I am sorry for the Chapter's confusion...the numbers are wrong, but the content is right. Next fic (?) I'll be very careful about this, ok?
Thank you for all the reviews, and hope you enjoy this last part of our trip. Need I say I do not own the main characters?

MR MONK MEETS THE REDEEMER

CH21

Natalie and Carlos got out of the car to assist Bianca, while Monk locked the communication window and the door, checking to see that both windows of the driver's cabin were well closed.

After a few minutes, Natalie went to the passenger's door, while Carlos were taking care of Bianca, giving her water and cleaning her forehead with wipes that Natalie had handed them.

She knocked on the window, and Monk opened it an inch, "Mr. Monk, she's okay now. She's even talking better, and probably thinking better. She wants to apologize to you."

"Nah, no, Natalie. I will not go back there again. I'm comfortable here, thank you."

"Mr. Monk, we still need to find out why she is here, if she is really taking us to a safe place, and if we could trust her."

"No. Nah, I do not think I can talk to her again."

"Mr. Monk, at least through the communicator."

"I-ah… Ok." and he closed the window.

Natalie, Bianca and Carlos returned to the car.

"Did you touch her?" Monk asked Carlos, as he was entering the car. Carlos looked surprised and turned to Monk. From outside, he answered "Yes".

"Did you use wipes?"

"Yes."

"I mean, to clean your hands?"

"Yes, I did."

"But not the same wipe."

"No, not the same wipe. A brand new one."

"That's okay, then. You can sit here." Monk pointed to the driver's seat.

"I must sit here. I am the driver!"

Monk gave a awkward smile to Carlos, nodding his head.

"Mr. Monk, can you hear me?" Bianca's voice came over the communicator.

She was indeed sounding better. Carlos pointed to a button in the ceiling. Monk squeezed the button and answered, "Yes, yes, I can."

"Mr. Monk, I am sorry. Really. I did not mean… well, sorry. I think I'm your last hope here, and I almost screwed everything up."

"Are you feeling better, Bianca?" asked Carlos.

"Yes, I think yes, thank you, dear. Well, Mr. Monk, Carlos and I are your last hope. You can trust him also, if you and Natalie are able to trust someone here again. Do you think we can continue from here?"

Monk looked at Carlos, who smiled to him and looked back to the road. "Well, I-ah ... Natalie?"

"Yes, Mr. Monk?"

"Are you there?"

"Yes, Mr. Monk!"

"Can you hand me a wipe, please?"

Natalie took a wipe and knocked at the communication window. Monk unlocked it, looked to Natalie, smiled and picked up the wipe.

"Thank you". He said, returning the wipe to Natalie, without using it.

Natalie sat back on her place without understanding what had just happened. Monk slide the window closed again and went on by the communicator, "Bianca, where are you taking us to? We are not going back to the hotel, are we?"

"No, Mr. Monk. I am going back to the hotel, but you two will go to Angra dos Reis, a nearby city, where I have a house in a private condo. I discovered that Gilbert is involved in something big, so I ..." and Bianca began to cry.

Natalie handed her a wipe and she quickly composed herself again. She took a deep breath and continued, "Crystal is a great friend of mine. When she called me, I realized what was happening. My father is also part of the scheme, but I prefer talking about this tomorrow, when my head stops spinning. Carlos is a great friend mine, or better put, my only real friend. You can trust him; he'll take you both to Angra. I have to go back to the hotel to show that I do not know what is happening. Gilbert is waiting for me there."

"But you think you can keep this secret from him?" asked Natalie."Aren't you too weak and sick right now?"

Carlos and Bianca laughed at the same time.

"Bianca, weak? No, those words do not belong to the same sentence." Carlos said.

"Do not worry. When I reach the hotel, I'll be almost sleeping, and Carlos will help me with it. We went out to take one guest home, now it's about time to go back."

Carlos parked the limousine in front of the hotel and got out quickly, going around the car and opening the door for Bianca. She quickly left the car, and held Carlos' arm, closing the door quickly. The tinted windows gave enough privacy and provided the safety Monk and Natalie needed. It was already 3 in the morning, the parking lot was quiet. Carlos carried Bianca up the stairs at the hotel entrance.

"I assume you will not sit back here, right, Mr. Monk?" asked Natalie through the communicator.

"I'm fine up here."

"So I can stretch myself here and relax, that will not bother you at all, right?"

"Will you snore?"

"I do not snore, Mr. Monk."

"How do you know? Have you ever listened to yourself while sleeping?"

"No, Mr. Monk, I have not. But nobody ever complained about it."

"Nobody?" Monk shifted in his seat.

"Yes, Mr. Monk." Natalie smiled, "Nobody. Like Julie. Why? What were you thinking?"

Natalie heard Monk shifting again in his seat when he said, "Nothing. I just did not hear to the words clearly. I guess it was for the buzzing of the communicator, didn't you hear it?" he asked.

Natalie was still smiling, "No, I didn't hear that."

"See, that's my point. If you can not hear the buzz, how can you be sure you didn't snore?"

"Why is this bothering you? If I snore, just turn off the communicator and I am sure you'll be fine."

"But then I will still know you're snoring."

"So turn the communicator off now."

Monk pondered for a moment. "Ok."

"Wait, wait, before you turn it off, Mr. Monk, what was that wipe thing? Why did you asked me a wipe and didn't use it?"

Carlos entered the car.

Monk opened the communication window and said to Natalie, "I was just making sure you were there."

Natalie smiled at him. "I'm here. And I will not go anywhere without you."

Monk smiled at Natalie, and looked ahead. He adjusted his seatbelt and turned the communicator off, but kept the window opened. They started their journey to Angra.

Thank you, Kathy!