Her Eyes

Chapter 74: IF YOU'RE LOST AND ALONE

The drive to the sanitarium seemed a bit more peaceful after Norma had finally won the argument over Norman's lack of lunch. The boy ate in silence, chewing his sandwich bitterly as the radio drowned out his mother's lecture. Alex breathed a sigh of relief as the walls of the sanitarium came into view. Not much had changed since the days his mother was there. The exterior had been repainted, but the overwhelming air of contentment remained the same.

Alex stepped out of the door, gazing up at the tall glass windows of the treatment center. A feeling of grief washed over him as the memories of his mother's last few months played inside his mind.

"Alex?" Norma asked, looking up at him with vibrant eyes. "Everything okay?"

His eyes met hers as he breathed deep. The last thing Norma needed right now was something else to worry about. "Yeah. Let's go inside," he muttered, placing his hand on her back and leading her to follow Norman into the building.

"How can we help you?" the woman at the front desk asked the second they stepped through the door. Alex looked about the entrance, a sense of familiarity filling him. He could probably guide himself around the place; he knew every room and hall by heart.

"We're here to have my son, Norman, evaluated. I called yesterday about it," Norma stated, emerging from behind her son.

The woman smiled sympathetically, getting up from her desk to greet them more formally. "I'm Jeanne. If you'll just follow me right this way." She led them down the hall to the visiting area arranged with picnic tables and reupholstered living room chairs. It seemed a little dated for the millennium, but effective nonetheless. "I'm going to take Norman with me and get started on the evaluation process. Someone will be with you in a moment to discuss treatment costs and living arrangements."

Norma glanced at Alex after the woman left—worry filling her eyes. He could sense the agitation manifesting in her fingers as she began to tap along the edges of her purse impatiently. "Are you sure this is the best place for him? It seems a little dated. Maybe we should go...Find a place closer to the house."

Alex sent her a disapproving look, stilling the beat of her fingertips with his own. "Norma, everything is going to be okay. You just need to trust me," he assured her. "I know what I'm doing." A pain began to ache in his heart. His father had told his mother the same exact thing the first time she was admitted here. But it was a different time then; and Norma and Alex were much, much different people than his parents.

"Alex?" a man voice called from the doorway. "Is it really you?"

Alex studied the old man, confusion ridden in his face. "Sorry?"

The man chuckled softly to himself as he approached them. There seemed to be a memory with him that Alex couldn't place. Age hid the obvious truth. "Dr. Williamson. I was your—"

"Dr. Williamson, I didn't recognize you," Alex smiled fondly at the man. "It's good to see you again."

The memory of his mother lurked in the shadows. Alex could remember this man calming him down after one of his mother's outbursts. The man really hadn't changed except for age. "You as well. The last time we saw each other you were just a scrawny, hormone-raging teenager. Now you're a full grown man."

Alex could feel Norma smile beside him as he laughed at the memory of his teenage years. "Time will do that to you."

"It's been years since your mother was here. How is she?" the doctor asked.

A pain formed deep inside him. He could remember minute for minute the event of his mother's death. He had just come home from school. His father hadn't come home for few days. His mother had stopped taking her medication for about a week. She became irritable. Alex had pleaded with her to continue with her medication...so she did. The house was quiet except for the record playing beside the bed. He thought he was asleep at first. She seemed to be sleeping a lot those days. He didn't really think anything of it till he noticed to empty bottle of pills lying on the dresser. Alex swallowed hard, not daring to look at the woman beside him. "She actually passed away about year after she stopped coming here."

Dr. Williamson's eyes sunk a little as regret playing on his face. "I'm so sorry."

Alex nodded to him stoically. "Happens."

Tension filled the room as doctor fought hard to find an appropriate subject change. He glanced down at his clipboard, breathing a little easier now. "So Norman Bates is your son?"

Alex looked at Norma who seemed all too amused by the idea, biting back a laugh. Her words from this morning played in his mind. She needed someone to help her. Alex only ever wanted to help her—to see her smile. "He's my stepson. I'm marrying his mother," he lied before he could think clearly. "He's going to be put on my insurance plan."

Norma glared at him as the doctor left them to wait for Norman's results. Alex thought he was doing the right thing, but his white lie seemed to upset her. She hadn't said anything at all during their talk with Dr. Williamson. The shock of Alex's statement seemed to paralyze her until now of course. "What the hell was that?" she shouted, her eyes burning into him.

Alex looked at her, a little surprised by the outburst. The last thing he wanted to do was offend her. His mouth dropped open in defense as he searched for the right words. "You need insurance. I have insurance. So I thought we could get married," he stated, checking her reaction. She scoffed, rolling her eyes. She wasn't amused. "It wouldn't be an actual marriage. Just on paper," he told her. "Do you have a better idea? It's not like we're doing anything else."

She sighed, a mix of emotions painted on her face. "Alex."

He reached for her hands, bringing her closer to him. "No one will ever know."

She looked into his eyes, allowing him to pull her in for once. But the moment only lasted a second before she abruptly pulled away, averting the depths of her eyes. "What am I going to tell Norman?" she asked weakly. "Or Dylan?"

"Norman's going to be too busy getting help to focus on us, and Dylan will understand. Besides I'm sure he's already noticed that there's something between us," Alex explained, wishing to God he could take everything back.

"And what about when Norman's better and comes home? What if I go to visit him? He's going to find out eventually." This was the most rational Alex had ever seen Norma. He was surprised she hadn't thought of this in the first place.

"You'll tell him you only married me for my insurance. Nothing else," he informed her. "It will be a marriage of convenience."

She grimaced slightly, a flicker of hurt surfacing in her eyes. Though she knew deep down that she didn't have any other option if she wanted to help Norman. "You could lose your job."

It was sad how little Alex cared about his job these days. Something changed within him the night he met this woman. He did things he'd never done for anyone. He sacrificed everything of this woman. "Norman needs help. I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done to help him." That was the sad truth. Though Alex didn't entirely trust Norman, there was still a deep part of him that sympathized with him. He could relate to the boy who wanted nothing more than for his mother to be happy and safe...loved. Because that's all Alex ever wanted for his mother.