Her Eyes

Chapter 44: SWEET DREAMS

Alex pulled away, finally catching his breath. He never felt this way about anybody. The intensity of their relationship scared him. He was in a deep hole. He wanted to allow himself to love her, but she was the mother of a murderer. The bond between her and her son was stronger than anything. He knew that. A pain formed inside him. He knew he couldn't go any further. He let go of her, distancing himself. "We should go check on Norman."

She stared up at him with sad eyes. "Okay." Her eyes fell to the floor as she followed him out to the car. He wanted her more than anything, but there were more important things going on.

They sat in silence on the way to the house. Neither one of them knew what to say to each other. Everything was happening so quickly; they hadn't had time to stop and think things through. They had to deal with Norman; that was the important thing—lives could be at stake.

They stepped inside with no sign of Norman. "He's probably in the basement," Norma told Alex. She moved over the basement door, opening it. "Norman?"

"Yes, mother?" Norman called from below.

"Can you come up here? I wanna talk to you." She made her way back to Alex. "He might be a little weird about you being here."

He looked down at his hand and scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding."

"Just don't interrogate him," she pressed. She was always like this when it came to Norman. She was always defending him...even if there wasn't a fight. "And don't bring up Bradley."

He nodded. He understood why she defended Norman—he was her son. But he didn't understand why she couldn't get over the fact he was the sheriff. He couldn't just be Alex. She would always define him as the sheriff, nothing more. He brought his eyes to the figure emerging behind her. "Hey, Norman."

The boy approached his mother's side. "What's he doing here?" His mood had turned sour the moment he spotted the sheriff.

His mother gave him her classic smile. "We came to check on you."

"We?" He raised his eyebrows.

She didn't take her eyes off him. "Yes, Norman. Alex was concerned about you being here alone, so we—"

"I don't need him to be concerned about me. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm fine. And I wasn't alone, you've been here with me the whole time," the boy shouted. Alex watched them intently. It was like they were having a private conversation right in front of him.

Norma took a step back, anxiety filling her eyes. "Norman, honey, I haven't been home in a couple of nights."

"What are you talking about? Last night we spent the night on the couch watching Vertigo. I remember because you fell asleep cuddled up next to me the way you always do. You don't remember?" He was losing it—it was obvious.

She stared into him, trying to catch a glimpse of something. "I wasn't here last night. I was with Alex." Tears started to form in her eyes. "Honey, I'm so worried about you." The boy took a step back from her and turned to glare at Alex before heading up the stairs. She looked off in the direction he went. "Just wait down here," she told Alex.

He watched as she climbed the steps in the direction Norman went. He sighed when he was alone. How he got himself so wrapped up in this family, he didn't know. It's not like he ever wanted to be a part of this family. They found their way to him. They found their way to each other. In some odd way, he cared for them—each and every one of them, even Norman. He wasn't just drawn to Norma. He was drawn to her family. They were the family he never got to have, and Norma was just an added benefit—the recruiter that sought him out to be a part of this team. He needed them. They brought light to a side him he'd never witnessed before. With them, he was no longer just the sheriff...he was Alex. It was a while before Norma came back down. She seemed exhausted after just one talk with her son.

"I think I'm gonna stay here tonight," she muttered, approaching him.

"All right." He gave her a reassuring smile, turning to leave. "Call me if you need anything."

"Alex?" His hand was on the doorknob ready to turn it and go. Possibly never come back. "I'd feel safer if you were here with me." He sighed and let go of the knob, turning around to face her. "I just don't think I can be alone with him anymore." He saw the pain in her eyes; he needed to save her.

He nodded, looking away from her. "Yeah, I'll stay on the couch."

The three of them had an awkward dinner together and headed off to separate rooms. Alex laid down on the couch as it got dark. Norma brought him down a blanket and pillow with a smile. She tucked him in. "I really appreciate you being here, you know? I don't know what I'd do without you." She sat down on the edge of the couch next to his legs.

He smiled at her, reaching for her hand. He stared at it for a moment, rubbing her fingers with his before they bringing them to his lips to kiss them softly. "Goodnight, Norma."

She smiled at his gesture. "Night, Alex." She stood up and headed back upstairs without another word.

He sighed watching her go. He wanted her to cuddle up next to him, so he could hold her in his arms once more. As the minutes passed, he came back to reality. The couch wasn't very comfortable. He wished he was at home, but he'd walk through fire if it meant spending an extra five seconds with Norma. He'd do anything for her. He started to doze off when the room was completely dark, but the sound of footsteps in the room kept him awake. He tried to make out who was in the doorway, but it was too dark to tell. "Norma?"