatever direction you choose."

Clay nodded for a moment. "I need to talk to my manager first to let everyone on that end know what's going on. Then Kate and I will start figuring out what our options are for the next little while."

"The doctor's thinking it will be several weeks to get over the 'contagious' stage," Kate stated, making air quotes with her fingers. "He'll be taking antibiotics to kill the bacteria during that two or three week time span, but this thing will probably put him out of commission for longer than that. It's like mono - you're only contagious so long, but you spend forever recovering from the darn thing."

Patricia rolled her eyes. "That would be the case. How is this going to affect the two of you, especially with the baby?"

His eyes darkening, Clay scowled again. "The doctor wants me to move out of the house while I'm on the antibiotics," he growled. "He doesn't want me passing this on to Kate and the baby."

"Surely you jest," Arthur snorted.

"I wish."

"What, doesn't he think she's already been exposed?" Jerome asked.

"I've been exposed," Kate acknowledged, "because I was in the river. The difference is that I didn't take in any of the river water. Clay did. I'm not showing any of the symptoms for typhoid... Clay is. And Clay's already been diagnosed with the junk."

"Considering how many medications and things are no-no's for pregnant mothers..." Patricia sighed, "I can see why he would say that."

"Mom!" Kate protested. "You can't be serious in supporting this idea. We've only been married six months, six months today! I am not kicking my husband out of the house while he's sick. That's the time for me to be taking care of my husband." She shot Clay a stubborn look, caught up in her little fury to the extent that she missed the encouraged twinkle in his eye. "In sickness and in health. Those were the words we said six months ago. So this time it's sickness, oh well. You haven't left me to deal with morning sickness alone, I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone either. The doctor said it's only passed on through food and water - it's not like I'll catch it from you if you breathe on me."

A gentle smile turned the corners of Clay's mouth. "I love you too, Kathryn," he said quietly, making her blush with the warm, loving look in his eye.

"What do you suggest instead?" Patricia asked, gently humoring her daughter.

Kate shrugged. "Temporary quarantine in one of the guest rooms of the house. That way we're still together. We can still talk, we can still spend time together, and we can still have our meals together. I can just make a slight adjustment and use disposable plates and things for a while."

"Look at it this way, honey," Clay encouraged. "If we do that, we won't have to do dishes while I'm sick."

"Hey!" Kate exclaimed, a smile slowly lighting her face. "There are benefits to this!"

Clay joined in with the others at laughing aloud at Kate's declaration. He had heard the phrase "cock-eyed optimist" before and thought that it described his wife perfectly. This woman was single-mindedly determined to find a silver lining with every cloud. If he gave her the chance, he was sure she would find a few more in their current situation.

Kate heaved a long and drawn-out sigh, a miserable look crossing her face. "The truth is that I just don't want to be without him, Momma. I think we just might be able to deal with not being intimate during that time... but to not see him, not be with him, not talk to him? I think that would kill me."

"You and me both, hon," Clay agreed. "I think being completely apart for two or three weeks would be more than either of us want to deal with."

"We'd have to call each other for our two-a-days," Kate muttered, thinking of their twice-daily prayer time together as a couple. Any number of other things they were willing to fudge on, but not that.

"If you have to," Patricia said quietly, "you have to." The couple exchanged a sorrowful glance that broadcasted their reluctance to accept the doctor's recommendation.

"Don't suppose," Arthur suggested, "that one or both of you could somehow manage to schedule some business trips that take you away from each other during that time frame..."

For the first time since the subject of their forced separation had been brought up, Clay looked hopeful at a suggestion related to the two being apart. "There's always stuff for Bubel-Aiken," Clay thought aloud, "and I've always wanted to take a more hands-on role in the foundation. There's also the fact that we're wanting to start up Emeline's Hope. I'm sure between the two organizations we can find plenty to keep Kate and I going so much that we won't have time to feel sorry for ourselves."

Kate smirked. "If we are able to keep that busy, you definitely won't have to move out. We'll both be too tired to do anything intimate anyway."

Clay chuckled. "Whatever it takes to stay in the house together. The idea of moving out for three weeks or so is absolutely crazy."

"If all he wants is for the two of us to behave ourselves," Kate agreed, "we can do that for the sake of our son. That's not a problem."

"Son?" Arthur asked. "So it's a definite, then - doctor said you are having a boy?"

"Doctor Kelley didn't tell us," Clay shook his head. "God did. We knew already last week in Haiti that we're having a boy."

Arthur shrugged thoughtfully. He knew better than to ask. Over the years he had seen too much of his wife and in-laws at work to question God's modus operandi. "How's our little man doing?"

"Well," Kate responded with satisfaction. "We got to see him on the ultrasound."

Clay handed Arthur their copy of the ultrasound printout. "There you go, Dad - the first picture of your newest grandchild."

"Oh, this is him right here?" Holding the picture so that Patricia could see it too, Arthur studied the printout for a few minutes, and once Patricia had finished, he started to hand it back to Clay.

Quickly Clay shook his head. "That's your copy. Yours and Mom's, to keep." Patricia playfully snatched it out of Arthur's hand so that she could study it more, making Clay laugh aloud.

"Boy, guess I was asleep on the job!" Arthur chuckled.

Still caught up in laughter, Clay felt a cough coming on. Quickly he stifled the cough, hoping that Kate would not notice.

But Kate had noticed. Clearly concerned for him, she wrapped her arms around him as he regained his breath. "I'm glad that we got you to the doctor now instead of waiting until you got properly sick with this, hon. It would have laid you flat in no time at all."

Clay laughed once, but there was little humor in it. "I can't wait to take my first dose if I'm going to get over this thing any time soon. I want to get this thing beat, and I don't want to have to move out of my own house to do it."

Kate nodded solemnly. "On that we agree."

Patricia sighed, shaking her head at the stubborn, determined couple. They had a lot to learn... namely how to moderate and focus that determination of theirs. It was a great strength when they set a noble task in front of them as the goal, but in cases like this it was definitely a weakness. Then again, learning to compromise was a process - she couldn't expect them to master it all at once. For now she chose a slightly different subject. "What's your plan now, since the doctor suggested you postpone or cancel the tour?" she asked.

"It hasn't changed," Clay stated. "Go back to L.A. and start preparing for whatever God has placed in front of us. Only what that is seems to have changed from what we thought it was. Maybe now would be the time for me to take that more hands-on role with BAF."

"Maybe."

Kate tapped her lips thoughtfully. "I want to see if one or both of us can't make Emeline's Hope a priority, now that the tour has been pushed back. We can see how many meetings we can schedule with Pastor Macy and Sally, or other mission work planners to help us get a head start on this."

"That's an idea, honey," Clay agreed. "We can start making our contacts and setting up the organization and its purposes and duties."

"I was hoping you would help me with the formal organization," Kate confessed. "I've never set up a group like this, and although I can do a lot of the brainstorming and the idea-organizing and to some degree the contacting, I don't know the fine-print details and the legalese and I was hoping you would help since you've had a little more experience at this." Her eyes pleaded with him, and he could see that she was doubting her own ability to take charge of this. "Just until I get an idea of what I'm supposed to be doing..." she whispered.

"It's all right, honey," Clay told her supportively. "I'm kind of clueless about this whole thing too." He drew her close. "But I'll be here to walk you through it. I believe in you."

Patricia smiled proudly at them as the couple touched noses gently. "Looks like you have things well in hand to me."

"It's not in stone yet." Clay released Kate and pulled out his cell phone. "I need to make a few business-related calls. Then we'll know more about what our future holds."

Kate smiled at Clay as he walked to their bedroom to make the calls. She felt more hope now that Clay had been encouraged and given a few goals to work for. As long as they worked as a couple to make a concrete difference in God's world, then she didn't care how they did it. Kate didn't care about fame or money or all the other trappings of celebrity. They could be poor and obscure as mice as long as they served God together, and Kate would be content with that. Who knows - the two of them might end up teaching yet.

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Later

 

Kate glanced up as Clay walked back into the room, meeting his eye to discern how things had gone with his phone calls. Knowing that Kate wanted to talk about it, Clay came over to where she was sitting on the couch. Sprawling out lengthwise, he laid his head in her lap and pulled Kate's nearest arm around him with a contented sigh. Kate chuckled, running the fingers of her other hand lightly over his forehead and through his hair. "That's an awfully deep sigh there, Mr. Aiken."

"It's the sigh of a man who's happy to be with you - Mrs. Aiken." Holding her arm close to him, he stroked it repeatedly. Not wanting to spoil that mood right away, Kate said nothing more for several minutes as the couple enjoyed each other's company and gentle touches.

At last Clay broke the agreeable silence. "My manager was not happy."

"Wonder why," Kate snorted derisively. "So which caused the biggest hissy fit, the typhoid or the lost voice? No, wait - maybe the pregnancy or the short-term quarantine. There's so many reasons for a hissy fit nowadays."

"Hey," Clay said, a defensive sound in his voice. "I didn't ask for any of this, you know. Except for the baby - I want the baby..."

"I know this isn't your fault, Clay, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that it was." Kate leaned down to brush his forehead with her lips, coaxing a smile from Clay. "Except for the baby - that was your fault."

Clay glared up at his wife, knowing by her impish eyes that she was teasing him. "You share the blame for that one, hon. I seem to remember you giving as good as you got."

A light blush colored her cheeks. "And it was definitely good." Clay snickered with delight, and Kate nudged him. "What's the verdict from Central Command?"

"Postponing the tour," Clay told her, "in hopes that my voice returns."

"How long?" Kate asked. "Or do we know yet?"

Clay heaved another sigh, this one wistful. "I don't know yet. Part of that will depend on how fast my voice gets better. Part of that is re-negotiating the venues and seeing what options there are for honoring the ticket holders."

Kate winced. That was a logistical nightmare she was glad to have in the hands of management. "I'm glad you don't have to be the one handling that."

"Believe me, honey, I'll still hear about it," Clay groaned.

A light scowl covered Kate's face. "Like you said a minute ago, you didn't ask for any of this."

"Sure, use my own words against me."

Kate smiled, a twinkle lighting her eyes. "All's fair in love and war."

"If it's a war you want," Clay purred, a mischievous threat in the back of his own eyes, "you know I'm prepared to deliver."

"I'm sure you are," Kate returned in kind. "Just probably not right now with my mother just over in the other room."

Quickly Clay nodded - he couldn't have agreed with her more there. "What did you do while I was on the phone?" he asked, changing the subject slightly.

"Scheduled appointments," Kate told him, "with some people from mission groups and other non-profit charity organizations. I even scheduled lunch with Sally before our meeting with her and the others from her church."

Clay whistled. "Sounds like you've been busy too."

Kate traced his eyebrows with a single finger. "It made sense to me. If Doctor Kelley wants us to behave for a while, I figured it was wise to keep us otherwise occupied. Or at least I plan to be at most of these - I don't want to presume for you without talking to you first."

"Good plan." Clay smiled as Kate once more began to run her fingers through his hair, playing with the tips of it. "Although if we stick to the harmless stuff like this, you and Joseph should be fine."

"We'll do what we have to, I suppose." Kate sighed in deep thought. Unfortunately one thing that always seemed to perk up their spirits was sharing some intimate time - quite often when one of them was in a down mood, they would indulge themselves, sometimes with prayer for the situation beforehand. It rarely made the situation go away, but by putting the person in a better mood it seemed to improve it a lot. Unfortunately they didn't have that option to cheer each other this time.

Picking up on her mood, Clay gave her a wry smile. "I know, honey. It's kind of annoying. At least it's only two or three weeks or so. It could be a lot longer than that."

"True."

Kate's mother wandered out to the living room with three glasses in her hands - two iced teas for herself and Kate, and a lemonade for Clay. "How are you guys doing?" Hearing twin sighs come from the couple, Patricia glanced back and forth between them. "That good?"

"It can always be worse," Clay told her, making sure to thank her for the cold drink.

"I guess when it comes to the career thing, we're on wait-and-see status, but thankfully we're not hurting for options there." Kate studied Clay's facial features as she traced them with her fingers, watching as Clay seemed to savor her every touch. "That's not the hard part about this whole thing."

Patricia raised an eyebrow thoughtfully at the interaction of the pair. She suspected that she knew to what Kate was referring. "It's only two or three weeks, depending on how quickly the antibiotics are able to handle this thing. Why can't you just trust Doctor Kelley's recommendation?"

Kate cast a mild glare at her mother. "It's not the no-intimacy directive we're taking issue with. It's the move-out-for-now directive that we have a problem with."

For the briefest of moments Patricia couldn't understand what the fuss was all about - it was just going to be a mere two or three weeks that they wouldn't be living in the same house. It wasn't as if they weren't allowed to have any contact whatsoever, like some of the servicemen who found themselves deployed away from their families for months at a time. All at once Patricia remembered Kate's tale from what happened to them that fateful day in the jungle - one evening she had shared it with her mother while the two men had their own bonding time. Kate had broken down during the retelling of the story as she recalled that fateful moment when she realized that her husband hadn't been breathing after she pulled him out of the water. Reliving that moment, even in her mind, still frightened the young woman. She had been terrified at the idea of losing her spouse in such a sudden, tragic manner. And considering the way Kate's eyes shone when she retold Clay's own heroic acts in Haiti, Patricia wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same way about Kate. Considering the ways the two of them interacted after they returned, it made sense.

Thinking for just a minute, Patricia pondered ways to make those two or three weeks more bearable for the couple. "Well," she began, "I know when you get this way there's no changing your mind. So I am going to give you a couple of suggestions to help out if you should decide that his recommendation is the right one after all." Patricia waited until both of them were looking directly at her before she started again. "If Clay should find himself moving out for a little while, treat it as the courtship you never had."

"Hunh?" Kate asked, clearly confused.

Clay sat up with keen interest in his eyes. "Would you explain what you mean by that?"

"Until you got married," Patricia clarified, "all the two of you had was letters, Internet, and phone calls, barring that one week you were together in L.A. and the week or so before the wedding. It's all been a long-distance relationship." As a knowing smile crossed Clay's face, she continued. "Write each other more letters and e-mails, even love letters. Share late-night phone calls. Go on dates together, just as if you were courting each other for the first time."

"Hmm," Clay mumbled. "I like the sound of that."

Kate agreed. "A little bit backwards in the scheme of things, but at least that way we can say that we've been on a few more real dates with each other."

"We have had a strange relationship, haven't we honey?" Clay asked.

Shrugging lightly, Kate halfway acknowledged the label. "Is there such a thing as a 'normal' relationship?" she returned.

Clay laughed warmly. "When you look at it that way, I suppose not." The three of them laughed for another moment before Clay considered Kate thoughtfully. "So maybe we can use that idea of your mother's?" he suggested quietly.

Patricia hid a smile - she might convince them to follow the doctor's recommendation yet.

"We sure can," Kate nodded, "if we need to. I want to try that in-house quarantine first and see how that works before we attempt Plan B."

"All right," Clay agreed.

Closing her eyes briefly, Patricia stifled a groan. So close and yet so far... One of these times that stubborn streak of Kate's was going to be her undoing. She hoped that this was not that time.

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Back at the Aikens' L.A. home

 

Clay placed their luggage in the bedroom as Kate followed with a few of the smaller bags. They both heaved a sigh of relief before exchanging a broad smile. It was very good to be back home. Unwinding at the Kirche household had been good for them, but they really needed to start looking towards their future. Clay wished he had a better idea of what it held.

"Did we want to unpack first while we still have the energy," Kate began, "so that we can relax for the rest of the evening, or did we want to relax now and tackle this later?"

"I want to unpack now," Clay said decisively. "I want to get this taken care of so that we don't have to worry about it the rest of the night."

Kate grinned at him. "Great minds think alike, hon."

The two quickly began to unpack, putting their dirty clothing in the nearby hamper and separating out their souvenirs. Clay unwrapped their stone statue carefully, gently running his fingers over it. "Where do we want to put this?"

Considering it for just a moment, Kate shook her head. "Let's figure that out in the morning."

Clay nodded and sat it on a nearby dresser for now before returning to helping unpack.

Before long the couple had entirely unpacked their bags and sorted their luggage and souvenirs, releasing satisfied sighs of relief that the task was completed.

Kate's stomach growled, and she groaned. Not only did Kate have no idea what to make for dinner, she would have to get groceries in order to do it. At the moment, she wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Knowing that Clay would be hungry too, she asked the question anyway. "What sounds good for dinner?"

Clay shrugged. "Do we even have anything in the frig?"

"No," Kate admitted. They had made sure to eat down its contents so that nothing would spoil in the two weeks they were gone.

Suspecting as much, Clay bit his lip thoughtfully. "Then I know what sounds good for dinner. Takeout." Kate snickered, and he smiled. "That way we don't have to deal with it tonight."

"Thank you," Kate told him with sincere appreciation. "We can go shopping and stock up on everything tomorrow."

"Great minds do think alike," Clay joked.

In the interest of sanitation they decided to go with individual meals instead of the pizza both were really in the mood for. Kate made the phone call, and Clay paid the delivery person who brought it to the door. Choosing a movie or two, the couple spread their goodies out on the coffee table in front of the couch and sat down to enjoy.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, honey," Clay said after they had finished eating. Kate turned her attention to him, and he took a deep breath. "You know that benefit album I mentioned on the show the other day?"

Kate remembered. "If you're asking if you'd make a good songwriter, I would be willing to bet that you would."

"Oh, heavens no." Clay flushed self-consciously at the suggestion. "I mean, I could write... but I doubt it would be that good."

Raising an eyebrow, Kate skewered him with a look. "You tried it?" As he continued to stammer excuses, she rolled her eyes. "Clay, I think you'd be an amazing songwriter with that poetic soul of yours."

Clay snorted. "Oh, puh-lease. What I was going to ask before you put me on the spot was if you would consider writing some of the songs for the album."

"Me?" Kate breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "B-But... I can't - "

"Can't what?" Clay asked. "If you're going to tell me you can't, I won't believe you. Not after singing your song at Christmas."

"I only wrote the words for that," Kate protested. "I don't know enough about theory or melodies or harmonies or anything like that. I barely know the business end of a piano."

Clay laughed at her choice of words. "Hon, I wouldn't know enough of the ins and outs of theory like your mom does either. She's trained to know it, remember?"

"Which is why she wrote the music," Kate reminded him. "Not me. I don't know half of what I need to know to write more than just words."

 

"Have you tried it?" Clay asked, turning the tables on her.

"Well, no..." Hearing Clay snicker, she glared at him. "Fine, use my own words against me..."

Clay giggled at the expression on her face. She looked annoyed, but he knew that she really wasn't. "You do it all the time."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"I have faith in you, honey," Clay told her lovingly.

"I have faith in you too." Catching the amused twinkle in his eye, Kate slowly shook her head. "We're hopeless, aren't we?"

"Hopelessly in love," Clay said gently. Kate's eyes met his gaze, and she quickly responded by snuggling close to him. Grabbing the remote, Clay hit the 'play' button for the movie before holding her warmly against him.

As the movie progressed, Clay felt the attraction to his wife slowly become more and more insistent to the point where he was no longer paying attention to the movie. With the movie little more than background noise, every detail about Kate commanded his undivided attention. It didn't help matters that she was tracing lazy patterns on his chest with her fingers. He closed his eyes, inhaling her fresh scent as he caressed the soft skin of her arm. For just a brief moment her smell threatened to overwhelm his senses, and he placed an affectionate kiss on the top of her head.

Having picked up her own amorous mood from Clay's gentle attentions, Kate closed her eyes and nuzzled into his neck. "I love you, Clayton," she whispered on the air.

Clay's breath quickened in starts and fits as he felt Kate's warming his neck. Taking her face in his hand, he tipped it so that they could look each other in the eye. "I love you, Kathryn," he told her in the same voiceless manner before leaning in to kiss her eyelid. He had barely finished when Kate began trailing moist, deliberate kisses across his jaw and down his neck. Moaning her name, he deepened his own affections towards her.

The two hadn't gotten very far when the phone rang and jarred them from their hormone-induced daze. Clay grabbed the nearby phone in hopes that the conversation would help clear their heads. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Clay," Sarah's voice sounded in his ear. "We just got back from our honeymoon and heard the news. How are you guys holding up?"

Clay shrugged as he slowly regained his wits. "As well as we can, I guess. We're looking towards our future," he told her honestly.

"I don't know how you guys are planning on going that long in the same house without being intimate with each other. I know I couldn't do it," Sarah confessed.

The truth of Sarah's words stung as Clay realized how the two of them almost slipped tonight. If they couldn't even last their first night back in L.A. without even the tiniest bit of intimacy, then they were going to have to follow the doctor's orders after all. "The more I think about it, I don't think we can stay here together in the house these next few weeks without risking the health of Kate and the baby. I'm going to have to talk to Kate to see how she feels, but I'm guessing it will be the same way for her." He glanced at his wife, who slowly nodded in agreement. Clay knew that she did feel the same way.

"Oh my..." Sarah made a noise with her lips. "So what are you guys going to do?"

Clay shook his head in spite of the fact that Sarah couldn't see him. "I don't know. We haven't talked about it yet."

"Oh." The underlying tone of Sarah's statement told him that she knew exactly what her call had disturbed. "Well, I'm glad I called then. I was going to ask to talk to Katydid, but it sounds like the two of you need to talk more. Have her give me a call in the morning, okay?"

"All right." Clay gave Sarah greetings from Kate and hung up. He placed the phone back in its cradle before letting his head fall into his hands. "Kate..." he began apologetically. "I am so sorry..."

"Clay... I'm the one who should be sorry," Kate told him. "I didn't mean to start that."

Clay glanced with surprise at her. "I thought I started that."

Kate snorted. "We're in trouble if we can't even figure out who started it..."

"I know." Slowly shaking his head, Clay heaved a deep sigh. "I can't believe how close I came to putting you and Joseph at risk."

"It takes two to tango," Kate retorted. "Or in our case, we were working towards a horizontal maneuver or two."

"Looks that way," Clay admitted weakly, appreciating Kate's tactful choice of words.

"I came just as close to risking the health of our child," Kate mumbled.

Clay continued to shake his head. "Your mom was right, honey. We have to follow the doctor's suggestion. As much as we hate to think about it, we have to."

Closing her eyes to keep herself from crying, Kate slowly nodded. "I know."

"It's too late tonight to figure out how we're going to deal with this," Clay said, "but first thing tomorrow morning, we need to discuss this."

"Why can't we discuss it now?" Kate asked. "Granted it's too late for one of us to find a different place to spend the night, but we can certainly come up with ideas now."

Why not... Clay threw out the first suggestion. "We need to figure out who should make the move and where they are going. I'm willing to do it, but if I do I'll need to stay at a hotel or something. If I'm not going to expose you to this, I'm not going to expose any of our friends or family either."

Kate gave the matter a moment's thought. "I know you're suggesting that because you are a gentleman and would rather leave the house yourself than have me do it. But if I go to Kim's or someone else's place for a while, then I won't be alone during that time and we won't be paying out money for a hotel while you're recovering. And I can move around public without security better than you can."

Clay ignored her last statement out of irritation. It may have been true, but she didn't have to remind him. "You could always go to Sarah's," he suggested.

"I don't think so," Kate vehemently stated. "Sarah knew better than to stay with a pair of newlyweds during the first six months. I'm not going to make that mistake either - especially not with those two."

Clay snickered at the thought. "True..."

Kate reached over and squeezed his hand. "Why don't we wait until morning before one of us starts packing any bags? That way I can check with Kim to see if she's willing to put me up for a while."

"All right," Clay agreed. "But for tonight I'm sleeping in the other room. I don't want to take a chance of letting my hormones getting the best of me again."

A wave of loneliness shot through Kate, leaving her weak all over. She didn't know for sure without asking him, but it would not surprise her if Clay had similar feelings. "I doubt you will, but it's a reasonable precaution," she stated quietly. "It's me I don't trust to behave."

"I'm not worried about you, honey," Clay told her. "But I am going to look out for you in this if it kills me."

"If it kills us both."

That, then, was that - they had agreed that this was what they needed to do for the sake of their child. Clay was silent for a moment to bite back the tears. When he knew that he had full control again, he addressed her. "I want to try your mom's suggestion too - the courtship idea." The barest hint of hope flickered in Kate's eye as Clay went on, taking her hand in both of his. "Maybe one of us does have to move out until I get over this typhoid thing, but it doesn't mean that we can't talk or see each other at all. I still want to pray together twice every day, even if we have to do it over the phone. I want to share meals together every chance we get. I want to have late-night conversations with you and exchange love letters with you."

Kate blushed deeply at the thought. "I'm sure we'll come up with other things we can do together too. Maybe out in public, where we know that we have to behave ourselves."

"That's a good idea," Clay answered. Squeezing her hand back, he smiled. "Why don't we have our prayer tonight so that we can both get a good night's sleep? It's been a long day for both of us."

The couple sat facing each other on the couch, holding tightly on to each other's hands. After giving thanks for a safe return to their home, they prayed for the weeks ahead that their relationship would not only stay strong, but might possibly be deepened through the lessons they could learn from this experience. Each in turn prayed for the health and safety of the other, and for the strength of their faith and trust in God. They finished up with giving thanks for loving, wise families and friends that supported them so completely in every little thing.

Finished with their prayer, the two opened their eyes. Clay's green orbs met Kate's dual-colored ones, and in that instant both of them saw their mutual fears and vulnerabilities. Breaking into bittersweet tears, they embraced each other tightly. "I wish we didn't have to do this," Kate sobbed as she held him close.

Hoping to memorize the feel of his wife in his arms, Clay ran his fingers through Kate's hair. "I wish we didn't either. But if God got us through that week of our engagement without dishonoring each other, He can get us through this too."

"That's right," Kate said firmly. "He can get us through anything. We just need to trust Him and rely on Him completely, and make sure to communicate with each other."

They held each other until both of them were too tired to cry any more. Releasing her carefully, Clay reached up and stroked Kate's face. "I love you so much, honey. Never doubt that."

"I love you too, sweetheart, and I'll stay by your side no matter what."

Clay gave Kate his hand to help her up, and he stood to escort her to their bedroom. He grabbed his pajamas to change in the other room, knowing that changing in here would only make it more difficult for them. Leaning towards her, Clay kissed Kate on the forehead. "Good night, Kate my love."

Kate stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on his cheek. "Good night, Clay my love."

Pulling the door shut behind him, Clay left their room. As soon as the door closed, Kate felt her heart tearing up inside her. In spite of the fact that earlier she thought the two of them were done crying, she broke down into silent tears again. They were still in the same house, and she missed him already.

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

The next morning

 

Clay walked over to where Kate was preparing breakfast. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, he placed two or three gentle kisses on the nape of her neck before laying his face there. "Keep that up," Kate sighed wistfully, "and I guarantee you that I will probably burn breakfast."

"And why would you do a thing like that?" Clay teased.

"Because I'll be paying all my attention to you and none to the stove," she informed him.

"Oh well."

Wouldn't be the first time I've ruined a meal, Kate mused, laying a hand over the top of his. What she wouldn't give to bottle this moment to hold them over the next few weeks... "I've already given Kim a call. She said she'd rather put up with me than put up with you."

"Did she?" Clay asked, his head snapping upright.

"Yes, she did," Kate told him. Pausing for a moment, she let the emotions play across his face before finishing. "She was joking, of course, but she said it."

"Ha ha ha..." Clay snorted. "Just wait. I promise I will get the two of you back for trying to mess with my mind."

"Oh, but playing with your mind is fun."

Clay scowled. "You like small toys?"

"Clayton!" Kate scolded. "If anything, your mind is a challenge."

"Ooo, so now I'm a challenge."

Kate nodded. "Some days you really are."

Clay pouted. "I resemble that remark." Snickering at his words, Kate chose not to respond. Clay peeked over her shoulder at the stove. "You made my favorite."

"I wanted to make our last breakfast together for a while something special," she told him quietly. "I was lucky there was some cheese in the freezer to thaw."

"Thank you, honey, I will appreciate this." Clay placed a kiss just above her ear before snuggling close again. "Is there anything I can help with, or should I just continue making a nuisance of myself?"

"You said it, hon, I didn't."

"You could have stuck up for me," Clay protested with a mock whimper.

"But you are making a nuisance of yourself," Kate said innocently. "I'm enjoying it, but..."

Clay smirked. "That makes it all worthwhile," he quipped before placing an especially noisy kiss on her neck.

"Augh!" Kate squawked. "Clayton!"

"I like it when you say my name, hon." He nuzzled her. "Did you know you sometimes whisper it in your sleep?"

"No." Kate turned to him, her curiosity piqued. "What do I say?"

A twinkle lit Clay's eye. "That I'm a sexy stud," he teased.

"What else?" Kate asked, completely serious.

Clay snickered. "I was kidding, honey."

"I wasn't." Kate touched her abdomen for emphasis. "Exhibit A, Junior."

"Our son, Joseph," Clay agreed, a blush tinting his cheeks. "It also says how desirable you are too, honey." This time he watched Kate's cheeks brighten with color. "You are..."

"I would have a hard time believing that," Kate began quietly, "if it weren't for the way you look at me as if I was the only woman on earth. And for you to look at me that way makes me feel like I just might be something special."

"You are special," he told her. "I'm surprised no one noticed it before me." Clay watched Kate blush and fidget for a moment before releasing her. Momentarily he returned with a folded up piece of paper. "It's not much, but I figured that we need to start somewhere."

Kate opened up the paper and began to read its contents.

 

My sweet Kathryn,

I am the luckiest man alive to have your love and to be your husband, and I thank God every day that He blessed me to know you.

This is going to sound really dorky, but I am so very glad you tripped in the limo the day we met face to face. I've said several times how I'm no catch and how I would rather have the woman make the first move. Even as head over heels as I already was, I don't know how I would have done it. But you told me that you don't ask guys out, so you wouldn't have made the first move either. Can you imagine how awkward that week would have been, if both of us had been hiding our secret crushes because we were afraid to tell each other how we really felt?

But God lent a hand, and we ended up in each other's arms within moments of meeting. Not so glamorous how we ended up there, but I would rather praise Him than complain. It just goes to show that He does have a sense of humor. After that I couldn't have let you go if my life had depended on it. I'm drawn to you, Kathryn, drawn to you like a parched man is drawn to the water he needs to live. Any more than a man cannot live without water, I cannot live without you... which is why I asked you to marry me. Not counting little hassles like this one, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

It would be so easy to look at this setback as something to worry about. Two or three weeks is a long time apart, much too long for this man's taste. But it is not a losing battle. We will have to work hard, but we can keep our relationship strong with God's help. He will help us to appreciate more fully what we see in each other and what we have together as a couple. I believe in you, Kathryn. Please believe in me and in us, and don't lose heart. I love you too much to let you go now.

For better or for worse,

Your husband Clayton

 

By the time Kate finished reading his letter, she was crying profusely. She turned around to face him and threw her arms around him. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she held him tight. "I love you too, Clayton."

"We'll make it, honey," Clay whispered as he stroked her hair. "We'll take this challenge and come out of it stronger. With God's help, we'll come out stronger. Just like we did in Haiti."

"I know," Kate sniffled. "Your... your letter just..." She sniffled again.

"It didn't sound dorky?"

"Not to me it didn't." Kate looked up at him. "I liked it."

Clay chuckled warmly as he placed his hand on Kate's cheek. "I'm glad. I thought it sounded dorky and you'd laugh at me."

Kate quickly shook her head. "Not for showing me your heart."

Shortly Kate finished preparing their breakfast, and the two of them sat down to eat. They prayed and began, starting to discuss what would come next for them.

"The original plan this morning was going to be getting groceries," Kate stated. "I don't see that changing, even under the circumstances."

"Really?" Clay asked, his fork midair between his plate and his mouth.

"You have to eat, sweetheart," she told him, "and you need fresh goods. We still need to figure out how we're going to handle the three meals, but there definitely needs to be food in this kitchen."

Clay shrugged. "That should be easy enough."

Kate frowned at him. "I know you - that would mean Krispy Kremes for breakfast, fast food for lunch, and some frozen entrée for supper."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Clayton Aiken, you still need a balanced, healthy diet," Kate told him firmly, "especially if you plan on getting over this bug of yours."

Clay scowled. "You sound like my mother."

"Thank you."

Rolling his eyes, Clay snorted. She would take that as a compliment. Then again, the two women really did try to look after his best interests. It was a compliment, in an off-handed way.

"How does she feel about all this?" Kate asked gently.

Unsure where to begin, Clay sighed. "She's not happy that we have to be apart, but she understands that it's better for you and the baby if we put a little distance in between ourselves for a while. She said she would support whatever decision we made."

"Good," Kate also sighed. "That's a relief, that we have the support of our families."

"They know we're not doing this by choice." Clay leaned back in the chair. "What do we want to do about our meals?"

Kate chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. She really did want to trust Clay to take care of himself, but she also knew that guys had a tendency to revert to their bachelor habits when unsupervised. Kate was determined to strike a reasonable compromise that would give him some freedoms to take care of himself while doing her best to make sure that his diet was healthy. "Depending on how many of my upcoming meetings you want to take part in, many of our meals will be on the road anyway. If both of us are at home, I'd like to cook as many of them as possible."

"I want to treat you some, too," Clay told her.

"I know," Kate smiled. "You're sweet and thoughtful that way. Tell you what, how about we grab our calendars and do some planning? We'll know how many opportunities we'll get after we've done that."

The couple quickly cleaned off the table before bringing out their planners. One advantage to having their near future put on hold was knowing that his formerly-cluttered schedule was now surprisingly free. Clay wanted to have some say about the next few weeks before his management came up with their own ideas of how to fill that time. They quickly agreed that they wanted to work on the Emeline's Hope things together, and that they wanted to spend as much time as they could together including meals. But Kate knew Kim well enough to know that she would want to host one or both of them as well. If Kate was going to be staying with her, she felt that she needed to be a polite guest and spend at least some of that time with their mutual friend.

Once they were done planning, they headed for the grocery store with Jerome along for good measure. Usually Kate did the shopping alone, but today was different. Today they were shopping with Clay's cooking skills in mind, and she wanted him along to make sure that what they bought was healthy, practical, and easy for him to prepare. It didn't take Kate long to grow frustrated with her task and to some degree frustrated with him. "And you wonder why I've been trying to teach you how to cook," she grumbled. "This is why!"

"I survived just fine before," Clay retorted. "I'll be fine this time around."

"That is so like a man," Kate muttered.

"And your attitude is just like a woman," he finished. "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I feel sorry for your mother... the things she had to put up with over the years."

Jerome sighed heavily. "Guys, I hate to break it to you... but this is not the time or place to have this sort of discussion whether you're keeping it quiet or not."

Instantly the couple knew that the bodyguard was right. They gave each other guilty looks before apologizing for both their words and their attitudes. "I just want you to be healthy, Clay," Kate told him to finish her apology, "and although I do want to help look after your welfare, I don't want you to be dependent on me in case of times like this."

"I didn't marry you for your cooking, hon," Clay answered genuinely. "I married you because of the woman you are on the inside and how you make me feel."

Kate turned pink. "You certainly make me feel like a woman."

Knowing what she meant by that, Clay also flushed brilliantly. "I'm glad I can do that to you. You certainly know how to make me feel like a man."

"This conversation isn't much better than the first one..." Jerome scowled.

Clay stifled a giggle as his wife snickered. "I'm sorry, are we making you uncomfortable?"

Jerome glared at his boss. "At least you two aren't arguing any more."

"Let's hear it for that, at least."

It took several more minutes, but Clay and Kate finally agreed to several choice compromises on their grocery and meal situation before taking their cart to the front of the store. With their full cart, checking out was not going to be a short task. The clerk glanced up at the couple, and Clay could tell by her eyes that the thirty-some woman recognized them instantly. Here we go again, groaned Clay as she began to scan their food items to pass to the boy who was sacking them. As she totaled their purchases, Kate pulled out the designated check card for their household expenses. She quickly fed it to the machine and signed for the groceries, and the clerk gave her the receipt. "Thank you," Clay told her when they finished.

Clay pushed the grocery cart out to the car, and the three of them began loading the groceries into the trunk. "That wasn't bad at all," he told Kate with a smile. "I half expected that lady to ask for an autograph or something."

Kate agreed. "It's nice to go to the grocery store without some kind of incident for a change."

They couldn't have been more mistaken.

 

 

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

 

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