Unfortunatelly I do not own Monk, nor his collegues. Want to to thanx Kathy for her nice help, and pleed for your reviews...
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MR. MONK MEETS THE REDEEMER
CH 1
London – Heathrow Airport, 10AM.
Panicking, Natalie rushed off the plane. Carelessly, she pushed between people while making her way up the ramp. Leland and Randy followed her, staying close by.
When they reached the gate, Natalie looked around desperately trying to spot Monk, but there were too many people, and Heathrow Airport is one of the biggest in the world. So she stepped up on a bench and tried to see over the crowd, but all she could see is people staring open-mouthed at her.
"Randy, please go get our luggage. And don't forget Monk's. Meet us downstairs, at the ticket counter, okay? I gotta take care of this crazy lady here." Leland grabbed Natalie's arm and brought her down to the ground again.
"Ok, Captn', meet ya there." mumbled a worried Randy.
Leland held Natalie by the arm, to prevent her from going anywhere, while she struggled to get his hand off of her. "Natalie, wait. Calm down a bit, will ya? Focus, c'mon, we all have to focus now. You're not helping by freaking out like this. Look, Monk is not here. No need to look for him here, okay? So calm down! " Leland spoke firmly, holding Natalie by both of her arms now.
"Oh God, oh God! I told that stubborn little flight attendant that he wasn't on the plane! I told her!" She voiced the last words out loud, as if it would take them back to before the departure.
"Natalie, I won't say this again. CALM DOWN!" Leland raised his eyebrows and looked her deep in the eyes, shaking her a bit. Natalie sighed, and lowered her head. "As I know Monk quite well, and as you know him too, you've got to agree he's probably back there in San Francisco. I bet he is still there at the gate, waiting for us to go back to him. So now let's go to the ticket counter and see what they have for us, okay?"
"Alright. Sorry, Captain. I am so nervous, I'm not thinking clearly," Natalie breathed deeply. "Yes, you're probably right. He must be there of course! I hope he is still there." Natalie tried to convince herself that Monk was safe in San Francisco, repeating the last sentence over and over in her mind as they both walked to the counter.
Walking up to the counter, Natalie received a call on her cell phone. "Oh, it's Julie!" she said turning to Leland. "Hi Sweetie," Natalie spoke cheerfully, trying not to give away her feelings of panic through the tone of her voice. Leland waited beside Natalie in line while two talkative and clearly lost women in front of them were arguing with the ticket agent.
"Mr. Monk what?" asked Natalie on the phone, loudly enough to call Leland's attention. "…Oh my God! Are you sure, Julie? Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I know you're a responsible 16 year old. I am sorry, I am so worried…. Sorry, sweetie. So, what did he say? Wait… Wait a minute, Sweetie. Let me write it down." Natalie signed to Leland, who was now beside her, for something to write with. Very concerned, Leland handed her a blue ballpoint pen from his pocket, and she began to write a long telephone number on the back of a 'Welcome to London" leaflet. Randy approached them pulling an enormous trolley filled entirely to the brim with their luggage.
"What's going on?" he asked Leland. The Captain just nodded, chewing on a toothpick and walking back and forth.
"Yes, I am okay thank you, Julie. I will call you back soon, Honey. Don't worry, okay? I love you too. Yes, yes… I will send you a postcard from Rio, okay? By-ye," finished Natalie, looking speechlessly at her two astonished friends.
"You just said Rio? Rio, like in Rio de Janeiro?" exclaimed Randy with his eyes wide open.
"I still do not believe it! Mr. Monk is in Rio de Janeiro!" said Natalie, continuing to look at her cell phone.
"What?" demanded Leland. "And what has Julie to do with all of this?"
Natalie took a deep breath, and tried to avoid the tears which were ready to come. It was in vain; the guilt she felt was too strong to be held in. All that pent up emotion found its way out through her eyes, rolling down her cheeks, exposing a fragile Natalie to Leland and Randy.
"Hey, hey. Come here, Natalie." Leland put his arm around Natalie's shoulder and pulled her gently towards a bench. He sat there with her, while Randy stood helplessly in front of them, holding out a napkin.
"Thanks, Randy," Natalie quietly refused it, while taking a wipe from her purse. She wiped her face, holding it there for a brief silent moment, during which she struggled to get her feelings under control. After she had succeeded in hiding them again, she explained, "Julie gave me the phone number of Rio de Janeiro's Airport Foreign Affairs Office. An Agent named Gilbert called her, saying that they found a crying man at the gate there. They could not get any information from him, as he would not let anybody to touch him, or get close to him."
Natalie shivered a little and continued, "But he wrote one phone number on a paper together with a name - my name, and handed it to them. They called me, but my phone was out of the service area. Then they tried to talk to him again, and he only handed over another phone number to them. It was Julie's cell number, thank God. "
"What the hell is he doing there? How could he get on the wrong airplane anyway? Where is he now?" vented Leland.
"Wow! Rio de Janeiro!" Randy said wonderingly, with a smile on his face, nodding his head repeatedly.
"Randy! Just go….. go get some water," commanded Leland.
"Yep! Si señor! Señor…sir!" said Randy in a lousy Spanish accent.
"Okay, Natalie. Let's call them and see what they have for us, right? So, where's the phone number?" Leland resigned himself to handling the situation calmly.