Author's Note: Many thanks to my readers for joining me again in this 12th installment of the MonkNotJunk series. This story will be a little different in several aspects. It will touch on subjects I've discussed before and will also raise some important questions, and I suspect it will be a bit of a roller coaster emotionally.
I am writing this 'on the fly' and expect to issue a chapter every few days (possibly more once things get rolling) so please follow/favorite this story so you can receive an alert when a new chapter has been issued. (Thank you Alkibiades, Defender31415, Ljd, R4THERS, Alex Hoodle, thesunisup & bl2008 for already having done so).
Many thanks to Alex, LJD, KittyKat, Alkibiades and idablue04 (Welcome!) for your feedback. Your reviews are my writing life's blood and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to hear from you. Keep it up!
Now on to your story.
Leland Stottlemeyer was not near the detective that Adrian Monk was, nor would he ever be. This was a fact of life that he had long since come to terms with. But there was one thing that he was good at – a skill he had developed through the years– and that was knowing when Adrian Monk was full of bunk.
Try as he might, Adrian was never a good liar nor could he keep things hidden for long. It was just not in his nature. And, judging from Monk's behavior at the crime scene the night before, Leland suspected that his friends' appointments had not gone as planned. But, when he saw Natalie the next morning, he knew.
From the moment Stottlemeyer first began to work with her, Natalie could always be counted on for the welcome mixture of optimism and diligence that she brought to any investigation. Her primary role had always been to steady Monk. But, through the years she had picked up some investigative skills of her own and if for no other reason than the value of her opinion, Leland enjoyed having her around.
But this morning she was different. From the moment that she walked through the door, Leland knew that she was deeply disturbed. About what, he couldn't be certain but his thoughts naturally turned to the Monks' unborn child.
For his part, Adrian was just the opposite. Entering the building with an energy and eagerness to jump right into casework, he exhibited an ebullience that was atypical of his manner – an enthusiasm and look of determination that would have fooled nearly anyone, except those who truly knew him. For Leland, Monk's expression was that of a man who desperately wanted to focus on any other matter than the one at hand. He had seen it before and he knew that whatever had happened couldn't be good. At some point, he'd have to get to the bottom of it.
"Good morning, partner!" Monk chirped as he entered Leland's office with Natalie slowly following to the rear.
"Well, good morning, Monk. Natalie." Leland said as he leaned over a file drawer returning a folder to its place. "I'll be right there. Go ahead and take a seat."
From the corner of his eye, Leland observed as Monk pulled out a chair for his wife and held her jacket while she sat, before sitting down himself. It was a sweet moment. But lest he think Natalie's husband was being too attentive, he then watched as Monk leaned forward to repeatedly touch the antenna of a hand-held police radio that had been left on Leland's desk then as he began to go for the pencil cup.
"Adrian, please!" Natalie said, resting her elbow on the arm rest and rubbing her forehead.
"Sorry." Monk replied as he sat back in his chair.
Monk was as wired as Leland had seen him in a long time and remained in constant motion, bouncing his leg, brushing imaginary lint off of his jacket, and generally fidgeting as he waited for Stottlemeyer to join them.
A few seconds later, Leland returned to his place and sat down, then situated his messy work area in such a way that they could talk in peace, without Monk wanting to clean. "Sorry for the wait. I was just putting away some files on another case. You guys came at a good time – that is if you have time to uncover a mystery."
"Have time?" Monk asked.
"Yes. I know that your doctor has you on orders not to overdo it and your lovely missus is bound to be feeling a bit tired from time to time."
"We couldn't be better. Got all the time in the world." Adrian replied. Natalie's eyes shifted towards her husband and she studied him with a look that was, for lack of a better word, inscrutable.
Leland paused. "Uh – well, good. Just let me know if you need a break. We can stop."
Monk shifted in his seat. "What do you have for us today?"
"I received something of interest that I'd like you to take a look at." He stated, passing two photocopies across the desk to each of them.
"What is it?" Monk asked as he handed a copy to Natalie and glanced at one himself.
"Police report. Came from Steve Rock at the Chelsea P.D. this morning. It seems our Mr. Cass decided to take a swim with the fishies overnight."
Monk tilted his head. "A swim with the fishies? What fishies?"
"He landed himself in the Charles River."
"He's dead?" Natalie asked.
Leland nodded. "Very. Details are in the report."
Monk patted his jacket, looking for his reading glasses then Natalie lifted his lapel and retrieved them from his shirt pocket and handed them to him. For a brief moment the two locked eyes but once he took the readers from her, he turned to read and she looked down at her hands.
Westbound driver reported seeing a man fall from the base of the second tower of Longfellow Bridge around 12:15 this morning. Witness pulled to the side and looked to see if he could help, but it was too dark and he indicated he saw nothing in the water below. Witness then called dispatch who sent out a search and rescue boat, who likewise, found nothing.
A sanitation worker from Public Works discovered a body floating near East Pier shortly after daybreak. Physical description matched the description of the deceased and ID on the body showed that it was Cass. Foul play is not suspected."
Monk took off his glasses.
"So, let me get this straight. The guy who couldn't have done it, but did it, ends up drowning?"
"If your theory is correct, which it probably is, that's the long and short of it." Leland replied.
"Don't you find that a little suspicious?"
"That you're probably right?" Leland asked.
"No, that the guy that everyone but us has taken off their suspect list suddenly drowns himself?"
"Sure. It's suspicious – but it's not a case. Like you say, thanks to the DNA mismatch Simon Cass was no longer a suspect and thanks to having nothing else to go on, the case has pretty much been deep-sixed, at least for now."
"So, that's it? They aren't even going to pursue it?" Natalie asked.
"Not unless something else crops up." Leland said.
"So much for top notch." Monk said with a frown.
"Look, they sent the DNA away to the crime lab to see if it matches any of the regular suspects in the active criminal database. According to Rock, so far they've come up empty. If by some chance a match shows up, then they'll reopen the case. But, Chelsea is a good organization and, like so many, is understaffed. They can't tie their resources up for long until they have something to go on, which they don't."
"What about the inconsistent call?" Monk replied.
"What inconsistent call?" Leland asked.
"The one from the driver. On the one hand, guy says its bright enough that he can give the police a detailed description of the man he saw, on the other hand it was too dark for him to see anything in the water."
"A case of positioning. Point A was illuminated by street lamps. The water was not." Leland replied.
"That's not true." Natalie interjected. "Adrian and I used to take that bridge sometimes when we were going from downtown to Cambridge to see Julie. The city installed blue lights under the arches all along the bridge. It's very pretty, and also very bright."
"Natalie's correct."
"Okay. So, what are you thinking?" Stottlemeyer asked.
"What do we know about the witness?" Monk asked.
Leland pointed to the paper. "You know as much as I do. I can reach out to Rock if you want."
"Yes. Please do. And while we're waiting, I'd like to visit the bridge. Not sure what we're looking for now, but we're not giving up."
Leland shrugged. "Sure. Why not? I'll call Rock and meet you out by my car."
Piling into Stottlemeyer's sedan, the three friends were soon headed South. Monk stared out the window rubbing his freshly shaved chin while Natalie sat in the back by herself so she could prop her feet up on the seat, and Leland navigated the morning traffic while considering how he could get the Monks to open up. After several minutes of complete silence, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Sooooo…" both men said in unison.
Monk looked surprised. "Sorry, you go first."
"No, you go."
"What I was going to say wasn't really important. You go."
"Nothing's unimportant, buddy. You go ahead. What's on your mind?" Leland said, prodding Adrian to share.
"Uh, okay. I was just wondering, where's Randy today?"
Leland paused as he turned left - disappointed in, but not surprised by, the fact that Monk was stonewalling.
"Parent-Teacher thing for Ophelia's school." he replied. "Said he'll be in later today."
"Oh…good." Monk said, then he looked off into the distance.
It didn't escape Leland's notice that when he had answered Monk's question, Natalie had remained quiet. Any other time she would have made some sort of remark about Randy as a father or what a good kid Ophie was or how he and Sharona were good parents. But instead, she was silent. This fact worried him.
A couple of minutes passed and Stottlemeyer found himself unable to take the suspense. So, he decided, albeit clumsily, to just go ahead and ask.
"Nice day, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I guess." Monk replied.
"Just like yesterday, which reminds me...how'd things go with you two yesterday? You know, at the school and the doctor's?"
Natalie glanced over at Adrian with the same mysterious look as before but once Adrian began to speak she retreated back into her shell.
"Things went good." Monk said in an overly enthusiastic manner. "We went to Winthrop and checked it out and decided that it really isn't the school for our two. Too regimented. A kid can't be a kid."
Leland nodded. "Okay, well...they can go to school later."
"Yes, that's what we said." Adrian said, looking back out the window. "They can go to school later."
"And, what about the little one?"
Monk drummed his fingers on the handle to the car door a couple of times and then looked back at Leland. There was an intensity in his eyes that wasn't there a minute prior and for a brief moment Stottlemeyer thought he would talk, but when Adrian looked back towards Natalie, the look disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"He's wonderful. Everybody's wonderful." He replied, quickly, reaching into his lapel pocket to retrieve a photo of the ultrasound from his wallet. "Baby's doing good. Strong. Moving up a storm." He said, passing the image to Leland who had just come up to a red light. "Here he is! Isn't he great?"
The photo was placed almost next to Leland's face forcing him to reach up and push Monk's hand back so he could see, but once he got a look, he smiled.
"Well look at that. Wish they had that technology when my boys were young, and you're right, he is a handsome little guy. I'm happy for you buddy. Happy for you both." He glanced in his rearview and the eyes that met his were not joyful. Rather, they seemed anxious and tinged with pain. Leland furrowed his brow.
Monk grabbed the picture back from Leland's hand and Stottlemeyer watched as he carefully put it back into his wallet. "Thank you. We're very excited." Adrian said.
Leland looked back at Natalie again while Monk was replacing his wallet, but by now she had returned to looking on the window. And then, the light turned green.
There was no more opportunity for him to delve into the subject further because within less than a minute they were at the bridge and he immediately had to look for a spot to park. But before he found one, Monk had already zeroed in on the tower.
"There it is. Slow down a little." he said, craning his neck to look at the terrain. Leland slowed but it wasn't good enough. "Can't you go slower?"
"Sorry. I can't. Got to go with the flow. Heavy Traffic."
Monk sighed but he knew there wasn't much could be done.
The car exited the bridge and entered what was the edge of the Beacon Hill neighborhood – a place that brought back bad memories from Monk's last case. Thankfully, they didn't have to travel too far before Stottlemeyer found a meter and pulled to the side of the road. Stepping outside the car, the friends exited the vehicle and Monk reached out to take Natalie's hand. She began to reach her hand towards his but abruptly withdrew it.
"Actually. If you two don't mind, I think I'll sit this one out." She said, randomly checking out the scenery.
Monk stepped closer to her. "Um, okay. What's wrong? Aren't you feeling okay?"
Natalie faked a reassuring look. "Yeah. I'm fine. Everyone's doing - wonderful…just like you said." She replied, rubbing her tummy. Her sarcasm wasn't missed. Monk looked towards his feet as she continued. "I'll just go sit in that coffee shop across the street and get some tea. Tea sounds good. I'll see you when you get back."
Adrian appeared stilted and unsure of himself as he watched her walk away and even Leland knew that it was because Monk had crossed some line. He also knew now that things likely weren't fine with their child and he automatically hurt for his friends.
He stepped forward and put one hand on Monk's shoulder. "You can talk to me if you need to, you know. I'm here to listen."
Monk looked down again and fidgeted with his hands, then looked back up. "I know." He replied. "Let's go."
Arriving at the tower, Leland stood back while Adrian did his usual thing. He walked all of the way around the octagonal shape of the base and looked up and down the 58-foot tall tower itself. Stretching out his hands, he looked toward the street to determine where Cass would have had to be standing in order for the passing car to be able to see him. Walking in that general vicinity, he settled on an exact area when he spotted an open packet of chewing gum laying in the dirt next to the tower's sidewall. Upon further investigation, he found it was the same brand at the crime scene. Lying next to it was a small scrap of fabric. Monk leaned over and picked up both items with his tweezers, bagging them in a plastic bag that Leland had brought along.
Monk then turned towards the sidewall and walked to its edge to observe the water below. Placing his hands on the top of the wall for stability, he inadvertently put his left hand in some slimey goo and immediately jerked it back. Holding it up in front of his face as if it were on fire, he franticly snapped his fingers with his other hand.
"Mucus! It's Mucus, Leland! Wipe! Wipe!"
Leland cringed then smirked, then quickly walked up to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulders to get him to stop moving. Monk bounced on his heels a couple of times until Leland reached into Monk's coat pocket and pulled out a spare packet of wipes that he knew Monk always carried with him. Handing him one, he held the packet until Adrian had thoroughly cleaned his hands, but he drew the line when Monk held out the soiled wipe for Leland to take back. Motioning with his head to a nearby trash can he waited until Adrian returned.
There, Monk tried again - this time gripping Leland's arm for support rather than touching the top of the wall. He looked down into the water to the left and the right then looked up. "The story isn't true."
"The witness's story? "Leland said, walking to the wall himself and looking below. "What makes you say that?"
"The lighting. See along the edge there? Lights everywhere. Just like Natalie said. If someone had fallen from…"
He stopped and stroked his chin. "Huh."
"What? Leland asked.
"The witness said that he saw Cass fall into the water."
"Yes?"
"Fall not jump. Leland, what if Simon Cass was already dead?"
Monk and Leland talked through Adrian's theory and then received a call from Steve Rock giving them the name and phone number of the witness. The man's name was Mike Strazek and he had indicated to the police that he been coming home from his job as a janitor at Benny's on Bowdoin, a local pub, when he witnessed the incident. Leland thanked Rock for the information and immediately made the phone call, anxious to get clarification on exactly what Mr. Strazek thought that he saw.
"Mikey-Mike, yo. Who's this?" the voice said on the other end of the line.
Leland leaned against the tower wall. "Hello, Mr. Strazek, my name is Leland Stottlemeyer and I'm a detective. I'm working on a case involving the man that you saw at the bridge last night, Simon Cass. I was wondering if you might have some time to talk with me and my partner about what you saw."
The man put his hand over the receiver of his phone and said something intelligible to someone inside his house. Returning to the phone, Leland listened as Strazek made a snorting sound and spit. "Listen. I already gave the cops my statement and am kinda in a hurry."
Stottlemeyer looked at Monk and nodded. "Um, sure. When would you be able to discuss the matter further?"
There was a long pause and Monk watched Leland's expressions from the other side of the conversation.
"Yes sir, I understand. Perhaps I can call tomorrow then? Okay. I'll do that. Thank you."
Leland hung up and looked over at Monk. "Mr. Strazek sounds a little shifty. First he said he needed to go pick up his kids and later he said he was meeting his brother. And get this - it sounds like he's got a cold."
"The mucus." Monk replied.
"Exactly. In either case, he didn't want to talk today so we're going to try again tomorrow or Friday."
Monk shook his head as they continued to walk. "Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that this Strazek guy isn't who he is representing himself to be."
"Well, so far you've been spot on, so our witness can expect another phone call first thing in the morning. And if he is concealing something, he can run, but he can't hide."
The men began the walk back towards Beacon Hill and within about fifteen minutes they were standing outside Natalie's coffee shop. The time was around twelve thirty and when they entered the busy establishment, at first they could not see her. However, it wasn't long before she saw them and waved from the back of the shop. They were surprised to see she was not alone.
"Julie!" Adrian smiled, as his step-daughter stood to hug him. "I wasn't expecting you to be here. It's so good to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too, Dad." she said, enveloping him in a tight hug that the former Adrian Monk would have detested but now cherished.
"Did you just happen to stop by the same coffee shop and run into your mother?" he asked out of curiosity.
"No. I called her." Natalie replied. "I wasn't sure how long you two would be, and Julie works just down the street."
"Great thinking." he stated, taking a seat next to his wife as Leland pulled up a chair. Julie greeted him with a hug too.
"So, how's your week going?" Monk asked, leaning with his forearms on the table.
Julie nodded. "Pretty good. I've been trying to make arrangements for the cruise that Travis and I are taking late this year."
"A cruise? As in on an ocean liner?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" she asked.
"Well, yeah." Monk said as he absent-mindedly began reorganizing salt packets within a container. "It's just you hear about people on those ships coming down with illnesses all the time, and with the pandemic and all."
"Hopefully, by then we will have rounded that corner. Besides, the company we're going with is Preston-Hill Cruise Liners. They are rated very high for safety and cleanliness." she replied.
"Where will you be cruising to?" Leland asked.
Julie winked "We're going to Bermuda."
Monk's eyes grew wide and he looked towards his step-daughter with alarm. "Julie! Have you never heard of the Bermuda Triangle?"
"Just kidding." she grinned. "I just said that so you wouldn't freak when I told you we're going to visit the Western Mediterranean. Italy, Spain, Monaco, with a stop in Morocco towards the end. All of the cruise companies have been in trouble with the shutdowns and Travis got us a really good deal. Two weeks in the Mediterranean. I can't wait!"
"I'm glad you're not going to Bermuda." Monk replied. "But still, that's very far away."
"We will be safe, dad. I promise." she responded, touching his shoulder as Natalie observed him with a curious look.
Just then, a waitress arrived to take Adrian and Leland's drink order.
"Have you decided what you would like?" she asked Stottlemeyer first. Leland waved her off and said he was fine, but Monk requested a bottle of Summit Creek, which happily they had in stock.
"Anything to eat?" she asked.
"No." he responded. "We are going to be leaving in a few minutes."
"Suit yourself." the waitress replied before walking away.
"So, did you two find anything by the bridge?" Natalie asked before taking a sip of tea.
Monk turned to her excitedly. "Yes. You were right. There was too much light, so the witness isn't telling the truth. Plus, he has a cold, and..." he paused, looking at Leland. "I have a feeling that Cass was dead already when his body hit the water."
Natalie furrowed her brow, not entirely sure how that barrage of facts fit together but surprised by the last statement. "Really? But who would want to kill Cass? If someone else was involved, he was keeping their secret pretty well."
"That's what we're going to try to find out. It may have been random. We wanted to interview the witness, but he talked with Leland and said he's not available today, so we'll try tomorrow or Friday. Right now, we're heading to the morgue instead - as soon as you finish your drink."
"Adrian." she said quietly. "Friday is our follow-up appointment. Did you forget?"
Monk looked nervously between Leland and Julie then back to Natalie. "No, sweetheart. I didn't forget. I figured maybe we could talk to him afterward."
Natalie opened her mouth, but no words came out. Monk watched for her response, but she simply took another sip of tea.
"So, uncle Leland." Julie said, filling an uncomfortable gap. "Mom tells me that you and T.K. are looking for a new place."
Leland nodded. "Yes, that's true. She wants a place closer to the ocean. I keep warning her about the big Nor'easters that come through here."
"We haven't had any trouble." Monk remarked as the waitress returned with his water. He looked over at Natalie while he twisted off the lid. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing." she replied.
"Not nothing. What is it? You seem upset." he responded.
She clinched her jaw. "I said it was nothing. Let it go."
Monk raised his eyebrows then took a swig from his bottle and for several seconds things were once again awkwardly silent between the two. Finally, he looked at his watch.
"Well, I guess we should get started if we're going to hit the morgue and still have time to discuss when we're done."
"Alright." she replied, finishing off the rest of her tea. The waitress stopped by. "Can I get you a refill?" she asked.
"Sure." Natalie responded.
"In a to go cup." Monk added, getting ready to stand.
"Okay, one decaf tea in a to go cup." she repeated, writing it down.
Natalie raised the empty porcelain cup towards the waitress. "No, not in a to go cup. You can just give me a refill in this."
"Um, sure." the girl responded with uncertainty. "Anything you wish." She took the cup and walked away.
The group watched until she disappeared behind the counter and Monk spoke up.
"Um, Natalie, sweetheart - I just said we need to get moving if we're going to go to the Morgue and..."
"Go." she replied, cutting him off.
"What?"
"Go. I'm not stopping you."
Monk stopped and stared. "Wh-what are you saying?"
Natalie took a deep breath and turned toward him with resolve. "I'm saying, I think I'll stay here and have lunch with our daughter. You and Leland can go do whatever it is you have to do."
"It's called an investigation." Monk replied. "And you're part of the team."
"Not today I'm not." she responded adjusting the napkin in her lap. "Call it 'A Pregnant Lady's Holiday'."
"A what?" Monk asked at which point, Leland, realizing that anything that Monk said from that point forward would only make it worse for him, gently intervened.
"It's okay, Monk. Natalie deserves some time off with everything she's gone through."
Monk turned to Leland. "But we just got back. I need her with me."
"I get it. But, today, buddy it looks like it's just you and me." he said, standing up and winking at Natalie and Julie as he pulled Monk up by his arm.
"But..."
"You can live without her for one afternoon. Let her enjoy her daughter."
"Julie's our daughter now and I can't live without her at all." he responded. "Natalie, are you sure?"
Natalie shook her head. "I'm sure. You two go have fun looking at the dead body. I will see you later tonight."
"But..."
"Say you'll see her later." Leland instructed.
Monk looked at Natalie whose gaze was unflinching. He then looked over at Julie whose eyes drifted to her cup. He nodded.
"Well, alright then...if you're sure. I guess it'll just be Leland and I and we can catch up later?"
"Sure. Just be careful." she replied.
Nervously, he shifted from one foot to the other and then bent down to kiss her at which point she presented him with her left cheek. He stopped then quickly gave her a kiss, nodded again and followed Leland out the door.
Once outside, Monk's expression was one of extreme confusion. Leland himself wasn't exactly sure what she was angry over but for some reason believed he would be on her side if he knew. Still, he remained the ever-faithful support that his friend needed, knowing instinctively that Monk was going to need that support for some time to come. The two men got into the car and once Leland started to drive his cell phone rang. It was Randy saying that he was done with the Parent-Teacher meeting and was on his way to the Agency. He offered to bring them lunch, but Leland instead asked him to meet them at the morgue. He wanted all eyes on the late Simon Cass - just in case there was something the officers had missed.
Arriving at the Morgue, the trio walked into the building and were escorted directly back to the lab where Cass's body was still on display. Covered only by a sheet, by this point his body bore all of the tale-tell signs of an autopsy having been performed. After a few introductions, Leland began interviewing the coroner to hear his findings while Monk tried to determine what he could by looking at the body. As one might expect, he had a little difficulty concentrating.
"Simon Cass died of a massive cardiac arrest." the coroner stated as he watched the detective move around the gurney. "There was significant bruising on his thigh and other parts of his body. Because the body was somewhat swollen when it was retrieved, it's hard to say exactly how or when the bruising occurred. It is possible that he received the contusions by being hit by something in the water."
Monk raised his hands in front of him and tried to frame the scene but after a few seconds just stood there not moving. Sensing what was happening, Leland thought quickly about how to address his distracted detective. He quietly walked behind him.
"Close your eyes and imagine she's here with you. Imagine she's there encouraging you."
"Imagine Natalie is here." Adrian replied.
"That's it. You've got this, buddy." Leland said, patting him on the shoulder. Immediately, Monk began to move again.
Meanwhile, Randy stood with notebook in hand continuing the interview. "How long was he dead?" he asked.
"Oh, my guess is that he had been dead at least 24 hours." the coroner replied. Monk stopped and looked at his partners.
"Are you sure about that?" Leland asked.
"Yeah. From where the blood had pooled and the swelling. I'd definitely say he's been dead a while."
Adrian nodded at Leland then continued his review of the body.
"Were there any signs of a struggle?"
"You mean besides the bruising? Not really."
Stopping for a moment, Monk leaned forward and looked at the man's left arm. "What is this from?" he asked.
The coroner walked over to that side of the body and then pulled out a magnifying glass to examine what was a small round white spot in the middle of a large bruise.
"Hmm. Good eye. Looks like a needle wound. We did a test for the usual intoxicants, you know, heroin, cocaine. Came up clean."
"How about poison?" Stottlemeyer asked.
"You think the man was poisoned?" the coroner asked.
"Possibly. Could you run a complete panel of everything that was in his system. I'd like to see if there was anything out of balance, anything that shouldn't be there at all."
The coroner agreed. He'd run the panel and touch base with the team when it was complete. Results should be back within about 48 hours.
Leaving the morgue, Monk decided to forego any 'post-game' talk with his team mates and returned to Swampscott to check on Natalie, but when he arrived, he was surprised by a note in the kitchen that stated that she, Julie and the kids were going shopping and that she had left Adrian some meatloaf and vegetables in the oven on warm. Sadly, Monk dished the food out and ate his dinner alone. After cleaning up the kitchen, he looked at his watch and noted it was getting close to nine o'clock. He checked his cell phone to see if she had texted and seeing nothing, he pulled out a photo album from the bookshelf and began looking at pictures from when the twins were newborns. He smiled and touched their photo and then looked lovingly at one of his favorite photos of Natalie holding them both, shortly after she gave birth.
Just then, he heard the sound of keys jangling in the front door and looked up just in time to see Lee chasing Abby towards their room while she held some sort of package and was screaming "Mine!"
"You two play nice together!" Natalie said as she entered the hallway. "Share!"
Setting her keys down on a table in the foyer, she saw her husband watching her from his brown leather chair.
"Are you reading in the dark?" she asked, walking into the living room and turning up the dimmer switch so that it was brighter.
"Just looking at pictures." he replied. "From when the kids were first born."
Natalie stared at him for a moment. "Simpler times."
He smiled softly, "Mrs. Monk, I don't think there have been any simple times since we first met."
She smirked and shook her head. "You probably have a point. Did you find the food I left?"
"Yes. Thank you." he replied as she began to walk back towards the kitchen. He reached out and grasped her hand.
"Don't go." he said. "Stay."
"I was just..." she said.
"Don't go."
Natalie stopped for a moment and turned towards him. "What is it?"
He looked down for a moment. "Well, I've just been sitting here thinking. First of all, I want to apologize."
"For what?"
"For whatever I did that made you angry with me. I didn't mean to."
Natalie exhaled. "I wasn't really angry with you. But, I wasn't happy with you either. I felt very uncomfortable."
"With me?"
"Yes."
He tilted his head. "How did I make you uncomfortable?"
She paused. "Honestly, I couldn't just stand around and watch you lie like that to your best friend."
Monk furrowed his brow. "But, I didn't lie to you."
She pursed her lips and a small smile made its way to her mouth. "How am I supposed to be mad at you when you say something adorable like that? You know what I mean, your other best friend, Leland. You weren't being truthful with him about what's happening with our son and the longer that went on, well, I just didn't like it."
"But, I didn't want him to worry." Monk reasoned. "In truth, we don't really know that there is something wrong with our baby. I mean the doctor said that..."
"Adrian!" she said, standing up. "Just, stop!"
"But..."
"STOP!" she said motioning with her hands. "I don't want to hear it anymore!"
Natalie turned her back on Monk and began to cry and he immediately stood up and wrapped his arms around her.
"Awe, Natalie. Please don't cry. Please sweetheart."
She burrowed her head in his chest. "It just hurts so bad. I read all these things on the internet and how it could be a sign of other problems and even how he...he could die and I just feel so...so sad."
Monk kissed her on the forehead. "It's okay, sweetheart. It'll be okay."
"We don't know that!" Natalie said, pushing back from him. "We don't know he's going to be okay, Adrian, don't you see that?"
Monk stopped and nodded. "I see it. But, is it okay if I don't embrace it until we know something for sure? Natalie, I saw our son. He was right on that screen. He was active. Natalie - he smiled! We saw him smile. So, being the logical man I am, I have two sets of competing facts. One set of facts is coming from a doctor who admits that pediatric cardiology is not his specialty. The other set of facts is what I have seen and observed. For once in my life, I'm making a choice to believe the glass is half full. It's what I need to do right now. And...if on Friday, the picture isn't quite so rosy, then we will cross that bridge. But for now, I'm not giving up hope. It's nothing against you or against Leland. But it's where I'm at. Please don't be angry with me. I'm trying to handle this news the best I can."
Natalie looked at him for a long time and then walked up to him and embraced him. "For the record, I hope you're right. You usually are. Maybe I'm worried for nothing at all."
Monk kissed her hair. "You're a mom. It's what mothers do - at least most mothers."
"Your mother was no mother." Natalie said, giving him a squeeze.
"She did what she could, I guess." he replied. "But we're going to do better. It'll be fine. Just wait and see."
Friday morning arrived and Monk had heard nothing more about the case and frankly didn't care. He had gathered the courage to stand strong by his family, he thought, and was ready to face whatever the doctors told them. Arriving on time, he was gratified when Natalie's appointment was at an Annex to Massachusetts General rather than at her regular OB/GYN. The walls were clear of embarrassing posters and the entire area just seemed more sanitary. Monk was content.
After registration, the couple walked back to the exam room where a sonographer came in and performed another set of sonograms as well as a fetal electrocardiogram. They studied the technician's face but were given no clues as to what the results were; rather, when she was done with the exam, she told them that Natalie could get dressed and that the doctor would come and see them shortly.
What they expected was going to be maybe another fifteen or twenty minutes turned into two hours which did nothing for the parents' nerves. Adrian had to restrain himself from ringing the nurse's station every five minutes as waiting on answers was the last thing he wanted to do. Still, he tried to remain as calm as he could for Natalie's sake. At two hours and fifteen minutes past the time when the tech left a knock came on the door.
"Mr. and Mrs. Monk?" a young woman asked, entering the room. Both of them stood at attention as an intern walked into the room and let them know that Dr. Rubin would like to see them in his office. Gathering Natalie's things, Monk held her personal items while Natalie followed the young woman down the hall, then Natalie turned and took his hand as they entered the office suite. A receptionist announced they were there and pointed them towards Dr. Rubin's door. They walked into the office together and were greeted by a man of small stature in his late 50s with greying hair and thick black rimmed glasses. Next to him was an attractive middle-aged woman with a slender figure and naturally white shoulder length hair. Natalie looped her arm through Adrian's when she saw her.
"Good morning, Mrs. Monk, Mr. Monk. I'm Dr. Saul Rubin, head of pediatric cardiology and this is my colleague Dr. Sylvia Wood, a neonatal specialist. Please, come in."
The Monks walked into the doctor's suite and sat on one side of the doctor's desk while he was positioned opposite them. Dr. Wood stood behind him, leaning against a credenza.
"Mr. and Mrs. Monk, I've taken a look at your son's ultrasounds and his ECG as well as the lab work that Dr. Betz sent over and I can confirm that your son does have a defect in the upper chambers of his heart."
Natalie took Monk's hand as they listened to the doctor explain the defect much as Dr. Betz had done earlier, but with the welcome news that the septum primum, while deficient, was not completely missing.
"There is an outside chance that the hole will still close on its own and that he won't need surgery. We'll just have to wait and see." Dr. Rubin said, much to Adrian and Natalie's relief.
"That's good news, doctor." Adrian said. "So, there is a chance he'll be okay."
The doctor half-nodded and then turned to look at Wood.
"There's more." she said, taking a step forward and sitting on the edge of the desk. Monk and Natalie both looked at her with concern.
"More?" Natalie asked, still holding Adrian's hand.
"Yes. We reviewed the labs on the bloodwork your doctor sent over. The particular test he ordered is called a Prenatal cell-free DNA screening. It's a non-invasive test we use in order to make sure that the fetus does not have certain genetic abnormalities. As your fetus grows, the DNA from his placenta is shed, much like skin cells, into Natalie's bloodstream. That DNA can then be picked up by the test to determine, with a degree of certainty, whether or not your son is affected by certain conditions."
Natalie's voice quivered. "Why are you telling us about this? Is our baby okay?"
Dr. Wood looked at both parents in the eyes. "Mrs. Monk, your child is a Mosaic."
"He's a what?" she asked.
"A Mosaic. Mosaicism is a rare form of Down Syndrome. I'm sorry, but your child has Down Syndrome."