14,
~ Norma woke up in the hospital. She didn't know then that she had endured surgery to fix her broken arm. Didn't understand right away that it had been so badly broken, to have required surgery. She didn't understand what had happened at all.
"Norma?" came a voice and she flinched at the sound.
Zac Shelby's face swam out of her blurred vision and she felt oddly afraid of him.
"Don't. Don't hurt us. Please." she whimpered and tried to move away.
"Norma, I'd never hurt you." Zac whispered. "You're safe now. I'm right here."
His hands were on hers then and they were gentle. Her eyes focused on his face and the idea of the man behind the face came back to her.
"Zac." she spat out.
"Yes, baby." he said kindly. His face looked relived she recognized him.
"Dylan. Where's Dylan? Is he with you?" she asked. A sickly panic was flooding her body.
"Dylan is fine. He's fine." Zac promised quickly.
Norma's mind was racing. A horrible pain in her arm was making it hard to concentrate.
"Wait. Wait." she panted from the pain. "Norman? Norman. I hid him. I hid him."
"We found him." Zac said quickly. "Norman is perfectly safe. He didn't see anything."
"Nurse!" barked another voice that was bossy and almost menacing.
Norma was still holding Zac's hand when she saw Romero enter her hospital room. He looked angry, but she knew that was nothing new. When the nurse hurried in behind him, he pointed to Norma.
"This woman is in pain, she needs her medication. Now." Romero ordered.
"I'll have to find the doctor. She woke up sooner than expected." the nurse stammered.
"Then find him!" Romero commanded. "Now!"
The nurse hurried away and Norma winced as another wave of pain hit her. She squirmed uncomfortably in her hospital bed.
"Don't worry, they're getting you something for the pain." Zac was saying.
Norma wasn't listing to him though. She found it hard to breathe. Romero stepped closer to her bed and she let go of Zac to reach for him. She only had the one arm to work with, and Deputy Romero, safe and secure as always, took her hand.
She felt the smoothed over calluses of Romero's fingers and palms hold her steady when she tried to move to a less painful position.
"It was Sam." she gasped. "He just showed up at the house."
"I know." Romero whispered. "It's over now."
"He did this!" Norma cried pitifully. She was ashamed of her tears, but couldn't make them stop.
She saw, even with her blurred vision, Romeo give Zac a hard look to leave. She felt Zac lean over her and kiss her cheek. She winced slightly at the contact, even though it was gentle.
"I'll be right outside." he whispered. "I'll check on the boys to."
Both Norma and Romero were silent till Shelby left. As soon as they were alone, Norma started to talk.
"I should have listened to you. I should have signed the restraining order like you said. I'm so sorry." she cried.
Romero kept her hand safely locked in his. His grasp was stronger than Shelby's and yet, fell short of being too hard.
"Don't apologize." he told her. "I should have protected you better. I'm the one who's sorry."
Norma felt the pain and the grief pull her body apart. She gasped and held fast to his hand to help ease the strain. Romero let her hold onto him like a lifeline. Recognizing she needed him, if only for this.
"It was so stupid to let him in the house. I'm so stupid." she said once the pain eased a little.
"Never call yourself that again." Romero ordered. It was the same tone he used to talk the nurse. A command that had to be obeyed. "He did this to you. You did nothing wrong."
She didn't believe him. But she wanted to.
"Are you sure Dylan and Norman are okay?" she asked weakly.
"I just got back from where they are." Romero told her. His perpetually sad eyes fixed on hers so she knew he told the truth. "I found Norman under the floor of your closet where you hid him. He's fine and doesn't seem to remember a thing. Dylan saw my SUV and waved me down. He saved your life. I think Sheriff Wilson want's to give him a special award."
Norma couldn't register the idea of her oldest getting an award or saving her life. The pain was back. It tore through her body like a tiger.
"Oh!" she cried out. She was breathing heavy like she was in labor.
"The doctor is coming with some pain meds, Norma." Romero told her. His face showing sympathy to her ordeal as he kept her hand firmly in his.
"Oh! At least Sam's in jail right?" she gasped. "You have evidence to put him away for good?"
Alex looked away. His faithful gaze that never lied to her before seemed to falter.
"Alex?" she asked. She had never used his first name before, but felt like now was the right time to start.
"Sam Bates is dead." he told her at last.
Norma swallowed hard. She knew what happened then. It was written plainly on his face.
"You kill him?" she asked in a whisper.
Alex finally looked back at her. The truth was there and yet, there was no remorse for Sam Bates in his eyes.
"I'm glad." she breathed. "Thank you."
Alex nodded. His eyes never leaving hers until the doctor and Sheriff Wilson arrived in her room.
"Mrs. Bates? You're in pain?" the doctor asked.
"Yes!" Norma spat angrily. She had a death lock on Alex with her good hand. His fingers turning slightly white at her abuse.
"Well, you've had a compound break on your arm that required surgery and several pins put in. Also, some broken ribs and extensive bruising." the doctor explained.
"Please!" Norma shouted. "I need something for the pain! NOW!"
The doctor seemed a little startled by her ordering him about, but was quick to nod and produce a syringe for her IV.
Wilson stepped forward to her.
"Before the drugs kick in, I need to ask you what happened, Mrs. Bates." the Sheriff said.
"My… my estranged husband showed up at my house unannounced. He told me he taking me back to Arizona." Norma gasped. "When I said no, he started… hitting me. He was going to kill me. I hid my son Norman under the floor of my closet. But my other son Dylan ran away."
"Your boys are both safe, Mrs. Bates." Sheriff Wilson assured her. "But I need to ask you some more questions."
The drugs were working quickly. Norma felt the pain that gripped her loosen and she likewise relaxed her hold on Alex's hand. She had to make Sheriff Wilson understand. Alex couldn't get into trouble for killing Sam. Sam Bates wasn't worth it.
"My husband was going to… he was going to kill me." she cried. The drugs were making her feel slow and stupid. "He said he was going to kill me and my sons. He tried to kill… to kill all of us. We would be dead… we would all be dead… if… if…"
She remembered nothing else. A warm darkness took her under and she felt Alex let her go.
~ When she woke up again, her whole body felt heavy, but really good. She heard smacking from nearby and saw Sybil Lawson sitting next to her eating fried chicken.
"Is this real?" Norma asked, then wondered if she had said that out loud. She felt slightly stoned and wasn't sure if the bug eyed woman wasn't just apart of it.
"For the third time, yes." Sybil sighed. "You've been in and out all day from the drugs they gave you. Whatever it is, I want some."
Norma grinned. She had no idea what her grandmother was saying.
"You're eyes are really big." she told her social worker.
"You told me that already to." Sybil sighed. "I brought you some chicken. You said you were hungry."
"Okay." Norma sighed contentedly.
She looked down at her arm.
"I broke my arm." she told the older woman with mild indifference.
"Your late husband broke your arm, dear." Sybil told her.
"What is he late for?" Norma asked curiously.
Sybil grinned with her nicotine stained teeth.
"Sam broke into you house a few days ago and tried to kill you, Norma." the older woman said. "Eat your lunch. You haven't been awake enough to put anything in your stomach and with the drugs you've been talking crazy."
"Crazy? I'm not crazy." Norma said. She took a piece of warm bread and started eating it. It felt good to eat something.
"Well, you told Zac Shelby he was a pretty girl earlier this morning." Sybil laughed. "The poor young man brought you flowers and everything. He looked so worried about you and you just smiled and said he was the prettiest girl you'd ever seen."
"Oh." Norma said. She was eating her chicken a small piece at a time. It was hard to eat with one hand.
"Who is Zac Shelby?" she asked.
"I think, that he thinks, that he's your boyfriend. He looks a little too young in my opinion." Sybil huffed. "I know I need a man with experience. I'm not about to teach the guy anything. He better go in there knowing what to do, or he's out."
She waved her hand like an umpire calling a hitter out.
"Oh." Norma said.
"I told Little Bear what you said to Shelby and I don't think I've ever seen that man so happy since before his mother died." Sybil went on.
"Bears. I like bears." Norma said lazily. "His mother died?"
"Yes." Sybil nodded. "Little Bear did a number on your estranged husband alright. Took crime scene forever to get all that blood up."
"Oh no." Norma said in a high voice of sympathy. "What happened?"
"Sam tried to attack Little Bear, oh sorry, Deputy Romero. And Alex shot him three times." Sybil explained. She held up three fingers for Norma to see.
Norma lazily picked at her chicken and wondered if there was more bread.
"It was ruled self defense by the DA, and I think Alex is getting a commendation from the mayor or some such nonsense." Sybil sighed. "How stupid do you have to be to attack a cop after nearly killing your wife? If there was one thing I learned in the 60's, it's cops don't like it when you jump 'em."
"You're only 60? You look a lot older." Norma said innocently.
Sybil grinned.
"Well, at least I don't look as bad as you, sweetheart." she said with a laugh. "That bastard really did a number on your face. But, they had a plastic surgeon come in and he said there is no permanent damage. Once the swelling goes down, you'll be fine."
"Okay. I love you, grandma." Norma sighed.
Sybil smiled.
"You've been telling everyone you love them all day, Norma." she said. "I heard you told Little Bear how much you loved him when he came with the Sheriff earlier."
"Well, I do. I love bears." Norma admitted. She felt emotion well up inside her and started to cry. "I love them so much!"
She started to cry and felt Sybil's arms around her.
"Now, now." she whispered in Norma's ear. "You've been crying and telling everyone that sees you that you love them. Stoned people always tell the truth, and we all believe you love us, so no more tears, okay?"
Norma breathed in the smell of cigarettes on Sybil's clothes and felt comforted. She sniffed back the wave of tears.
"I want to go home." she admitted.
"You're going home soon." Sybil told her. "You'll be glad to know that your hospital bill has been paid in full."
Norma wiped he eyes with her free hand and looked at her tray of food. When did she order fried chicken?
"Our local no-do-gooder, because he's a giant asshole, Bob Paris made a big deal about it. Made the papers and everything. Says he wants to do more to help battered women. Hey, it's free money, kid." Sybil told her.
"I have mashed potatoes." Norma told the older woman with a smile.
~ Alex had left Norma's hospital room feeling more amused than worried that afternoon. Sybil had swooped in like a large, mother bird and made sure that the boys were taken care of by a family she trusted and that Norma's hospital bill wouldn't be an issue. The old woman casually dropping hints that none other than Bob Paris would foot the bill when they ran into her outside Norma's recovery room.
"Why?" Alex asked when she told them about her plan for Bob Paris.
"Because of his latest sex scandal." Sybil shrugged. "He wants to get back in good with the voters, Little Bear, and the election is coming up. This will win it for him."
"I don't know if it's a good idea to have Bob Paris elected to city council." Alex admitted.
"Nothing he's ever done has been for the good of this town." Wilson agreed.
"Well, he's going to pay for it." Sybil told the men. "Every man's actions has consequences and I keep tabs on all of them."
She looked at Alex skeptically. Romero sensed that she knew things she shouldn't. Which was just like Sybil.
"It seems you were quite heroic the night of the storm, Little Bear." she told him. "Rescuing a battered woman and even finding that small child everyone thought was dead. I heard from several reliable sources that you looked very handsome carrying that poor baby to the ambulance. Wish I could have seen it."
Alex rolled his eyes.
"Personally, I like the shooting the son-of-whore husband best of all. Although the newspaper downplayed that part." she told him.
"Mrs. Lawson, a cop never enjoys having to kill another human being." Sherif Wilson reminded her.
"Well, I certainly would if I were a cop. I'd probably keep a scrapbook of all my kills. Especially the wife beaters who deserve it." she told them smartly.
"Is Norma Bates awake yet? Do you know?" Alex asked her. He wasn't interested in Sybil's morbid mind games.
"She's be dozing off and on all morning. They have her on some good drugs so she's a little out of it, but I'm sure she'll want to talk to you." Sybil grinned at the both of them. Obviously the old woman knew something they didn't know and was going to enjoy them finding out.
"What?" Alex asked.
"Nothing. Norma said she was hungry, so I'm going to get her something to eat. I'll be back soon. Have fun you two." she told them.
~ When Alex saw Norma in her hospital room, he felt slightly sick. Her once beautiful face had turned a dark black from the bruising she had endured. Her damaged side was almost unrecognizable and he was glad Sybil said there would be no permeant damage to those delicate features he admired.
She opened her eyes as soon as they came in and lifted her head up.
"I know you." she smiled and Alex winced at the split lip and swollen eye.
She reached for him with her good hand he gladly took it.
"How are you feeling, Mrs. Bates?" Wilson asked.
"All over the bedroom." Norma told Alex with a sigh of frustration. "Dylan just opened this bag of flour all over the bedroom. He was mad at me and that's what he did. I don't know how I'm going to clean it up."
Alex stared at her for a moment in confusion. Obviously the drugs were working.
"Oh, no." he said to her; trying not to laugh.
"Mrs. Bates?" Wilson asked.
She ignored the older man and grasped Alex's hand more firmly.
"My grandmother just left, did you see her? I think she's been smoking again and she knows she's not supposed to." Norma implored him.
"I won't tell anyone." Alex promised quickly.
"We can't tell anyone." Norma whispered earnestly.
"I promise." Alex told her. He felt himself smile for the first time in a while at her drug induced innocence.
"Oh, you're so much better looking when you smile." she told him honestly.
"Really?" he teased. "Was I that bad before?"
"Yes."
Alex had to fight hard to not laugh.
"Mrs. Bates we can come back later when you're more yourself." Wilson told her.
"Oh." she sighed heavily. She looked at Alex and squeezed his hand. "Okay, goodbye. I love you."
"Thank you." Alex said and caught Sheriff Wilson's glare that told him to stop grinning.
Romero pried off Norma's fingers and the two men wished her a good day.
In the parking lot they found Sybil had returned with Norma's lunch. She teased them for a while about Alex's commendation and then confessed to him how Norma had told Zac Shelby he was a pretty girl that morning.
That news, more that anything else, made Romero's day.
Okay. So, the last part of this chapter is my LEAST favorite because it's kinda mushy and silly. BUT, I wanted to do it because after all the drama, there should be a little silliness. Besides, the 'I love you' Norma said to Alex doesn't count because she was drugged. I want to draw them out as long as possible.