A/N: Yes, I know I haven't updated for a while. Writers block and such. Plus, I spent some of my summer days making "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" videos (making music videos is another one of my secret talents/hobbies). But I'm back, and that's what really matters right? I spent some sleepless nights writing this, but hey – my mind is usually… more poetic late at night. Anyway, a warning: It gets pretty sad in this chapter (don't worry, Natalie "Sunshine" Teeger brightens it up a little with a few funny moments), and I think that this is where the T rating comes to play. I apologize in advance if things seem out of character/not possible in real life (and no, I don't know a lot of Spanish, only some words and, like, two phrases). Anyway, I also added a little Natalie scene. She hasn't had much to do in this story except argue (and then apologize) with Monk… Well, don't want to delay you guys anymore… Onward to the long-awaited chapter four!
Chapter Four: Comfort and Early Morning Surprises
Ivette turned around and stared at the bathroom door. She could've sworn she had heard the door open. She shrugged it off as being nerves about everything that had happened to her thus far as she finished unbuttoning her blouse.
Once she was completely nude, she turned the shower on and stepped inside. When the water had warmed up considerably, she sighed and let the hot water wash over her tanned skin, hoping that it would rush her troubles down the drain along with the dirt and grime. She picked up her washcloth she brought in with her and scrubbed herself, wanting to rid the feeling of that wretched, evil man's hands on her skin. But no matter how hard she scrubbed; she could still feel him. Ivette suddenly cried out in desperation and fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
After a few moments, she somehow managed to calm herself down. She stood back up, turned the water off and stepped out of the shower to get dressed. But her moment of calm didn't last long. She cried out once more and started to weep again.
Monk was still mentally kicking himself for intruding on Ivette in the midst of her stripping when he heard a scream. "Ivette…" he said as he rushed out of his bedroom to the hallway. He stopped in front of the bathroom door and shyly knocked. All he heard on the other end was quiet sobbing. He rolled his shoulders in discomfort. "Ivette," he called. "Ivette… are you alright?"
He heard a very audible sniff. "Uh, si… señor Monk. Just…just a little cold. I-I'm fine, really." But she was lying; right through her teeth. And Monk could tell.
"Are you sure?" he asked, thinking that maybe even she herself wasn't sure.
Silence.
He knocked again. "Ivette?"
More silence.
He was about to leave and retreat to his room, when the bathroom door slowly opened. Ivette came out, dressed in her long cotton nightgown, and simply said two words: "Help me." She then buried her face and her hands into his chest and cried.
Monk was uncomfortable and clueless. He didn't know what to do. Trying to figure out what he should do, he placed his arms behind her. But he didn't touch her. "I…" He moved his arms again, but this time his hands ever-so lightly touched Ivette's back. "I-I don't know how to help you…" he told her softly. He wished he knew. His eyes filled with tears. They were tears for Ivette; and tears for his own incompetence in handiling this. As his sorrow for both their situations built up inside him, he wrapped his arms tight around Ivette, much like he had done for Trudy those times when she was upset, and rested his head on hers. "I don't know… I don't know…" he repeated over and over into her hair.
At one point, he heard that protesting voice speak up again. But he was too distraught to pay any attention to it.
Ivette spoke again, her voice muffled. "Don't leave me," she pleaded. "That is how you can help me."
Monk let a tear drop down, onto Ivettte's hair. "I won't," he swore to her. "Not ever."
Natalie awoke the next morning anxious. She was anxious about what she would find when she went over to Monk's apartment. Even though Mr. Monk had assured her that he could handle another person staying at his place (a stranger, no doubt) the night before, she woke up this morning and said, "There's only one bathroom…" She had rubbed her face tiredly as she swung her feet over the edge of her bed. "Oh, god, there's only one bathroom! He doesn't even let me use it!"
As she hurried Julie to school, and later rushed over to Monk's, that same thought stuck with her. Odd, yes, but she knew her boss. She thought that he couldn't handle such a change. Not yet, anyway.
After what seemed like hours, she finally reached Monk's place. She ran frantically up the stairs and pounded on his door once she got there. "Mr. Monk!" she called for him. "Mr. Monk, are you okay?"
When he didn't answer, Natalie took out her spare key, cursing herself for being an idiot for not thinking of that in the first place, and opened the door. She quietly walked into the entryway. It all seemed too quiet to her.
Monk slowly awoke from his sleep. The first thing he felt was the stiffness in his neck. That's weird… he thought. He yawned and took a look around him. He somehow had spent the night on the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table. The next things he noticed that were stiff were his legs. They had been stuck in crossed-over position on the coffee table all night. He carefully lowered them down to the floor. As he did so, he looked over and noticed Ivette. She was curled up on the opposite side of the couch, still in a deep sleep. At first, he wondered why he had fallen asleep on the couch. Then he remembered. He remembered how upset Ivette had been…. The tears….
"Oh my god…" he whispered. He pulled at his shirt as looked at it in disgust. "I've got eye juice on me…" He then stood up, thinking of only to go get a shower.
As he walked out, he almost ran into Natalie, who grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him up and down, as if he was sick or something. "Mr. Monk, are you okay?"
Monk stepped out of his assistant's hold. "Yeah, but I have eye juice… tears… on me." He then headed down the hall, bent on taking an extremely long shower.
Natalie just stared down the hall, confused as to what her boss was talking about. She was shaken from her thoughts by Ivette yawning in the living room. Natalie ventured into the room and watched Ivette stretch and finally stand up.
Ivette tried her best to grin at Natalie. "Buenos dias, Natalie." She greeted her.
Natalie, still in shock that Mr. Monk was not going insane at this point, could only wave and give a small smile. "Uh… hi."
For some reason, Natalie had this feeling that Monk was acting strange… for him, that is. She just had to figure out why… Why was he taking in a stranger, when he couldn't even handle the Captain staying at his apartment (she had heard some stories from the Captain himself)? She didn't know, but she was going to find out.
