10.
~ Alex could feel the tension building between himself and Norma from the time they left Pine View till they finally arrived home. She hadn't said much after they had watched Norman on the security camera. It was like she was in a trance when Edwards told them that Norman needed intensive medication to keep him calm. Her entire personality seemed to shut down at the news her son really was a danger to others. How he sometimes believed he was his mother and would threaten anyone who interfered with that illusion. Without a word, she'd followed Alex home from Pine View after the meeting with Doctor Edwards was completed.
"Did Dylan see Norman? When he dropped his clothes off, did they let him see Norman at all? Did he talk to him?" Norma finally asked. Her voice was weak from such an emotionally draining day.
"Norman wasn't himself when Dylan went to see him." Alex said gently. "They thought it was best for Dylan not to talk to him. He just dropped his things off and had to leave."
"You've been talking to Doctor Edwards this whole time? All this time about my son, without me there?" she accused sadly. "Without me even knowing?"
He could see the hurt on her face at being left out and kept in the dark about Norman.
"Yes. He sends me an email with an update on Norman everyday." Alex admitted. He could see the hurt on her face at being left out again. About not knowing what was happening to her son.
"Why didn't you tell me this?" Norma cried pitifully.
Alex could feel the fracture in their relationship growing wider. The way she looked at him now was like he'd stabbed her in the heart.
"Why didn't you tell me any of this? That he was this bad?" she asked.
"Because you wouldn't have believed it until you saw it for yourself, Norma." Alex said calmly. "You needed to see it. Needed to see what I saw."
"What I needed to see, was my son healthy. That's what I needed to see." Norma snapped. Some of the fire igniting back in her eyes.
"Except he isn't healthy." Alex argued.
"Not there he isn't. He's gotten worse since he's been there."
"Norma, he's getting the best care in the state."
"He's locked in a room screaming that he want's to kill me. He never did that before."
"No, he just threatened you with a gun and tried to murder you in your sleep." He spat.
Norma stepped away from him like she'd been slapped. Alex immediately regretted such harsh words. His wife would always be sensitive towards Norman. Her mothering instincts blinding her to the reality of what her son was.
"You want me to lie to you?" Alex asked. "You want me to pretend that he's just misunderstood? That it was some kind of freak accident? That the best doctors available are all conspiring against him just for fun?"
Norma refused to look at him. Her gaze fixing on anything but him just now.
"I'm not that guy. Remember? I'm not that guy who lies to you to make things easier." he said. "I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear."
"I just wanted to see him." Norma moaned sadly. "I just wanted to tell him I loved him and that I wasn't angry with him."
Alex tried to reach out for her hand, but she maneuvered away from him. Her hands diving into the pockets of her coat. Her defenses snapping back up now that she felt she couldn't trust anyone.
"You're going by Mrs. Romero now." he said gently.
"It has to look real, right?" she said numbly.
Alex wanted to speak up, but words failed him. He wanted to tell her how of course it looked real. It was always real.
"Norma, this isn't forever." he said. He tried to reach for her again. His hands failing to catch her as she maneuvered effortlessly way from him.
"It feels like it, Alex. It feels like this is forever and it feels awful." she told him. Her face, normally so angelic, looked heartbroken and beyond repair.
"I'm… I'll go start dinner." she said at last. "Something for you to eat and then I'll go to bed early." she said weakly.
"Norma." he called when she left him.
~ Maybe the hard part was over. Maybe now that Norma had seen how Norman was, heard the doctors explain things and had the support of her husband and other son, maybe things would get better.
Alex had to hope that things would get better. He had to hope that he and Norma would finally get their happy ending.
"Sheriff?" Regina knocked on his office door and peered inside.
"What is it?" Romero asked curtly. Norma had barely spoken to him that morning after a night of hardly any sleep.
"Alfred Price, head of oversight, is here to see you." Regina said and gave Romero a worried look.
Oversight. Just as Alex feared.
"Send him in." Romero stood up and wasn't at all surprised to see the heavy set older man push past Regina and into the Sheriff's office.
"Sheriff Romero, I'm Alfred Price. I work with the human resources department and I investigate any suspicious activity or fraud." he said in a bold voice that proved he was used to identifying himself on a regular basis.
"Have a seat." Romero waved to the chairs opposite his desk. "How can I help you today, Mr. Price?"
"Frankly, Sheriff, I'm here about your recent marriage." Alfred Price boomed out. He sat his ample body down and started to pull out some papers from his briefcase.
"Lets see… you married a… Norma… Louise… Bates a little over a month ago now. Very spontaneously and without the benefit of family or friends at your city hall wedding." Price said.
"I don't have any family here in White Pine Bay." Romero said casually. "My wife and I are private people who just wanted to get married."
"At city hall?" Price asked.
"This is my second marriage and her third. We're not in our twenties anymore." Romero said and tired to give this man his best PC smile of casual indifference.
Price scribbled a note and looked over some documents.
"The reason your file crossed my desk was because of her son Norman Bates." Price said.
"My step-son." Alex corrected smoothly.
"He's a patient at Pine View? He was first admitted to that facility just a few hours before you married his mother. Now, he's on your insurance?" Price asked.
"Correct."
Price blinked and waited for Alex to explain. When Romero remained quite, the man from oversight shrugged.
"You can see why that would cause someone like me to think you married this woman to give her insurance. Her son needing specialized medical care and with the plan you selected at the time of your employment over 20 years ago, you have a policy of over a million dollars payable to a facility like Pine View." Price said.
"Is there a question there?" Romero laughed. He leaned back in his chair and pretended not to be intimidated by this man who could easily take away his health insurance, not to mention have him fired for fraud.
"Did you marry Mrs. Bates to provide her son with healthcare benefits?" Price asked. "Because from where I'm sitting, that's what it looks like."
"I married Norma because we have romantic feelings for each other." Romero said smoothly. "Marriage is the next logical step in that relationship."
"It seems to me the next logical step for Mrs. Bates was to have you marry her to get her son into Pine View. Were you aware her son was in county under a psych hold? That he was in danger of being remanded there unless his mother could provide adequate treatment. His mother, Norma Bates, who had no medical insurance at all until she just happened to marry you. Just in time to send her son to Pine View. A very expensive facility I might add." Price said.
"I can see how you might think that's suspicious." Romero said casually.
"So you admit that you agreed to marry Mrs. Bates to secure insurance for her son?" Price asked quickly.
Alex wasn't going to fall for that trick. He smiled as if trying to hold back a laugh and shrugged.
"I don't think that's what I said, Mr. Price." he laughed.
"Sheriff, I spoke with several of your associates who say you had a very volatile relationship with Norma Bates. That she often came to this office and when she did, there were disagreements between the two of you." Price pointed out.
"I would say that it's typical for two people in a romantic relationship to have fights." Romero said effortlessly.
"How long have you and Norma Bates lived together?" Price asked.
"We didn't live together till we got married."
"Why not?"
"Norma's son still lived with her and we both felt it unwise to have me living with her while he was still at home."
"But now her son is in Pine View and you married Norma so he could be there."
"I wouldn't say that."
"You just told me you married her for that reason."
"You might want to get your hearing checked. I hear state employees have good health insurance, Mr. Price." Romero smiled.
Price looked outraged.
"Sheriff?" Regina buzzed on the intercom. "I have your wife on line two."
Alex jumped and reached for his phone. Now was not the best time to have Norma call him.
"Norma?" Romero asked into the receiver. Price, clearly annoyed Romero refused to admit to any wrong doing leaned over the desk and hit the speaker icon. Norma's voice coming in clearly for the both of them to hear.
"Alex, I'm sorry." she said. "I was in a mood this morning and I'm sorry if I was mean."
Romero glared at Price. The man from oversight waiting patiently for Norma to say something about Norman and health insurance and their marriage being fake.
"No, Norma, it's fine." Alex said feeling the situation was spinning out of control.
"I think I'll feel better once I'm back in a routine. You know our snowed in honeymoon was nice but I'm only happy when I can stay busy."
"Norma…" Alex ran a hand over his forehead. He couldn't warn her she was on speaker phone. Price would be even more suspicious.
"I think I'll go back to the old house and get my sewing out. If we're going to live in your house, I want do a few projects around here. It's little too neutral for me." she went on.
"Norma."
"I was thinking I'd get a new bedspread and some curtains. Alex, I love you but I hate your taste in decorating. It's like a man lives here all alone." she said.
"What?" Alex asked and tried not to laugh.
"I think the dishwasher might be broken. I need the landlords phone number so I can call him."
"No, Norma, I'll fix it when I get home."
"Dylan and Emma invited us out to dinner tomorrow. It seemed like it was important. Will Decody will be there. So, I want you to take off work early and wear a suit and tie when we go out." Norma went on.
"I don't need to wear a tie, do I?" Alex asked.
"You don't need to, but I like it when you dress up. You look very handsome."
"Can't argue with that."
"Also, can you get the oil changed in my car later this week?"
"Sure."
"What did you want for dinner? I promised you a roast yesterday and I didn't even go to the store."
"I don't care, whatever you make I'll eat. You know that."
"I don't even want to think about how you lived without me." she sighed. "Surprised you didn't starve to death or drown in a pile of laundry."
"Okay." Alex shot Price an embarrassed look. "Norma, I have to go."
"Alright, I love you." she sighed. "Don't forget to change the oil and fix the dishwasher."
"I won't. I… I love you to." Alex stuttered and hung up the phone.
He glanced at Price who was writing a final note.
"Very well, Sheriff." the larger man huffed with a disappointed scowl. "I find no evidence that your marriage to Norma Bates is an attempt at insurance fraud or is invalid in any way."
"So…" Alex asked suspiciously.
"So, we are dropping the investigation into suspicion of fraud." Price said. "Congratulations on your recent marriage, Sheriff. Mrs. Romero sounds like a lovely woman."
"Thank you." Alex said in disbelief that the matter was resolved so cleanly.
Price let himself out and Alex wondered if he should call Norma and tell her that her phone call secured them both from anyone thinking their marriage wasn't real.