Adrian Monk did not report into work the next day, or the next. In fact, the only communication that anyone had with him was a short phone call from Natalie to Adrian about 9 hours after she left him standing on their doorstep. She was letting him know that she and the twins had arrived at her parent's house safely. From that point forward, he did nothing. He didn't eat. He didn't sleep. He sat, alone in a cavernous house void of the sound of children's voices and empty of the love he so now craved.

He had always had abandonment issues, ever since his father Jack walked away from the family and he was forced to play grown up at the age of eight. At least Natalie had the courtesy of telling him she was leaving. But even with that recognition, he struggled. He struggled with depression and fear and anger and the temptation to give up – after all, he knew he didn't deserve her anyway, who was he trying to kid?

And those two little miracles. Oh, how he desperately he wanted to hold them, to smell their little baby smells, to see their beaming little faces which had the ability to take even the worst of days and make them into something good; but, they too were gone. 3000 miles away, in the city he used to call home – that he still felt was home, especially now that everything that really made his house a home was there.

And so, he sat. With the only light in the house being that of the sun, he sat. Alone with this thoughts. Alone with himself. No Sharona to pull him out this time. No Dr. Kroeger. No Dr. Bell. Alone.

But, not alone. Across the country, Leland Stottlemeyer was worried. He was worried that nobody had heard from his longtime friend. He was worried that this had been too much for him and that perhaps he had slipped into a catatonic state again – perhaps never to come out. If this were anyone else, he would say that the person was an adult and would manage to get through it – but this was Monk. Monk, who ten years ago had just barely climbed out of the abyss and who had relied on others for his entire adult life – whether in the form of his late wife Trudy, or his assistant Sharona, or Natalie or his shrinks. The crazy paradox about Monk's life was that this guy who was so often in "Monk Land" all by himself, and who didn't do well with taking direction from others, still needed people in order to function. And, at this point in time, his people were gone – far out of reach and unable at this point to take care of him.

How could she do this? To a degree, Leland understood Natalie's angst. It would have to be horrible to live with a fear that your soul-mate could be taken from you at any moment, but now she had two young children to consider. But to just up and leave him? Without trying to work things out? She knew him better than anyone. She must really be in a bad place herself to have done it. She must be reliving the times when she received word that her first husband Mitch had been killed and she had to launch out on her own and try to raise her daughter Julie, as a single mother.

Julie! Julie was still in town. She could at least run by the house and check on him and see if he was okay. Leland would give Julie a call.


Julie and Travis arrived at the Swampscott residence around noon on day three. After parking their car in the driveway, they walked up on the porch and noticed that the door was ajar. This was not good.

Walking apprehensively into the dark and quiet house, they looked for any sign of life. They didn't have to look far, because there he was. On the living room couch, auto-repeating video from his and Natalie's wedding in Washington, while listening to the sounds of recordings of Natalie's voice – reading to him stories from Sherlock Holmes and telling him about her life growing up. It was something she did for him for times when he was afraid and she couldn't be with him.

Julie walked over to him and was shocked by his appearance. Normally, Adrian was the most well kempt person she knew. Even when he was sick, he still maintained personal hygiene. But it was clear that he had done none of that. He hadn't brushed his hair, shaved, or even brushed his teeth in almost three days. His eyes were bloodshot and had great circles underneath them. He looked drawn and dehydrated, with no evidence that he even had any water to drink.

"Adrian?" she said to him, walking over to his side. "Adrian. Can you hear me?" she asked.

No response.

She looked up at Travis who launched into medical mode, trying to make sure that his vitals were still good.

"We need to get him some water to drink." He said. "I'll go get some. Try to get him to respond."

Julie reached over for the remote, but he jerked it away.

"No." he said, through parched lips and a crackly throat and continuing to stare at the television. "Don't take her from me. It's…it's all I have."

"Adrian. Dad. That's not Mom. Mom is in California and you are here. You can't do this. You have to be strong. You can't give in. Mom will come around. She's just upset. But, she will be back. And you need to be able to show her that you can be strong without her." Julie said.

Adrian furrowed his brow and looked at Julie square in the eyes as Travis brought Adrian a glass of water.

"Be strong, without her? Julie? How exactly am I supposed to be able to be strong without her? She's my life. She's why I wake up in the morning. She's what enables me to rest peacefully at night. Be strong without her? Surely, you jest." He said.

"No. I don't jest." Said Julie. "Drink this!" she said, handing him the glass of water. He just stared at the glass.

"ADRIAN! DRINK!" she ordered. "You're not going to do anyone any good just sitting in here in the dark wishing yourself dead. You have two little children that need their daddy and a wife that loves you, even if right now she can't be with you. Mom needs to work out her own issues, but you can't be sitting around here acting like life is over just because she needed to take a break. I know. It sucks. But, you have to carry on. She WILL be back. Now, when she comes back, do you want her to see a catatonic man who can't even take care of himself? Do you want to be a burden to her and be someone that she has to worry about the rest of her days because he simply lacks the skill set to be an adult? Or, are you going to take the skills you've learned over the past 20 years and put them to good use? Are you going to show her that she married a man who will stand firm, even when the going gets tough? Your choice." Julie said.

"Where's Dr. Bell when you need him?" Adrian whined as he finally took a sip and then a gulp of water.

"You don't need Dr. Bell. You need to get up and get moving. You need to have a little faith. It's going to work out. In fact – it's going to be better than ever. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." She said.

Adrian threw her a look then said slowly with emphasis "Do you know how much I HATE that phrase?"

Julie grinned. "There's my Adrian. That's the Dad I have known and loved so much. FIGHT! Fight for her. Fight for those two little ones. Don't give in. You WILL win! Just don't give up. Stand strong, and when you feel like not fighting any more, keep standing!"

He looked down at the glass and rotated it in his hand, watching the light play off of the bevels in its design.

"Is she worth it to you?" she asked.

"What?! Why would you ask that?" he asked, almost offended.

"Well, if you just continue to sit here and do nothing and let her get away, I think that sends a message that your misery was more important. People get that way, you know. You've heard you can't help someone who won't help themselves? There must be a certain comfort in the familiarity of despair that some people just get stuck there. Is that what you want? Do you want to live the rest of your life in misery and despair?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Do you?" she asked.

"No. Of course not." He finally said.

"Then get up, get a shower, get dressed, and get busy. Your life is not over and it's not over between you and Mom. Show her the man you have become." she said.

Adrian looked at her and for the first time in three days, his sad brown eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Tell me, how did you grow up so quickly? You've turned into your mother." he said.

"Hey, around you folks, you have to grow up quickly." She joked. "You certainly don't make things easy."

He took a deep breath and turned off the television and set down his cell phone.

"Alright. I will take your advice. I'm not going to give in to my inner demons. I'm going to keep going. But first…oh gosh…I'm going to shower!"