I do not own Bates Motel.
But, in some ways, I do own a Dylan. And I love him so much.
Yeah, Whatever
Rat on a Wheel
It couldn't be true.
It wasn't possible.
Norma might be a horrible, co-dependent, mentally unstable individual.
Manipulative. Conniving.
But she was his mom.
She had always been out there, somewhere in the world, doing whatever the hell it was she thought she was doing.
And protecting Norman.
And now, she wasn't doing any of it.
Dead.
She was dead.
She had been dead for two years.
Two whole years.
And nobody had bothered to tell him in all that time.
Including . . .
What the hell?
. . . his own brother.
Emma's gentle hand was warm and comforting against his chest.
As he sat there and felt his emotions wave over him.
And he fought them, he fought them.
He fought so hard.
Because that was what he did.
Fight.
Always.
"I've got to call Norman."
"What the hell is going on down there, Norman?! Why didn't you tell me that Mom died?!"
His half brother's return voice was careful and precise, just like always.
"Well, I just didn't know how to reach you."
Bullshit, Norman. I called you. You had my number in your phone!
And besides that, even if you or Mom erased it-
"You could have figured it out."
"You left, Dylan. You changed your number. You said you didn't want to be contacted. I was just respecting your wishes."
I never said that! Is that what Norma told you?!
Besides-
"I called after I left, Norman! I tried to reach out!"
I'm not crazy, stop making me think I'm crazy!
"You said it be best if we didn't speak! How is that my fault?!"
What the hell is going on here?!
"Why would you keep this from me?!"
She was my mother! I'm your brother!
"Because it was too painful."
Norman's voice was even and light.
"It was too painful and I was shut down and I couldn't bear to tell you the horrible truth which was . . .
Norman paused and Dylan felt like a coil twisted up, ready to twang.
". . . she committed suicide."
"Bullshit!"
He knew, he absolutely knew Norma Louise 'look at all my pain and misery' Bates would never kill herself.
She was too stubborn to give up!
"She wouldn't do that!"
She didn't know how to stop, had never known how to stop!
If she stopped, if she gave up, then she would miss out on getting herself into shit she couldn't handle and then making sure everyone knew how unhappy she was!
Norman's voice was calm and curt and so collected . . .
"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way but that is what happened."
. . . it made Dylan feel more frustrated, more furious than ever.
"Nonononono, I knew her and she would never do that!"
Something was going on, he was clearly pushing Norman past some invisible point Norman didn't want to step beyond.
Retorting now.
With just an aecerbic tinge of spite.
"Oh come on, Dylan. You never knew her that well."
You little shit. She was my mom too.
"So take it from me. She had a darkness in her . . ."
Yeah, Caleb. And me.
And you.
". . . and she killed herself and died from carbon monoxide asphyxiation."
Bullshit.
"In fact she even tried to kill both of us."
She would never try to kill her widdle Norman, you liar!
I'm about to though!
"It was even confirmed by the authorities."
Yeah, well, they were dumbassess too!
"I don't understand, why would she do that, Norman?!"
None of it made any sense, none of it was possible in the universe.
And Norman was sounding increasingly petulant, like a kid being told he had to take his medicine.
"Well, I don't know why but I don't want to discuss it anymore, okay?"
I don't give a shit!
"Well, I do want to discuss it, okay?! Because she was my mother too!"
None of this makes-
". . . any sense!"
He was going around in circles in his head, spinning and spinning, while Norman stood still in the center of Dylan's hell of confusion.
"It was a horrible, horrible tragedy, Dylan! That is why tragedies don't make any sense! That is why they are so horrible!"
No, this is insane, Norman! Something is wrong and this is insane!
"It never should have happened but it did and now she is gone!"
Norman was openly ranting now.
"What else is there to say?! Nothing! There is nothing else to say!"
Sounding two steps away from throwing kitchenwares at Seattle.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore, I don't want to talk period!"
"So thank you for calling, Dylan, but goodbye."
A day then the little shit was gone.
Hung up.
Leaving Dylan . . .
What the f-
. . . alone and lost.
And angry and confused and baffled.
He wanted to fling the phone against wall, smash it to bits.
Scream and yell and rage.
But he wasn't his family.
And he wasn't going to scare Emma like that.
Emma or Katie.
He was a better man than that.
He turned helplessly then, lost in his own life that suddenly wasn't his.
Phone hanging from his limp arm.
And saw her.
Emma.
His wife Emma.
Her face stricken and worried.
And all the fight went out of him.
His fingers lost strength and the phone clattered to noisily to the floor.
"Dylan?"
Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
But he heard it.
"You okay?"
He thought he shook his head.
"Norman's just . . . and Norma's . . . and I . . ."
He thought he was going to just pass out from being so lost in the world.
But he didn't.
Instead, he sank down slowly onto the footstool, eyes wide and blank.
Head hanging.
Emma came to him, knelt before him.
Wrapped her strong arms around him, rubbing his back.
Her head on his shoulder.
"It's okay, it's okay, Dylan. It's okay-"
But it wasn't.
It wasn't okay.
Norma was dead.
Dead for two years.
Everyone apparently believed she killed herself but-
"She didn't do it, Emma. She didn't kill herself. She couldn't. She wouldn't."
He knew it. He knew he wasn't crazy.
"Something's going on."
He could feel Emma's fingers kneed in through his hair, trying to comfort him.
But he knew what had to be done.
"I've got go down there and find out what's going on."
Emma's voice was quiet and quavering.
"I know."
He exhaled deeply, relieved she understood and it wouldn't be another fight between them.
"But you can't go tonight."
She wasn't requesting.
She was calmly and quietly telling.
"You're too upset and you'll have a wreck in the dark or something. Stay with me tonight. Stay with me and Katie. Go in the morning."
He swallowed hard, eyes filling with tears again.
"I love you, Em."
"I love you too, Dylan."
The he did as he was told.
He stayed with his wonderful wife.
He held his baby girl, kissed her when she cried.
He fed her her bottle, changed her diaper.
He slept off and on, restless and fitful.
Until the morning when he called his boss, stating family emergency, 'no, Emma and Katie are fine-'
"Didn't know you had any other blood family, Dylan."
"Yeah, we've been, uh, estranged."
"Okay, well, keep me updated."
"I will, thanks."
Then he packed a bag, took one longing look at his napping . . .
Yeah, couple of hours of consciousness knocks me on my ass sometimes too.
. . . daughter.
And hugged Emma.
"Be careful," she murmured. "We need you."
He squeezed her tight, afraid to leave.
But refusing to ask her . . .
She and Katie don't need to be involved in this.
. . . to come.
Then he walked to the truck.
And Emma followed him.
And clung to him a few more minutes . . .
"Call me when you get there, okay?"
"I will. I'm driving straight through."
"Well, stop to pee, Massett."
Her eyes were bright with tears even as she smiled brave and beautiful for him.
And he found the strength to smile back.
"I love you, Emma."
"I love you, Dylan."
She stood in the driveway, slender and vulnerable and his woman warrior.
Watching as he drove away.
And he hoped he would come back.
Honestly though, i couldn't believe Norman thought Dylan would actually buy that Norma killed herself AND him.
*facepalm*