Author's Note: Continued thanks to our readers for your feedback and support on this story as it begins to come to a close. Special thanks to Ljd21690 for making room in your publishing schedule for us as we wrap things up. If our readers haven't had a chance to read her stories, we strongly recommend "Mr. Monk and the Miracle of Adoption" and her new one, which began publishing this month, "Mr. Monk and the Sins of the Father." They are great! Now, without further delay, let's step into this universe and see what is happening over at Natalie's apartment...
Jared Stottlemeyer arrived at the Teeger apartment at a little after twelve-thirty in the morning having spent well over an hour, after hanging up with Julie, at his mother's house helping her with some menial tasks. He had gone over there in the first place because Julie had requested his help and specifically needed him to procure some equipment that he knew was in his mother's basement. Having accomplished that goal, he made a beeline across town in order to be briefed as to what was going on.
Knocking on the door, he was surprised when the door swung open and the first face he saw was that of Adrian Monk. Giving Jared a somewhat tired and perturbed stare, the older man motioned with his head for him to come in and then ushered him into the Teeger living room. There, Julie was already sitting on the couch scrolling through something on her cell phone, waiting for Stottlemeyer to arrive. Her face brightened the moment he walked into the room, but she bashfully had to damp down her enthusiasm a bit when Monk grabbed hold of Jared's arm as he was moving to go sit beside her and directed him to a chair opposite the couch where the two could be kept apart. Any further discussion regarding the arrangement was silenced as Natalie immediately entered the room carrying a tray containing a pitcher of iced tea, some glasses, cheese, and crackers. They were going to be there awhile.
"Oh, hi Jared. I didn't hear you come in." Natalie stated, smirking slightly when she saw Jared sitting across from Julie and Adrian deposited on the couch next to her daughter, playing the role of the overprotective father. Sitting down her tray on the coffee table, Monk helped her move the dishes off and to the side onto coasters and a placemat to avoid a mess as she continued to talk. "We were starting to get concerned."
Jared smiled back at her as he watched her wrestling with her boyfriend as to the placement of the items, yet he knew better than to pause lest it draw attention away from why they were there.
"Uh…yes ma'am." He replied. "I, uh, kinda got tied up for a little while at Mom's."
"Tied up?" Monk asked, a little grumpy because the hour was late and Jared had taken far longer to get there than he had anticipated. His reasoning had better be good, Adrian thought to himself as Natalie finally gave in and let him arrange things to his own specifications.
"Yes." Jared said, clearing his voice. "She, uh, wanted me to help her set up this hammock in her screened in area."
"A hammock, at eleven o'clock at night?" Julie was the first to ask.
Jared chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Um, she read somewhere that they can help with insomnia and figured that between the fresh air and her new contraption that it would help her with some of the sleep issues she's been having."
"Sleep issues." Monk replied. "There are many things that can keep people from getting the right amount of sleep." He continued, glancing at Natalie who merely raised an eyebrow then looped her arm around his, silently urging him to be good since Jared was there to help. Monk closed his eyes and shook his head, heeding her quiet warning and then quickly determining that a trip down the Karen Stottlemeyer rabbit hole probably would not be productive anyway. "Okay. Not something to deal with tonight. I'm glad you finally got here. Did you find what Julie wanted you to bring?" he asked, trying his best to sound unperturbed.
Jared reached into his jacket pocket and took out two small devices, passing them across the table to Monk who took them into his hands. "Yes, sir. This is a state-of-the-art spy camera, listening device and transmitter that my dad had to buy for mom as a part of the divorce settlement. I don't think she ever even took them out of the box, but they were on her list of things that she showed to the judge that would be required if she were to turn her documentary film business into something that she could make a living on, as a single mother on one income. Of course, dad pays alimony too, even to this day…but, I guess that wasn't enough for her."
Natalie took the camera in hand and looked at it. "Yeah, I think your dad got the worst part of that deal." She said, looking at the tiny device and remembering the months that Leland spent dealing with the aftermath of his divorce. Monk remembered it too, but instead of feeding that particular conversation, quickly jumped into the discussion and redirected it towards the reason that they were all there – namely, Julie's plan.
"Those days were tough. But enough about that." He said, turning to Julie. "Okay, young lady. You have us all gathered here together. What exactly is this great plan of yours?" he asked.
Julie sat up immediately, biting her lip in excitement and clasping her hands together. Leaning in, she almost giggled as she spoke. "Okay, here's my idea. We get some of my theater friends together, I was thinking Samantha and Leo. Picked him because he looks older than he really is, and with a little makeup we can make him look as old as he needs to be, and we pull a sting operation on Jessica."
Natalie and Adrian looked at one another and then to Jared then back at Julie.
"A sting operation?" Adrian asked, curious as to what she had in mind.
"Yes." Julie smiled, bouncing slightly in her seat. "We set something up to where that Jessica woman is forced to admit that Randy and she were never together and we get it on tape. Then, we show the tape to Sharona, and she forgives him and they get back together." She looked proudly at the group then sat back in her seat to await their reactions.
"Sounds awesome, sweetie." Natalie replied. "What kind of 'sting' were you thinking?"
Julie furrowed her brow and frowned as the others waited for her answer. "Well I… I guess…I really hadn't gotten that far yet."
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Monk said throwing his hands in the air.
"Adrian!" Natalie scolded. "Settle down."
"Natalie, Randy had me up before six this morning and…"
"Adrian! Hush up!" Natalie snapped. Monk clamped his mouth shut then crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat in a huff. "Now, let's just sit still for a minute and think. "she continued. "If we were going to catch Jessica in something that would get her to admit that she and Randy didn't have an affair, what could it be?" she asked.
Nobody said a word for several minutes until Julie once again spoke up. "I've got it!" she said, sitting up and gaining everyone's attention. "You said that Sharona was mad at Randy because she thought that he skipped out on Gail's birthday in order to be with Jessica, right?"
"That's right." Her mother replied.
"Okay. How about if we concoct a story where someone can pretend to be a police officer and someone can pretend to be a victim of a hit and run who recognizes Jessica from the scene of the crime and describes her as being with Randy at the time."
"Describes her as being with Randy?" Jared asked.
"Yeah. You know, in his car. Our actor can describe Randy's car and say that he or she saw Jessica right there with him and ask for our fake cop to arrest her. I'm sure she'd admit right there that she and Randy weren't together."
Jared sat back in is seat. "She might. But then, she'd call a real cop and have us arrested."
"Huh? Why?" Julie asked.
"Impersonating an officer. Entrapment. Harassment." He replied.
"Oh." Julie said, deflated.
Natalie immediately leaned over and patted Julie on the arm. "It's okay, sweetie. Don't lose heart. It wasn't a bad idea. Just one we can't exactly use."
"How about this?" Jared suggested. "Maybe I could call in some favors around the courthouse. You know, find out if maybe she was named in any divorce suits or anything."
"I can probably talk to Carol and get us some names." Natalie suggested. "And then, what?"
"Well, then we could…" he stopped for a moment and thought to himself and sat back in his chair. "Never mind. Bad idea."
The two women sighed and the three of them sat back in their seats again, each crossing their arms in front of them as they continued to think, occasionally shifting positions as the minute hands on the clock continued to advance. After a full ten minutes of silence had passed, Monk rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat, walking over to Natalie's kitchen to retrieve his cell phone from her counter then began to walk towards the door. Immediately, Natalie stood up to go after him as Jared and Julie watched. Reaching out to him, she grabbed his arm and turned him around.
"Adrian! Where are you going?" she said with alarm. Monk simply looked at her, then his watch and then pointed silently in a downward direction and then turned to walk towards the door. Quickly, Natalie planted herself between her fiancé and the door.
"I don't understand. You can't go. We need your help!" she stated, blocking him from going further.
Monk raised his eyebrows at her and then shrugged, reaching around her for the door handle.
"Why aren't you talking to me?" she asked as he continued to try to reach around her. Grabbing him by the face she made him look at her. "Adrian, what's wrong? Speak!"
"You told me to hush up." He said matter-of-factly. "You're not interested in what I have to say so I'm going to bed." He again reached for the handle.
Natalie rolled her eyes, "Adrian!"
"Don't Adrian me. Please move. It's almost one thirty and I've been up over twenty hours."
"Honey."
"No, Natalie. Nothing you can say will dissuade me from going right downstairs and…"
Natalie threw her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss. When Oxygen became an issue, she pulled away and looked him in the eyes. He was silent for a moment but then nodded and turned back around, walking with her back into the living room with her arm looped around his.
"As I was saying, you, Julie and Jared all have good ideas. They just need to be combined for the perfect plan…"
Two days later, thanks to Carol's efforts, Sharona Disher found herself working in the same ward and on the same shift as her arch nemesis Jessica Sterling. She had no idea before she arrived at work that morning that Jessica was going to be on duty that day or she definitely would have switched; but, as fate would have it, not only did she not do a good review of who else was on the schedule that day but she found herself stuck at work since the hospital administrator, Rash Shoba, was going to be leading a tour of the hospital for some key investors in the new hospital wing and he wanted Sharona to show them some of their new equipment. Even though she had no intention of being at the hospital for much longer, Rash was well known in the medical field and the last thing she needed while trying to secure a good position back in New Jersey was to get on his bad side. So, she put her best company manners on and tried to stay out of Jessica's way.
Throughout the morning she did a pretty good job at accomplishing this goal, however when Rash came through at one o-clock, she found herself being interrupted and one-upped in front of the new investors and in front of Rash, which made her mad. There was also a hint of sabotage in the air, for when she went to demonstrate the hospitals' new coagulation analyzer, none of the samples that she had laid out beforehand were in their places and the computer itself had trouble logging her in. After the slightly embarrassed administrator left, Jessica magically showed up with the samples saying that she had 'found' them in a patient room and the computer issues 'miraculously' cleared up. Sharona began to say something but Rash returned to the area after seeing the investors off and thanked her for taking the time out of her schedule to help, noting that even though she would be leaving soon, she was "still the best."
Around two-thirty, she was standing at the nurse's station filling out some paperwork before heading out for a break when the elevator doors slid open and out walked an older gentleman in a business suit holding a brief case and folder in his hand. The man looked to be in his late fifties with a salt-and-pepper grey beard, glasses and hair that was parted smoothly on one side. For anyone observing him when he entered the room, the first thought in their mind would most certainly have screamed 'lawyer.'
Walking over to the nurses' station, the man first approached Carol who had just hung up the phone.
"May I help you?" the older nurse asked.
The gentleman nodded and opened his folder, reading something inside and then smiling stiffly as he looked up. "Yes, ma'am. I am here to see a Mrs. Sharona Disher. Is she here?"
Sharona felt immediate concern as he appeared to be so formal and official, so she stepped up, nodding to Carol that it was okay. "I'm Sharona Disher. Can I…help you?" she asked, meekly.
The man turned to her, studying her through his spectacles. "Um, good afternoon, Mrs. Disher. My name is Joseph Bennington from the law firm of Stanley, Hooper and Bennington over on Straight Street and I was wondering if I might borrow a moment of your time. I promise, it won't be long." He said, handing her a business card.
Sharona read the card and then looked at him curiously, motioning with her head over to a seating area just across from the nurse's station. "Yeah. Sure. I was just about to take a fifteen-minute break so we can talk over there. What is this about?"
Bennington reached into his folder and pulled out a set of papers stapled together and handed them over to Sharona, who took a moment to read the heading.
"Gloria Seibring, Darcy Meadows, Lori Angelou, Patty Miller, Jennifer Wilson and Sharona Disher, plaintiffs versus The Health Alliance and Jessica Lorraine Sterling, Defendants?" she repeated. "What on earth?"
"A lawsuit." He replied. "Here, let's sit and I'll explain."
Positioning themselves in front of the window, the man leaned back and sat his briefcase on the ground. "Mrs. Disher, it has come to our attention that you are part of the growing club of homes that have been broken up by a Ms. Jessica Sterling, a.k.a. Jessica Lynn, a.k.a. Jess McGee."
"A.K.A., what? Um…how did you…?"
"Hospitals are like small communities. Word gets around." He stated just as Jessica returned from a scheduled run then walked up to the nurse's station to return a clipboard. Spotting Sharona over near the window with a stranger, she looked up at Carol and smirked.
"Divorce lawyer?" she asked.
Carol returned the smirk. "Oh, he's a lawyer alright, but not for a divorce." She then picked up a tray with some pills on it and walked away from the station to join some visitors who had heretofore not made their appearance.
Quite predictably, Jessica slithered over to the opposite wall to where Sharona and Bennington were seated, close enough to hear but not be seen.
"Ms. Sterling has a long track record of being a homewrecker and her antics have caused untold havoc in the lives and families of the men that she pursued." Bennington continued, leaning in to talk to Sharona due to the personal nature of the subject but talking loud enough that anyone nearby would easily be able to hear. "Take Ms. Miller, for instance. When Ms. Sterling initiated the affair with her husband, Patty was in medical school studying to be a nurse herself. She was half-way through college and the couple had one young child at home that they kept in day care or took turns watching while Patty was furthering her education. When her home was broken up by Ms. Sterling, however, Patty had to quit medical school. The spousal support and child support that the doctor ordered was not enough to cover the family's expenses and she was eventually forced to declare bankruptcy."
"My gosh." Sharona said. "Poor woman."
"Yes, but she fared better than Mrs. Darcy Meadows who had a nervous breakdown from which it took years to recover and Jen Wilson spent several years in counselling with her two young sons whose lives were destroyed by the woman. She used Meadows husband to gain a promotion, just like she did with the family of Drs. Seibring and Angelou.
So, you see, you Ms. Disher, you are the latest in a string of unhappy women whose lives that, as one of the women referred to her, 'Typhoon Jessica' has upended. Being forced to quit your job and move with…I believe it is a son who is in college…"
"Yes."
"…to the other side of the country, losing your home, spouse…your pain has just started and we would like to invite you to join this lawsuit against Ms. Sterling and the hospital, who had to have known, in order to recompense you just a little for your suffering."
Sharona shook her head. "I…I don't know what to say…a lawsuit?"
The man took a note out of his jacket and passed it over to her. "This is the amount that we have been discussing."
Looking at the piece of paper, Sharona gasped when she saw a figure totaling eight digits for each woman. "Oh, my goodness! That's…substantial."
"But not nearly enough to cover the pain and humiliation that you have suffered through in your ordeal. All you need to do is sign." He stated, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a pen.
Sharona looked at the pen. "I…I don't know what to say. I just wanted to leave quietly and …"
"You can help put a stop to Ms. Sterling's reign of terror, Mrs. Disher, and make sure that no other family ever goes through what yours has gone through."
Suddenly, from behind the wall walked Jessica, with her arms crossed and anger written on her face. "What she's gone through? Seriously?!" she yelled. "She hasn't gone through anything and it's her own blasted fault that her marriage broke up."
Ire immediately filled the eyes of Sharona who stood to confront the nurse.
"How dare you! How dare you say that I am somehow to blame. You targeted my husband and you deliberately went after him to break up my marriage."
"Ha! No, that's just what you thought happened. I talked to your husband and you took it a step further in that demented little brain of yours and concocted a scenario where he cheated on you. Randy never cheated on you. He wouldn't give me the time of day."
"You lie!" Sharona shouted. "I know, Jessica. I know that you and Randy were together the night of Gail's birthday, and several other nights as well. Don't even try to deny it."
Jessica shook her head. "I don't have to deny anything. You want to believe the worst about your husband, your business. But the fact of the matter is you're the one to blame for your marriage's disintegration because you have trust issues that were very easy to play against. And, rather than talking with him about it, you accused him and you, not I, pushed him out of your life. I'm telling you the truth. Randy and I didn't do anything but talk a few times in the hallway. That's it."
Sharona narrowed her eyes. "You're just trying to get out of being sued."
"Sue away. You'll never prove it because it never happened. None of this ever happened - and this…this, lawyer…what is your name?"
"Mr. Bennington." The man stated. "From Stanley, Hooper and Bennington on Straight Street."
"Bennington. He's not telling you the truth either."
"Am I understanding you to deny the allegations by all of these women?" he asked.
Jessica paused. "I, I don't' deny having affairs with their spouses. But they were consensual things, you know. We all got something out of it."
"Something out of it?" he asked.
"Yes. You know. I scratch your back, you scratch mine." She smiled, walking to the attorney and laying one hand on his chest. "I took a lot of the day-to-day stress out of these mens' lives and gave them what they couldn't have at home. And, in return…"
"In return?" he asked.
"In return, they, you know…gave me favors. You know, bonuses, better hours…"
"Promotions?" Sharona said, her eyes now aflame with anger.
"What?" Jessica asked.
"You slept with Randy. You broke up my marriage over that new job in the new wing, didn't you?"
Jessica shook her head. "You're delusional."
"That's not a denial. You wanted that job and you slept with my husband in order to get me to leave town in order to move into the number one spot, isn't that right?"
"Listen, Sharona. I never slept with Randy. Here. Let me prove it. What day was this Gina's birthday?"
"Gail. My sister's name is Gail." Sharona stated.
"Fine. Gail. When is Gail's Birthday?"
"September 5th." She replied, folding her arms.
Jessica reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone and began to scroll as they all watched. "September 5th, September 5th …here we go. September 5th I was in Dr. Heeley's class at Northern taking my exam on hematological advances to renew my certification. See?" she said, showing her the calendar on her phone. Sharona looked and, sure enough, Jessica's schedule showed the time as busy and identified as Hemotology 3.0. "Next?"
Sharona raised her head suspiciously. "August 19th."
"You gotta have another date? Boy, you really don't trust him." She quipped, shrinking back slightly when Sharona threw her a dirty look. Jessica again looked back down at her phone and began to scroll. Suddenly, she stopped. "I can tell you that one off the top of my head. I was at the White Thunder concert down at the arena with my cousin Becky and her friend Lou. I have pictures if you want to see them." She opened up her phone's photo album which gave the time/date stamp of August 19th on the picture. "Anything else?" she asked.
Sharona's facial expression softened though it still looked somewhat disturbed. "September 1st."
Jessica looked back down at her phone and after a few minutes. "Evening?"
Sharona nodded while Jessica returned to her phone's calendar.
"Hair appointment. I have to book weeks in advance and would never have missed that one. You can check with my beautician; I'll give you her name if you like."
For several seconds Sharona just sat there, dumbfounded. Finally, she spoke softly and to herself. "My gosh. He was telling the truth." She paused and tears began to fill her eyes. "What have I done?"
Jessica chuckled. "Threw away a good marriage from what I can see. Great job!" She smirked triumphantly towards Sharona and the lawyer. "So, see - you've got nothing to sue me over. I've done nothing wrong."
"Not so fast." A voice from nearby stated as Dr. Shoba, Carol, Monk, Natalie, Jared and Julie walked in from around the corner. Julie immediately walked over to Bennington who unhooked the surveillance camera that had been hidden on his person and handed it to her.
Sharona looked stunned at her friends as Jessica spun around and asked what was going on.
"When you state you did nothing wrong," Shoba stated, "That isn't exactly true. You've broken many of the ethics rules at this hospital which you agreed to abide by…"
"Not to mention breaking the law." Natalie stated.
"The law? Whuh…"
"Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment laws." Jared stated.
"Quid pro, what?" Jessica replied.
Monk stepped forward. "It is illegal to trade favors in the form of a sex affair in exchange for any item of value. To do so is called quid pro quo."
"Such as a promotion, or better hours." Natalie stated.
"And you are now on tape admitting that this is exactly what you were doing." Dr. Shoba stated. "Quite frankly, I'm astonished."
Jessica stepped back. "On tape? Wait a minute…that in itself is illegal, isn't it?"
"No. You admitted on your own the details of what you had done." Bennington stated. "And, according to the papers you signed at the hospital when you joined the staff, you can't even claim a violation of the state's two-party consent laws for recording the conversation because you waived those rights as a member of hospital staff."
"In short, Ms. Sterling, you're in big trouble with the ethics board as this will go on your permanent record– and, I might add, you're fired." Shoba stated. "If I were you, I would consider acquiring the services of an attorney."
Jessica's mouth slackened as Jared smiled. "Just not this one." He stated, elbowing Bennington in the arm. "Thanks, Joe."
"Any time, Jared." The attorney said. "Anything for a friend."
"I…I…" Jessica mumbled.
"Have the right to remain silent." Julie interjected. "Best be lawyering up now."
And with that, Jessica said no more, instead turning on her heels and rushing to the lockers to retrieve her things.
Shoba walked away and Natalie looked over at Carol and nodded, silently thanking her for her help on the details concerning the lives that 'Typhoon Jessica' had destroyed. Meanwhile, Monk walked over to his former assistant to explain to her what they had just done. Looking up at him through tear-filled eyes she didn't bother giving him time to talk.
"I kinda blew it, didn't I?" she asked.
Monk looked to her sympathetically and nodded. "Yeah. Well, kinda. But you can probably fix it."
She shook her head. "Yeah. I want to do that. Do you know where he is?"
Monk looked at his watch. "Should be in his office right now at work. He has two more hours on his shift, so if you want to catch him."
Sharona looked over to Carol who simply told her to go. They were slow anyway and her shift would be covered.
Captain Disher walked into his office, unholstering his service revolver as his Commander quietly followed him and took a seat. The two had just returned from a crime scene near South Beach Harbor in which a young woman had been brutally murdered by her gangland boyfriend. The scene itself would be the kind of thing that would make the most veteran of law enforcement angry, but Randy's reaction when they captured the perpetrator was shockingly strong and decidedly out of character, and when Leland observed it, he simply pointed to his squad car and told Randy to sit and wait for him. The drive back to the precinct was filled with uncomfortable silence and Randy fully expected one of the commander's famous lectures. This time he knew, he deserved it.
Arriving back at the office, the commander led his captain upstairs to his own office, telling Viv Anne to hold his calls for a while so that he and Randy could talk. Entering the room, Randy sat down in his normal chair and braced himself for the reprimand but was surprised when the commander leaned against the wall and quietly said, "You know, you're going to be okay, right?"
Randy looked up at him through eyes that were disconcerted, sadness on his face. Leland continued.
"I know that talking is probably the last thing you want to do, but I can't have you beating up on my suspects and you seem to be doing a pretty good job at beating up yourself too, so, we're going to talk. Tell me. What's is it that's on your mind, son?"
Randy was quite for a moment taking a deep breath as he formulated his thoughts. He swallowed and looked up at his mentor. "She left me for something I didn't even do and then she shut me out and refused to talk about it."
Leland nodded, staying perfectly upright against the wall, his hand reaching into his shirt pocket to retrieve a toothpick. "Karen never let us discuss anything either. She told me if I had to ask why, that was why, and it pissed me off because I couldn't read her mind. I felt like at the very least, after twenty years of marriage, I deserved a reason that my wife was walking away from me and making it so that I could barely see my kids."
"I just don't get it. Why would someone you're married to do something like this?" Randy barely looked up and when he spoke his voice was hardly above a quiet whisper. "Sharona doesn't believe me." He cleared his throat mid-sentence. "Commander, I…I know I'm a goofball most of the time and I know I don't do everything right, but I love her and I promised myself and her that I'd treat her the way she deserved to be treated and I wouldn't lie to her about anything." He blinked. "I mean, I lied to her about Gail's birthday and about liking her cousin Susan, but I didn't lie to her about Jessica. Commander, I was never with Jessica. I swear to you, but I feel like such a failure."
"Randy, look at me. You're not a failure. It feels that way because you want to fix things and Sharona isn't willing to fix them. I mean, when Karen left me, I really felt like everything I had worked for as a man, a husband, a father…it had all been one giant failure. But time and space have shown me that wasn't the case. Oh, we both made mistakes, sure. Who doesn't? But as I sit back several years later and look back, I realize that I did the best that I could do at the time and I believe you when you say you and this Jessica had nothing going on. Sometimes, the fix is out of our hands."
"Are you saying its hopeless?" he asked.
Leland thought for a moment. "No. I wouldn't say that. You and Sharona have an interesting history." He grinned. "I know you had a crush on Sharona from the beginning, when she worked for us before, before Natalie." Randy looked at Leland in surprise and Leland held up his hands. "It wasn't my place and it wouldn't have worked out back then. Monk needed Sharona to function more than you needed a girlfriend."
"You're probably right. She used to be pretty tough on me back then so I never really thought I had a chance with her. But really, it was because she had been hurt." Randy nodded. "She's been hurt a lot, and I get that. But I'm not Trevor, you know? It's not my fault Benjy's father is an ass. The fact she won't see that – well, it hurts."
Stottlemeyer nodded then sighed. "I know. I definitely know. You know, when we were all going through the things we were going through a few months ago, there was a point where I got angry over the situation and threw a beer against the wall and T.K. walked out on me."
"Really?" Randy asked, surprised.
"Yeah. And things were so tense that I had myself half-convinced that T.K. was going to walk out on me just like Karen. She came to talk to me one day and I actually thought that she was going to ask me for a divorce, but that was all my baggage. Turned out to be one of the most honest conversations of our marriage and it drew us closer together. After that happened, I realized how unfair I was being to T.K. by assuming that she was going to be just like Karen, when the truth was just the opposite. If an idiot like me can learn something like that, I have no doubt at all that Sharona will do the same. Randy, I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but I do believe that she will eventually come back to you. You just have to hang in there and try not to let it get to you while she works whatever it is out."
The two were silent for a while longer until Randy abruptly stood from the couch and crossed to Leland's desk, straightening some files and stray papers. Leland's moustache hid his smile that Monk's behaviors were rubbing off on him.
Randy ran his hand through his hair. "I should start looking for an apartment, shouldn't I? I - I can't stay with Monk forever and I'm pushing him to the edge of his tolerance. I'm trying to be good, commander, really I am."
Leland laughed. "Take it from me, Randy, trying to be good doesn't make a lick of difference. I'm shocked that the two of you have lasted this long without him calling me and complaining, or me getting a call about a homicide. He and I barely lasted a week."
Randy chuckled for the first time that day. "Natalie's our secret weapon. She knows how to handle him."
Leland nodded. "That she does. She can handle him better than I can sometimes. Heaven knows she's more patient than I'd be." He was quiet. "Randy, if you need any help you let me know, got it? I don't just mean about moving boxes or finding an apartment. I've been where you are, I can help."
Randy slowly looked up from the desk, turned and looked at his commander and long-time mentor. "Yeah. Uh, thanks, commander."
"Leland," the commander said, standing up from the couch and putting his hands in his pockets. "We've been friends for over a decade, you and Monk and me, and Natalie for seven. T.K. says that she can count on one hand the number of times she's heard any of you use my first name."
"Leland," Randy said slowly, as if testing it out, and then smiled. "Thanks. And thanks for talking with me. I think it helped."
"Any time." Leland nodded. "Just take it easy on my suspects from now on."
Randy smiled sadly and stood to walk back to his office and as he did he couldn't help but recall all of the memories that the walls of that precinct held for he and his wife. He wanted to be positive but it just so hard.
A short while later, Randy was downstairs in his own office, reflecting over his conversation with his mentor and friend and using his work computer to look up listings for one-bedroom apartments close to the precinct, when there was a knock on his door. He barely looked up. "I'm heading out in a minute, is it something we can deal with tomorrow?"
"Randy." Sharona's quiet voice pierced the air causing Randy's hand to hit a series of buttons on his computer screen that printed out the current page he was looking at. The printer was directly next to where Sharona was standing but at the moment she didn't notice. Her attention was entirely on him. "Ya got a minute?"
His eyes probed hers for a moment and he responded quietly. "Uh, sure. Is Benjy all right?"
Sharona's eyes watered as she nodded quickly. "Benjy's fine, Randy. I needed to talk to you. I…I don't exactly know how to start, other than to just tell you that some things happened today at work. Julie and Jared and Natalie and Monk put something together and got Jessica to tell the truth." Sharona lifted her head to meet her husband's eyes. "You weren't having an affair with her. She was manipulating both of us to get me out of the way so she could get that promotion I was up for, the one I told you about. So, I um…I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for how I acted and let you know I'm - I'm sorry I didn't believe you and I'd like you to come home. I - I want you home, Randy…I love you."
Randy couldn't help it but roll his eyes. "You're sorry?"
"Um…yes. That's what I said. And I mean it, I really am sorry."
Randy shook his head. "Sharona, you still don't get it. You can't just accuse me of cheating on you and then find out I didn't, then waltz back in here like everything is okay. Everything is not okay."
Sharona had the good sense to lower her eyes in shame. "Yeah. I know, I wasn't fair to you. I jumped to the wrong conclusion and I'd really like it if we could, you know, give it another go?"
"No, it's more than that. Sharona, I told you the truth about me and Jessica but you wouldn't believe me. I swore to you and you turned me away and only after our friends set something up to where Jessica told you the truth…do you know how that makes me feel? It took Jessica's word to get you to believe my story? It took Monk and Natalie, Julie and Jared cooking up some scheme and going through all that trouble before you would believe the truth?"
"I know, Randy, I'm sorry. I messed up."
For a solid minute Randy said nothing, only stared at her considering how he felt about his wife's confession and how he wanted to respond. When the wait became too uncomfortable, Sharona began to speak but was interrupted by Randy, whose voice was stronger than she expected.
"Do you remember Crystal Smith? The wallet model woman I dated back when you worked for Monk?" He didn't wait for her to respond. "I remember we were standing in the middle of a warehouse and I was exhausted so I yawned. You said something to me and I told you I'd been out with my girlfriend the night before and you didn't believe me. You called her another one of my 'imaginary girlfriends'. I remember that I tried really hard to prove to you that she was real, but you never accepted that I was telling you the truth. You laughed at me."
"Randy, I…that was like eight or nine years ago. Yeah, I was a jerk to you back then and I'm sorry about that, too, but you weren't the greatest either."
Randy held up his hand. "Look. I admit that I didn't tell you the truth about going to the game that night, and I'm sorry. I didn't want for you to be mad or to be disappointed. But you know good and well that I have never lied to you about the important stuff. I told you the truth about Jessica and as your husband I figured you'd believe me because I made a commitment to you on our wedding day and all those wedding vows we repeated to each other, they meant something to me, Sharona. They meant something to me. I mean, I searched too damn long to find the right one and when I committed to you, and those vows, I took them seriously and I hoped you did too."
Sharona immediately reached for Randy's hand to hold and he pulled back, but not before she saw that his left ring finger no longer held his wedding ring. Nervously, she turned to the side and reached for the papers in the printer to hand it to him in order to distract herself from crying. Immediately, it clicked as to what he was doing before she came in. "You're looking for an apartment?" she said, handing him the papers.
Randy rose and took them from her then sat back down in his chair. "I can't impose on Monk forever. He and Natalie are getting married soon and they're going to get their own place." He shook his head. "They can't have me living with them when they come back from their honeymoon. That'd just be awkward."
Sharona looked hopefully, "Well, you could come home. I mean, it could give us an opportunity to work it out."
Randy shook his head. "No. Too crowded."
"Huh? What do you mean too crowded? It's just you and me."
"Oh, but it's not. It would be you and me and the other man."
"Other man? What other man? Randy, I never cheated on you." She said, incensed.
"I'm talking about Trevor Howe."
"Trevor?"
"Yes. Sharona, for a solid month now I've been locked out of our marriage doing everything within my power to get back with you and to get on your good side, to make up to you for what I've done wrong, and I've just realized why it has felt like I'm trying to climb a mountain in the middle of a mudslide." He paused and looked at her. "Because I not only have to atone for my own wrongdoing but for his as well.
Sharona immediately scoffed. "Trevor has nothing to do with how I feel about you, Randy. You're the man I'm married to and you're the one I'm in love with."
Randy gave his wife a sad little smile. "Your brain might know that, Sharona, but your heart, that's a different story." He shook his head and looked down at his desk, reaching behind his chair for his jacket and feeling around for his wallet and keys. He would go to a public library or something if he needed to print more apartment listings so he wouldn't bother Monk. "Since before we even got married, he's been there. You see him in everything that happens in our lives, in where we live, in how I treat you, in what you assume about me, and not just about me and Jessica, about everything - and no matter how good I am to you, no matter how honest I am with you, you're so conditioned to think men are going to treat you badly that you always seem to think I have an angle or ulterior motive when I want to do something nice for you - and forget about ever trying to surprise you with anything! Honey, I have tried to make it clear to you that I'm not that man. I know I mess up sometimes and it's exhausting trying to make up for my own mistakes. I can't make up for his too, and frankly, right now I'm just tired."
Sharona reached across the desk for his hand. "Randy, I…you never told me that you felt this way."
"Didn't I? Or did you not listen?" Randy got up from his chair and crossed the room to the door to his office. Sharona had no choice but to follow behind.
"Then you're not even going to try?" she said, standing in the doorway as he walked into the hallway.
He turned halfway towards her and looked her in the eyes. "Sharona, I am worn out from trying. I'm worn out and angry – not at you, at the whole situation – and I just can't do this anymore. Right now, I don't think it is a good idea for us to be together. I want you to take some serious time to think about all of this, and figure out what it is that you really want and to realize who it is you are married to, not some louse that will dump you for some bimbo and then leave you as a struggling mother doing whatever she can do for her and her child to survive, but as a man who really loves his wife and won't ever treat you the way that others have treated you."
Sharona dropped her eyes and Randy picked up her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You can text me if you need anything and we can still talk and everything, I'm not leaving you. And, I'm not angry at you. But, you know, I need to know you appreciate me for who I am before we even consider where we go from here."
And with that, Randy raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her hand before turning and walking out of the building.
