Alex's POV
"Norma!" I yell as I descend the stairs to the basement. I'm afraid of what I'll find, but my legs carry me forward anyway. My sole purpose in this moment is to ensure she's safe. That she's alive. There's an enormous relief, almost knocking the breath from my lungs, when I see her standing, seemingly unharmed near the bottom of the stairs. A sinking feeling replaces the relief when I finally take in the whole picture in front of me. Norma's face is streaked with tears, the expression on her face filled with fear and devastation. Norman stands opposite her, separated by a few feet, his expression one of betrayal. Norma's voice rings in my ears; I think Norman should be admitted. Like right now. I immediately feel an intense desire to put myself between the two of them. I want her as far away from him as possible.
"You're going to come with me, okay? We're going to take you to get some help," I say as calmly as I can through my still heaving breath. I give him a few moments to respond and when he doesn't, I reach out and take his arm. "Alright, let's go."
Norma approaches me when I come to the bottom of the stairs. "He won't sign the papers," she says through her tears. I wait a beat as Norman ascends with Jason and turn back to her. I'm so overwhelmed in seeing her whole and alive and so breathtakingly beautiful that I can't help but reach for her. My hand closes around her wrist and I pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her too tightly. It's inappropriate and I will certainly regret it later but I just can't fucking help myself. At first she freezes, but after a moment, her body relaxes and her arms wrap around my neck. She sniffles and I hug her tighter and breath her in. I just wanted to say I'm incredibly grateful for what you've done for me and for what you've been to me. My eyes squeeze shut as I allow her previous words to give me hope.She shivers when I eventually pull away, and as much as I want to continue to hold her; to warm her freezing body with mine, I need to take care of Norman first.
"Then I'll have to take him back to County. I'm not letting him stay here," I say, leaving before she can try to convince me otherwise.
"Norman, wait!" I hear her cry out as I make my way down the outside steps. "Wait!" I turn back to see her running towards us and my chest feels tight. I want to stop her, to ask her to just let me handle this, but I know it's useless.
"Norman! You won't have to go back to that place if you just sign this!" She continues as we reach the cruiser and turn back to watch her approach. "Pineview is different, it's nice. It's not like County, I promise. If you just sign this, you will not have to go back there."
She holds the paper out to him, pleading with him through her sobs. My heart aches for the pain she has endured as a result of her son. I watch in slight shock as he takes the pen from her hand and signs the commitment papers.
"Thank you honey," she cries. "I love you, I hope you know that," she finishes as I close the door behind Norman.
I walk towards her, squeezing her hand as I pass, and make my way to the drivers' side. I can feel her eyes on my back but I continue on, climbing into the car and backing out. I glance at her one last time before turning onto the road and I know I can't let her be alone tonight.
Norma's POV
I don't remember walking back to the house, but when I wake to the crunch of tires on gravel, I realize I've fallen asleep on the couch in the living room. The light from the car below shuts off and I'm suddenly wide awake. A tiny flicker of fear rushes through me as I approach the window and pull the shades back. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see the cruiser parked outside, and Alex climbing the stairs to the house.
I race to the foyer and pull open the front door the moment he knocks. He smiles sadly when I meet him on the porch and I want to hug him, to throw my arms around him and thank him from the bottom of my heart for always being there when I need him. Instead, the first words out of my mouth are; "How is he?"
He glances down at his feet and I can't understand why the expression on his face makes me instantly feel guilty. "He's going to be fine," he sighs, looking at me tiredly.
I take a step toward him, a lump forming in my throat, tears filling my eyes. "Thank you, Alex. I can't thank you enough," I say, placing my hand over his heart.
He smiles softly, his hand covering mine and holding it tighter to his chest. "It's no problem." His casual tone in light of the emotional night we've had for some reason makes me laugh. He looks at me like I've lost my mind and maybe I have.
Eventually the laughter subsides as the tears spill down my cheeks and I lean into him for support. I'm not surprised at all when he takes my weight completely, holding me tightly against his body. I feel his fingers threading through my hair, his voice soft against my ear as he whispers something I can't hear over the pounding in my ears.
The ground disappears from under my feet and I realize he's carrying me into the house. The door shuts behind us and I feel him balance my weight as he locks the bolt. He releases me too soon, setting me down on the couch. But before he can get too far, I grab his arm, shaking my head and looking into his eyes. "I don't want to sleep down here," I say through sobs.
He immediately lifts me into his arms again, and carries me up the stairs. He lays me on my bed, pulling back the sheets and taking off my shoes. When he covers me with the blankets, I'm suddenly afraid he's about to leave and I can't bear it. "Stay," I sigh, my eyes closing as I begin to succumb to the exhaustion. I don't feel him climb onto the bed, but I don't hear him leave either. I try again. "Please, just until I fall asleep," I mumble.
"Okay," I hear him whisper before the lamp beside me flicks off. A small smile tugs at my lips when I hear him toe off his shoes and drop his jacket on the floor. I turn towards his side and feel the mattress dip under his weight. Peeking through the corner of my eye, I see that he has propped himself up against the headboard.
I squirm toward him, laying my head on his stomach and sighing when his arms wrap around me to hold me to him.
I don't realize how cold I was until I feel his heat against my cheek, and I can't help the violent shiver that rushes through me. He pulls the blanket up around my shoulders and begins rubbing my arms to warm me up.
I try to stay awake as long as I can, but I feel myself drifting quickly. My breathing grows heavy and he must think I'm already asleep because I feel his lips press against the top of my head. A wave of goosebumps rush over the length of my body and I'm suddenly hyperaware of how close we are. We've never shared a moment this intimate and I'm afraid I'll ruin it if he knows I'm awake. So I keep my breathing steady and wait.
His fingers run softly over my back and I suppress a shaky breath. "Are you awake?" he whispers. I continue the charade, breathing evenly. He's silent for several moments, his fingers now tracing patterns on my arm. And then he speaks so quietly that it's hard to make out the words. "I will always be here for you, Norma. I will always protect you."
I'm not positive he even spoke at all but I allow myself to believe the words nonetheless.
Eventually I surrender to a dreamless sleep and when I wake, he's gone. At first, I'm not even sure he was ever here in the first place. But when I reach for my phone, I see a note on the bedside table.
I'll meet you at the courthouse at 10. -A, is all it says and I immediately feel frustrated. In all the excitement last night, I forgot I'm getting married today. I'm even more frustrated when I realize I'm looking forward to it.