Lessons of Love
Chapter 9 Don't Always Look Ahead
Standard disclaimer: I don't own Monk.
Notes: To recap the last chapter- after spending the day investigating Mike Philips' murder, followed by a visit from Sharona that left him flustered, Adrian sought out Leland for advice & also invited him to join in a morning run. The Captain gave some wise advice and bolstered Adrian's confidence but, LOL, declined the run, of course! ~So it's now Wednesday morning & yep, we're going to hit the streets with Adrian. ~If you're not a runner & can't picture what Natalie purchased, check out -Under Armour ColdGear. (LOL, this is an unpaid endorsment! :p )
Thanks so much for reading and all the support & many, many apologies for the delay in posting. xoxo
Eager to welcome this new day, Adrian sprang from his bed long before the alarm sounded. After completing his usual morning rituals of shower and shave, he opened the drawer that held his running clothes. He took out a sweatshirt and laughed with surprise. Hidden beneath his usual running gear, Adrian found a folded slip of paper and new, strangely lightweight clothes. Placing both old and new clothes on the bed, he unfolded the note:
Morning sweetie! ~I presume since you've found this, we're running today? (I should be a detective, ha!) Anyway, when I went into town the other day with Sharona, I wandered into a sporting goods store, concerned about how cold it is here in Tahoe. The employee recommended we wear something called Under Armour beneath our regular gym clothes. I know they look too small but they ARE the right size- don't argue, just get dressed then come over to my room… If you're early enough, maybe you could help me squeeze into mine! See you soon! Love, Nat
His good humor faded when he shook out the shirt. He gasped at the size- although the tag said it was large, it was impossibly small. Adrian's knowledge of athletic gear was literally old-school, halting at his high school days. The invention of 'compression-fit' clothing was totally unknown. He looked at the shirt and pants together and the nightmarish image of Harold Krenshaw dressed in the Frisco Fly costume immediately leapt to mind. Horrified, Adrian was tempted to just return the garments to the dresser drawer.
But halfway to the dresser, Adrian stopped. Natalie would surely ask how he liked them. Heck, she might even want to see! Donning his boxers-briefs (another one of Natalie's ideas that he was slowly, grudgingly, beginning to accept), he carefully slipped out of his robe and prepared to step into the, what could he call them? Pants? Leggings? Tights? Nausea touched his empty stomach.
After much tugging and pulling, writhing and contorting, twisting and flailing about, as well as grunting and groaning and more than a few muttered curses, Adrian squeezed into both the pants and shirt. Catching his reflection in the floor-length mirror, he immediately averted his eyes, startled. But seconds later, gripped by some morbid curiosity, he raised his gaze and hesitantly approached the mirror.
Never in his life had he worn anything so snug, so revealing. He was completely covered and yet he could see the curve of every muscle, every plane and line of his body. He felt unnerved but also strangely liberated. Since he wasn't technically, ahh, nude, he studied his reflection and, for the first time in his life, took an unabashed inventory of his physique.
No, he didn't have six-pack abs or the muscle-bound arms of a weightlifter. And no, his physique would not warrant such adjectives such as strapping or brawny or buff. His image definitely wouldn't be gracing any of those men's health magazines he noticed Natalie occasionally glancing at near the grocery check-out. However- Oh he was so happy there was a 'however'!
However, with a flat stomach and sturdy chest, he was neither soft nor out-of-shape. Add to that his thick, dark hair and the persistent smile-lines that now graced his face, his confidence soared. Not bad for a 52 year old! Perhaps it wasn't so miraculous that he, Adrian Monk, had captured the attention and affection of a beautiful, sexy woman ten years his junior. A woman, who, he suddenly realized, was across the hall waiting at this very moment.
Adrian finished dressing in record time and picked up the keycards for both his and Natalie's rooms. His heart was buoyant. In mere seconds, they would be together.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~~
He opened the door and found the room dark. So much for Natalie being ready this morning! Guided by both the glowing digits of the clock radio on the nightstand and Natalie's steady breathing, Adrian stealthily prowled across the quiet room.
Stumbling over a wayward shoe laying on the floor, he stopped short and held his breath. Natalie murmured and rolled over. Only after she settled on her side did Adrian gingerly move, continuing his forward progress. When he reached his target, Natalie's bedside, the irony of the situation suddenly became obvious.
Adrian had to suppress the urge to snicker. Here he was, quiet as a mouse, desperate in trying not to disturb his sleeping beauty. Yet his express purpose was to wake her and then prod her from her warm nest. His eyes drifted from her peaceful countenance to the clock. 6:00 a.m. Early, but not too early, right?
Tensing as he perched on the edge of the bed, Adrian gently traced the curve of her arm hidden beneath the blanket. He quietly whispered, "Nat?" Natalie mumbled in response, a twitch momentarily contorting her face.
Firming his caress, kneading her bicep with his fingertips, Adrian's voice gently coaxed, "Nat-a-lie. Time to wake up, my girl."
Natalie's eyes fluttered open and she rolled to her back, "Adrian? What time is it?" Reaching out and finding his hand, their fingers instinctively laced together. She rested their joined hands on her chest and sleepily asked, "What's going on?"
"It's six… well, five after six. Remember you said you wanted to go running with me this morning? Shield your eyes, Nat." Her shadowy arm slipped above her face before Adrian reached up and turned on the bedside light.
Squinting and letting out a sleepy groan, Natalie dropped her hand to his knee, "I'm sorry sweetie. I'm just so tired this morning. Do you mind running alone?" He gave a non-committal shrug and she added, "I promise I'll go next time." She reached up caressed his face. Then, suddenly snickering, she skimmed her hand down his neck and grasped the collar of his shirt. She pulled it down, peering at his upper chest, "Hey, how'd you like my surprise? Any trouble getting into them?"
Adrian rolled his eyes and growled, "No comment."
Smirking, she released his shirt collar and ran her hand down his torso. She chuckled coquettishly, "Hmm, so what else do you have planned for us today?"
Gazing from her sleep-mussed hair to her heavy-lidded eyes, a myriad of ideas leapt to mind. But Adrian reluctantly squelched the joy that stirred in his chest. He quietly answered, "Nothing special planned for this morning, but Mike Philips' funeral is this afternoon and, I'm sorry Nat, but I need to go. I have to question Tiffany Philips again."
"Wait, you mean we need to go." Lifting their entwined hands, she kissed his knuckles, "I'm going with you, mister. We've spent entirely too much time apart this week."
Adrian winced, ambivalent about dragging her into the investigation. He brushed a lock of hair from her forehead, "Are you sure?"
Natalie raised her free hand in a mock salute, "Yes sir! Assistant Natalie Teeger is back reporting for duty, Mr. Monk." He chuckled and Natalie added, "But not until 8:00 a.m. So go on your run and I'll see you in a bit, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Adrian kissed her forehead and, after they exchanged tender 'I love you' s, he turned off the light, rose from the bed and headed for the door.
"Have fun, sweetie! And Adrian-" Cocooned in her bed, Natalie's gleeful voice was muffled, the blanket hiding the lower half of her face, "so you know, my first official task as assistant will be to help peel you out of your running clothes, okay?"
Responding with an amused snort, Adrian gave a final wave over his shoulder while turning the door knob. After the door clicked shut, Natalie rolled over and, out of the blue, suddenly realized Adrian hadn't called her last night. Burrowing deeper into the cozy warmth, she murmured aloud, "Where were you last night, Mr. Monk? I guess someone's getting the third-degree when he gets back."
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
Leaving the warmth of the lodge, Adrian strode across the parking lot, his breath billowing behind in small white clouds. Shivering, he pulled the zipper of his sweat jacket fully closed then dug a pair of running gloves from his pocket. Another gift from Natalie, the bright fluorescent, 'look at me!' orange gloves brought a bemused smile to Adrian's face. He pulled them on, amazed at how Natalie looked after his comfort while simultaneously coaxing him out of his comfort-zone.
He reached the edge of the parking lot and paused as stray car listlessly traveled down the road, slush spitting from its tires. Adrian cringed with resignation, knowing his run would undoubtedly consist of dodging patches of ice and clumps of dirty snow.
Impetuously deciding to run toward North Mountain, he lurched forward and began his run. Loping behind the lodge, he noticed a snow plow idling in the back parking lot. Not having bothered to check the forecast, he suddenly wondered about the weather. He scanned the road ahead and, when he was sure his path was clear, he looked up. The sky was overcast, luminous like skim milk.
But despite the concern that it might snow, Adrian continued down the deserted road. Twitchy with excess energy, he needed this simple act of motion to steady himself and clear his thoughts. Sneakers rhythmically slapping the salted road, he easily found his pace.
Although he meticulously counted every step, every heartbeat and every breath, his mind wandered, flitting between the facts of his investigation, the upcoming wedding, and most distractingly, the honeymoon. Hoping to gain focus, he increased his pace and pushed himself harder. When a snowplow, going the opposite way, barreled by with headlights blazing, Adrian barely noticed.
Rounding a curve, the scenery changed. It was no longer a flat, open road. A sheer wall of rock rose on one side of the road while a drop-off appeared on the other side.
Of all the roads, why did he choose to go in this direction?
"It's alright," Adrian muttered aloud, determined to push away any negative thoughts. He could do this, there was no reason to turn back. He looked ahead and behind, glad the lack of traffic allowed him to move to the center of the road.
He fought his way up a grueling incline and, despite the cold temperature, began to overheat. He lowered his zipper half way and pulled his gloves off. Crushing them in his hand, he continued to push himself. The exertion demanded his full attention, lulling him into a trancelike state.
Fortunately, he heard the crunch of a vehicle approaching from behind.
He shot a quick glance over his shoulder and saw another snowplow. Same color as the one going the opposite direction not five minutes before. Same chipped paint on the massive plow blade. The same extra bright headlamps.
Adrian's pulse jumped. Was that the same snowplow that passed several minutes ago?
The oversized vehicle appeared to be drifting toward the center of the road. Wanting to give it as wide a berth as possible, Adrian swiftly jogged to the outside shoulder of the road. The tires crunched loudly on the blacktop. He glanced back once again. The plow loomed nearer and nearer, it's speed increasing. The headlights were blinding. The vehicle's intent was suddenly clear.
"NO! Stop!" With the plow bearing down, Adrian instinctively dove over the edge of the road.
It was a sheer drop into the ravine.
Sliding down the snowy slope, he flailed madly. Grasping at rocks and other debris, he desperately fought to catch hold of anything. Ten… twenty… thirty feet, he continued to pick up speed. When he slid over a small, stunted pine tree, he reflexively grabbed hold. Tap-rooted, the pine held solid.
One hand at a time, Adrian twisted and tightened his grip, wrapping the flexible branched around his wrists to secure his hold. Though his body was scraped, battered and covered in snow, and slush, and pine tar, he thanked God for this little piece of nature and held on for dear life.
Deafened by his thundering heartbeat and ragged breathing, Adrian gingerly shifted his feet until they found firm purchase. He hugged the snowy slope, waiting for his pulse to slow. Blinking the snowflakes from his eyelashes and purposefully taking deep breaths, he nervously surveyed his predicament.
With the roadway at least thirty feet above and a sheer drop of about a hundred feet below, it didn't look good. Traffic on this road was sparse and, if a car did pass by, it was unlikely they would hear his calls for help. But despite the dire situation, and despite the discomfort of being wet from head to toe, the cold now attacking his hands and feet, Adrian had one thought. He inexplicitly bemoaned the loss of his bright orange gloves.
For some odd reason, he felt like they were his lifeline to Natalie.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
"Captain! TK! Open up please!" Natalie frantically thumped on the door, her stomach clenched in knots.
Within seconds the door flung open, the married couple pulling tight their bathrobes. TK grabbed Natalie's hand and led her into the room, the Captain and his wife quickly barraged her with questions, "Are you alright?" "What's going on?" "What's happened?"
"It's Adrian-" Natalie blurted, "he's missing. He never came back from his run."
Leland's brow creased, "Missing? Hold on, why-"
Natalie interrupted, "Captain, I know something happened! Adrian left a few minutes after six…He always runs for exactly one hour. One hour! He should have been back just after seven. It's now almost eight! I went to his room and there's no sign of him… We need to go look for him! I already told Julie to get Sharona, Randy and Benji and I also called my brother Jonathan."
The phone rang, adding to the tension in the room. Leland picked up, "Stottlemeyer! ...Yes Randy, she's here now. We'll meet in Natalie's room, 411…Okay…yes, see you." He turned to the women, "They'll meet us in a few minutes."
TK pulled at her robe's lapel, "Give us two minutes to get dressed, okay? Natalie, did you want to wait here or can you get back to your room by yourself?" Though her lip was quivering, Natalie showed her room keycard and started for the door. TK followed behind, rubbing her back, "We will find him Sweetie, don't worry."
Leaving the couple to dress, Natalie retreated to her room. Within minutes, everyone had arrived and it became a makeshift search and rescue office. Jonathan Davenport brought a map of the surrounding roads and, after determining that Adrian could have gone in one of three different directions, they split into three teams: Natalie with Jonathan and Leland, Sharona with TK, and Randy with the teenagers, Benji and Julie.
As they were about to depart for their assigned areas, Leland spoke up, "Natalie, I almost forgot to ask, what was Monk wearing?"
"White sneakers, dark grey jacket and pants and-" she teared up, "bright orange gloves."
Randy snorted, "Monk wearing orange? I thought he'd rather d-" Sharona pinched his arm, silencing the last word. Randy flinched, "Sorry."
Sharona turned to Leland, "Wait, what about searching the resort itself?"
Jonathan overheard and stepped next to the Captain, "I called in my Search and Rescue team- they've already started searching the grounds and will contact me if they find him."
"Okay everybody-" Leland held the door open and clapped his hands, "make sure your phones are charged and turned on. Let's go find our friend."
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
Steering the car from the parking lot onto their assigned route, TK anxiously glanced at Sharona, "So, what do you think?"
"I think we better get going!" Sharona sharply snapped. After glancing out her side window, she turned back to her friend, an unwelcome tremble in her voice, "I'm sorry, I just-"
"It's okay, I know." TK mustered her husband's confidence and consoled, "Don't worry, we'll find Adrian, I'm sure." She cast a quick glance in the rearview mirror and, although the road was empty, turned on the car's hazard lights. The car slowly crept down the road and both women scanned the roadsides. They were silent, the strain of the situation oppressive.
Needing to pierce the tension, Sharona let her fear shift into anger and huffed, "Yeah, we'll find him…And then I'll kick his butt…Making Natalie worry…Damn fool getting involved in an investigation the week of his wedding. What was he thinking? Typical Monk! He's impossible."
TK softly chuckled, "That's exactly what Leland said."
They snickered in unison, bravely trying to laugh off their fears. Unbeknownst to the women, they would soon have reason to share a genuine laugh.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
"Keep your eyes peeled, guys." Randy solemnly instructed as he drove the car slowly up the road, "Give a holler if you see anything suspicious."
Occupying the front passenger seat, Julie nervously pulled at her seat belt as she scanned the roadside. In the backseat, Benji's head swiveled back and forth, his eyes desperate for any sign of his boss. After traveling several fruitless miles in silence, Julie gave into the fear that simmered deep in her heart and burst into tears, "What if we can't find him? What if he's laying somewhere, hurt… or worse?"
"We'll find him, we always do." His voice calm, Randy transformed into Officer Disher. Authoritative and reassuring, his confidence soothed the teenagers' fears.
Benji reached over the back of Julie's seat and embraced her shoulders, "Don't worry Jules. I'm sure Adrian's okay- with both our moms on the case, he'll be home soon!"
"And, don't forget," Randy added unpretentiously, "the best cops in the world are on the job too!"
After blotting her eyes, Julie sniffled then chuckled, "I bet Mom ditches the separate rooms and doesn't let him out of her sight the rest of our stay here."
The men agreed and Benji laughingly added, "I wouldn't be surprised if my mom also insists on handcuffing Monk to the Captain or Randy to keep him safe."
The group continued their quest in a lighter mood, exchanging stories of the detective's exploits that all pointed to one indisputable fact; their seemingly unlucky friend always emerged unscathed from the most precarious situations. They all silently hoped today would not be an exception.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
With Jonathan at the helm of the Search and Rescue 4X4, Natalie and Leland scanned the roadside for any sign of Adrian: footprints in the snow, a scrap of clothes, and, though frightening to think about, any hint of blood. The road they had were patrolling had little traffic so, with hazards flashing, they drove at a crawl.
Several times Leland tried to engage Natalie in conversation in hopes of boosting her spirits, but she remained stoically quiet. The SUV's radio crackled with updates from Jonathan's coworkers, the news not promising.
As they rounded a bend, a sheer rock facing appeared on one side of the road while a steep drop-off appeared on the other. The Captain whistled softly, "This is pretty dramatic scenery you have round here, Jonathan."
"Yeah, as you go toward North Mountain, it gets kind of wild." Jonathan glanced in the rearview mirror and, seeing an approaching car, pulled over and waved them by.
Natalie exhaled loudly, impatient for the passing vehicle to get out of her line of vision. As soon as the car sped away, she urged Jonathan forward, "Hurry up, let's go! But slowly!"
The 4x4 truck crept forward, a light snow beginning to fall. Jonathan turned on the windshield wipers and turned up the heat in the truck. Another mile went by in silence. The terrain became more threatening, the road barely hugging the mountainside.
Getting another negative update on his radio, Jonathan hesitantly asked, "Nat, with Adrian's fear of heights, do you really think he would have taken this road?"
Inhaling sharply, she fixed her eyes on the side of the road. Though her gut told her she was going to find Adrian, she didn't want to face the possibility that maybe they were headed in the wrong direction. She softly murmured, "Keep going."
They reached a sharp incline and Natalie craned her neck and opened her window. Visibility fading, the snow had begun to fall heavier, covering the tire tracks on the road. There was so much slush and road salts and …
"Over there!" Natalie flung her arm out the window, pointing to a small orange scrap of material lying near the edge of the road. Jonathan pulled over and, before the vehicle was fully stopped, Natalie bolted from her seat. She snatched up the object and shook away the snow. It was a fluorescent 'look-at-me' orange glove!
Her heart soared. Pressing the glove to her chest, she ran to the road's shoulder. Peering over, tears of relief clouded her vision and she began yelling Adrian's name.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
Although cold and weary, his muscles achingly tired, and snow beginning to fall, Adrian never lost hope. Natalie's favorite motto – Hope is good! - had finally taken hold of his heart and coursed through his veins. Thinking of Natalie, and of their unborn child, Adrian shook off his fatigue and looked around, calculating the best escape route. Attempt to climb up, or continue down? He plotted both possibilities.
The gentle snowfall turned heavier. He needed to act soon. Which way? A growl of indecision came to his throat. He then suddenly quieted and cocked his head. He heard a vehicle, but then again, maybe not. The winds had begun to whistle. Blinking through the snowflakes, he looked up towards the empty cliff. He blinked once again, the visibility dwindling.
From nowhere, amid the whirling snowfall, a silhouette materialized.
Like a hundred time before, Natalie was there.
A/N: Yeah for Natalie! ~Chapter 10, Getting Warmer, coming soon! ;)