While I'm Alive

Chapter Nine: Run (in)To You

Norma wakes up the next morning, her dreams were fuzzy but they felt real. She was in Alex's room, asking him to have sex with her. She told him she would find James if he didn't want to. She never saw if he said yes or no but the dream was embarrassing nonetheless. But there was one part that confused Norma. It was Alex telling her about his mother who had committed suicide. And then, things got blurry again but it looked like she kissed Alex. The only way to find out if it was a dream or not was to talk to Alex.
She stares at the ceiling for a bit, a smile on her face as her mind moves onto the dinner they had all shared last night. Her door opens and she looks over to see Dylan walk in.
"Hey, Norma." he says. She sits up a little, pulling her covers higher up her chest.
"Hi, honey." she says with a smile.
"It was nice having everyone over last night. I'm so glad Alex came." she tells him with a smile. She thinks of the eye contact they had shared after Dylan's toast, her heart skipping a beat.
"Wasn't it?" she asks.
"Yeah. Yeah it was. Hey, um, Im going to go stay up at the farm for a couple of days. I need to get the barn finished." he tells her.
"Okay. That's fine." she tells him.
"But, uh, we still need to talk though, when I get back. About Norman. We have to talk about what we're gonna do." he tells her.
"I know." she says softly, having come to terms with the fact that she cannot help him the way he needs to be helped. Dylan leans down and kisses her forehead, the action new to both of them but pleasant. He pulls away and walks out of her room.
She slips out of bed and gets ready before walking out to her car. She had a few errands to run in town and she thought about stopping by the station to see Alex but decided against it.  Her conversation with him could wait until he wasn't working.
On her way into town, a black car sped up to follow her closely. They began honking and flashing their lights at her while swerving.
"What the hell are you doing?" Norma mumbles, looking in her rear view mirror. She rolls down her window and sticks her hand out to wave them past her.
"Come on, Jackass." she mumbles, still waving. She pulls her hand back into her car but he continues to honk and flash his lights.
"What is your problem?" Norma asks. She waves at him again.
"Go around already!" she says with frustration. The car finally swerved around her into the other lane. They slow down to ride right beside her, making Norma feel uneasy.
"Pass already!" Norma shouts, glancing at the car. The black car speeds up and cuts her off, making Norma gasp and swerve to avoid an accident. Her car shoots off of the road, catching a barb wired fence before stopping in the middle of a pond. She takes a deep breath, stretching her neck which is sore from the impact of the fence. Blood drips from her nose, staining her pale skin.
She turns the car off and opens her door, still gasping for air. Without stepping out into the water, she leans out and looks at the damage done to her car, her front bumper just barely hanging on to her car which is covered in mud. She looks around at the dirty pond water surrounding her.
"Great. This is just great." Norma huffs bitterly.
She searches her pockets for her phone before realizing she must've left it in her purse. She finally finds it and unlocks her phone.
"You okay?" a man calls out, stepping out of the black car that was following her. Norma leans out of her car, looking back at the man.
"Are you crazy? You drove me off the road. I could've been killed!" Norma shouts angrily at him.
"You're lucky you're not dead, Norma Bates." he says, putting his gloved hands into the pockets of his black trench coat. Norma stares at him with shock. She had never seen him before and here he was, calling her by her full name. Someone had sent him to run her off the road.
"I'm calling 911." she says, dialing the numbers on her phone.
"Sure, you could. But you know who would be better for you to call? Bob Paris. He would like to speak with you. You have something that belongs to him." the man says to her.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Norma says innocently.
"Seriously. Do you think we're idiots?" he asks.
"I don't know who you are. I'm calling Sheriff Romero." she tells him.
"He can't save you. Can't even save himself." he tells her, making her look up from her phone to him with surprise. She hadn't talked to Alex since last night. A lot could happen over night and Norma found herself panicking at the thought of Alex being hurt.
"Do yourself a favor and call Mr. Paris. You can reach him at the Arcanum Club." he says before stepping back into his car. He starts the engine and glances back at her through his open window.
"And do it soon." he shouts to her before driving away. She looks back at her phone and clicks on Alex's contact name, calling him. His voicemail enters her ear but she hangs up to dial his office.
"White Pine Bay County Sheriff's Department, this is Regina. How can I help you?" a woman answers.
"Is Sheriff Romero in yet?" Norma asks.
"Uh, he is not in yet. Can I take a message?" the woman asks.
"Can you just have him call me when he gets in? It's Norma Bates." Norma tells her.
"And can I get a phone number?" Regina asks.
"He has my number. Thank you." Norma says before hanging up. She thinks about trying to drive her car back onto the road but decides against it, not wanting to risk further damage to her precious car. She was just about to call a tow truck when a police car pulls up to where she is stuck and stops in the road. Alex steps out, watching her with confusion.
"Alex!" Norma says with relief.
"Norma...w-why are you in the water?" he asks with confusion.
"Oh I don't know, a swim sounded nice." she replies bitterly.
"If you're going to operate a vehicle, you should know how to work it first." he tells her.
"How am I supposed to get out of here?" she asks with annoyance.
"Well you could walk. Or swim." he suggests.
"Swim? In this dress?" she asks with surprise. He sighs and walks into the water, ignoring the fact that his pants and shoes are getting drenched. He stops beside her and holds his hands out.
"What're you going to do?" she asks.
"I'm going to carry you." he tells her.
"Do you have to?" she asks.
"Well unless you would rather ride piggy back." he offers.
"Alright, fine." she sighs. He bends down and slides one arm behind her back, his other arm sliding under her legs. He carefully picks her up out of her car, making sure she doesn't hit her head on her way out. He takes a step before Norma begins to squirm.
"My purse!" she says, reaching back to her car. He sighs and steps back to her car, allowing her to grab her purse.
"Anything else?" he asks.
"No." she says, wrapping her arms around his neck. He walks the rest of the way out of the water and sets her down once they are completely out of the water.
"Where have you been? I've been calling you." she says with annoyance.
"My phone was dead. Are you okay?" he asks, his hand grabbing her chin while he looks at her bloody nose.
"Yeah, other than the fact that I got run off the road." she tells him, pulling her face out of his hands.
"Someone ran you off the road?" he asks with surprise. She looks around for any eavesdroppers before leaning closer to him.
"Yes. And threatened me. Some guy who told me to contact some other guy about something that belongs to him. Probably about the flash drive. Why can't these people just hang on to their own shit? Like it's my fault." she says with annoyance.
"Who did he tell you to contact?" Alex asks.
"Bob Paris." she tells him.
"We need to give them the flash drive." Alex tells her, leading her to his car by placing his hand on the small of her back.
"Alex, no." she says, stopping and turning to him.
"I know that flash drive is incredibly valuable. That dying girl gave it to me, as if she knew I needed help. She gave it to me...it's like an omen. I'm not giving it up. Please, Alex. Please, I can't give it up." she begs him.
"Norma it's putting all of us in danger. I got shot, you got run off the road, is it really worth all of this?" he asks.
"Yes, Alex. I need this to help Norman. I need this for leverage." she tells him.
"It isn't giving us any leverage, Norma-" he shouts.
"I have to try! I can't give up on him, on this." she shouts back. His gaze softens and he glances around the empty road before pulling Norma the rest of the way to his car. Once they are both safely inside, he looks over at her again.
"If you're keeping this thing, then you are going to need more protection." he tells her.
"More protection? It's not like you can follow me around all day." she tells him.
"I can move back to the motel. And have the place patrolled." he says, starting the car.
"Alex I can't ask you to do tha-"
"And you're going to have to put in some work on your end too. Any time you leave the house, I need you to let me know where you're going. I need you to tell me when you get there, when you leave, and when you get home. Any complications along the way, you tell me." he tells her, driving to the hospital.
"Aren't we going a little over board?" she asks.
"You want to keep that flash drive? Those are the rules. Okay?" he asks. She hesitates, still thinking over all of the rules Alex had just laid out.
"Okay?" he asks again.
"Okay. Fine." she says, staring out her window.
"It's just for a little while. Until this thing cools down." he tells her.
"What if it never does?" she asks, glancing at him. He sighs, his grip tightening on the wheel.
"Then I'll take things into my own hands."
When they arrive at the hospital, Norma looks to him with surprise.
"Really, Alex?" she asks.
"You were in an accident." he tells her, parking the car.
"It was minor! I'm fine." she tells him.
"Will you just get checked out?" he asks, unbuckling his seat belt.
She is ushered into the waiting room where she waits with Alex for her name to be called. The man who ran her off the road was stuck in her brain, his words repeating in her head.
He can't save you. Can't even save himself.
If Alex were to be hurt because of the dumb flash drive that Norma had, she could never forgive herself. He already took a bullet for her, what else will happen to him because of her?
"Alex, I-" Norma begins, trying to tell him what the man said.
"Norma Louise Bates?" a nurse calls out. Norma stands up and glances down at Alex.
"Would you...would you come with?" she asks, wanting to keep him in her sight so she knows he is safe. He nods and stands up, following the nurse through double doors.
"You were in a car accident?" the nurse asks once they enter the room.
"It was minor but yes." Norma says, twisting the handle of her purse in her hands.
"Any pain?" the girl asks, writing notes on her clipboard.
"I had neck pain and my nose bled but I feel fine now. I actually would just like to go home." Norma says, glancing at Alex who is sitting silently in the chair beside her.
"I'm sure you'll be out in no time. The doctor is just going to check a few things and then you'll be good to go." the nurse tells her, leaving the room. Norma looks to Alex, her blue eyes scanning his face.
"I called a tow truck while you were in the waiting room. They've brought your car to the auto shop down by the pier. My buddy is going to fix it up, no charge." Alex tells her.
"Alex, that's wonderful. Thank you." Norma says, genuinely pleased and surprised.
"I hope it wasn't too much trouble." she says.
"No trouble at all." he tells her with a soft smile.
"Hey, what were you going to say earlier?" Alex asks.
"When?" she asks.
"In the lobby. Before you were interrupt-"
"Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Potts. You must be Mrs. Norma Bates." the doctor says, reading from the chart. He looks up at the two of them before focusing on Alex.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Bates. Very kind of you to take your wife in for a checkup. All is well though." the doctor says, continuing to speak without giving them a chance to correct him.
"We have prescribed some pain medication for your head but other than that, you're perfectly fine. Can never be too safe though, can we?" the doctor says, winking at Alex.
"Wouldn't want to risk the lives of our loved ones." he says happily.
"How long have you two been married?" he asks, a wide smile on his aged face. Alex opens his mouth to correct him but Norma beats him to it.
"Almost two years." she tells him with a smile.
"Young love. Well I wish you both a lifetime of happiness." he says, standing up to shake their hands.
"You as well, Dr. Potts." Norma says sweetly. Once the doctor leaves, Norma stands up to gather her things, oblivious to the look Alex is giving her. When she finally realizes he is staring she looks over at his face.
"What?" Norma asks.
"Two years, huh?" he asks, leading her out of the room.
"What was I supposed to say? He looked so happy. What's the harm?" she asks casually as they walk out of the hospital.
"Well at dinner the other night, you seemed pretty adamant in making sure your brother knew we weren't dating." Alex points out. She gives him a look and clicks her tongue.
"Is it really that big a deal?" she asks as he leads her to his car.
"It seemed like it when you were drunk and kept calling me your fiancé." he mumbles as he opens her door for her and lets her slide in.
"I what?" she asks with surprise as he closes her door.
"I called you my fiancé?" she asks when he gets in. He glances over at her and starts the car.
"Don't worry, Norma. It's not that big of a deal."