The ambulance doors had just slammed shut as Norma pulled into the gas station. She swerved to a stop and launched herself out of the car to meet Dylan by his SUV, meters away from the ambulance. Dylan's face sulked as Norma approached. He anxiously shoved his hands into his pockets, as she was ready to bombard him with a series of questions.
"Can you please be a little more thorough in your texts, please? What the hell is going on?" Norma ran a hand through her hair and flailed her phone in the other. Dylan knew there was no calming her down, not until she knew exactly what had taken place.
"I'm sorry but it all happened so fast. If it wasn't for me, he would have been hit a lot worse." He swallowed as Norma's eyes widened in apprehension at what he was going to tell her next.
"It's Romero. He got shot in the leg by some suspicious car that was rolling by. I just happened to be filling up my car near his and saw the shooter. I mean, not clearly, but enough to see his not very stealthy aim at Romero's head. I got there in time to push him over before the shot could get him. Well, the bullet got his leg, but he's alive. The shooter got away, but he's okay." Dylan exhaled shakily and wiped his brow. He waited for Norma to say something. A sigh of relief, a thank you, a cry of concern. But in an ordinary Norma manner, she skipped over the severity of the situation and blundered through with her usual, passively snide remarks.
"Again?! Why am I not surprised?"
Dylan gawked at her statement, and rolled his eyes. "He is a walking target. He is the Sheriff, Norma!"
"Can I see him? Will they allow me in the ambulance?" Just as she asked, the ambulance's engine growled, and it screeched off. The sounding of the siren and flashing of emergency lights had caused her to jump. It finally sank in that Alex had been hurt. She had to go to him. She knew that there was hardly a line up to visit the injured Sheriff.
"Just drive to the hospital, I'm sure they'll let you in." Dylan had hardly finished his sentence as Norma rushed back to her car and headed to find Alex.
When she arrived, she asked for him at the front desk. Too often was she here these days, and that made her stomach unsettle. She hadn't so much as called Norman since she had dropped him off. It wasn't like her to not smother him, but she was terrified how he would act. Would he still be upset with her, or would he beg for her to come get him? She didn't like the thought of either, so she shook it off, and went to wait outside the room Alex was being attended to in. Norma paced outside the room for some time before the door swung open. The doctor stepped out and flashed Norma a puzzled look.
"Ma'am, are you family?" The doctor appeared to already sense her answer.
"No, no I'm not. But I'm here to see Alex Romero." She headed toward the doctor, almost pushing past him. Throwing his hands up in the air, he gave up his attempt to keep her back.
"Alright. You can go in. He's ready to go home at this time. No strenuous activity. Remind him, because I have a feeling he might try and ignore my advice." The doctor ambled off, dragging his feet along as he did so. He obviously enjoyed his job, Norma thought.
In the room, Alex was sitting on the bed, clutching his phone and looking at it thoughtfully. Her stomach churned. Maybe he was awaiting a phone call from her. She knocked on the door and his head snapped up. Obviously startling him, he attempted to stand up. Norma noticed a cast covering his entire leg that was keeping him from getting up. Alex twisted to grab his crutches leaning on the hospital bed.
Norma shook her head and lightly held his shoulder down. "You're not going anywhere. You should rest for a little while," she urged. But Alex rolled his eyes and took the crutches.
"Norma, I'm fine. It's just a leg wound. It'll heal fairly quickly." Before he could stand up, Norma forced her hands on the bed, either side of him. He couldn't push past her, so he sat motionless, avoiding looking into her eyes. With his face to the side, he mumbled to himself something she couldn't quite make out.
"No, you're not fine and I want you to get better," she insisted shrilly. Alex tried to resist her concerns, but he eventually gave up. There was no winning with Norma Bates. Alex lay back down in the bed, crossing his arms and pouting displeasingly at her.
"I'll come back in a few hours." With that, she sent him a meek smile and left him alone.
Norma decided to call Dylan. She had been thinking of possible ways to see Alex, without it seeming too discernable that it was something of a date occasion. Although she despised commitment, Alex was the one person she could actually picture herself slowly growing closer to. But it was far more complicated. She didn't want to think of it that way, but every moment they were together, they were drawn close by the worst complications. Her suspicious situations and his attempts to uphold the law were becoming more intricate and fragile than ever before. No one was above the law? Norma constantly felt like she was. That he couldn't think straight whenever she was involved. She didn't want to be an exception. She wanted to be his exception. The number of times she had thought about how things would be different if he wasn't a cop, or she didn't have such a dark family background. But they both had troubled family, both very guarded, stubborn and persistent.
She chuckled to herself as she dialed Dylan. Norma needed ideas of ways to see him. Pathetic, but she was finally caving. He was finally under her skin.
Dylan picked up on the first ring. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. I was actually calling about tonight. You and Emma are going out aren't you?"
He chuckled before answering her. "We are, yeah. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could come along…"
"With Alex you mean?" Norma could practically hear the smirk on Dylan's face.
"Yes, with Alex. You sort of saved his life, I'm sure it would be nice to…"
Dylan cut her off once again. "A double date?" Norma blushed to herself at the suggestion.
"Why can't it just be called a friendly get together?!" She shot back, but the underlying mushiness in her voice was hard to overlook.
"Okay, a 'friendly get together' it is then. Cinema at 7? I'm already cringing at the thought of this happening, but considering one of us almost got shot in the head today, I'll make an exception." He hung up before Norma could get the last word.
Smiling to herself, she was proud that Dylan had agreed. The conversation didn't consist of too much mocking and condescending commentary on his end, and she was just happy that it was happening. The difficult part was asking Alex.
Hours later, Norma drove up to the hospital to check on Alex. It was a half an hour before the agreed time to meet up with Dylan and Emma. She wasn't wearing anything very fancy, just a blue skirt and a white silk blouse.
She wasn't surprised to see Alex up from bed and arguing with a nurse. Norma knocked on the open door. Both turned to look at her, equally irritated.
"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"
"No, you didn't," Alex grumbled.
"Is he allowed to leave, or does he have to stay a while longer for observation?" Norma asked the nurse coolly.
"He can leave. Just keep an eye on him," the nurse advised. She left the room with the same tiresome look as the doctor had earlier.
"You're just a dream aren't you?" Norma smiled slyly at him and put a hand to her waist. Alex looked her up and down with low lids. A slight smile played on the corners of his lips at the sight of her.
"I can imagine I'm a pretty terrible patient to have around," he chuckled softly. Norma took a step closer. She had to ask him now or she would chicken out.
"Emma and Dylan are seeing a movie tonight, and uh, Dylan suggested that you should come along. He feels bad for what happened and wanted to invite you to do something regular. You know, to get your spirits up and distract you from work and the hospital." Norma wanted to run away. Hide from this humiliating attempt to ask him out.
Alex appeared more confused than eager to agree. He leaned on his crutches and squinted his eyes perplexedly.
"Well, what about you? Are you um, going too? Or is it just me third wheeling alongside those two?" He was so serious and uncomfortable as he said this, Norma couldn't help but bite her lip to hold back a grin.
"Of course I'm going to be there!" She breathed in unsteadily, smiling at him confidently, trying to hide her nerves. "I'm not going to leave you alone to suffer through some corny rom-com." She blushed lightly as Alex's eyes lit up at her response.
"Thank god. Hey, could you possibly drop me home? Not exactly in the best condition to be driving anywhere." His head dropped down to look at his leg cast and then back up at her. She watched him sympathetically and nodded.
"Sure. Let's get you out of here." When they finally made it to the car, Norma had to help him into the car. Alex cringed at this, humiliated at how helpless he felt. When Norma got into the driver's seat and shut the door, Alex turned to her, face riddled with dejection.
"I feel like I'm putting you out. I'm practically a cripple at the moment."
"Alex, it's no huge fuss. I can drop you home. I wouldn't even mind keeping an eye on you at your place…Shit! I just remembered that the movie's in 20 minutes."
"No worries. We'll make it in time." The rest of the car ride was complete silence. They no longer had room for small talk. It really wasn't the dynamic of their relationship.
Norma parked in front of the cinema and collected herself. It wasn't like her to worry about social occasions. She loved them, reveled in them, and never shied away. But this was different. The tension in the car was evident to both of them, but neither knew why. They had gotten to know one another far more than expected over the last couple weeks, but something about actually going out into public scared them off. It was almost intimidating to be seen in public together.
A brief hesitation occurred before both got out of the car and headed inside. Dylan and Emma were waiting at the front, holding their tickets. Emma beamed at Norma excitedly, but then turned to Alex, who was hobbling along with his crutches.
"I hope you're feeling okay, Sheriff," she sympathized. Alex smiled politely at her, but secretly disliked the attention.
"Feeling better already. Thanks." There was a long pause before Dylan spoke.
"We're seeing Begin Again. I hope that's all right. Emma picked it." Dylan tried to sound enthused, but the drone in his voice indicated otherwise.
"Oh okay. I'll go get us tickets," Norma announced. As she began to walk to the counter, she felt a tug on her arm. Alex was pulling her back.
"I've got this one," he insisted willfully. She knew that in this situation, there was no way that she would win this argument. Alex released her arm and made his way to the booth to buy their tickets. Norma looked back at Emma and Dylan, who were entertained by the sight of them on the verge of banter.
Once reaching the theater, Emma managed to create more awkwardness and tension. "Dylan and I can sit somewhere else if you'd like." Norma gave her a scornful and pleading look, but Emma didn't sense Norma's anxiety. Emma looked at her wide, innocent eyes and waited for a response. Norma turned to Alex who stood behind her in the dark.
"It's fine. We can all sit together," she breathed. They found four seats and sat together. Couples together of course. Norma could attempt get around it, but it was still a date, and she was jittery because of the simple fact that others were around. She wasn't sure how composed she could stay in the darkness of the theater.
Alex sat at the end beside her so that there was room for his cast and crutches. The movie started and went on for quite some time. Or maybe it just felt like it had been. Alex's breath shortened as soon as the lights dimmer further as the movie began. Norma couldn't tear herself away from the screen, because if she did, she would meet the glance of Alex, and her urge to make a move would become unbearable. Emma was sitting next to her, and she didn't want her, or Dylan, to witness them. Despite her best effort to keep her eyes on the screen, she could feel him. His eyes were piercing into her from the side. She could sense his discrete gaze from the corner of her eye. Her blood rushed at the feeling of him admiring her, almost even more so because it was wordless. Alex thought she wasn't looking, so thinking it was the best and safest opportunity, he looked at her. Some gazes longer than others. Some were fleeting and uneasy, but others were long and mesmeric. She loved it, but at the same time, her heart felt as though it was bruising her ribcage. Thankfully, they were in the dark and he couldn't see her heart pound out of my chest, she thought.
Alex rested his hand on the arm of the chair, only to realize Norma's arm was already there. His hand feathered her arm, but Norma appeared to have no reaction to his touch. However, her skin burned at his touch, and she couldn't pull her arm away. She kept her eyes on the disinteresting film, as Alex made a split second decision. He slid his hand down her arm to reach her hers. Norma slowly turned her head to face him, pretending she hadn't noticed him until he had reach out for her hand. But she was very aware, and perhaps the dark had only made him bolder, like their time at the beach.
She let him continue. For a moment, she looked down at their hands as he wove his fingers through hers gingerly delicately. Bringing her eyes back to the screen, she swallowed her anticipation. Alex began to rub the back of her hand with his thumb. Brushing rhythmically, he wanted some kind of sign that she was enjoying his touch. But there was no indication, just a slight look of terror and mortification on her end. Alex didn't know it, but Norma strongly disliked PDA, even it was in a pitch-black theater with hardly anyone around them to notice or care.
Idiot, he thought. He did worry that she wouldn't actually want him. That her attention towards him wasn't as serious as he thought or wished for. Out of fear of seeming desperate and out of uncertainty of their relationship, he gradually let go of her. He reached for the bottle of water he had bought, and agitatedly took a swig.