55

On the evening of August 14th, Rudolph Norman Francis Bates sat at his father's grave in Green Lawn Cemetery. He and Megan McGuire had just gotten married in a small ceremony with a small reception, a rather quiet affair with their friends, on Megan's 18th birthday ten days before. As he sat in the graveyard, he reflected on the past eleven months.

He'd directed a play, gone on a treasure hunt, become an expectant father, saved a town landmark, and gotten married. Most importantly, he thought, was that he'd finally come to terms with his father's identity and death.

But, then, there were the legal matters he'd encountered the past four months. He had to prove to the Town Council that he really was Norman Bates' son and that he had in fact inherited the Bates Motel before the demolition could be officially called off. He and his friends all had to be witnesses in Duane Duke's trial, because Rudolph witnessed Duke killing his father, and he and his friends were on the scene when Duke tried to kill Megan.

As the sun started to set, Rudolph looked at the grave just to his right. It was his grandmother's. He laughed, then got up. He left the cemetery and drove to the old diner, where he was going to meet Megan for a dinner date.

Rudolph was waiting for Megan at the diner. He began to wonder why Megan was late. All of a sudden, Zach ran in and sat down in the seat across from his friend.

"Dude, come on. We need to go. Megan's in labor, for real this time," Zach said.

They ran out of the diner into a rainstorm that had just started. They sped off in Zach's car, going towards the hospital.

They were halfway to the hospital. Zach didn't see the other car until the headlights were right in his face. Rudolph saw the blinding light come closer. As he blacked out, he thought of a song: "He stumbled into faith and thought, 'God, this is all there is.' The pictures in his mind arose and began to breathe. And all the gods in all the worlds began colliding on a backdrop of blue."

Later that night, Megan had trouble falling asleep. She'd had trouble giving birth, but in the end, everything worked out. She was tired, and she knew she needed to get to sleep. She couldn't because something was bothering her, but she had no idea what.

A doctor came to her door and knocked lightly.

"Come in," Megan said.

"Mrs. Bates, I have some bad news," the doctor told her. "Your husband and your friend Zach Fletcher were in a car accident on their way over here this evening. Mr. Fletcher is here in the hospital. It looks like he'll be all right."

"And Rudolph?" Megan interrupted.

"Unfortunately, he died on the scene. I'm sorry."

The doctor left.

Megan didn't know how long she'd been crying, or when she finally fell asleep.

As the sunrise peeked in the blinds in the window and cast small rays onto her, she felt cold instead of warm. Megan slowly started to wake up. When she saw Rudolph sitting in the chair next to the bed, she bolted all the way awake. She saw Rudolph's parents standing at the foot of the bed. She reached out to touch Rudolph, but then she realized he was as transparent as the figures at the end of the bed. She remembered that all three of them were dead.

"Don't be afraid," Connie said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it," Rudolph said. "I tried… How are you and the baby doing?"

"We're fine. All three of us are fine," Megan said. When she saw Rudolph's confused face, she continued, "Twins. Norman Francis Bates II and Connie Maureen Bates II."