35.
~ "Sheriff Romero?" came the calm but cheerful voice on the other end of the call. "This is Doctor Gregg Edwards. Pine View?"
"Yes." Alex said trying to make his voice sound casual. He quickly shut the door to his office to avoid the ever prying ears of whomever might be coming and going through the office.
"Thanks for calling me back. My wife and I hadn't heard anything about Norman. We've been calling."
"I apologize for that, Sheriff." Doctor Edwards said. "I didn't want to call you until I had something significant to tell you. I understand it's hard not getting information. Especially in times like these."
Alex nodded. Doctor Edwards sounded sincere. His voice calm and reassuring. Not at all pandering or trying to pacify. Romero wondered if he was taught that in medical school or if it came naturally to him.
"Is Norman okay? I need something to tell his mother." Alex said bluntly. "Anything, really."
"I wish I could say Norman Bates has been more responsive to treatment, Sheriff." Edwards said calmly. "The few times I've been able to talk to him… he doesn't seem interested in a conversation. He refuses to even ask when he'll be going home. He's barely eating, refusing any activities and has been sleeping all day. Refusing to shower."
"I see." Romero said. "He did that a lot at home; sleeping all day."
"Yes, but we've actually given him a mild stimulant. Like a caffeine pill, to keep him from doing that. We've tried to engage him in art classes, physical activities and group therapy. It's as though he's checked out mentally. I've seen residents do this before. A sort of pity party as one nurse calls it. I had hoped Norman would get bored with feeling sorry for himself and want to join the rest of the world. I've explained how this treatment is very expensive and he needs to take advantage. He just looks through me. Like I wasn't there."
"Oh." Alex said.
"I was thinking his mother should come see him." Edwards said cooly. His calm voice never wavering from its soothing, rational tone.
Alex thought about Norma. About how her condition was becoming more obvious every day. Norman would take one look at his mother and know. Of course he would; how could he not? He would know and become upset and Norma would become upset. He would demand to come home and Norma would relent because of course she would. Being separated this long, she would naturally want to give into all his childish demands. She'd probably buy him ice cream on the way home.
"No." Romero said harshly. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but we're in White Pine Bay. The whole town has been quarantined since early February. No one in or out except deliveries."
"I wasn't aware of that. I understand a lot of smaller communities around the country have been doing that." Edwards noted. "Seems severe, but it's working."
"No new cases since the quarantine went up." Alex said with some pride.
"He's been asking for her. It's been the one thing, the only thing, he's been saying actually." Edwards told him.
"If Norman sees his mother, he'll demand to come home, and she'll agree to it." Alex said.
"I see." Edwards said. "Did she not want Norman to come here?"
Romero rolled his eyes.
"No, it was her idea." he said. "But… she's very weak willed when it comes to Norman. Now is not the time to give into his… tantrums."
Edwards was quiet for a moment.
"Perhaps a phone call? The vaccine has been having a successful rollout. The quarantine will be lifted before long. Has his mother been vaccinated yet?" Edwards asked.
"His mother…" Alex said slowly. "Is pregnant. "About twelve weeks now."
Edwards was silent.
"She can't get the vaccine." Romero added. "We have to wait for heard immunity or till she's no longer nursing."
"I see." Edwards sighed with a slight irritation in his voice.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell Norman." Romero added. "He's not ready to hear this."
"He's going to have to know about it sometime. It's better if it comes from his mother."
"Maybe a phone call would be best." Alex relented. "Umm… when would be a good time?"
"After dinner, we allow residents to call home. We can have the nurse bring the phone into his room since he's refusing to leave."
"Alright." Alex said. It felt like defeat to have Norman talk to his mother again. To have her baby him and coddle him. It felt wrong now that there was a real baby to think of.
~ Dylan and Emma had waited until the end of the month to move in. Will Decody elected not to stay at the lake house at all, but had gotten a small business grant from the government that allowed him to keep his taxidermy shop. It was large enough for him to live in, had a kitchen and bathroom and he decided it was all a single man needed as his online business was now booming again. Besides, he hated the idea of crowding anyone.
Crowding was the least of Norma's worries. She had looked forward to Emma and Dylan moving in. She'd been lonely and the house felt too empty. The problem was, that when they did so, they moved into the other end of the house. Norma and Alex barely heard or even knew they were there. At least in the old house, she knew exactly where Dylan and Alex were based and the quality of sounds they made. Only Norman could slip in and around the houses', creaking boards without being detected.
Dylan and Emma even used a private entrance by the deck so it was as if they had their own home within the lake house. The only times she saw them at all was at dinner; Will Decody occasionally stopping by. Happy to be fed a home cooked meal and to hear Emma's excited wedding plans.
Norma wished she could be happier. She wasn't sure why she was never happy while pregnant. The looming reality of a baby that would need constant care, not to mention the strain on her relationship with Alex.
She didn't want to think about Alex just now. When things were good, they were very good. Alex was happy most of the time and wanted to make her happy. But sometimes he just couldn't let things go. He wanted her to have his last name. For there to be more of a discussion about possible baby names. For a nursery to be planned and furnished. Now that she was past eleven weeks, wasn't if safer to talk about these things?
Norma wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to sharing these feeling with anyone. Sam hadn't care about her pregnancy at all. She hadn't really even told him about the traumatic miscarriage she'd endured alone. He'd been out of town when it had happened, and Norma had pretend she'd never been pregnant at all.
But Alex wasn't Sam. The Sheriff wanted to know how she was feeling every morning. If she was hungry or tired. Norma hadn't bothered to tell Emma or Dylan about the baby, because she sensed they already knew and it was a subject not to be discussed unless she brought it up. It annoyed her that Alex had been so free and loose with information about her body. To tell Dylan and Emma about the baby when she wasn't ready to talk about it or share things.
She hated being mad at Alex though. Not when he was always good to her. It wasn't his fault. She still felt out of place in this large house. Her body was changing so rapidly, her clothes weren't fitting right. On top of all that, she missed Norman terribly. She wanted to talk to him about everything she was feeling. Norman would understand and tell her she was worrying too much. That she always worried too much. Norman wouldn't prod or pry information out her, or try to make things better. He would accept things and be happy only if she was happy.
Norma looked over Alex's dress shirts. The Sheriff had a horrible taste in fashion. He didn't own a single basic white dress shirt, but thought lines and checked patterns were a good look to wear with a suit and tie.
She pulled free what looked like a well worn blue and white shirt that would be serviceable to her now. She didn't recall ever seeing him in it, so she doubted he would mind. Her bra was becoming uncomfortably tight and her blouses didn't fit well either now.
'I better be able to wear all my clothes after this is over.' she thought angrily pulling on his shirt over her bare skin.
It was a little baggy on her, but not by much. She sighed at her reflection in the mirror. Alex was a lot slimmer than Sam was. Naturally his clothes wouldn't serve as well as maternity clothes. She quickly estimated that his shirts might see her through to six months before she would have to buy something.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance. She should be happy. She should want to prepare for the baby. She should want to decorate a nursery and buy maternity clothes. She should want to pick out names and hope for a girl over a boy simply to annoy Alex. She tried to have these feelings, but they didn't come. They hadn't been there with Dylan or Norman either she reasoned. She had felt Norman would be a horrible burden until she saw his squashed, slimy red face moments after he was born. Then it all became good and real and normal for her. Motherhood had been easy with babies and toddlers. It was when they were older and stated to pull away from her that she had all the trouble.
Norma had just buttoned up Alex's ugly checkered dress shirt, pulled on her loose fitting summer shorts, when the doorbell rang.
They had only entertained Will Dedody and Norma wasn't expecting any deliveries or visitors. Who else knew she was even here? Emma and Dylan were still helping to move out of the apartment and she knew they would come in through the entrance by the lake.
The doorbell rang again. Obvious annoyance that she wasn't getting there fast enough.
"Alright." she said padding across the spartan living room in her bare feet. Her shoes already too small with her feet swelling.
"Hello?" she said opening the door without looking through the peephole or windows.
A smartly dressed redheaded woman stood there. Her bright red lipstick clashed with her hair and made her look severe and angry.
She looked Norma up and down in appraisal.
"Norma Bates?" she asked.
"Yes?" Norma asked curious as to who this woman was and why she was here.
"I'm so sorry to bother you. I'm Rebecca Hamilton."