Winthrop Academy was responsible for developing and graduating some of Massachusetts brightest students. Headed up by Tabitha Fairchild, a revered member of New England academia, it was one of the top schools in the region and very discriminating in its clientele. It could afford to be, because it attracted enough wealthy families and received enough private endowments to never have to worry about running the institution in the red. Of course, knowing their children as they did, neither Monk nor Natalie had any doubts that their children would be added to the rolls– in fact, Adrian expected that they would be among the school's star pupils. Any school would count it a privilege to host them.

The Monks picked up the Lee and Abby from Julie's and arrived at the facility at precisely two o'clock. Entering the building they found that Ms. Fairchild was already waiting.

Tall and slender, she didn't' come off at all as a stereotypical schoolmarm but rather appeared to be a polished professional, more businesswoman than educator. Her unsmiling demeanor was a bit of a turnoff for Natalie from the first; but, Adrian cared less. The most important thing to him was that the school would give his children a solid education in a clean and safe environment and that it would help in their future success. For his concerns, everything seemed perfect.

As Tabitha led them to her office, she called for an assistant who immediately escorted Lee and Abby into an adjacent activity room so that the administrator could speak with the parents alone concerning their children's entrance exams. Another assistant entered the room while they got situated and offered them some freshly made hot cocoa.

"You really should try it." she said. "The chocolate is imported from Belgium and the marshmallows are hand crafted by our very own chef here at the Academy." Natalie accepted the offer but Monk requested water instead. When they did not have Summit Creek, he politely declined refreshments, instead focusing all of his attention on the matter at hand.

"Very well, then. Let's get down to business." Tabitha said walking over to the couple with a manilla folder in hand and taking a seat in a leather chair. "First of all, Mr. and Mrs. Monk, I would like to compliment you on how well behaved both of your children are. They were simply little dolls when the child psychologist visited the home and did the assessment."

Monk furrowed his brow, turning toward Natalie. "Child psychologist? Natalie, you didn't say he was a shrink."

"It's standard procedure, Mr. Monk." Fairchild asserted before Natalie had a chance to explain. "We assess all potential students for behavioral problems or other issues that might create a distraction so they can be screened out. We strongly believe that in order for our students to achieve, they must be able to focus all of their attention on their schoolwork and not on someone else's problem."

Natalie frowned but Monk nodded, considering it a reasonable procedure. After all, there were times where he was at home trying to work through a case and the children's play would disturb his concentration. Of course, that would apply to school as well.

"That makes sense," he said, but Natalie was not convinced.

"I do have a question." Natalie interjected.

"Yes?" Tabitha replied turning towards Lee and Abby's mother. "And what is that, Mrs. Monk?"

"Well, I get that they need to learn, but part of that education is going to be learning to cope with other children their age and situations that they may find disagreeable. Given that is the case, when do they learn how to live life? Do they get to socialize within a normal structure at all?"

Tabitha set the folder down on the table. "We have a fifteen-minute play time once a day before lunch, if that is what you mean. However, the students are here to learn and grow, not to socialize and make friends. Of course, they will intermingle throughout the day with other children as they work on various activities– but their primary focus will be their education."

"As it should be." Monk replied.

Natalie sat back in the chair, still feeling a bit dubious about what the school had to offer but willing to listen.

"Now, in terms of their development, it is apparent that both children are quite intelligent, particularly when working together. Although Leland did manifest a little separation anxiety when Dr. Frum's assistant went to assess Abigail in another room. That alone could have gotten him disqualified, but he worked his way through it and I am happy to say for the last twenty minutes of the exam, he did very well."

Natalie's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean it could have disqualified him? Are you saying that if my three-year-old didn't get it together enough after his best friend and sister went away that you would have kicked him out of the school?"

"Well, I…" Tabitha began.

Monk chuckled nervously, interrupting. "Uh, Ms. Fairchild, would you mind if my wife and I talk alone for a few minutes? I know that your time is very precious so I'll make it quick."

Tabitha looked between the two and nodded. "Of course. You can stay in here. There are some things I need to check on down the hall. We can continue when I return."

The door had been closed for less than a second when Monk turned to his wife.

"Okay, sweetheart. What's really going on here?"

"What's really going on?" she replied. "Don't you feel it? This place feels so cold and formal and…I don't know… that woman. Ms. Fairchild. She doesn't seem to care about children at all. To her, they are products to churn out, not humans to love."

"Natalie, you remember we went over this. Ms. Fairchild comes with the highest credentials. She received her PhD. From Princeton and has received the National Private School Associations' highest honors for the past six years in a row. She's highly qualified."

"She may be qualified to run a business, but Adrian – these are our children. This place doesn't feel like the kind of environment our children need."

"The children need a good education."

"I don't disagree."

"And Winthrop is a top-notch school. I mean, think of it, Natalie. Lee and Abigail are such quick learners. I really don't think there is anything that either one of them couldn't accomplish if given time. We don't want to hold them back because of – a little socialization, do we?"

"Did a lack of socialization do you any good?"

"Natalie!"

She blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded; but just think about it. Our two vivacious children locked away in some facility for eight hours a day, not getting to explore or play…I just don't want them being unhappy. I mean, you of all people should get that given your childhood and what all you had to endure."

Monk took no offense. "But their childhood isn't like my childhood, sweetheart. And, they still have other kids they can play with – John Michael, Ophelia, and soon…" he reached his hand out and touched her stomach. "Our baby boy."

Immediately, the baby kicked. Monk gasped and looked up towards Natalie. Both began to laugh and he scooted his chair close to hers, wrapping his arms around her.

"See, even he says it's okay." He said softly. "Darling, you're just feeling a little separation anxiety yourself. Our babies are growing up and this is their first step into a future where Mom and Dad aren't always going to be right beside them." He said, rubbing her arm.

She sighed. "I suppose that's part of it. But I don't want people being harsh with them and breaking their spirits. I want them to be able to be who they are."

"And they will. Trust me, Natalie, if I at all felt like they weren't going to be treated well…"

"I know. I do know that." She replied, leaning her head up and kissing him on the mouth. "You're a good daddy, and I'm a pregnant basket case. I'm sorry if I'm in a mood."

Monk lowered his cheek against her head. "Oh, you're in a mood? I thought that was just you."

Natalie's eyes flashed irritation until she looked up and saw an element of mirth in his eyes. She smiled.

"Alright, alright. You win, daddy. You're probably right. I'm just being a nervous ninny worried that her babies are growing up."

He kissed her forehead. "You're being the good mother that you always are, looking out for our children. And for that, Mrs. Monk, I love you very much."

"Just for that?" she said, tilting her head.

"Oh, for that and for the way you're looking at me now and for the way you just always seem to make life so much more tolerable than I ever thought it could be – and those are just a few of the things."

"Thank you." She replied.

"For what?"

"For being the reasonable one when my emotion gets in the way."

Twenty minutes later, Lee and Natalie were rushing across the driveway trying to catch up with Monk, who was holding Abby in his arms as they made their way to the car.

"Adrian! Wait! I can't keep up!" She shouted, scooping Lee up onto her hip and rushing to rejoin her party. Crossing the street, she gasped when she and Lee almost walked into the path of a moving car. Monk spun around when he heard her and immediately turned around. Taking her hand, he escorted her safely towards their vehicle.

"I don't know who the H-E-L-L that woman thinks she is, telling me that she thinks my D-A-U-G-H-T-E-R is S-T-U-P-I-D."

"That's not what she said, Adrian." Natalie said, trying to keep pace. "She said that the one score was a little less than the other and that they could only admit your S-O-N this year. She said that your D-A-U-G-H-T-E-R would be ready next year."

Reaching the car, he let go of her hand. "But, she's ready now, Nat!"

"Apparently, Ms. Fairchild doesn't think she is – and she is the professional."

"Ms. Fairchild is a blithering idiot!"

"What I am ready for, Daddy?" Abby said as her father opened the car door. Natalie opened the door on the other side and began to strap Lee into his car seat.

Monk looked at his daughter and exhaled, lowering her into her car seat as well. "You're ready for anything you want to set your hands to, or your feet. You want to dance? My baby girl will be a prima ballerina at the Met. You want to paint? The curators at the National Gallery will be tripping over themselves in order to show your art work. You want to write music? Broadway will be at your beck and call. You name it, sweetheart – for Abigail Monk, the sky is the limit. Ms. Fairchild simply doesn't know what she's talking about."

He buckled and rechecked Abigail's safety belt four times and then stretched across her to ensure that Lee's was secure as well. Then, he joined Natalie in the front.

As Monk buckled his own belt, Natalie continued.

"See, Adrian, that's exactly what I was saying – Abby doesn't want to do all of that stuff - at least not right now. Not at three years old. She just wants to be a little girl and play with her brother and have fun as she grows. I agree with you, she is smart enough and talented enough that if she wants to do any of those things then she will no doubt work hard and achieve those goals – but she doesn't have to have it now, and if it means that she sacrifices a life in one of Massachusetts most prestigious schools in exchange for a happy well-balanced childhood, it's worth it to me. And, I know it is to you as well."

Monk drove away from the school and turned on the CD player, saying nothing for the next two miles. Finally, he conceded. "You're right, of course, sweetheart. I have no idea what I was thinking."

She reached over and took his hand. "You were thinking of how to make sure your children got the best education possible. "

"But I forgot the part about them being kids. I guess because I never truly was a kid, sometimes I don't connect with that."

Natalie understood. Adrian's lack of a happy childhood had such a profound impact on who he was throughout his life. She grieved his loss of a stable home and knew that many of his insecurities stemmed directly from those early years. Yet, she also admired the fact that he was so determined to make sure that his own children did not suffer that same fate.

"That's okay, honey. We're both learning. Neither one of us have ever been parents to twin geniuses before."

Monk's mouth curled up on one side and he huffed slightly. "Well, technically, one is only of superior intelligence, not a genius."

She grinned. "That's still okay, isn't it?"

Monk glanced at his wife and shook his head. "Yeah. It's a little uneven, but I suppose we'll have to live with it."

She looped her arm through his and snuggled closely to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

Turning the corner towards their street, their contented solitude was interrupted when Lee began to kick the back of Natalie's seat. Natalie furrowed her brow.

"Lee, what is it? Stop kicking Mommy's seat."

"But, I got a question, Mommy."

Natalie raised up, turning her head to see her little man looking very reflective as he sat up straight in his seat. He looked so much like his father sometimes it was scary.

"Okay, sure. What's your question?"

Lee looked at her and then at his daddy's eyes reflecting in the rear-view mirror. "Does dis mean I not going to S-C-H-O-O-L?"

Both parents' mouths gaped. Then Natalie covered her mouth to avoid laughing.

"Uhhhh – yeah, I think that's what that means. Are you okay with that?" Natalie asked.

"Uh-huh. I got to learn how to be big bruvver before I become scientist."

The dimples in Monk's cheeks made an appearance and he reached over, taking his wife's hand.

"Is that right?" Natalie asked.

"And I gonna wern to be a big sisser so we can take care of duh baby." Abby chimed in.

Natalie's eyes sparkled as she looked at her two precious ones. "And here your daddy and I were worried. Sounds like you both have the situation totally in hand!"

"Worried? I never worry." Monk said, sincerely.

Natalie turned back around and laid her head back on his shoulder. Yeah, not much. She thought, smirking to herself.

By three fifteen, Lee and Abby were safely back home and being watched by Natalie's parents who hadn't seen them in two months due to COVID restrictions. Monk's delicate condition when he first was released coupled with both Davenports actually catching COVID after Peggy's clandestine visit to her hairdresser, resulted in the only interaction the two had with their daughter's family being via Facetime. Having been cleared by their doctor a week prior though, it was finally safe for them to reengage. Therefore, when Natalie's doctor's appointment came up, they eagerly volunteered to babysit.

Natalie pointed out where the toys and snacks were then quickly joined her husband who was pacing in the front hall and frequently checking his watch. The obstetrician was just a short drive from their house, but he was insistent that they leave as early as possible just in case there was traffic. Natalie had learned not to argue and patiently endured the minor gripe session he dished out concerning her parents making them late as they drove to the doctor's office.

Arriving a full twenty-minutes before their scheduled appointment, Monk stuck his face as close as practical into a crime magazine that he brought along with him. This helped him to avoid the anatomical posters on the walls and the nursing mother to his right. Intellectually, he understood that feeding children that way was normal. But seeing someone do so in public was something he'd never feel comfortable with.

The receptionist called their name at precisely four o'clock and if one would have asked her, she would have sworn that she had never seen a patient's husband spring up so quickly. Taking Natalie by the hand, he ushered them through the waiting room doors and back to the exam room where Natalie would have her sonogram. An assistant handed her a hospital gown, instructing her to go ahead and change and once she was finished, she sat down beside her anxious husband. And there, they waited. For another thirty-five minutes they passed the time trying to curb their excitement as they waited to see their boy.

Finally, a light knock came on the door and a young woman, who appeared to be around their oldest daughter Julie's age, came into the room. Her surgical mask was printed with a smile on the outside that reflected what was underneath – which was also manifest in her eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Monk?"
"Yes." Natalie said.

"Hi. My name's Kaylee. I'm Dr. Green's ultrasound tech. Ya'll excited to see your baby?"

Natalie smiled, taking Monk's hand as he stood stiffly, faking a smile as he knew he should.

"Yes, we are." Natalie replied.

"We're looking forward to it, um…" Monk said, raising one hand and looking toward the door. "Is Dr. Green coming?"

Kaylee rolled the cart out and shook her head. "No. One of her patients went into labor and she had to leave. It's just me today. Okay, Mrs. Monk, I need you to lay down on the examination table. You ever had an advanced sonogram before?"

"I had a 3D one at sixteen weeks." She replied. "But, we missed the one between 20 and 24 weeks because of COVID restrictions.

"Oh, I see. Well, the machine we have now does 5D imagery so you'll get to see your baby move around and really get to see what he looks like, hopefully.

"Wonderful! What's the difference between 4D and 5D?"

"Basically, you're getting more detail with the 5D. Let's see here, get this thing booted up."

Kaylee turned on the machine and leaned over to adjust some knobs. Monk raised his hand.

"Um, excuse me."

"Yes sir?"

"Uh, when you say…she had to leave, did you mean for just a few minutes and she'll be back? Or does she plan to be absent for an extended period of time?"

Kaylee scooted the fabric away from Natalie's abdomen. "I mean she's delivering a baby. You never can tell how long that is going to take. You doin' okay, Mrs. Monk."

"Yes, Kaylee. I'm fine."

Kaylee pulled up a chair and sat next to Natalie and the cart.

Monk again raised his hand. "Excuse me."

"Yes, Mr. Monk." She replied.

"Um, when you say that you never can tell how long it's going to take, you're saying there is a chance she might still be here today, right?"

"Adrian!" Natalie scolded.

"I'm just asking, sweetheart. It doesn't hurt to ask."

Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Actually, Mr. Monk, Dr. Green is gone the rest of the day."

"But what if there is a problem? I mean, what if my wife suddenly goes into labor and needs her doctor?"

"It'll be fine. I don't think Mrs. Monk is going into labor today and if she does we can take care of it. Oh, shoot!" she said as she reached into the cart and picked up a plastic bottle.

"What? What is it?" Monk asked.

Kaylee held up the bottle in front of her. "Empty. Excuse me for a minute. I'll be right back." She said, pushing away from Natalie's bed and leaving the room.

"I don't like this, Natalie," her husband said as he smoothed out the fabric over her stomach.

"You don't like this? This what?"

"Where is Dr. Green?"

Natalie let out a sigh of exasperation. "You heard what Kaylee said. She's delivering a baby. She's probably in the delivery room working hard this very moment."

"Well, can't she push it back in?"

"What?!"

"You know, push the baby back into the…the…the…woman's area -just until we're through here."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

"I'm serious! What are we paying for here? You are a high-risk pregnancy because of your Hashi…Hashi…"

"Hashimotos."

"Hashimotos and your age. We should have 24/7 access to the doctor. Not some bumpkin fresh out of college."

"Adrian, that's just rude. I'm sure Kaylee is highly qualified."

"Are you? What do we know about her qualifications? She's so young. How do we even know she's out of high school?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Did you hear her? 'Ya'll excited to see your baby?' She's southern. Kentucky, judging from her dialect."

"Okay. So?"

"So, you're from California. California women are built different than Southern women."

Natalie sat up on her elbows. "Okay, this I have to hear."

"It's true. California women are used to shopping and laying out on beaches and shopping. No offense, but your type is more…fragile than Southern women."

"More fragile."

"Yes! When someone in Southern California goes into labor, half the time she has to cancel a botox treatment and a manicure just to make sure she can fit it into her schedule."

"Oh, geez."

"It's true! And, if a Southern woman is out…say…picking tobacco or green beans or something, and she goes into labor, she is just as likely as not to drop the baby right there in the field and keep on working."

Natalie paused for a moment, studying his face, then started giggling.

"What?"

"You are so funny."

Monk looked confused. "I wasn't trying to be. I'm serious."

Natalie laughed harder. "I'm sure you are."

"Sweetheart, please try to take this serious. I'm seriously worried that…"

"Alright! Got a fresh bottle of gel and it isn't even cold." Kaylee said, reentering the room. "Ya'll ready to get started?"

Natalie looked over at Monk who looked back at her, uncertainty etched on his face. She took his hand. "We're more than ready." She smiled, mouthing "It's okay" to him as Kaylee got back into position.

A few seconds later Kaylee lifted the fabric from over Natalie's abdomen again and squirted some of the gel thereon. "Okay, let's first see how your son looks in 2D."

After pressing some buttons, she rolled a wand over the top of Natalie's stomach. A black blob appeared on the screen with lighter parts coming in and out of view intermittently. "Okay, where's your head, little guy?"

At this point, Monk and Natalie's attention was diverted to the screen.

"Ah, there he is! There's your son."

"Adrian, look at that profile. Such a cutey!" Natalie said, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

Monk studied the screen and a small smile appeared on his face. He was in awe. "Is he…is he sucking his thumb?"

"Sure is." Kaylee smiled, as she moved the wand around a little more. "And it looks like his foot is right up by his left ear."

"How is that possible?" Monk mused.

Natalie turned from watching the screen to watching her husband, enjoying his childlike fascination as much as she was enjoying seeing the ultrasound.

"Alrighty, I'm gonna switch to 5D now. Hold on just a second."

Kaylee pressed another button and suddenly he was there, moving about, opening his eyes and looking very much like he would look if he were outside the womb.

"Natalie! That's…that's our boy!"

Natalie turned her head and looked toward the screen. "Wow! He's so…beautiful!" she said, wiping a tear away from her cheek. Monk caressed her arm, mesmerized by the image on the monitor.

"Oh, he is. Look at that button nose and…Oh, Natalie! He's smiling! Is he smiling?" he asked Kaylee who nodded in delight.

Natalie giggled even as the technician took her measurements and made notes. The couple conversed back and forth for several more minutes watching their son move about, oblivious to anything else in the room as they shared this precious moment.

Kaylee printed pictures and switched back and forth between 5D and 2D several times, ultimately going back to 5D where they could hear their son's heartbeat. It was at this point that Kaylee's expression turned more serious. Unnoticed by the parents, she began to concentrate her attention more towards his organs, switching back to 2D several times and then taking notes while the parents discussed the fact that they needed to settle on a name. She had stayed on 2D for a longer than expected period when Natalie recognized that this was unusual.

Natalie turned her head. "Does everything look okay?"

Kaylee looked slightly nervous for a moment and closed her notebook. "I'm um, sure everything is fine. Excuse me for a moment. I'm going to go get someone."

She left the room and things suddenly became very quiet. Monk was confused, but Natalie felt a lump forming in her throat. What is wrong?

After a few seconds, Monk took a seat next to Natalie's bed. "Was that normal?" he asked, looking between Natalie and the door.

"I…um. It's probably nothing." She stated, trying not to show her fear. But, the truth shown in her eyes.

Monk pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it, then began to stroke her hair. "Don't worry, sweetheart. It's like I said. She's young. She's probably just going to ask someone a question."

Natalie nodded slowly. "You're…you're probably right. She is young. She's probably still learning."

A few minutes passed and Kaylee returned with a man around Monk's age. He wore a dress shirt and tie and immediately moved to look at Natalie's charts. Setting them down, he walked over to where Kaylee had been sitting and looked up at the last images that were taken on the machine.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Monk. I'm Dr. Conrad Betz, Dr. Green's partner. Kaylee heard what she thought was a heart murmur during your son's ultrasound. Given the results of his prior ultrasounds, it is probably not serious, but we'll check things out just to be sure."

Natalie turned to Monk with a concerned look, he swallowed hard and held her hand.

The doctor reapplied gel to Natalie's stomach then rolled the wand to the area where the baby's chest and abdomen were. Pausing for several seconds he carefully watched the image on the screen and listened. After a couple of minutes of listening and moving the wand around, looking at various aspects of his heart the doctor turned towards the sonographer.

"Kaylee, would you go retrieve those prints? I would like one set to go to Dr. Rubin and another set to go home with Mr. and Mrs. Monk. Oh – and go ahead and burn them a DVD while you're at it."

"Yes, sir." She said, before leaving the room.

"Is he alright?" Natalie asked, her eyes searching his expression.

The doctor swiveled the chair to face them. "Mr. and Mrs. Monk. It appears that your son has a heart defect. It's something called Atrial Septum Defect, or ASD for short.

A diagnosis of ASD happens when the septum, which separates the right and left chambers of the heart, has a hole in it. Children usually have openings in their hearts in this area that allow for blood flow between the chambers and once they are near, or sometimes sometime after birth, the hole closes up and the lungs take over part of that workload.

In the case of your son, it appears that one of the areas where these holes can appear is actually not just open but he may be actually missing one of those parts - the septum primum, which normally comes in right here…" he said, pointing towards the screen. "It is either deficient or absent altogether."

Monk sat on the edge of Natalie's bed, placing one arm around her as they listened.

"Now, I'm not a pediatric cardiologist and we don't have all of the equipment needed for an official diagnosis, but I'm friends with a doctor who works out at General who is a leader in the field. What I'd like to do is get a little sample of your blood to do some pre-testing and then send you to him for a full exam. He will be able to tell you the extent of the defect and work with you about what future actions might need to be taken."

Natalie's eyes whelmed up. "Is he going to die?" Monk held her tightly.

"There is no reason to think that at this point, Mrs. Monk. Your son is strong and active. And trust me, Dr. Rubin will provide the best possible care to ensure that he has the best possible outcome." Standing, the doctor made his way to the door.

"Now, if you'll just stay right here a minute, I'll send Sarah in to draw some blood and we will send you on your way."

After the appointment, at her insistence, Adrian dropped Natalie off at home while he fulfilled his promise to Leland to take a look at the crime scene. It didn't take a detective to realize that his mind was not in it. Meandering about the building, he raised his hands a couple of times trying to see anything that was out of place but couldn't. A maintenance tunnel which ran through the back of the building and ran to the outside turned out to be a dead end as it was padlocked shut from the outside and filled with spiderwebs (which nearly sent Monk into a panic attack). In the end, Monk kept his son's condition to himself and stayed for about an hour before announcing he'd seen enough and needed to go home. Knowing something was off about his partner, Stottlemeyer let him go without question.

When Monk arrived home, there were no sounds of children playing and there was only enough light on to make his way through the house. After hanging his coat up on a hanger and placing it into the hall closet, he made his way to the children's room where the twins were both in bed. Stopping by Lee's bed, he smiled softly, as he saw his look-a-like clutching his latest blanket up near his face and sucking his thumb. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, Monk gently removed the thumb and wiped it off, then leaned over, kissing Lee's forehead and running his hand across his curls.

How did I get so blessed?

Quietly, he stood to check on Abby and was surprised to find her wide awake.

"Ebening, Daddy." She whispered sweetly.

"Well, hello there, princess. How come you're not asleep?"

Monk sat on the edge of her bed .

"I wasn't sleepy." She replied.
"You weren't?

"No. But, mommy had a headache so her put us in bed early."

"I see." Monk said, his gut tightening with guilt about his wife.

"Hey, guess what, daddy?" Abby said with a smile.

"What, is it sweety?" he asked, charmed by her innocent lightness.

"I made somefing for you today."

Monk furrowed his brow but smiled. "For me?"

"Mm-hmm." She replied, squirming out from underneath her blanket to reach under her pillow for her treasure. Pulling out a plastic break-away necklace from a kit for that Natalie had bought her at the grocery store the week before, she proudly walked across the bed with the plastic beads in front of her and before Monk could say a word, threw them over his head, landing in his lap with a hug. With the day he had experienced, it was almost more than he could stand.

"Awe, Abby. I love it! Thank you!" he replied, holding her cheek against his chest even as he fought back tears, rocking her and kissing her fine blonde waves.

Joyfully, she then began to rehearse for him the things that she was going to make next – a matching necklace for Mommy, a bracelet for "Lee-Lee" and a "Drawing for baby bruvver's nurs'ry" because "he is too little and would get choked da pieces."

Monk wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. "That is very smart thinking there, young lady." He said as he gently laid his daughter back down cherishing her sweetness but feeling an urge to check on Natalie. "Tell you what, daddy needs to go check on mommy. You think maybe you can go to sleep tonight and then tomorrow before daddy goes to work, you can show me how you made the necklace?"

Abigail nodded. "Mm-hmm…but don't tell mommy I making her anyfing. It's a su-prise."

"It's our secret." He responded, leaning over and kissing her goodnight then tucking her in.

Monk slipped into the master suite and seeing that Natalie was in bed, assumed she was asleep. As quietly as he could, he took his watch off and set it on the dresser then began to get undressed. She stirred when she heard him rustling about in the room.

"How did things go tonight?" her voice said softly, piercing the quiet.

Monk stopped and turned towards her, studying her for a second to make sure she was truly alright.

"Okay." he said, slipping out of his dress shirt and hanging it on a hanger. "Leland found a gum wrapper that the cops had missed. May not have even come from the perp, but it was more than I found." He said as he sat down on the bed and removed his shoes.

"You'll figure it out." She replied, sitting up slightly and leaning against a pillow.

He turned. "How about you? Abby said you went to bed with a headache."

Natalie looked down. "Yeah, a little one."

"Do you need anything? Some Advil?"

"No, sweety. I took a couple before I laid down. I'm okay. Can you hold me?"

Monk swung his legs up into the bed, not caring that he was still in his dress pants and that they were probably getting wrinkled, and he scooted next to Natalie, enveloping her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and hugged her to himself.

"He's going to be okay, you know." He said, gently rubbing his hand across her arm, back and forth.

Natalie sniffed as the tears began to pool. "I want to think that, but what if he isn't? What if he isn't okay. I mean, while you were gone, I went out to the internet and…"

"The internet? Awe, Nat! No wonder your head hurts. That place will scare you half to death!"

"I know! I know!" she said, raising up in bed and flipping on the light on the end table before picking up a notepad that she had been taking copious notes in. "I thought twice about doing it, but you know, I wanted to be prepared and…"

"Prepared for what? Sweetheart – we don't know exactly what he's got and to what extent. The doctor said he suspect A…A…"

"ASD"

"Yes, ASD, but he also talked about kids growing out of it and - well, until you see a real child cardiologist, we don't know anything for sure."

"I know that. But, if he does have it and the internet's right, there are some things that we need to talk about – some things that we need to get ready for just in case."

"In case of what?" Monk said, rolling over and moving to his wardrobe to retrieve his brown pajamas. "Darling, I don't think we should be begging trouble. You and our children are my world and I worry enough about real things that go on in our lives. I don't need the internet telling me a million other things to be concerned about. We will just have to cross… whatever bridge we come to… when we come to it." He said, as he tugged off the rest of his clothes and pulled on his pajamas.

"I'm just worried that if something happens and he does have other complications that…"

"That I'm not going to be able to handle it?" he asked, crawling back into bed. "Natalie, don't you get it. You've changed me, sweetheart. Since we've been together, I've grown. And - if any of those scary things that you read about on the internet happen to come about, which I highly doubt they will – we'll deal with it."

He reached out his arms and invited her to snuggle up next to him then turned off the light. Adjusting in his head in their oversized pillows he sighed. "Besides, things are fine. We saw him. He's perfectly okay."