While I'm Alive

Norma was cleaning up the table after breakfast while Dylan walked Emma out to her car. Alex helps where he can, though he is not able to do much with only one arm.
"Thanks for letting me crash here last night." Alex says, placing the dishes in the sink.
"It's the least I could do. You saved me." Norma says, glancing over at him. Alex looks uncomfortable, not knowing what to say.
"I'm going to get changed and then we can have Dylan drive us to our cars. And I am stopping by the hospital so I will swing by your house after that." she tells him, untying her apron from around her waist.
"Okay. Thanks." he tells her. She nods before disappearing upstairs. When she walks back down, she is wearing a white blouse with light blue flowers on it and a brown skirt that ends just below her knees. She was stunning, as usual.
Dylan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs next to Alex, the men standing as far apart from each other as they could.
"What're we going to do with Norman?" Dylan asks.
"Oh, well, I left a note for him in the kitchen saying we will be back soon." Norma says as they walk out of the house.
"No, I mean, what're we going to do?" Dylan asks, implying more than what Norma was talking about.
"He...he was just overwhelmed. We have handled it so far-" Norma begins.
"It's getting out of control, Norma." Dylan says as they arrive at his truck. Alex opens Norma's door for her before getting in the back.
"Look this has been circling us for a long time and we just keep looking the other direction. The black outs, the cutting up dead animals, Blaire Watson-"
"The polygraph completely disproved that." Norma interjects. Dylan looks back at Alex for confirmation.
"Your mother's right." Alex tells him.
"Well, it's all way too much together to be dismissed. I just think we need to get help for him before it's too late." Dylan tells her.
"But...but I'm keeping him home. He's gonna be safe-"
"So you're gonna lock him up any time you have to go somewhere?" Dylan asks with an eyebrow raised.
"Maybe." she says in a smart tone.
"Norma, we need to do something-"
"I can handle it, Dylan. Okay? You're not his mother." she tells him angrily.
"You say you can handle it but you're not handling it-"
"Just drive." she says, glaring out the window. Dylan sighs and turns the car on, driving to the supermarket. When they arrive, they stop in front of Norma's car.
"Thanks." Norma says, stepping out and slamming the door shut, making Dylan wince.
"Thanks for the ride." Alex says, opening his door.
"Sorry about...last night." Dylan says awkwardly. Alex smirks and shuts the door behind him. He turns toward his car and hesitates before turning around and knocking on the passenger door. Dylan rolls the window down in response.
"Don't beat yourself up for last night. I...slept well." Alex tells him before finally walking away. Dylan smirks and rolls his window back up. He looks back at Alex, feeling a tug at his heart as he realizes that this man was the closest thing he had to a father figure. Sure he had Caleb, but there was always a sour taste in Dylan's mouth ever since he found out what he did to Norma. And Sam and John had never been even remotely good enough to Norma as she deserves. Alex had nothing but good intentions and had always been good to Norma. He seemed to make her happy in a way that she had never been before.

Norma had driven to the hospital where she was given Alex's medication and arm sling, as well as a lecture on how patients are not allowed to leave without signing a form. Norma responded to this by informing the nurse that the patient they were speaking of is the sheriff and if they had a problem with something he did, they could take it up with him.
When she arrived at Alex's house, she walked inside without knocking, figuring she would save him the trip to the door.
"Alex?" she calls out. She hears a thud from his room and she walks back, opening his bedroom door.
"Oh." she says, seeing him struggling with taking off his clothes. He looks up with shock at the sudden intrusion.
"Do you need help?" she asks, setting his medicine on his bed.
"No. That's not a good idea." he tells her.
"Do you have work?" she asks curiously, glancing at the uniform that is laid out on his bed.
"Yeah. In fifteen minutes." he says with aggravation.
"You better hurry up and change then." she says with a smirk. He sighs with frustration.
"I...I can't get the stupid belt unbuckled." he tells her, his hand fumbling with the leather.
"God, you're a mess." she tells him, moving his hand out of the way to unbuckle his belt. The gesture was more intimate than she had intended, her cheeks heating up as she realizes this. She slides the belt out and drops it to the ground, unbuttoning his pants for him.
"I can pull them off." he tells her. She nods and turns away as he pulls his pants off. She grabs the medicine and begins reading the instructions to occupy her mind.
"They gave me a sling." she tells him.
"I don't need it." he tells her, pulling his black jeans on, struggling to pull them up his thighs with just the one hand. They weren't tight or anything. It was just when he pulled up one side, he would let go to pull up the other side and then the jeans would end up falling lower.
"You're wearing it. Don't be stupid." she tells him. He huffs with frustration as he tries to move his legs to ease the jeans up.
"You done?" Norma asks.
"Just...give me a second." he tells her.
"You just...sound like you're struggling." she points out.
"Well you try putting on pants with one hand." he mumbles, still tugging at his pants.
"You'll get the hang of it eventually." she says optimistically.
"Okay. I'm good." he says once he finally pulls his jeans up over his butt. She turns around and grabs the bottom of his shirt, carefully pulling it over his head.
"Have you changed the gauze?" Norma asks him, staring at the fabric taped to his wound.
"I haven't had time. Or resources." he tells her.
"Well now you do." she says, grabbing the supplies from the bed.
"You sure you know how to do this?" Alex asks as she carefully removes the dressing.
"It's not rocket science." she tells him as she begins cleaning his wound. He winces at the slight burn but Norma continues with her swiping. She tapes the gauze to his chest before grabbing his uniform and helping him pull it on. She begins buttoning it, not noticing his eyes that remain on her face.
"I guess we have to be friends after this." Norma says, trying to ease the tension between them. Alex chuckles, making Norma look up with surprise. She had made him smile before, the first time being when she cleaned his cut, but this was the first time she had made him laugh.
"We were probably friends after the sponge bath." he tells her as she finishes buttoning his shirt. She turns to grab the sling while he tucks his shirt into his pants.
"Hey now, you were the one that said not to mention the sponge bath." Norma points out.
"Right. I forgot." Alex says, taking the sling from her hands. He slips his arm into it before putting the strap around his neck while Norma buttons his pants.
"How do I look?" Alex asks, grabbing his coat.
"Tough." she says with a smile. He glances back at her, his brown eyes melting her blue ones with his gaze.
"I should get going. Uh...you can stay if you want." he offers, grabbing his keys. The thought of coming home to Norma made Alex feel warm inside.
"That's alright. I...I'm going to go to the farm...to talk to my brother." she tells him, the words surprising her as well.
"Oh. Alright." he says, walking out of his house with her.
"I'll see you...tomorrow then." he says, walking her to her car.
"What happened to your window?" Norma asks, staring at the piece of cardboard that is taped to the passenger side of Alex's car.
"The shooting." he reminds her.
"Oh. I didn't even realize your window broke. There was so much going on." she says, still staring at the cardboard.
"I...I don't know if I ever thanked you..for that night. And everything that followed. So...thanks. I really appreciate you taking care of me. Not a lot of people would've stayed." he says, staring into her eyes boldly.
"Don't thank me. You would've done the same for me." she says with a smile. He smiles back for a moment before looking away.
"I'll see you." he says, walking back to his car.
"Bye." she says quietly, getting into her own car, driving home to get Norman and Dylan. When she pulls in, the boys are sitting in front of the motel.
"Get in the car." she says after rolling down her window.
"Where are we going?" Norman asks as they stand up hesitantly.
"To the farm to talk to your uncle." she replies.
"Norma, I don't think that's a good idea. We should wait-" Dylan begins.
"The damage is done. Get in the car." she demands. They climb in before Norma peels out of the lot, driving in the direction of the farm. She pulls onto the lot and stops in front of the cabin. She stares at the mobile home parked a few feet away and a panicky feeling begins to spread throughout her body. Her breathing becomes labored but before she can chicken out, she rips the door open and steps outside. Dylan and Norman scramble out of the car but don't walk with her.
She marches to the front door of the mobile home, prepared to bang on the door. Just as she is about to make contact, the door swings open and Norma jumps back to avoid getting hit. Caleb slowly steps out, his eyes filled with surprise as he stares at Norma.
Tears spring to Norma's blue eyes as she is filled with a mix of fear and longing for her brother. She hadn't seen him in decades and even though he had done awful things to her, she had missed him. He was her brother, her best friend, her protector. That's what he used to be, at least. And then all of a sudden, he was none of those things. Because he had hurt her, and you don't hurt someone you love. Norma turns around, walking away from Caleb who quickly rushes after.
"Norma Louise, I'm so sorry." he tells her, grabbing her arm to stop her from walking away. He turns her around, holding her arms in his hands, the feeling all too familiar.
"I'm so sorry." he whispers, his face scrunching with pain.
"I'm sorry." he sobs, falling to his knees in front of her. For a moment, Norma doesn't move. She just stands there, tears falling from her eyes as she stares ahead of her.
And then, she begins to sob with him, her knees giving out. She kneels down in front of him, taking his face in her hands before resting her forehead against his as he continues to whisper his apology. She hugs his head to her chest, her eyes looking up at the sky as she feels herself begin to forgive him. But then she stepped away from him, out of his reach.
"It's too much." she whispers, shaking her head.
"I...I can't do this. Not yet." she tells him before walking back towards her car.
"Norma, please." Dylan begins.
"Mother." Norman says.
Norma gets into the car without her boys and leaves, watching through her rear view mirror as all three boys fade into the distance.