3.

~ Norma's mood had improved after she'd eaten a good breakfast. Although she still felt used up and very breakable, there were no more headaches and vomiting. Always a good thing.

She hardly recognized Sheriff Romero when he walked into her hospital room. She wasn't used to seeing him in his civilian clothing.

"Why aren't you in uniform?" she accused him without saying hello first. She had been nibbling on a piece of toast and, like always, said the first thing that popped into her head without thinking of how it would sound.

Sheriff Romero was holding a grocery bag and looked a little surprised at her always unexpected greeting.

"Good morning to you to." he said sarcastically.
"Oh." she said and gently ate some more of her toast. "Good morning."

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Fine. I'm not used to seeing you looking normal." she explained.

He looked down at his clothes. The jeans and layers of a T-shirt and two flannel shirts.

"Yeah, well, I took a leave from work." he said carefully.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because my wife is in the hospital." he explained and she thought she saw him smile slightly.

"Oh." she responded indifferently. She went back to eating. Her body liking the food and the fact that the room had stopped spinning.

"You remember my wife, don't you?" he asked carefully coming next to her hospital bed and setting down the grocery bag in an empty chair.

Norma felt her breath catch slightly at the way he looked at her. His normally distant and stoic attitude was gone. His eyes seemed softer when he looked at her that way. Like he was looking at something he truly cherished and wanted to protect.

She felt her guard go up. Like a security wall activating, complete with alarms and flashing lights. These were defenses she had learned to trust. At an early age, she had to learn to trust that nagging feeling someone was going to hurt her.

Alex… Alex Romero was different. He was the one exception. The one good choice in a lifetime of horrible choices when it came to men. She felt her anxiety lessen when she looked back at him.

"Yes, I know your wife, Sheriff Romero. It's me, isn't it?" Norma said skeptically. It was like she was about to receive bad news.

"Yes." he nodded and a wonderful smile flashed across his face. "Yes, it's you."

"Good. I was worried it was all just a dream." she sighed. "That I had dreamed the whole thing. I'm glad I didn't."

"You were worried it wasn't real?" he asked and his face looked younger and slightly mischievous now. He sat on the edge of her hospital bed and Norma moved over a little to make some room for him.

"It was a nice dream." she insisted. "I mean, if it had been just a dream."

"What do you remember?" he asked. His expression serious now.

Norma felt sadness, burrowing deeply into her chest at the memories that were coming back to her. That anxiety was back again. The feeling that she had to worry for the sake of worrying. That her world was going to fall apart and she could do nothing to stop it.

"I think… we had a fight. I was so angry at you. But then…" she felt tears threatening to come. "I was really sad when… I think I was really sad… and then I was cold. I was really cold and I was floating…"

"Don't think about that." Alex ordered sharply.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and felt ashamed of herself for whatever she had done.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." he told her quickly.

Tears were blurring her vision and she was crying now.

"No, there's a lot to be sorry for. I… I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was so mean. I never wanted to be mean to you, Alex. Sometimes, it's like I can't help it. I just… I feel so out of control. It felt like you were trying to take control of my life… and… I just…" she shook her head.

She didn't know what else to say.

"Then I was sick with the flu." she sighed trying to shake off her bad thoughts.

"Sick." Alex said cooly. It wasn't a question. He was just mirroring her tone.

"It must have been bad. Dylan and Emma came to see me and everything. Why hasn't Norman come?" she asked.

She looked to her husband for an explanation and he looked away from her.

"Is Norman okay?" she asked. She felt like she had fallen through a patch of ice and into painfully cold ice water.

"No." Alex said quickly. "Norman is fine. He's back at Pine View."

"Oh." Norma said in surprise. "He didn't even come and see me?" she whispered.

That wasn't like Norman at all.

"Norma." Alex said carefully. He still wasn't looking at her. She was reminded of when she'd asked about Bob Paris. Or maybe that wasn't real. She wasn't sure about anything anymore. All of it was blurring together and she felt there were large gaps in her memory.

"What?" she asked.

"You weren't sick with the flu." he said and finally looked at her. His face sad and remorseful. As though he had hurt her in some way by telling her this.
"Why am I in the hospital then?" she asked. Her heart beating faster, when her husband took her hand in his.

"Norma, there was an incident. At the house." he said calmly. "Someone… turned on the old furnace and shut all the vents except… except the one to your bedroom. That person knew… they knew that the furnace was broken and would emit carbon dioxide poisoning. That person wanted you to die in your sleep."

Norma's mind didn't seem to understand what he was saying. Someone? A ghost did this? No one living in her house could do something like that. No one she loved and trusted would even think of such a thing.

"You think someone broke into the house?" she whispered.

"Norma." Alex said calmly, but his tone was meant to correct this obvious error in judgment.

"No." she laughed. "No, not Norman."

She shook her head. It simply wasn't true. Why… how could Alex think that?

"Yes." he said. "He did this, Norma, there's no other explanation.

"You don't know that." she snapped quickly.

Alex recoiled as if slapped.

"Norma, do you really think someone broke into the house and released poison gas in an old furnace and then shut off all the vents?" he asked. "Or, is the detective right? Did you try to kill yourself and Norman?"

"What?" she gasped.

"Yeah, that's what this detective Chambers thinks." Alex nodded towards her hospital door. "You had written me a goodby note and put your ring in an envelope."

His hands were clasping hers. His fingers were running over the exceptional beauty of the ring he'd given her.

"I… I don't remember doing that." Norma whispered.

"Memory loss is one of the side effects." Alex told her. "That's what your doctor said."

"Alex, Norman would never do what you're saying." she whispered. She had to make him understand.

"Stop."

"He wouldn't." she insisted.

"Stop."

"Alex, he wouldn't!"

"Norma, just stop trying to convince me that he's innocent." Alex said. Norma leaned away from him at the look of anger that flashed back in his eyes. That was the Sheriff Romero she was never sure she could trust. The Sheriff Romero she wasn't sure was a good guy or not.

"You just didn't want him to come home. Ever." she said petulantly. "You just didn't want to deal with the fact I'm a mother and I still have to be there for my child."

She felt slightly afraid of the look he gave her then. His expression and most of all, his eyes, seemed menacing.

"Yeah. We were fine when we were in the bubble." he said soberly.

Norma felt like that had meaning, but she couldn't remember why. She looked away from him and concentrated on the tray of half eaten food in front of her.

"How long will Norman be at Pine View?" she whispered.

"He tried to kill you." Alex said softly. "If I had my way, he'd be there forever."

She looked at him in shock.

"He admitted himself, he can leave when he feels he's ready." she told him.
"Not this time." Alex said with surprising gentleness. "No, this time… Dylan and I managed to convince Doctor Edwards to admit him under emergency circumstances. I think he was afraid of a lawsuit. My insurance will pay for his treatment up to one million dollars."

"No." Norma breathed. "No, I don't want him there for years, Alex."

"Fine." he said and the darkness returned to his face. "Fine, we can divorce and you can visit him in county. Or in prison."

Norma felt slightly dizzy and sick.

"He didn't do this. He would never hurt me." she told him feebly.

"He did do this. He did hurt you." Alex said calmly.

Norma was shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could change it." he said. His voice breaking slightly and she saw that he was remorseful she was suffering. "Norma, this isn't something that can be fixed easily. We have to let it take its' course. It's going to take time."

Norma said nothing. Her gaze simply lost to space and her own thoughts of her son. The sweetest boy who'd ever lived. He couldn't have done this. There had to be a mistake.

Alex stood and placed the grocery bag on the chair next to her bed.

"I need to go. But I've brought you some clothes from the house." he said. "Dylan and Emma are over there now getting the rest of your stuff."

"What stuff?" Norma asked feeling herself come back to reality.

Alex looked mildly annoyed but not at her.

"You're going to be staying at my place for a while." he said.

"Why, what's wrong with my house?" she accused.

"Aside from the fact it's a crime scene?" he countered.

She felt frustration and general annoyance at him wash over her, but it soon dissipated when he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She remembered then, remembered that Alex cared for her. That he cherished her and she loved being his wife. She was suddenly sorry for everything. Sorry she had fought with him, sorry she had refused to believe him. Sorry she had hurt him.
"I'm sorry." she whimpered and felt herself wanting to cry again.

"Don't be." he said.

"I am though. I'm sorry… sorry I didn't listen to you. Sorry I let this happen." she whispered and felt his hand run over her jaw line as his lips hovered warmly over her forehead.

"You didn't let this happen." he whispered. "None of this was you fault."

Her hand grasped his and she was kissing his palm. She didn't want him to go.

"Can you stay a little longer?" she asked. "I don't want to be alone right now."

She was sure he would tell her that he was busy. That he had obligations and errands to run. So it surprised her when he peeled off his leather jacket and removed his shoes. It surprised her still that he crawled into the narrow hospital bed with her. His body fitting neatly with hers as if they were always meant to be.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!