Sorry to make you guys wait so long for an update! I have a special message for Nobodysside: I have been reading "Her Eyes", it is a complete and utter beautiful piece of work. You have an amazing talent for writing and crafting together your story, please keep it going! You have me hooked! If you guys haven't read it, give it a looksie, it's fantastic! Anyway, enjoy this chapter and let me know how you like it! - MJ123 :)
It was 2:14 am when Ella started to cry. Norma's eyes fluttered open and her ears immediately filled with the tiny shrills, deja vu hit her once she remembered the amount of times she was woken by the sound of Norman and Dylan's tears. She stood up hesitantly, feeling bad because Alex was now awake next to her.
He sighed, his voice still incredibly groggy as his hands came up to rub his weary eyes, "Isn't there something you could give her to make it stop?".
She walked over to the baby and started to bounce her, "Believe it or not, but they don't give you a magic potion to shut them up once you bring them home from the hospital," she spat back, her body had only gotten two and a half hours of sleep and this wasn't even the nastiest she could get.
Her lips settled on Ella's head as she murmured to her, "Calm down, sweetheart. Everything is okay," a hand still resting on her small back.
The baby continued to cry, it was soft and needy, like she was trying to reach out for someone or something that wasn't there. It didn't take a genius to know Ella wanted her mother or father. But she was all there was and it was her mission to make the crying stop...at least for now.
So, going to the only method she could accurately remember, Norma laid the baby on her stomach and gently swayed her back and fourth. She lifted her up after a while and filled her milk bottle with water, letting her sip bit by bit. Luckily, the crying simmered down, and she went back to sleep without another peep.
Norma went back to the bed and got under the covers, noticing Alex still completely alert. "Man," he began, "I am so happy I never had a kid."
She rolled her eyes and held a sour gaze, "You can be such an asshole, I swear to God."
"What?," he asked, now turning to face her, "I'm an asshole because I don't want a screaming baby to wake me up in the middle of the night?".
"No, you're an asshole because you don't understand," Norma sighed, almost saddened by the way he perceived having children.
"Oh I'm sorry. Excuse the two hours of sleep, what am I not understanding?".
His sarcastic tone of voice really got under her skin. "You don't understand where babies come from."
He almost laughed at the stupidity of her speculation, his lips struggling to stay in the usual straight and stoic line, "Is that a joke? You seriously think I don't know?".
"Nope, I think you're clueless."
"Well, actually if you took an eighth grade science class, it's pretty simple to understand. You see, when a man puts his-"
"No," she stopped him before he could break down the obvious mechanics, "No. That's not what I mean."
He scrunched up his face in confusion, "Then what are you getting at? Cause beyond sperm meeting egg, I'm utterly lost."
"Babies come from love, Alex."
A scoff left his lips, "Well yeah, hence the sex part."
"No, they come from true love between two people. Not just psychical love. Like real love, spiritual and emotional."
"I can't, Norma," he sighed, flipping over and closing his eyes, "It's way too late at night for this kind of talk."
"What? Honesty? I'm just trying to soothe your arrogance."
"Well, can you take a break and maybe you could try again at a decent hour. Possibly once the sun is up?".
She didn't offer anything else, turning around as well and drifting off into a quiet snooze. She tried to keep the sleeping light though, it would suck to get comfortable and have Ella wake again. But thankfully, there was nothing. The baby slept contently just like Norma had.
X
The next morning had gone fairly normal, Alex went off to work, saying that if Steven hadn't shown before sundown, he would launch a search. Norma calmed him down and assured him that everything would work out. And for once, he listened and accepted her promise.
Now, it was just her and the baby. Norma fed her formula and attempted to entertain her with some scrabbled cartoon on the motel television set. It was...Josie and the Pussycats maybe? Or Vultorn. Either way, the baby was clapping her hands and cooing along with the fuzzy, animated dialogue.
Once she stood up with the baby, she walked to the curtain, seeing if Dylan was still at the house. All Norma wanted was to go upstairs, shower, and grab some clothes for a few more nights if needed without the questions that would come from her sons.
When she looked outside, there was a car. A single, royal blue Camry sitting outside of Room 11. There was a woman inside, young, pretty, she didn't seem to be in any trouble. Norma, thinking it was somewhat safe, went outside with Ella on her hip.
The woman's head immediately popped up as her brown eyes bulged open. She broke out of her car and Norma automatically knew who it was.
She walked up to Norma as her face showed concern, more so than she'd ever seen on anyone's face.
"Katie?," Norma asked, almost at a loss for words.
Steven had mentioned her as Ella's mother and said they were happy, she just didn't think Katie would find out about her boyfriend's little "stunt". How did she know anyway? No man in his right mind would ever admit to doing something so shady. Then again, he did leave her with his child.
"Yeah, it's me. I really - I'm not sure where to began," she said, her eyes focused on her baby, "I'm sorry he did this. I didn't see it coming either."
"I didn't even know he was coming to see me, I though he forgot about me," she admitted, her body shaking with anticipation to know what would happen.
Katie reached out for her baby and Norma handed her back willingly. She looked so relived to know Ella was okay.
"You didn't know Steven was coming? He said that you two had been planning to meet up for weeks...?".
She shook her head, seeming shocked at the claim, "No. Not at all, he just came up here."
"Oh."
"Why don't you come in and we can talk about it for a bit? I think it seems best it we clear this up," Norma offered, motioning inside the motel room. Her heart was racing like baby mouse.
Katie nodded and stepped inside with the baby.
Fear was the only emotion registering in Norma's body at the moment. That was the only thing that could come out of this, right? Fear.
Leave a review and let me know if this chapter is any good! :)
