Natalie sat quietly waiting at the outpatient recovery area of St. Lukes hospital. She was dreamy from the pain medication but clear headed enough realize something was wrong when she saw the familiar face of Leland Stottlemeyer as he poked his head through the double doors.

He slipped quickly in to the room and up to her bedside. "Natalie, everything is fine. Everyone is fine. How are you?"

"Fine." She said almost mockingly as she tried to gring all her concentration to the man before her. "Did something happen?"

"You had better believe something happened. Your daughter is a hero. The city wants to give her an award on television."

Natalie threw her eyes wideopen. "What happened?" She demanded. "She's okay?"

Leland kept nodding and smiling. "She's fine. A few bruises. Monk too. They're over at General right now."

"If you dont tell me what happened, right now, I swear, Leland, I'll..."

"Okay, okay. But let's start at the beginning. What do you remember from this morning?" He asked.

Natalie paused and considered.

"Well, I was in a hurry all morning. Let me think..."

Earlier that morning...

Adrian Monk stood quietly on the street corner and stared down the sloping hill in to the distance. He had been there for almost an hour, but that was mostly his fault, as he was an hour early.

He was ten feet from the walkway for his front door. Exactly ten. To get here took forty-seven steps, but he took a 'slight' step every 15 steps, to balance it to an even fifty.

Soon enough, the familiar sight of Natalie's car came in to view. He could tell from the way the car took the corner what kind of mood she was in, how fast she was going often how 'difficult' she might be that day.

Today she seemed assertive.

Natalie stretched across the seat and opened the door from the inside to save him the trouble of wiping the handle. "Have you been standing out here? Why didnt you wait in the house?"

Monk cast his eyes over his shoulder and for a moment it was as though he had never looked at the building before. "I... didnt want to miss you..."

"Get in Mr. Monk." She waved him closer. "You look like you're freezing. Did you wear you gloves?"

"Yes I wore my gloves." Adrian pulled his hands from his pockets and belted himself in.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She breathed in a sigh. "You could take a day off."

"You know I am. Sure that is." He said, fidgeting with his hands in his lap and staring down in to them."

"What arent you telling me?" Natalie demanded.

"Volumes." He looked up and met her eyes. She could see only pain and loss reflected in them and her heart swelled towards bursting, just a litle bit. "Natalie, dont go. Dont risk it. Those places are death traps. You have no idea..."

Natalie felt flush with affection. "Mr. Monk... I'm only going in to the hospital for one day. One day, not even overnight!"

"But they're going to cut a hole, a hole Natalie, with all the germs and sick people..." He shivered until he felt her hand close around the sleeve of his overcoat.

"I'll be back at work tomorrow. I promise. It's such a small operation, it's practically nothing, really."

"You..." He swallowed slightly before whispering hoarsely "You promise?"

"I just did."

"Then start driving. It's freezing." he said dropping his head to stare at his buttons and then attempting to 'fidget' them strait.

Natalie smiled kindly as she slipped the car in gear and headed back towards her apartment.

Julie sat, perched with her legs crossed under her, sending instant messages to her friends. It was all the relevant information.

She wasnt coming to school today. Her holiday vacation stared one day early, if you can call being Monk's temporary assistant a vacation. Her mother was going to be fine, in fact, they probably wouldnt even need to knock her out for the operation.

And no, she was absolutely not going near any dead bodies or bad guys. Mr. Monk was looking for a missing dog. It was worth a lot of money, but probably only lost.

The door opened quickly and her mother spilled in with Adrian brushing imaginary lint from his shoulders as he sauntered in behind her.

"Julie, are you ready to go honey?" Natalie asked quickly yet sweetly.

"Sure mom." She tapped in 'C-YA' and logged off.

"Be sure and come right back here after you drop me at the hospital. Mr. Monk has to get to work." Natalie reminded her daughter as she put on her coat.

"Right back. I promise." Julie smiled at Monk who smiled weakly in return. She let her gaze linger for just a moment. Ever since he 'died' she'd regretted not spending more time around him.

"What?" Monk dropped his eyes to his immaculate jacket and then back to Julie.

"I left the paper towels and Windex on the counter." Julie said almost conspiritorally. "And I wont get out of the car so I wont track any germs back here. Okay?"

Adrian stood amazed. "God bless you." He breathed out at last, as Natalie and Julie whisked out the door.

Monks eyes drifted over the room. There was so much to straiten and so much to align that he was equally thrilled and offended. Then his eyes fell on the window. It was covered in fingerprints and forehead marks.

"Oh, yeah." Monk smiled wide at the window and poked a gloved finger at it, adding a hint of a laugh. "You're first."

Back in the car Julie rolled her eyes. "Mom! I know Mr. Monk almost as well as you do. I can handle him for one day. Are you sure you're not worried about the operation and you're just obsessing over Mr. Monk to avoid the issue?"

Natalie turned her head slowly and looked at her daughter. "Who died and made you Doctor Kroger?"

"You cant be around Mr. Monk and not pick a few things up you know." Julie laughed. "Besides Mom... You always act this way when you're nervous."

"What way?" Natalie demanded in a sassy, playful tone, attempting to deny her own nervousness.

"You take care of the people you love." Julie smiled, then turned to watch a cute guy going in to a store. It wasnt until she turned back that she realized her mother's mouth was hanging open.

"Julie... You're right. But honey... I dont know what you think is going on..." Natalie swallowed suddenly and found her mouth dry.

"Mom!" Julie laughed. "I just meant Mr. Monk is more like family than a boss. I bet..." A small smile played over her youthful lips. "Never mind."

"Oh no, you're saying it young lady." Her mother told her.

"I bet if Mr. Monk couldnt pay you, ever again, you'd get a new job and still, you know, be there. When he needed something."

Natalie found herself torn between the moment before her and a moment in Nevada where she was kissing him in joy. "Well that's how it should be between good people." She managed at last, although somehow dissappointed that Julie had her so 'pegged'.

"I know Mom." She said, humbled slightly before adding "Not that I'd mind." And casting her gaze back out the window. "Some... goings on."

"What?" Natalie asked, slightly unsure of what she had heard.

"Hospital. Mom, next left."