Chapter 4 – Midnight Calls – After the End
AN: so, here it is the first chapter after the run of the series, I hope you like it. Oh, and starting soon chapters that are not midnight calls. Thank you for the reviews and the PMs they make a world of suck a little less sucky.
December 11, 2010, 12:00 A.M.
"Hello?" Natalie answered the phone.
"Hello Natalie," came Adrian's excited voice, "I forgot to tell you did you know that Molly is going to get to write a story about the production of a movie instead of just a review."
"What?" Natalie wasn't confused by the late hour or by what Adrian Monk was telling her, but she was confused that after six years for the first time he didn't introduce himself on the phone. She used to find that quirk annoying, but now that he didn't do it she found she missed it.
"I asked if I had told you about the story Molly is going to write," Adrian repeated.
"Oh yeah," Natalie said, "I mean no, Mr. Monk you are right you didn't tell me that about her."
"She is going to go up to Vancouver where they are filming the movie and interview the cast and the director and writer," he rattled off, "she's going to do a whole behind the production for a movie piece."
"That's wonderful Mr. Monk," Natalie said happy to hear her boss and friend so excited, he sounded like a proud parent.
"Yeah, and she is going all by herself." Natalie smiled at that, he was getting so much better in the last week since solving Trudy's case and finding her daughter Molly, but he still had that childlike innocence that could be so endearing.
"That's wonderful Mr. Monk," Natalie placated.
"She doesn't leave for another week," Adrian continued, "and she had asked if she could meet you and Julie before then. What do you think?"
"She wants to meet us?" Natalie asked slightly surprised, "you told her about us?"
"Well," Adrian explained, "she asks about my life and what I do, we spend a lot of time talking about Trudy and her, but she asks me about my current life too."
"Well that's very sweet of you and Molly," Natalie said, "and if she wants to meet us, we would love to meet her. When?"
"I have to check with Molly," Adrian paused slightly, "did you know that she has a dimple in the same spot that Trudy did."
"You did mention that." Natalie smiled softly again, Adrian loved Molly instantly, and it was heartwarming to see him so happy. "So what movie is it that she is writing the story for?"
"I didn't think to ask," Monk dismissed before he thought about it for a minute, "Should I have asked her? Am I doing this wrong?"
"You can always ask later, you just need to relax you are doing fine with this Mr. Monk." Natalie reassured him, "and if she is asking to meet your friends you know, that means that she likes you too."
"ok…thanks Natalie."
"It's no problem," Natalie dismissed, "I know you are excited."
"I am," Adrian admitted quietly, "I know she isn't my daughter, but I don't know I feel like she is still my family."
"You are her family. You are her, step-birth-father?" Natalie tried awkwardly, "Well, whatever you are, it is family." Natalie paused for a long moment playing with the edge of her blanket nervously before working up to her next question, "Hey, Mr. Monk?"
"What?"
"When I answered the phone," Natalie asked, "why didn't you tell me it was you?"
"What are you talking about Natalie," Adrian said cluelessly, "of course, you knew it was me, we talk almost every day at midnight."
"You're right Mr. Monk, we do." Natalie conceded. Yes, things were definitely changing.
December 16, 2009, 12:00 A.M.
"Hello Mr. Monk," Natalie greeted as she picked up the phone.
"Hi Natalie," Adrian Monk returned the greeting. "So, what do you think of her?"
"She is lovely Mr. Monk," Natalie and Julie had met Molly earlier that night. She and Julie had them over for dinner, and although Natalie had secretly thought it would be a little awkward, it had been wonderful. "She looks so much like Trudy."
"I know," Adrian sighed, "I wish Trudy could have met her."
"I am sure that Trudy can see her and is just happy that Molly is in your life now," Natalie soothed.
"Yeah," Adrian agreed, and hoped that it was true, but he wasn't sure because Trudy had not visited since that last night just before her case was solved. "So, what did Julie think of her?" he asked changing the subject slightly.
"She really liked her," Natalie said, "she mentioned that Molly seemed like she was one of the family right away she just seemed to fit right in like she was always one of us."
"I noticed that she does that a lot," Adrian agreed, "I haven't decided yet if that is just a talent of hers fitting in anywhere, or if she just fits with us."
"It's probably a little bit of both Mr. Monk," Natalie said.
"Natalie?" Adrian asked almost hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for being so great through all of this," he said hoping that she knew he didn't just mean all the support with Molly, but with everything for the last six years."
"That's what friends are for Mr. Monk."
December 20th, 2009 12:00 A.M.
"Hi Mr. Monk," Natalie greeted as she picked up the phone.
"Hi Natalie, how are you?" came the new greeting that Natalie was still adjusting to.
"I'm ok," she said, "what's up?" she said sensing that something was off and this wouldn't be their regular midnight chat.
"Molly called me tonight from Vancouver," he said with a heavy sigh, "she wanted me to let you know that her trip has been extended another ten days so she won't be back in time to join us for Christmas Eve and she said that she is very sorry."
"I'm sorry Mr. Monk," Natalie sympathized, "I know you were looking forward to seeing her. Well, it looks like it's just going to be the three of us again this year anyway. My brother can't make it, and T.K. said that they couldn't get out of going to her aunt's house without really upsetting the family, so if it is ok with you I thought just a nice small dinner for the three of us would be good."
"What about Steven," Adrian wondered, "isn't he still in town?"
"I believe he is, but we broke up yesterday," Natalie confessed.
"Oh," Adrian felt bad for his friend, but was also trying to hide the slight happiness he felt, he never did like Steven, "I'm sorry."
"No, it's ok, I ended it," Natalie explained, "I had convinced myself when I started dating him that I had found a guy that I could be in a real relationship with. But, after months of him never being here when he finally was and we spent more time together I realized that I was just trying to force it. I guess part of me thought ok, he was friends with Mitch, and he is a navy doctor, and a lot like Mitch so he would be perfect for me. But in the ways that really matter, he wasn't really like Mitch at all."
"How wasn't he like Mitch?" Adrian asked but already thought in his head that there was no way that Steven was anything like Mitch at all.
"I don't know if I can describe it well," Natalie tried to explain. "He seemed like he was a nice enough guy, but it's almost like he does the right thing because it is what he is supposed to do, or because it's what I would want or he was trying to impress me, but it's not like its coming from inside him." Natalie knew she was fumbling over her own words how could she describe this feeling, "Oh, you remember Mr. Henry and the moon rock."
"Ugh," Adrian thought of holding that fish in his bare hands all those years ago, "don't remind me."
"I think he would have saved the moon rock," she confessed, "because that is what he thinks is the right thing to do, catch the bad guy. You saved Mr. Henry like Mitch would have done."
"Does that mean I'm like Mitch?" Adrian asked his sly smile spreading across his face.
"Yes," Natalie thought more about it, "in some ways you really are Mr. Monk, it is probably why we are such good friends."
"Maybe," Adrian consented, "I mean sometimes you remind me of Trudy."
"I do?" Natalie was shocked by the comparison.
"Yeah, like you are always so positive and supportive," he said almost shyly, "oh and your smile, it's not that your smile looks like hers your lips are a very different shape." Natalie rolled her eyes as he said this, "but when you smile it lights up your whole face, the whole room, it was the same way for Trudy." Natalie teared up a little knowing what a great compliment it was for Mr. Monk to compare her to Trudy who he thought was perfect. "Are you ok?" Adrian asked when he heard her slight sniffle, and assumed she was crying about her breakup.
"I'm fine," Natalie wiped the tears from her face, "thank you Mr. Monk, but I should probably be getting to bed, goodnight Mr. Monk" Natalie tried to hurry off the phone not wanting to deal with this flood of emotion.
"Goodnight Natalie, sweet dreams."
January 4th, 2010 12:00 A.M.
"Hello Mr. Monk," Natalie answered her phone.
"Happy birthday," he answered in return.
"Thank you, Mr. Monk," Natalie grinned, "I guess it is officially my birthday now."
"Is Julie still going to spend this afternoon with you for your birthday?" He asked even though he had verified it with Natalie after dinner just a few hours ago.
"Yup, I should get at least 4 hours with her," Natalie was happy that her teenage daughter would be spending the afternoon with her. More and more often lately she found herself spending time at home alone with her daughter always having plans, "but I'll still be over in the morning for anything that you need I'm just hoping no one gets murdered in the next 12 hours."
"If anyone gets murdered I'm sure the police can handle it for a few hours until they need me on the case," Adrian stated, knowing that after the surprise party she had thrown him this fall he couldn't miss her birthday this year.
"Thank you," Natalie said. "Hey, speaking of the police, did you hear that Dobson is going to get Randy's old position?"
"Yeah," Adrian confirmed, "it's going to be weird to have someone other than Randy with us on cases."
"Dobson's nice though," Natalie said, "and he seems like he's a pretty good detective. But, I am going to miss some of Randy's crazy theories, I don't think Dobson will ever say a gorilla escaped from the zoo and did it."
"No," Adrian chuckled remembering Randy's gorilla theory, "I don't see him doing that, if we ever want a crazy Theory, we could always just call Randy."
"Well, I will have to ask for a theory next time I talk to him or Sharona." Natalie had started talking to Sharona regularly since her visit in the fall. Although they had begun by disliking each other the quickly bonded over their shared experience. No one else understood like Sharona did how frustrating Adrian Monk could be, or how wonderful. They had become close friends and spoke to each other often, Sharona was excited to hear how much better Adrian was since Trudy's case was solved.
"I still can't believe they are together," Adrian said, "I always thought they hated each other they used to fight all the time."
"Yeah but it was probably more like flirting fighting than actual fighting," Natalie tried to explain.
"I wouldn't know," Adrian said almost sadly, although he had made a lot of progress there were still many social things that escaped him.
"You and Trudy never pretended to insult each other, did you?" Natalie ventured, "you know, give each other a hard time."
"No when we fought it was real," Adrian laughed slightly at the memories of past fights that now seemed so silly.
"It's funny," Natalie mused, "I can't picture you and Trudy fighting."
"Think about it Natalie," Adrian said, "Can you picture anyone being married to me without ever getting fed up with me and fighting?"
"Well, when you put it that way..." Natalie laughed slightly and was a little surprised when Adrian did too. "Anyway, it's late, and I think I'm going to go to sleep have a good night Mr. Monk, I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight birthday girl."
January 5th, 2010 12:00 A.M.
"Hello, Mr. Monk," Natalie answered the phone.
"So how was the rest of your birthday?" Adrian asked automatically.
"It was great, my whole day was great," Natalie emphasized, "I had a wonderful morning with you too you know. I still can't believe you made me a birthday breakfast."
"You threw me a whole surprise party," he said, "it was the best birthday I ever had. This was the least I could do."
"No Adrian, I'm serious, and I want to say this," Natalie took a deep breath, "I know how hard you tried. From last year asking me to buy my own gift, to this year birthday breakfast and my new earrings, it was really great of you. And, it was the perfect way to start my birthday."
"So, the earrings were really okay?" Adrian asked nervously, "You weren't just being nice?"
"I love them," Natalie reached a hand over to her nightstand and gently touched her new earrings having just taken them out before bed, "I wore them all day."
"Oh good," Adrian let out a breath, "I was nervous about it, I had wanted to get you a planner or organizer or something that would be useful, but Leland told me that I should give you something you would want not something you would need. I saw these and thought you would like them because I've seen you wear pearls before."
"I love them, Mr. Monk, really," she said "thank you again so much. Between you and Julie I really got spoiled this year."
"What did Julie give you?" Adrian inquired.
"A gift certificate for two to the spa for massages, facials, and pedicures," Natalie said.
"Is that what you guys did today?" Adrian asked, "Did you go to the spa?"
"No just dinner and a movie at home," Natalie said, "it was actually really great, I think we're both trying to get mom daughter time before she leaves this fall. I don't know what I'm going to do when she goes to college, this house is going to feel so empty."
"She will visit a lot," Adrian tried to comfort her, "and she'll be home during the Summer and brakes."
"I know, but it won't be the same," Natalie sighed, "Maybe I should take up a hobby."
"What would you do?" Adrian asked.
"I don't know," Natalie said, "maybe I could take a yoga class, or join a book club, just anything to get me out of the house and seeing people maybe you should try a new hobby again too."
"Natalie hobbies and I don't mix we found that out the hard way," Adrian said thinking of when he had tried to take up painting. Not only had he made a fool out of himself, but he was so busy making a fool of himself that for the first time ever he didn't catch the killer. Thankfully Leland had caught the killer, but still, Adrian knew that whole ordeal had not been his finest moment.
"Oh, come on Mr. Monk," Natalie cajoled, "it could be anything you wanted this time it doesn't have to be creative. You could collect rocks or stamps or join a book club with me it could be anything, come on, I think it would be good for you."
"I don't think so," Adrian said in his old Monkish tone of voice.
"Just think about it," Natalie asked, "okay?"
"All right, I will think about it," Adrian agreed, "I do seem to have a lot more free-time lately which is odd because we've been working more cases."
Natalie knew the reason that Adrian had more free time was that he spent less than half the time cleaning that he used to, he didn't spend hours nervously reorganizing things. Everything went much smoother and faster than it used to. Natalie didn't know if it was solving Trudy's case or finding Molly that was making him so much better, but whatever it was the changes in the last month had been dramatic. The most significant change was that he seemed to be more relaxed and was definitely easier to get along with. Most of all he seemed more settled almost happy, Natalie smiled at that thought. "Well, Mr. Monk with all your free time I think a new hobby would be perfect for you."
"Maybe," he consented, "I already have a rock collection I could spend more time with that."
"I actually think the book clubs better for you," Natalie said now giving it a little more thought.
"But I wouldn't be the one picking all of the books," Adrian stated as if that obviously should rule out that option.
"Yes," she said, "but it would get you out talking to other people."
"Yes," he argued back, "but I don't like other people."
"You like some people," Natalie said unwilling to give up, "and these would be people that you have something in common with. And when you saw them, you'd be focused on an activity, so you wouldn't have to think of things to say."
"I will think about it," Adrian said even though he knew, in the end, he would probably say yes. When Natalie set her mind to something, she always seemed to be able to convince him of anything.
January 14, 2010, 12:04 A.M.
"Hello?" Adrian answered the ringing phone in his apartment.
"Hello, Mr. Monk," came Natalie's soft voice.
"Natalie, you called me?" Adrian was shocked and pulled the phone slightly away from his face looking at it as if it had the answers.
"I did," came her simple reply.
"Is everything ok?" Adrian asked, Natalie had never once called him in the middle of the night, sure they talked almost every night now, but he was always the one to call her.
"Yeah," Natalie said getting nervous at his reaction, "you just didn't call, so I thought I would call you to chat."
"You have never called me at midnight before," he stated."
"Its ok that I called right?" He could hear the nervousness in her voice now and felt guilty.
"Of course, it's ok," he reassured, "It was just a surprise, but a good surprise. So, um, what are you doing?"
"I just woke up," Natalie admitted, "I fell asleep early, but I guess I am used to being up at midnight now because I just woke up around 11:30 and watched a little TV while I waited for you to call."
"I'm sorry I didn't call," he said quietly, and he was, he liked talking to her every night, but he also tried to not bug her every night of the week and so once or twice a week he went without a midnight call. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Julie submitted her information for financial aid to Berkley today," Natalie said trying to think of a topic that hadn't already come up earlier in the day.
"She did?"
"Yeah, I am really hoping that we get good aid," Natalie admitted, "I can't afford to pay much if we don't, and I don't want her to have a lot of loans right out of college."
"Yeah, I don't know what Trudy and I would have done if we had loans," Adrian admitted, "When Trudy and I were right out of college I was a rookie cop, and she was just starting out in journalism we were making almost nothing at first. I don't know how we could have paid loans."
"How didn't you have loans?" Natalie asked intrigued.
"Trudy's parents had enough money," Adrian admitted, "she had some scholarships but the rest they were able to pay for her."
"What about you?" Natalie asked, "I know that you and Ambrose didn't come from money."
"Oh that," Adrian dismissed, well I got a scholarship too, so it was ok."
"Mr. Monk," Natalie asked in disbelief, "did you have a full ride at Berkley?"
"No, I drove myself back then," he responded naively.
"No, Mr. Monk, that means a full scholarship," Natalie explained with a smile, he was the smartest man she knew, but he could still be so clueless, "did you have a full scholarship?"
"Yeah," he admitted in a whisper, "I did."
"How did I not know that?" Natalie questioned.
"You never asked," he said now hoping she would drop it, he knew he wasn't supposed to talk about this, but he couldn't lie.
"Still," Natalie said, "it seems like something you would have mentioned at some point."
"Trudy told me a long time ago that it upset some people so I shouldn't talk about it," Adrian explained.
"Mr. Monk, those people are just jealous," Natalie told him, "so what did you get the scholarship for?"
"I had won some academic competitions," he explained, "and with that and my SAT scores, they just offered to pay for the tuition and room and board."
"Did you get a perfect score on the SATs?" Natalie asked although she already knew what the answer would be, of course, he would get a perfect score on the SAT's.
"Maybe," he begrudgingly admitted.
"Let me guess," she said, "that is another thing Trudy told you not to mention because people got jealous?"
"Yeah," Adrian admitted again feeling more uncomfortable, he didn't want to get Natalie mad at him.
"Well, it's ok if friends know about it, Mr. Monk," Natalie reassured him, "I am not going to get jealous or mad at you, I am just proud of you."
"Thank you," Adrian said in a small voice, it was nice to hear, almost no one had ever told Monk they were proud of him, Trudy did, Leland did too and Sharona said it once or twice, but that was it. "I am proud of you too," Adrian told Natalie.
"For what?" she asked, "I didn't even finish college."
"I know," he said, "but you could have. And you raised Julie, and she is not only a wonderful person, but she got into Berkley, and that is thanks to you, you are a great mom, Natalie."
"Thank you, Mr. Monk."
"You know how you used to want me to take on private cases for the pay," Adrian thought aloud. "If you could work it so that it wouldn't interfere with our police work, we could do that, and I could split the money from those cases with you that might help with paying for Julie's college."
"Really?" Natalie asked in disbelief.
"Sure," Adrian agreed readily, happy that he may have thought of a way he could actually help a friend out.
"That is very nice of you thank you, Mr. Monk," Natalie said, "are you sure that you can handle it now?"
"Yeah," Adrian said thinking more about it, "I think that I could do that now, it seems a little easier than it used to, but everything seems a little easier than it used to."
"You are definitely getting better Mr. Monk," Natalie said.
"You know that scares me sometimes," Adrian admitted one of his most secret fears.
"What does?" Natalie asked.
"If I get better to where I didn't need an assistant would you still work for me?" Adrian asked timidly scared to death of what her answer may be.
"Oh Mr. Monk," Natalie soothed, "I'm not going to stop working for you because your improving, it just makes my job easier, and I'm not going to complain about that." Natalie could almost hear him smiling over the phone. "You know sometimes I get scared about the same thing, I watch you getting better, and I think that if you keep going at this rate, you won't need me, and you will fire me soon."
"I won't fire you, Natalie, I will always need you, and if we do take on private cases, I will need you to deal with the people and the money, and my schedule. No matter how much better I get, I am never going to want to do those things. Plus, you know killing spiders."
Natalie laughed happy that her boss and friend had gotten to the point where he could make little jokes even at his own expense.
February 3, 2010, 12:42 A.M.
"Hello?" Monk answered the phone; his voice was quiet but rough like he couldn't get together the energy to say even that simple word. Natalie had tried calling at midnight, but there had been no answer then, she was happy that she finally got him on the phone, but his tone of voice instantly worried her.
"Hi Mr. Monk, are you ok?" Natalie was concerned not only by the sound of his voice but by his demeanor earlier and the fact that she knew it was Trudy's birthday tomorrow, well technically now today.
"She didn't visit," was his only response.
"What Mr. Monk, who didn't visit?" Natalie asked trying to not get frantic.
"Trudy, she always visits me the night of her birthday," he explained, "she didn't visit tonight. She hasn't visited since I solved her case. Natalie what if now that the case is solved I can't see her anymore?"
"Did you smell her pillow?"
"Yes, it didn't work, Natalie, why won't she see me, what am I supposed to do?" He broke down into sobs.
"Mr. Monk I am coming right over, I will be there in 15 minutes." Natalie jumped out of bed quickly throwing on jeans and a t-shirt, she quickly ran to her daughter's room and gently shook her slightly awake "Julie honey I have to go to Mr. Monk's place I am locking the door ok?" Julie mumbled something in return and turned back over, going back to sleep. Natalie was halfway to Mr. Monks place before she realized that she was still in slippers, but she didn't care. She hadn't heard her boss sound this bad in a while, and it worried her.
"Mr. Monk?" Natalie called as she let herself into the apartment. She knew he would be in the bedroom and rushed right in. There he was on the floor next to the bed clutching a picture of Trudy and her pillow. He was still crying and was shaking slightly. She knelt down next to him "Mr. Monk?" he didn't respond he didn't even seem to know she was there. natlaie carefully put a comforting hand on his shoulder trying to steady his shaking frame, but there was still no reaction, "Mr. Monk?" still nothing "Adrian, come on do you know I'm here?" she asked gently, at the sound of his first name he broke from his daze and looked at her.
"Natalie?" he asked as if coming out of a fog, "When did you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago." She said as she sighed just happy that he was responsive. "Come on time to get up off the floor." Natalie had him sit on the edge of the bed as she carefully re-bagged the Trudy pillow so it wouldn't get ruined and put the picture on the nightstand. She then helped him up and over to his bathroom where she wet a washcloth and wiped his face gently. The action seemed to bring him back even more. Afterward, she led him out the living room and got him seated on the couch. "Ok," she asked as she sat next to him, "Do you want to talk about it?"
After a minute of stillness, he nodded his head. "She isn't visiting."
"I'm sorry" Natalie pulled him in for a hug and just held him for a minute her heart broke for her friend as she could feel him start to cry again slightly. "I know she still loves you, maybe she just can't visit right now." Natalie suggested, "or maybe she just wanted to give you a little bit of time as you were getting better." Natalie pulled back and used her thumb to wipe a stray tear off his face. "I bet she is so happy and proud of you for living your life that she just won't visit quite as often as before, but I know that she will visit you again."
"You promise" He looked up at her like a sad, hopeful child.
"I promise." She said
"Did you call me Adrian?" he asked suddenly
"I guess I did, sorry it just felt right at the moment, besides when I was calling you Mr. Monk when I first got here you weren't responding." Natalie was trying to explain herself, but it turned out no explanation was necessary.
"It's fine, it's not a weird as it used to be," Adrian said, "maybe because we are better friends now?"
"maybe,"
"Well, I don't mind if you call me Adrian," he said.
"Ok maybe sometimes I will Mr. Monk," Natalie said with a smile, "So what do you say we put in a Trudy movie if she can't visit in person, at least you can still see her."
Monk gave the smallest smile, "That's a good idea, can you put one in?"
"Sure," Natalie agreed going over to his tapes, "which one?"
"Um, how about Trudy's 30th birthday?" he asked, Natalie had never seen that video. She quickly found the tape and put it in starting the movie for him. Sitting back down she was surprised to see Adrian in the video, she had only ever seen him in their wedding video, every other tape she had seen had been ones he filmed of her. Natalie watched as one of their friends filmed the festivities and how everyone took turns wishing Trudy a happy birthday into the camera, everyone had such wonderful things to say about her. Mostly though the camera focused on Trudy herself and Adrian who was always at her side. Natalie saw how much love the couple shared as the film continued throughout the party for the next forty minutes. She had seen these videos before of his life with Trudy, and something struck her about them. When she had seen Adrian in his wedding video with cake on his face or dancing or laughing, she used to have trouble reconciling the Adrian Monk she had known with the images of him on the screen. But now, she realized that who he had been lately, not tonight, but most days since solving Trudy's case and finding Molly was a lot more like the man she saw on the screen, the man he used to be than the Adrian Monk she had first started working for.
As the video ended Natalie stretched and got up putting the video away and turned to Adrian "Will you be ok?" He nodded slowly and so she gathered her purse getting ready to leave and get a few more hours of sleep before she would return to work.
"Natalie?" He stopped her before she could leave, "I will be ok, so if you want to go, you can…but I would like it if you could stay at least a little longer."
"Sure Adrian, I can stay," she said with a small smile as she set her purse back down and took her slippers off. She went to sit on the chair, but he jumped up off the couch and motioned towards it.
"Take the couch," he offered, "I am going to make cocoa, do you want some?"
"Yes, please." Natalie accepted his offer as she snuggled down into the arm of the couch. Minutes later they were sipping cocoa and sharing stories about their late spouses. Eventually, Natalie fell asleep on that couch, and Adrian simply laid a blanket over her before heading off to his own bed to get a little nap. He fell asleep, missing Trudy but also feeling grateful that he had a friend like Natalie in his life.
February 27, 2010, 11:50 A.M.
"Hi, Natalie?" Adrian Monk answered his phone assuming it had to be her.
"Hi Adrian," she greeted
"You called early" normally Natalie only called him a few minutes after midnight if he did not call her.
"I know, but I was just flipping through the channels, and the Maltese Falcon just started, and I figured you would like this movie and you might want to watch it with me."
"I do like it," he agreed, "it's one of my favorites, what channel is it on?"
"18," Natalie said almost holding her breath. She was pleasantly surprised when she could hear the movie playing through the phone.
"Got it thanks" was all he said
"Watch it with me?" she asked, happy that it was no longer a problem for Adrian Monk to watch channels other than 10.
"Natalie by the time you make it over here you will have missed a lot of it," he argued.
"No," Natalie said almost laughing, "I meant, watch it with me over the phone."
"Oh, ok that sounds nice," Adrian agreed before they both settled under their respective blankets to enjoy the movie. They watched the movie occasionally making comments while it was playing but mostly talking during the commercials.
"I love film noir movies." Natalie said after it had ended, "you know before I started working for you I always had this idea that was what private investigators were really like."
"Sorry I disappointed you," he said.
"No, I am glad you aren't like that," she admitted, "in those movies they were cool, but they weren't real, and they weren't all good guys."
"Yeah, still great movies though, I always wanted to be cool like that," Adrian confessed.
"And I always wanted to look like one of those girls," Natalie said shyly.
"I think you are pretty just the way you are," Adrian admitted quietly.
"Thank you," Natalie said blushing at the rare compliment from him on her physical appearance, "and I think you are great the way you are Adrian, you don't need to be like one of those guys, besides they could never solve the cases that you do."
"Thank you," It was his turn to blush at her praise, "you know, the art-house plays film noir movies every Thursday and Saturday."
"Really?" Natalie asked as she reached for the paper from her nightstand. Flipping to the sections with movie times she found the art-house's listings. "Your right. This week they are playing the Glass Key on Thursday and the Blue Dahlia on Saturday, oh I love Veronica Lake."
"You want to go see them with me?" Adrian asked.
"Sure," she agreed happily, "oh it's after 2 I should be getting back to sleep."
"Goodnight Natalie," he said softly.
"Goodnight Adrian."
March 3, 2010, 12:00 A.M.
"Hi, Adrian" Natalie greeted as she picked up the phone.
"Hi, did you and Julie have an ok time tonight?" he asked immediately nerves evident in his voice.
"We had a great time," Natalie assured him, "Adrian, you don't have to ask anymore, we like Molly, in fact, she and Julie talk quite a bit. Julie told me it is almost like having a big sister."
"Good," Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, this was the third time that they had all gotten together for dinner, but it
was the first time that they had dinner at his place and for some reason that made him even more nervous.
"So," Natalie teased, "you seemed pretty happy to hear that Molly's boyfriend was out of the picture."
"He wasn't good enough for her," Adrian defended himself.
"Will any guy ever be good enough for her?" Natalie asked.
"No," Adrian admitted, "I am never going to like any of her boyfriends, or Julie's for that matter." Natalie smiled at his inclusion of her daughter.
"Don't you want them to be happy?" Natalie asked.
"Yes, of course, I want them to be happy," Adrian agreed, "but they are too young to date."
"Adrian Julie is 18, and Molly is 26," Natalie pointed out, "wasn't Trudy 26 when you two got married?"
"25 but that was different," He argued.
"It is always different when it's a kid you care about," Natalie said with a sigh, "I get it, Julie dating still makes me nervous especially with her going to college soon." Julie had just gotten into a workshop at Berkley and would be leaving for college six weeks earlier than originally planned. Natalie's six months left with her daughter had just been shortened to four and Natalie was not dealing with it well. Especially with Julie being so busy this spring and having no time to spend with her mother.
"How are you dealing with that?" Adrian asked knowing that Julie leaving early was now what Natalie was nervous about.
"Better," Natalie said, "I mean I am so proud of her, the fact that she even got into this workshop as an incoming freshman is amazing, but I was supposed to have six more months with my baby."
"Well, you two will just have to make the most of the time you have together," Adrian commented.
"Yeah, I replied," Natalie said, "oh I almost forgot, Julie, said that we should have one more family dinner before her spring musical rehearsals start because she won't have any free time until June, once they start up."
"Family dinner?" he asked about the term
"Yeah," Natalie admitted "that is what she started calling them, I mean we are not all technically related, but we are family, at least we consider you family,"
"I think of you like family too, and I will ask Molly when she is next available for another family dinner," he agreed happily. Family dinner, he really liked the sound of that.