31.

~ Alex made a point to not involve himself in Rebecca's arrest. Her lawyer would have her out on bail soon, if he hadn't already. A lawyer paid for by Bob Paris no doubt. All he could do now was file charges of assault on Norma's behalf.

All the proof in the world was there. The damage to Rebecca's Jeep, the fact she drove the only red Jeep in town. Norma saying it was a red Jeep and there was surely enough paint on Norma's car to trace it back to her. What Rebecca's defense might be, Alex didn't care. There was always some excuse for spoiled children here in White Pine Bay when the parents were rich and had a good lawyer. Some excuse to weasel their way out of trouble.

All he could concentrate on now was finishing the paper work to press charges against the woman who ran his pregnant wife off the road and into a ditch. Not that he'd told anyone that Norma was pregnant. News might get around town, that was inevitable, but he wasn't going to make an announcement until they decided as a couple what to do about the unplanned pregnancy.

It had started to rain when he finished and Romero casually asked the front desk clerk if anyone was left in holding.

"No, Sheriff." the young deputy said. "Miss Hamilton's lawyer bailed her out just as soon as we finished booking her."

"Who did her intake?" Alex asked.

"I think it was Tomas, Sir." The young man said. Alex nodded.

"You're Bennet right? You're fresh out of the military?"

"National Guard, sir." Bennet told him.

Romero didn't say anything. It wasn't his way to welcome people new to White Pine Bay, much less to his department. Bennet had most likely been assigned here after the massive deaths that winter and the sudden drop in police.

"Did Miss. Hamilton say anything?" Romero asked sourly wishing Rebecca had asked to see him.

"No, sir." Bennet told him indifferently.

Alex nodded. Rebecca was smart. She knew when to keep her mouth shut.

"Good night." Romero said coldly and left the building just as a chilly rain started to fall.

~ The old house was quite despite the noise that continuously blared from the motel down below. Alex wondered how anyone could rest down there. So many people living in such close quarters had to be uncomfortable even in the best of times.

Still, he'd lived in much worse conditions in the Marines. Unheated barracks or worse, large tents with no indoor plumbing and the general rowdiness of untethered, unwashed young men, eager for something to happen.

That life, that military life, seemed forever ago to him now. A different person maybe had come back home from the Marines and slowly and painfully morphed into this Alex Romero. A man who would be desperate enough to drunkenly share a bed with a woman like Rebecca.

He had regretted it each time the thing had happened. He would honestly rather be alone, or have a casual hookup with a stranger in Portland, than have to deal with Rebecca and her late night calls. Her calls turned into demands, then blackmails and then gaslighting like she knew some dirty secret about him just because they'd shared a few nights together that meant nothing to him.

The whole thing left him feeling wounded now. Not only like he had wounded himself, but that he'd wounded Norma.

~ Norma was sleeping in their bed. Her bruised face thankfully hidden by pillows when he snuck into bed beside her.

"You're home late." she breathed half asleep.

"Sorry. I had…" he explained lamely and realized he couldn't tell her what he'd been up to. "I'm sorry." he said instead. "Did Dylan come by? Bring you something to eat?" he asked hoping to change the subject.

A smile bloomed on her face.

"Yes, it was so nice. We watched an old movie and ate pizza in front of the TV. It was just like we did when he was little. He even called me mom before saying goodnight. He's in his room. It's nice that he's sleeping at home again." she said pleasantly.

"That's good." Alex said feeling a little better.

"I know you told him to." Norma said. "He was here for a long time; just hanging out with me. He never does that. I know you told him I was lonely."

"I worry about you." Alex admitted. "You're all alone up here most of the time. Dylan needs to spend more time with you anyway."

"I was dreaming." she said sleepily. Her eyes closing again and a little smile coming out.

Alex nestled down into the covers with her. Her body heat chasing away the chill that was always present in this drafty house. She smelled of that delicious soap she used and the sheets smelled clean as comforting.

"Oh yeah?" he asked feeling his own body relax now that he was next to her.

"I was dreaming the baby was crying. The baby was crying, and I was looking for him and I couldn't find him." she sighed. "I was looking everywhere to; just tearing the house apart."

"Him?" Alex asked feeling a laugh bubble up for the first time. "You think the baby is a… boy?"

Norma's eyes fluttered open and she looked concerned.

"I think it means Norman is upset." she whispered. "That he's crying out for me."

There it was. The other man in their bed. Dylan had warned him, of course he did and Alex didn't want to listen.

"I… think all expectant mothers dream about babies crying, Norma." Alex said carefully. "That maybe you're unconsciously preparing for the new baby. Worrying about the new baby. I think it's normal."

He wanted her to think about the baby. Wanted her to say the word and not worry about Norman. Instead, she looked scared and rolled away from him. The ugly bruised side of her face making him wince.

"Norman's going to be so upset." she whimpered.

"No. He's going to be fine." Alex assured her. "He's getting help right now. Right? So he can handle all of these changes."

"Alex, what if comes home, and can't handle this?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" his voice gentle. "Us together?"

She was quite.

"He's an adult now. Maybe it's time, after he's out of Pine View, that he enrolls in college and lives in a dorm; just for the school year." Alex offered. "Then in the summer you can baby him till he can't wait to go back to class. This time apart, with everything that's happened here, change is good. Right?"

That sounded like a logical solution. It's what normal teenagers did and what normal mothers were like.

"What if Norman can't handle the baby?" she whispered into the darkness.

"It's not his baby to handle." Alex laughed.

"I mean… what if Norman tries to hurt him?" she asked in a voice that was so soft, Alex almost didn't hear.

Sorry for the short chapter but I really wanted to drive home the point that Norma isn't being selfish about not wanting to be a mother to a baby again. Norman is dangerous and she's honestly thinking about what he might do to an innocent baby. A LOT of women are in situations like this whether we know them or not. If it's an abusive partner or even a situation like Norma's where they have grown children who they can't handle and then to throw a baby on top is too much. We can't say 'you can only have an abortion if it's rape or incest' because we honestly don't know what is going on inside the home. The baby could be wanted, but even the idea of a pregnancy might cause violence in the family. Remember Norman pushed Norma down the stairs once and he did kill her at the end. Domestic violence is very real and amplified by the pandemic. Alex couldn't protect her on the show and might not be able to protect her now.