Untold Secrets

Chapter Five

Sam had gotten better over the weeks. Not great but better than he was. He hadn't hit her in a while but he still made crude comments at her. And once the bedroom door was closed, he was still animalistic. She remembered the first time that Sam had taken her by force. It wasn't the first time she was taken by force but it was the first time he had done it to her.
She was having trouble getting turned on for him and he had become impatient. He ended up grabbing her hips, leaving bruises where his fingers dug into her hip bone as he pounded into her and finished himself off while she cried into a pillow.
That was just two weeks into their marriage.
Now, here they were, almost three years in and not much had changed between them. They were nice enough to each other but far from being in love.
"How was your day?" Norma asks Sam as she places his food in front of him. He seemed off today, like he was mulling something over in his head.
"Fine." he says simply.
"And yours?" he adds, grabbing his fork and knife.
"It was fine. I had lunch with Katie." she tells him. He looks up at her, his eyes burning holes into her skin.
"What else did you do?" he asks. She felt as if it were a trap. She knew she shouldn't have mentioned the lunch.
"Alex, are you awake?" Katie whispers into the darkness. He sighs before answering.
"Yeah. Can't sleep well during storms." he mumbles.
"I think I heard something outside." Katie whispers.
"It was probably just a tree branch." Alex says, his eyes remaining closed. They sit in silence for a few moments before being jolted awake by a pounding on their window. They both sit straight up and look to each other.
"Go!" Katie whispers, pushing Alex out of bed. He walks over to the window and opens the curtains, revealing a very wet and scared looking Norma Bates. Alex quickly opens the window and grabs her hips, helping her into his bedroom.
"Oh my god!" Katie says, getting out of bed as she notices the bruises and cuts on Norma.
"Can I stay here tonight?" Norma asks in a weak voice.
"Of course." Alex says without even glancing at Katie. Norma nods, her face crumpling as she begins to cry.
"Close the window." Alex tells Katie while he directs Norma out of their room. He guides her into the guest bedroom and grabs a towel to wrap around her.
"What did he do?" Alex asks, checking Norma's body for anything serious.
"I told him I had lunch with Katie and...and he hates when I spend money without asking." Norma tells Alex.
"Okay. You can sleep here tonight. I'll have Katie bring you some pajamas." Alex tells her.
"The boys." Norma squeaks out with worry.
"I'll go get them. Don't worry about it." he tells her. She nods and sits on the bed, wiping her tears with the warm towel.
"I'll be back." he tells her before leaving. He doesn't bother slipping on shoes before running out into the rain and going over to Norma's house to pound on the door. Sam answers it, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
"I'm here for the boys." Alex says, walking in without waiting for Sam to move. Sam laughs and shakes his head.
"Whatever." he says before taking a swig of the alcohol. Alex walks up the stairs to grab Norman first, the toddler remaining asleep in his arms as he wakes Dylan up.
"We're gonna have a sleepover tonight, okay?" Alex asks, taking Dylan's small hand.
"Okay." Dylan says tiredly, allowing Alex to lead him out of the house. When they're on the porch, Alex leans down to pick up Dylan as well. He runs out into the rain, waking Norman up in the process. Once he reaches his house, he walks straight to the guest room where Norma is staying.
"You alright?" Alex asks again. She stands up, having already redressed in some dry pajamas.
"Thank you so much, Alex. Really. Thank you." Norma says, taking Norman from his arms. He lays Dylan on the bed next to Norman and turns back to Norma.
"Need anything else?" he asks her. Her blue eyes stare up at him, a small smile on her lips. She steps forward and wraps her arms around his waist, burying her nose into the crook of his neck. He smiles and hugs her back, enjoying the familiar feeling of having her body against his.
"So much for pushing each other away." he says with a smile.
"We just can't seem to shake each other, square." she says, pulling away.
"I'll be back in the morning. Goodnight, Norma." he tells her.
"Goodnight, Alex."