I know it's been a while, but I'd finished it! Publishing one more chapter now while the others are being edited. I warn you, I almost could not let them go, so this story is a bit long. I had to keep the protagonists at the edge of my pencil as long as I could...
Hope you enjoy it.
And I do not own Monk, Natalie, Stot.
Mr. Monk Meets the Redeemer
CH 27
Natalie found Monk stopped at the end of the trail, right before reaching the sand. He was restless, facing the ocean and tilting his head side to side.
She was concerned about his behavior; he seemed to be getting out of control. She thought she heard him muttering something repeatedly as he was rubbing his forehead. Carefully, she began her approach.
"Hey, Mr. Monk?"
Monk said nothing. Natalie put her hand on Monk's back and he didn't stiffened. She worried about the lack of reaction and tried to speak in a very calm tone, "I want to make sure that everything is fine. Just before..."
"Before what, Natalie? Before I face an unbearable situation? Or before I drag you into an unbearable situation?" Monk abruptly turned to her, his face disrupted by anger, his eyes wide open and the veins on his neck pulsing nervously. "Or before I just run away? Or before I finally give up?"
He then turned to the ocean and went on, speaking aloud as if his words could hit the waves and diminish the pain he was feeling, "That's what you want isn't it? ISN'T IT? You big… insane…inconsequent…aaaahhhh!" The words came furiously out of his mouth, followed by a big punch in the air. Monk lowered his head, hands squeezed into fists while the last scream was still echoing on the beach.
With a low voice, almost inaudible, he continued. "Or just before you leave me because I'm really in an awkward situation and I dragged you into it?" The words fell from his mouth soaked by defeat. He looked at her with his eyes holding seas.
Natalie couldn't avoid noticing it. She felt a thorn pinch her heart. She grabbed that little piece of strength which was hidden deep inside her and kept on quietly and confidently, "Before you take another step and get uncomfortably bothered with the sand in your tennis shoes."
Silence was holding them.
She held his arm with both hands, trying to pass him some comfort. "I'm the one who can drag you into unbearable situations, Mr. Monk. That's my job." She smiled at him.
Monk tried to pay back the smile, suppressing the willful tears from falling. He rose his head up to her, took a deep breath and both stepped onto the beach walking side by side, once more in silence.
"The judge. Do you believe it?"
"I am as astonished as you are, Mr. Monk." Natalie checked Monk's face to see if he was really as back on his feet as he was seeming to be.
"Nothing makes sense, Natalie. I cannot understand what is happening, who's doing whatever they're doing. Everything is so puzzling. "In …" he waved a shiver off. "…disorder".
Natalie's phone rang.
"Oh, hi, Captain." she said, receiving Monk's full attention. Both walked to the rock near some palm trees where Natalie had chatted with Bianca before.
"Yes, he is here beside me. Okay, okay, I'll tell him. Okay then. Bye."
Natalie pulled Monk to a shaded side of the rock, "I guess I know how you can start restoring order, Mr. Monk. Captain said he's negotiating our exit from here. He is now going with Randy and an agent of Interpol to the house of the Brazilian Ambassador in London to settle our departure details. He asked us to wait a bit; he will return the call soon."
"Brazilian Ambassador in London?" asked Monk, tilting his head while shifting his cap.
"That's big, right? I hope Captain can really get us out of here." Natalie said, sitting on the rock.
"Natalie, I ... I'm afraid I cannot leave. Not now." He entwined his hands, staring at them.
"Yes," sighed Natalie. "And I know why, Mr. Monk. I know why." Natalie said, looking away to the beach.
"Oh, God!" burst Monk, placing both hands on his forehead.
"What? What, Mr. Monk?" Natalie got up quickly, "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, standing in front of him with both hands on his shoulders.
"No. Nah. You. .. you're ... Oh, God. They want me, Natalie. This fight is mine, there's no reason why you... you . . ." Monk took a step back, getting rid of Natalie's grip.
With his hands still rubbing his forehead, he continued slowly choosing the right words, "It's no use to keep you around, it's dangerous and .... you'll eventually see it ...and for Julie…and safety… you'll leave m…"
"Do not finish it!" warned Natalie, sealing Monk's lips with her index finger. "I won't, Mr. Monk."
Monk didn't move. He widened his eyes, looking astonished at Natalie who was still touching his lips with her finger.
"Gee! What…" Natalie lowered both of her arms, stepped closer to Monk projecting her face towards his, and furiously continued, "what do I have to do convince you that I will not leave you, Mr. Monk?" she placed angrily her hands on her hips.
Monk kept looking at Natalie, speechless. She was so close he was not able to focus entirely on her face.
Natalie's mind flashed back to all the bad moments she had when believing Monk had died. And also the good feelings she tasted finding he was alive. But this carousel of feelings was too complicated to be discussed with Monk right there, at that place, at that moment, with both of them feeling weak and needy, or at least, with she feeling that for both of them. She chose the easy way out: slowly moving away from him, she said, "Well at least I will not leave you now."
The expression on Monk's face overflowed with doubt.
Natalie put a hand on Monk's shoulder, smiling. "Now here. In Brazil. With all those gorgeous places surrounded by nature to visit, and all those beautiful and fairly dressed single women around." Natalie gesticulated widely, showing the surroundings and trying to disguise her nervousness by the recent awkward feelings she had experienced. She turned back to Monk, looking in his eyes and went on in a mother's tone "I might lose you in here forever!"
She couldn't believe she was acting that way. She was like a school girl surprised by her teenager crush in the school corridor. She quickly looked way, biting her lips, wishing Monk wouldn't notice her behavior.
Monk actually didn't get her reaction. It didn't match her usual behavior. Maybe Natalie was missing Julie and behaving like a teenager, waving, hopping and jumping wildly around. Maybe it was too much sun.
The fact was that looking at her biting her lips a few moments ago brought a thought back to his mind: a strange desire had crossed his mind; he had desired that she take him to another place that would keep them moving closer together until her lips brushed his. Maybe a totally new situation could bring some light to the mess he was in. Nonlinear thought. But he didn't know where she could drag him to; plus he didn't like changes. In addition he didn't like not knowing where to go, and besides all that, he was too confused, too tired, too needy to give a second though about that. And she had moved away from him anyway.
"Forget it; I won't let you on the loose around here, mister!" Natalie smiled, stepping beside Monk and holding his arm with both hands.
Monk was brought back by her natural behavior; he felt the weight of reality on his shoulders, making him look down to his feet. He realized his tennis shoes were buried in the soft sand. He then looked at Natalie, sighed and without any word, they both assumed their roles, no words necessary; they started back to the house.
***************
"So, what about the Judge, Mr. Monk? Do you believe you can do anything to lock him away here? Well, her?"
"Do you believe? 'The Judge' is a 'her', Natalie! A woman. Who would've guessed that? Who is she? And why?" After some seconds, he continued "There's sand in my feet."
Natalie's phone rang again.
"Hey, Natalie, is Monk there with you?"
"Yes, he's here, Captain, want to talk to him?"
"Is there anybody else there with you?"
"No, just the two of us."
"Okay, put me on the speaker then."
"Here you go."
"Monk, are you listening?"
"There's sand in my feet. And I'm not wearing a long sleeved shirt. Nor do I have wipes." said Monk aloud to Natalie's phone.
"Uh? Well... Ok. So, kids, pay attention to this: I'm getting you out of there. Without any complication, clean and light as you arrived there. But to make this work out, I need some help from you. Well, we need some help from you, Monk. We need your detective skills. Are you still functional or has the sun and the sand and the bikinis melted your brain already?"
Natalie smiled and Monk frowned.
"No, I'm ok, Leland. Just the sand inside my tennis shoes is already in contact with my feet. It already worked its way through the cotton fibers of my socks. And they aren't even my socks. I need a shower, new socks, new shoes and maybe new skin on my feet. I can feel the seed grains in between my toes, I....I'm ok. I need a wipe. I'm ok. I need a shower. Now." - deep breath - "I'm ok."
"Natalie?"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Monk is ok, Captain, go on." She reprimanded Monk with the look.
"Ok, so you two listen very carefully."
Monk and Natalie looked at each other. Natalie was concentrating on what Leland was exposing while Monk kept shaking his feet trying to get rid of the sand. The more he shook his feet, more sand was getting into them.
He began to freak out.
Tks, Jayna, for the review.
Tks, Kathy, for the patience.