AUTHOR'S NOTE: We have come to the end of our story, and once again, I want to thank you, my faithful readers, for staying with me to the end. For those who have reviewed and communicated through a private message, I love you guys! Before we say goodbye, for now, let's join our favorite detective and his family once again. If you enjoyed this story, please check out the rest of the series, Mr. Monk and The Miracle of Adoption, Mr. Monk and the Sins of the Father, and Mr. Monk and the Tangled Web.

Natalie and Timothy were discharged from San Francisco General the morning of January 12th, and Adrian was happy to drive them home. They walked into their house with the baby sleeping in his car seat. Julie ran to greet them with Sophia in tow.

"Timody?" Sophia asked, patting the baby's leg.

"Yes, sweetheart," said Adrian. "Your little brother is here to live with us now."

"Hold him?" she asked, stretching out her arms.

Adrian's forehead furrowed. "I don't think just yet."

"It's okay," said Natalie, placing her hand on his arm. "We've been practicing how to hold him with her baby doll."

Adrian's brow remained furrowed, but he said, "Go sit on the couch, and I'll bring him over."

Sophia ran to the couch, her curls bouncing behind her. Adrian brought over the car seat, and carefully unbuckled his tiny son. "We're going to be very gentle," he instructed as he laid the tiny infant in her waiting arms, keeping a hand on him as he did.

Sophia nodded again as she touched the baby's hair, then his cheek. Timothy opened his eyes and blinked before staring into his sister's big, green eyes. A smile spread across her face when he kicked his legs and his arms jerked upward. His mouth formed into what almost looked like a smile. "Hi, Timody," she said, then she looked at her father and grinned.

Adrian sat beside the two small children and Natalie sat on the other side. Julie joined them and leaned over to get her own look at the family's newest addition.

While the girls cooed over the baby, Adrian looked up, noticing how perfectly neat and clean his home was. He had trained himself to accept a certain level of disarray with a toddler in the house, but even her usual slew of toys had been perfectly organized.

"Julie, the house looks fantastic," he said.

"I had help," she said, looking up. "Molly and I wanted the place to be as perfect as possible, so you two wouldn't have to worry about it. There's also a few days' worth of meals in the fridge people have brought by, and I'm going to stay until the end of the week. I got some time off work and the Spring Semester doesn't start until next Monday. So, now Mom can rest and recover, and you just need to help her with the baby.

Natalie turned and pulled her in for a tight hug. "You are simply the best!" she said. "I love you so much."

"You didn't think moving out meant you'd never see me again, did you?! Besides the best parents in the world, I also have a little brother and sister I want to spend time with."

Adrian looked at Natalie and saw that she too was welling up. If one were to step in on the scene, they may not understand the powerful emotions present in the room, but for this family of five, the moment was significant. A mere two years earlier, they were not a family of five. They weren't even a family of three, at least not officially. They were two separate households, one without a father or siblings, and the other without a wife or children. The wonder that those two separate households had come together and added two more members in such a short time was not lost on any of them. They each felt a sense of belonging and rightness that had been long-awaited and was rarely taken for granted.

The celebration came to an abrupt end when Timothy began to cry. Natalie reached for him, but Adrian was already lifting him from Sophia's arms. When he settled him at his shoulder, he scrunched his nose.

"Someone needs a clean diaper," he said, standing up. A few minutes later, his voice could be heard from above them. "Julie! Where did all this stuff come from?"

Julie grinned when her mother looked at her with a question crossing her face. "Come on, Mom. There's a surprise for you upstairs," she said, holding out her hand.

"What is going on?" Natalie asked.

"Just come, and you'll see."

Julie helped Natalie up the stairs and to the nursery. When Natalie stepped in, her mouth dropped open. The nursery had been transformed with all new furniture, rugs, window coverings, and bedding. Besides that, the new baby clothes had been either folded or hung in the closet, and baskets of diapers, wipes, and other baby needs were organized and ready to be used. She stepped to the glowing cherry-wood crib and touched the railing. "How?"

Julie was laughing now. "It was Grandma and Grandpa Davenport. They bought it for you and had it delivered. It came yesterday while you guys were at the hospital, so Molly, Luke, and I got it all moved into place and the room organized. The bassinet is in your room, and there's more in my old room."

"More?" asked Adrian.

"Once Timothy had a clean diaper, Julie led them into her old room, which was now Sophia's. Natalie gasped when she saw, not only a toddler bed for Sophia, but also a new twin bed, a dresser, and a bookcase all in the same elegant cherry wood. That room had also been adorned with new rugs, bedding, and window coverings, and Sophia's things had been moved over and organized.

"Now, I have a place to sleep when I come to visit," said Julie, "and watch this." She stood and pulled a trundle bed out from under the twin. "When Sophia outgrows the toddler bed, there will still be two beds in here."

Natalie had to take a seat on the twin bed as she felt her head beginning to spin. "But, how did Grandma know? I had been eyeing this furniture for months, but I knew we couldn't afford it, especially after my hospital stay back in November."

"Julie laughed again. The catalog was on the coffee table when Grandma came by that day when you were sick. She looked through it while you were sleeping, and noticed all the dog-eared pages. Then, she kept calling and asking if you had bought it yet. When I told you I was moving out, you said you weren't going to be able to afford it, so I told her, and she ordered it for you. If Timothy had waited for his due date, you would have been here when it arrived, but I have to say, this is much more fun."

"The plaque that Luke made…they knew about it too, didn't they? That's why it matches everything so well."

"Yes, I showed them the catalog." Then, Julie took her baby brother from her awestruck father. "I'll take him for a while."

Feeling a little dizzy, Adrian sat down with Natalie. This was almost too much. Not only was it uncommon for someone to surprise him to this degree, but the love poured out on them the last couple of days was simply immeasurable.

"I can't believe my mother did this," said Natalie, still in disbelief. "She has never done anything like this."

"She must have had a change of heart," said Adrian, taking his wife's hand.

Natalie smiled at him. "Yes, and she knows how special this little baby is. He almost didn't make it."

Adrian squeezed her hand. "We are very blessed, sweetheart, very blessed."

Later that evening, Adrian sat in the rocker, which had been moved into his and Natalie's bedroom, along with the baby bassinet. He rocked his son, singing to him softly while Natalie got ready for bed.

As she pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, she smiled at her husband. "You should lay him down and come to bed too."

Adrian stopped singing and looked up. "I will. In a minute."

"Okay," Natalie said as her head hit the pillow. "Don't stay up too late."

A couple of hours later, Natalie awoke and heard gentle snoring. She looked at Adrian's side of the bed, but it was empty. Her eyes turned towards the rocker and there he still sat, sound asleep, the baby also asleep on his chest. Her eyes softened as she looked at him in the filtered moonlight.

"Adrian Monk," she said, walking towards them, "you were worried about not being a good father and not being there for me." She bent and kissed his cheek. "You are the best, my darling. I love you to the moon and back."