The house looked as if it was a police station. There were cops everywhere. Alex made sure that as soon as he could he alerted every cop he knew.
He was going to find his wife if it's the last thing he does. There were forensic detectives in each room of the house looking for the slightest clue.
Alex was outside talking to a lead detective about the phone call Dylan had gotten from Norma about Caleb.
Dylan quickly pulls up, putting his truck in park, and getting out.
"Hey anything?" He asks breathless.
"No. Nothing. What did your mom say?" He says eagerly.
"When I answered I could hear a lot of noise she told me Caleb was there and she needed my help."
"What the fuck is he doing here? She hasn't seen him since before the incident." Alex was pissed and fuming. His hands were on his head as he paced back and forth. "Well.." Dylan peeps up. Alex stops dead in his tracks and looks at his step son, "Well? Well what?!" He steps up to Dylan.
"She told me not to say but I think this would be a good time to. Caleb came to the house when I was here helping her pack. She said he came in the house drunk, he was rubbing her belly and asking questions. She ran away locked herself in the room and he disappeared. But I-" Alex yanks Dylan up by the collar "Why the fuck wouldn't you tell me that? Dylan he's probably going to kill her and my daughters. Why didn't you tell me?!" Alex was angry so Dylan didn't take it to heart. He just pushed Alex off of him.
"Look, you beating me up for not telling you isn't going to save her. We need to go find her." Alex thinks for a second, "You said he came to the house?" Dylan nods, "Let's go there first." They hop in Dylan's truck and take off for the motel. The pair check out each room of the motel and the house. The new owner wasn't doing anything with the property so there was really nothing there. "Fuck, Dylan fuck!" Alex kicks the side of the motel, "Where else could she be." Alex holds his head in his hands, "I can't lose her again." His tone catches Dylan's full attention.
"Look man. We're going to find her. I promise. We just gotta think. Maybe he's in town. He probably has her somewhere and he's probably getting supplies or something. Let's start there." They get back into the truck.
——————
As Norma slowly came too she felt an intense pain in the front of her head. She tried to feel it but couldn't because her hands were tied up to a metal headboard. She tried tugging at it, this only causing her pain. Norma looked around at her surroundings. The bed was dirty and the smell of the tiny cabin was atrocious. The warm blood on her head dripped down onto her tee shirt. Norma thought back to Caleb slamming her head into the night stand causing her to black out. When she remembered that Caleb was her capture she quickly scanned the room. He was outside drinking a bottle of brown liquor and smoking a cigarette. Norma tried some more to wiggle out of the restraints when she felt a sharp intense pain in her belly. This made her cry out, the cry muffled by the duct tape on her face. But still caught Caleb's attention. He slowly walked into the cabin. Norma saw outside for a quick second. It was almost sun down. She knew she didn't have much time before the search parties would give up.
—————
Dylan and Alex drive around the whole town. Even running into some businesses when they see a blonde male. Alex was desperate at this point.
"Were getting nowhere Dylan!" Alex punches the dashboard. "You gotta keep your head on your shoulders. Don't think like that or we won't find her."
Alex sighs "Lets go back to the house. Maybe they found a clue that could help us."
Dylan does what Alex says and drives as fast as he possibly could back to their house.
—————
"Well good morning." He laughs at himself maniacally. Norma looked away as tears fell down her cheeks. She was in labor and she knew that that was bad news. She was full term yes but this was not the place she wanted to be when her angels came. She didn't want him to hurt them.
Caleb comes over caressing her face "Man I love you." He looks over her face but she continues to look away. Caleb swiftly smacks her face. "Look at me!" He yells. She obliged, looking up at him with her tear filled blood shot eyes. "You're the love of my life Norma Louise. I can't believe you'd run off with that disgusting man." He scowls "How could you go off and have a family with that man but you wouldn't even let me be a father." He grabbed her jaw so tight it made her wince in pain. "You're disgusting. How could you lie to me, lie to John about Dylan being his son, how could you do that to Dylan." He shakes his head as he walks over to the tools on the raggedy work desk. As she watched her brother she noticed a cane that looked all too familiar. She was in Chick's home. Caleb took another gulp of the alcohol.
—————
Alex goes up to the lead detective, "Any news, clues, anything?" He says eagerly.
"No nothing. Only thing out of the ordinary is the footprints of mud but that gets us nowhere because we know who did this and this is White Pine Bay so there's dirt everywhere."
"God!" Alex sighs heavily, sitting down on the couch, "How are we going to find her?"
Dylan walks in the house catching the detectives attention "Caleb is your father correct?" Dylan nods "Sadly yes. Why?"
"Because you may know where he's keeping her."
"How? We looked everywhere we could think of."
"Is there anywhere your father stayed in White Pine Bay for a long period of time. Anywhere could help us find her." Dylan thinks for a second.
"Your farm." Alex stands up "He stayed at your pot farm!" He rushes out of the door to his car.
"You're not going in my truck?" Dylan questions.
"No tell everyone to follow you." Alex flips the switch and takes off for the farm. He speeds down the highway screeching his tires as he pulls into the little homes driveway.
—————
Norma heard a faint noise outside of the cabin but was distracted when another contraction hits her, causing her to scream out. The tape still on her so it was almost inaudible. Caleb turns around with a knife.
"I'm not going to let you tell another lie again Norma." Caleb ran the blade across Norma's arm cutting her a little. Norma cried out as blood started to go down her arm.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" He took the tape off swiftly ripping it the adhesive off her lips.
"Please Caleb please. I love you too. Please." She looks at him trying to use her charm, "Please I'll run away with you. We can pretend their yours. We can be happy just please don't kill me." She pleas. Norma has been through enough to know how to get out of a bad situation, "Untie me please."
Caleb looks at Norma for a second then quickly unties her restraints. He hugs her and starts crying into her chest. Norma's contractions return but worse. She holds in the cry, grabbing the sheet tight. After the wave of pain subsides Norma grabs Calebs face. "Caleb let's run away let's go." He was just the right level of drunk to believe her. Caleb nods standing up stumbling to the door. Norma picks up a heavy object and bashed him over the head with it. Just as he knocks down unconscious she felt pain again. She drops the knees placing her hands on the ground as a ripple effect of pain goes through her whole body. She screams out crying hard. Just as the pain goes away Norma sees a foot coming for her belly, Caleb regained consciousness and awoke enraged, she let her body fall to the ground holding her arms over her belly in self defense. Caleb kicked her in her abdomen causing her to scream in agony. When Norma cried out she noticed a shiny object under the bed.
"You bitch." He grabs her neck, choking her with all his might.
—————
Alex runs out of the barn, "Did you hear that?" Dylan ran out with him, "No what was it?" He says out of breath. "I heard her I heard her scream." Just as Alex turned to the direction of the scream he heard they hear 4 loud guns pops. Alex didn't hesitate to start running in that direction. Behind Romero followed Dylan and all the officers. As Alex entered the cabin he first noticed Caleb dead on the ground then immediately went to his wife who was laying right next to the dead man. His heart clenched when he saw the blood between her legs. Alex quickly ran to her.
"Baby. Baby oh my god." He holds her.
"Alex-" she said weakly "I'm- labor." She tried to squeak out as she feels herself falling asleep.
"Norma! No Norma don't go baby. Stay with me." He begs. As soon as his wife felt limp in his arms he picks her up, quickly running her to his car.
"Go with him!" The lead detective orders two of the other detectives. With heavy police force they run their sirens through the town to the hospital.
————
The doctors took Norma back into emergency surgery immediately when they arrived. Alex had been sitting in the waiting room for over 2 hours. He was a nervous wreck.
"Yeah Emma she's in surgery now. We don't know anything yet. Yeah I'll let you know when we know. Okay. Love you too." When Dylan hung up his phone he looked at Alex, who was still crying silently in the hospital waiting room. Dylan walked over to him, sitting down.
"You know she's strong right." Dylan puts his hand on Alex's back, "And I'm sure she passed that gene onto the girls. I can't tell you it's going to all be okay because I don't even know what's going to happen. There's one thing I can tell you is that my mom loves you." Alex looks at Dylan, "You put a smile on her face. No man other than me and Norman have done that. She has been the happiest I've ever seen her in my life. You did that for her." Alex starts sobbing into Dylan who holds his shoulder letting him cry.
After about another hour the doctor comes out. Alex immediately stands up rushing to her.
"Is she okay?! Are they okay?!" He looks at her desperately.
"Yes. And yes." Alex sighs in relief, "Your wife had been in labor for the last day or so I'm surprised you all hadn't came in.She would've been having these babies sooner than we thought. It appears to me that when Norma was hit in the stomach her placenta detached causing her to hemorrhage. We had to deliver the baby by C-section. I need to warn you, it's nothing serious it's actually quite common in these situations, one of the babies is on oxygen right now. When the second baby came out she was having a little trouble breathing. They're finishing Norma up but your babies are in the nursery."
—————
When Alex arrived at the first nursery he saw his dark haired pink little baby laying in a plastic crib with a tag that says 'Baby Romero 1'. Dylan was standing next to him. "Congrats man." He nudged him, "Where's the other one?" Alex looked over at the other side of the nursery which was for the intensive care infants he saw another tag that said 'Baby Romero 2'. This baby had very light brown hair. She was so tiny, laying there with her arms above her head. Sleeping soundly as the oxygen makes her little chest move up in down. Alex smiled at the girl, "She looks like your mom." He sniffles.
—————
Alex could finally go back to see Norma. She was asleep in the bed when he came in. There were bruises all over her, her beautiful face was pink, there was a gash on her head, and her neck was purple. When Alex grabbed Norma's hand she woke up slowly looking over at him.
"Alex." She gives Alex a weak but beautiful smile.
"Hello my love." He kisses her head softly making sure not to press too hard. Norma moves her hand down to her deflated belly. "Babies?" Says tiredly. "They're okay. Both babies are okay." He kisses her head again, "I'm so tired." She manages to croak out
"Go to Sleep. I'll be right her to protect you."
