Vacation Mishaps and Memories
Title: Vacation Mishaps and Memories
Author:Honor_reid
Fandom: Monk/Hawaii 5-0
Pairing: Natalie Teeger/Adrian Monk
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,992
Summary: Natalie and Adrian take their first vacation as a married couple.
Notes: A big thank you to my beta lanalucy she made this story much more readable! Written for the comm Older_not_dead prompt: clear blue skies. Also for the comm Stories_a_z letter V, table here. hc_bingo prompt: Headaches/Migraines.
Natalie and Adrian had just rounded the corner when they were knocked off their feet by a man in a knit cap going at a full sprint. Natalie felt her head hit the payment, the pain ricocheting through her brain, and she curled up into a fetal position. In the distance she heard Adrian calling her name. Grasping the back of her head Natalie opened her eyes and squinted against the bright Hawaiian sunlight.
When her eyes focused again, Adrian was leaning over her. His ever more frantic question finally made sense. “Natalie, are you all right?”
Grabbing one of the hands hovering over her, Natalie squeezed it gently and replied, “I think I’m okay…just hit my head.” Seeing that a crowd had gathered, Natalie felt embarrassed to still be lying on the ground. “Help me up.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You could have a concussion,” Monk stammered out, but when she insisted, he helped her to her feet.
Once standing, Natalie felt the headache pulsate to the rhythm of her heartbeat. She winced and held her head. Adrian put an arm around her waist and guided her through the crowd to a nearby bench. Sitting made her head feel better; smiling her thanks to Adrian, she patted his knee trying to reassure him. From the look on his face, he wasn’t buying it.
Finally the pain receded to a tolerable level and Natalie sat fully upright, “What happened?”
Adrian brushed her hair out of her eyes and opened his mouth to answer when they heard the sound of an ambulance coming from down the street.
Soon a paramedic was kneeling next to her asking her questions. She answered them to the best of her ability, and after shining a light in her eyes, he suggested a trip to the emergency room. Natalie felt tears well up at the thought of having to spend time in a hospital on their vacation.
It had taken her and Adrian so long to become a couple; they kept dancing around each other, neither sure of the other’s feelings. It had taken a road trip Julie’s college graduation and living in close quarters to finally get them together.
This trip had been a surprise first anniversary gift from Adrian, who wasn’t the greatest flier; and so she’d been shocked he was willing to fly over six hours to the Hawaiian Islands. She knew he’d wanted to make up for the lack of a honeymoon due to their heavy case load when they’d gotten married.
Seeing her distress the paramedic offered a half smile, “It is just a precaution, nothing to really worry about.”
Natalie nodded and Adrian helped her to her feet and into the ambulance. Once at the E.R. she was whisked away, but thankfully after the initial intake questions Adrian was allowed to join her.
The doctor, who reminded Natalie of Anthony Edwards’ character from the show ER, looked her over and declared she would probably have a really bad headache for awhile, but she did not have a concussion.
Swinging her feet back and forth, Natalie sat on the gurney anxiously waiting for the nurse to return with the release paperwork. When Adrian straightened the bedcovers for the fifth time, Natalie held out a hand and pleaded, “Come here.”
Adrian took her outstretched hand, and Natalie drew him toward her until he was standing in front of her. Smiling up at him, trying to be reassuring, she was relieved to see him smile back at her. “I’m okay.”
“I know. I just worry. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Adrian said, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.
They heard someone clearing their throat, and they looked up. Two men were standing next to the curtains; one was blonde with slicked back hair and blue eyes, the other was the taller with brown hair.
“Mr. and Mrs. Monk, my name is Steve McGarrett. This is my partner, Danny Williams. We’re part of a governmental task force, and we’d like to ask you a few questions about what you saw today.”
After looking at their credentials, Natalie shrugged her shoulders and confessed in a low voice, “I’m sorry. It all happened so fast, I honestly don’t know if I can be of much help.”
Detective Williams spoke next, “The man who ran into you is a person of interest in a current case. We’re attempting to locate him and any tidbit you could give us would be of help. Can you give us a description?”
“Uhm…I’m sorry. I was looking out toward the ocean I wasn’t even paying attention, and next thing I knew I was hit,” Natalie admitted, feeling badly she couldn’t be more help. Monk fidgeted with his collar and then with the buttons of his shirt, and she wished the nurse would hurry up; she knew how much Adrian hated hospitals.
“He was six foot one, around two hundred pounds, Caucasian, black knit cap, brown hair with receding hairline, long sleeve black shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers. You might want to look for him downtown between Main Street and 5th,” Monk burst out. He fiddled with the sheets again and then looked up. Seeing the stunned looks, he just shrugged.
Natalie smiled at the shocked looks on the detectives faces. She had grown so used to her husband’s abilities, it was always entertaining to see other’s reactions.
Detective Williams recovered first and queried, “Wow, that’s great, but why Main and 5th?”
Monk twitched his shoulders and gripped Natalie’s hand tighter, explaining, “He had blue paint on the side of his shoes. I noticed when we were walking yesterday the city was repainting the handicap curbs on Main Street. Also he had yellow pollen smeared on his shirt sleeve, and there’s a florist shop with buckets of sunflowers on the corner of Main and 5th.”
McGarrett’s eyebrows continued to rise the longer Adrian’s speech continued “You got all that during the thirty seconds you saw him?”
Adrian shrugged in a self-deprecating manner, although there was a small half smile playing across his face. Natalie gently shook her head in amusement. Lightly placing her feet on the ground, she stood up and answered the Detective’s question, “Adrian works for the San Francisco Police department as a consultant. He’s very good at noticing details.”
Detective Williams’ phone chirped and he looked down at the screen and replied a bit distractedly, “They must love you there. Thank you so much for the information. That actually gives us a place to start looking.” Then clapping his partner on the back, he continued on, “Chin has some new information for us.”
As the two men left, the nurse came in (finally) with the paperwork and they were soon on the way back to their hotel.
-Monk/Hawaii 5-O-
The sound of the ocean crashing along the beach had to be the best sound in the world, Natalie decided as she blearily opened her eyes. She was facing the window; Natalie had purposely left the curtains open last night just so she could enjoy the morning view their bungalow afforded them. They had lucked out when her parents had offered them the use of their vacation home; it was secluded, with a private beach.
She could feel Adrian along her back his arm draped over her waist his breath tickling the back of her neck. Turning over, Natalie got a look at her husband in the pink light of dawn and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. There had been a time when she didn’t think they would ever be together, but here they were. They only had two days left and were determined to make the most of them. They were supposed to visit a local art museum today but first they needed to get up and prepare some breakfast. Reaching up, Natalie leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Adrian’s. She felt him smile before she drew back and saw his deep brown eyes staring back at her.
“How’s your head?” Adrian questioned in a voice rough with sleep.
“The back of it is a little tender but I don’t even have a headache anymore,” Natalie confessed, stealing a bit closer to her husband and sliding her arms around him.
Adrian’s smile deepened, “Just what are you up to Mrs. Monk?”
Nudging him until he lay on his back, Natalie swung her leg over him and straddled his hips, “What does it look like, Mr. Monk?”
Laughing softly, Adrian drew her down for a kiss; Natalie poured all her love into the caress of her lips against his. Breakfast was going to have to wait.
-Monk/Hawaii 5-O-
By the time they left the museum, having greatly enjoyed the local artists featured within, Natalie had picked up gifts for Julie and for Stottlemeyer in the museum’s gift shop. Interlacing their fingers, Adrian and Natalie leisurely made their way toward a local café that they’d grown to love. Finding a seat outside at a table under an umbrella, they ordered their food, basking in the clear blue skies and the warm gentle breeze. Once the food arrived, they ate the scrumptious fare and talked about what to do with the rest of the day.
The had finished up and were sipping their drinks and talking quietly about what time they should leave tomorrow in order to make it to the airport on time, when a shadow fell on their table.
Glancing up, Natalie was surprised to see the two detectives from the other day, carrying to-go bags from the café “Oh, Hello.”
McGarrett smiled down at them and commented, “Hello. We were getting some lunch and saw you guys sitting here and thought you’d want to know, thanks to your insights, we were able to find the guy and stop him before anyone else was hurt.”
“We’re just happy to help,” Natalie offered with a smile, grateful that something good had come of the whole experience.
“If you ever want to move to Hawaii, I’m sure HPD would love to have you work as a consultant,” he continued with a smile.
Natalie could almost imagine living in the heaven on earth that Hawaii seemed to be but seeing Adrian’s slightly panicked look, she let him off the hook by saying, “Oh we love San Francisco too much to ever think of leaving.”
Williams smiled and nudged his partner in the ribs and with a laugh boasted, “See Steven, what did I tell you? Not everyone is dying to move to paradise like you think they are.” The men waved their goodbyes and continued their friendly bickering as they made their way down the street.
Gathering up their belongings Adrian paid the bill, and hailing a cab, they were soon deposited at their bungalow.
Placing the bags on the floor in their bedroom, Natalie went out on to the back porch and took a seat on the bench swing and just enjoyed the sight before her. Adrian joined her placing an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against his shoulder as he gently set the swing in motion. Natalie didn’t think she had ever been as content as she was in this moment.
She felt Adrian press a kiss to the top of her head and heard a soft, “I love you Natalie.”
Closing her eyes and trying to imprint this moment in her memory, she returned, “I love you too, Adrian.”
The End
Author:Honor_reid
Fandom: Monk/Hawaii 5-0
Pairing: Natalie Teeger/Adrian Monk
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,992
Summary: Natalie and Adrian take their first vacation as a married couple.
Notes: A big thank you to my beta lanalucy she made this story much more readable! Written for the comm Older_not_dead prompt: clear blue skies. Also for the comm Stories_a_z letter V, table here. hc_bingo prompt: Headaches/Migraines.
Natalie and Adrian had just rounded the corner when they were knocked off their feet by a man in a knit cap going at a full sprint. Natalie felt her head hit the payment, the pain ricocheting through her brain, and she curled up into a fetal position. In the distance she heard Adrian calling her name. Grasping the back of her head Natalie opened her eyes and squinted against the bright Hawaiian sunlight.
When her eyes focused again, Adrian was leaning over her. His ever more frantic question finally made sense. “Natalie, are you all right?”
Grabbing one of the hands hovering over her, Natalie squeezed it gently and replied, “I think I’m okay…just hit my head.” Seeing that a crowd had gathered, Natalie felt embarrassed to still be lying on the ground. “Help me up.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You could have a concussion,” Monk stammered out, but when she insisted, he helped her to her feet.
Once standing, Natalie felt the headache pulsate to the rhythm of her heartbeat. She winced and held her head. Adrian put an arm around her waist and guided her through the crowd to a nearby bench. Sitting made her head feel better; smiling her thanks to Adrian, she patted his knee trying to reassure him. From the look on his face, he wasn’t buying it.
Finally the pain receded to a tolerable level and Natalie sat fully upright, “What happened?”
Adrian brushed her hair out of her eyes and opened his mouth to answer when they heard the sound of an ambulance coming from down the street.
Soon a paramedic was kneeling next to her asking her questions. She answered them to the best of her ability, and after shining a light in her eyes, he suggested a trip to the emergency room. Natalie felt tears well up at the thought of having to spend time in a hospital on their vacation.
It had taken her and Adrian so long to become a couple; they kept dancing around each other, neither sure of the other’s feelings. It had taken a road trip Julie’s college graduation and living in close quarters to finally get them together.
This trip had been a surprise first anniversary gift from Adrian, who wasn’t the greatest flier; and so she’d been shocked he was willing to fly over six hours to the Hawaiian Islands. She knew he’d wanted to make up for the lack of a honeymoon due to their heavy case load when they’d gotten married.
Seeing her distress the paramedic offered a half smile, “It is just a precaution, nothing to really worry about.”
Natalie nodded and Adrian helped her to her feet and into the ambulance. Once at the E.R. she was whisked away, but thankfully after the initial intake questions Adrian was allowed to join her.
The doctor, who reminded Natalie of Anthony Edwards’ character from the show ER, looked her over and declared she would probably have a really bad headache for awhile, but she did not have a concussion.
Swinging her feet back and forth, Natalie sat on the gurney anxiously waiting for the nurse to return with the release paperwork. When Adrian straightened the bedcovers for the fifth time, Natalie held out a hand and pleaded, “Come here.”
Adrian took her outstretched hand, and Natalie drew him toward her until he was standing in front of her. Smiling up at him, trying to be reassuring, she was relieved to see him smile back at her. “I’m okay.”
“I know. I just worry. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Adrian said, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.
They heard someone clearing their throat, and they looked up. Two men were standing next to the curtains; one was blonde with slicked back hair and blue eyes, the other was the taller with brown hair.
“Mr. and Mrs. Monk, my name is Steve McGarrett. This is my partner, Danny Williams. We’re part of a governmental task force, and we’d like to ask you a few questions about what you saw today.”
After looking at their credentials, Natalie shrugged her shoulders and confessed in a low voice, “I’m sorry. It all happened so fast, I honestly don’t know if I can be of much help.”
Detective Williams spoke next, “The man who ran into you is a person of interest in a current case. We’re attempting to locate him and any tidbit you could give us would be of help. Can you give us a description?”
“Uhm…I’m sorry. I was looking out toward the ocean I wasn’t even paying attention, and next thing I knew I was hit,” Natalie admitted, feeling badly she couldn’t be more help. Monk fidgeted with his collar and then with the buttons of his shirt, and she wished the nurse would hurry up; she knew how much Adrian hated hospitals.
“He was six foot one, around two hundred pounds, Caucasian, black knit cap, brown hair with receding hairline, long sleeve black shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers. You might want to look for him downtown between Main Street and 5th,” Monk burst out. He fiddled with the sheets again and then looked up. Seeing the stunned looks, he just shrugged.
Natalie smiled at the shocked looks on the detectives faces. She had grown so used to her husband’s abilities, it was always entertaining to see other’s reactions.
Detective Williams recovered first and queried, “Wow, that’s great, but why Main and 5th?”
Monk twitched his shoulders and gripped Natalie’s hand tighter, explaining, “He had blue paint on the side of his shoes. I noticed when we were walking yesterday the city was repainting the handicap curbs on Main Street. Also he had yellow pollen smeared on his shirt sleeve, and there’s a florist shop with buckets of sunflowers on the corner of Main and 5th.”
McGarrett’s eyebrows continued to rise the longer Adrian’s speech continued “You got all that during the thirty seconds you saw him?”
Adrian shrugged in a self-deprecating manner, although there was a small half smile playing across his face. Natalie gently shook her head in amusement. Lightly placing her feet on the ground, she stood up and answered the Detective’s question, “Adrian works for the San Francisco Police department as a consultant. He’s very good at noticing details.”
Detective Williams’ phone chirped and he looked down at the screen and replied a bit distractedly, “They must love you there. Thank you so much for the information. That actually gives us a place to start looking.” Then clapping his partner on the back, he continued on, “Chin has some new information for us.”
As the two men left, the nurse came in (finally) with the paperwork and they were soon on the way back to their hotel.
-Monk/Hawaii 5-O-
The sound of the ocean crashing along the beach had to be the best sound in the world, Natalie decided as she blearily opened her eyes. She was facing the window; Natalie had purposely left the curtains open last night just so she could enjoy the morning view their bungalow afforded them. They had lucked out when her parents had offered them the use of their vacation home; it was secluded, with a private beach.
She could feel Adrian along her back his arm draped over her waist his breath tickling the back of her neck. Turning over, Natalie got a look at her husband in the pink light of dawn and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. There had been a time when she didn’t think they would ever be together, but here they were. They only had two days left and were determined to make the most of them. They were supposed to visit a local art museum today but first they needed to get up and prepare some breakfast. Reaching up, Natalie leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Adrian’s. She felt him smile before she drew back and saw his deep brown eyes staring back at her.
“How’s your head?” Adrian questioned in a voice rough with sleep.
“The back of it is a little tender but I don’t even have a headache anymore,” Natalie confessed, stealing a bit closer to her husband and sliding her arms around him.
Adrian’s smile deepened, “Just what are you up to Mrs. Monk?”
Nudging him until he lay on his back, Natalie swung her leg over him and straddled his hips, “What does it look like, Mr. Monk?”
Laughing softly, Adrian drew her down for a kiss; Natalie poured all her love into the caress of her lips against his. Breakfast was going to have to wait.
-Monk/Hawaii 5-O-
By the time they left the museum, having greatly enjoyed the local artists featured within, Natalie had picked up gifts for Julie and for Stottlemeyer in the museum’s gift shop. Interlacing their fingers, Adrian and Natalie leisurely made their way toward a local café that they’d grown to love. Finding a seat outside at a table under an umbrella, they ordered their food, basking in the clear blue skies and the warm gentle breeze. Once the food arrived, they ate the scrumptious fare and talked about what to do with the rest of the day.
The had finished up and were sipping their drinks and talking quietly about what time they should leave tomorrow in order to make it to the airport on time, when a shadow fell on their table.
Glancing up, Natalie was surprised to see the two detectives from the other day, carrying to-go bags from the café “Oh, Hello.”
McGarrett smiled down at them and commented, “Hello. We were getting some lunch and saw you guys sitting here and thought you’d want to know, thanks to your insights, we were able to find the guy and stop him before anyone else was hurt.”
“We’re just happy to help,” Natalie offered with a smile, grateful that something good had come of the whole experience.
“If you ever want to move to Hawaii, I’m sure HPD would love to have you work as a consultant,” he continued with a smile.
Natalie could almost imagine living in the heaven on earth that Hawaii seemed to be but seeing Adrian’s slightly panicked look, she let him off the hook by saying, “Oh we love San Francisco too much to ever think of leaving.”
Williams smiled and nudged his partner in the ribs and with a laugh boasted, “See Steven, what did I tell you? Not everyone is dying to move to paradise like you think they are.” The men waved their goodbyes and continued their friendly bickering as they made their way down the street.
Gathering up their belongings Adrian paid the bill, and hailing a cab, they were soon deposited at their bungalow.
Placing the bags on the floor in their bedroom, Natalie went out on to the back porch and took a seat on the bench swing and just enjoyed the sight before her. Adrian joined her placing an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against his shoulder as he gently set the swing in motion. Natalie didn’t think she had ever been as content as she was in this moment.
She felt Adrian press a kiss to the top of her head and heard a soft, “I love you Natalie.”
Closing her eyes and trying to imprint this moment in her memory, she returned, “I love you too, Adrian.”
The End