Dylan reached his brother's room to find Norman awake. Romero and Shelby were there

"You need to answer these questions." Romero was saying to Norman has Dylan walked in. "If you don't, you can be put in jail for obstruction of justice."

Norman was white as a sheet, near tears and visibly shaking. The beeping on the monitor was speeding up.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Dylan stormed in the room.

"Good afternoon, Dylan."

"It's Mr Massett to you." Dylan sneered. "And you haven't answered my question. What do you think you are doing here?"

"Your brother and I were just having a little chat. Nothing to be worried about."

"Oh really, Sheriff Romero. I'm going to have to disagree." Dylan walked right up to the older man and stood inches from him but firmly in between Romero and Norman.

"What I see here is you questioning a child without consent from his legal guardian which under state law would be me as his next adult kin in light of our mother being incarcerated and unable to care for said child."

"Your brother is hardly a child." Romero half laughed.

Kate's words popped into Dylan's head. "As I was reminded by my brother's social worker, despite the appearance of being an adult, Norman is only 17 and thus legally a child. And with that comes certain legal protections including being protected from harassment by local law enforcement."

"No one is harassing your brother." Romero attempted to side step around Dylan only to find the younger man quick to move in front of him. Dylan cast a quick look over Romero's shoulder to see Deputy Shelby staying firmly out of choosing sides. At least until he had to. Like if Dylan actually punched someone.

"Like hell. Threatening to send Norman to jail if he didn't talk to you sure sounds harassing to me." Dylan seethed. "Lets see what Child Services has to say about it. Even better lets see what the Judge says when I sue you for violation of my brother's rights. My clearly physically ill, emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded brother. The state might just decide you are unfit to be sheriff when they hear about that.

"Now get the hell out of my brother's room."

There was a long pause as Romero tried to stare Dylan down. After the count of easily a minute he stepped away.

"I'll be back."

"Not without my permission." Dylan didn't blink.

Dylan didn't wait for the men to leave before turning to his brother. Norman was practically hyperventilating.

"Norm, it's okay." Dylan sat down on the side of the bed, pulling his brother into a loose hug. "Calm down okay. You'll fine. They're gone."

Dylan could sense the nurse standing behind them, probably ready to give Norman another sedative. But Dylan didn't want his brother doped up all the time. With luck the doctor would agree.

Slowly Dylan felt his brother stop shaking, hear the beeping slow down.

"See, much better." Dylan smiled as Norman laid back.

"I woke up and no one was here." Norman whispered. "Then Romero came in and started asking questions and I didn't know what to tell him."

"Sorry about that. Geez Norman, you're a mess." Dylan laughed. "Your hair is sticking all up and your shirt is all sweaty."

"You should look in a mirror." Norman shot back with a giggle.

"That bad huh? Well unlike you I was sleeping in a chair all night. When I could sleep, dang thing is not uncomfortable. My butt kept cramping."

"Pretty bad ass for someone with a cramped butt and no sleep."

"You think I was bad ass?"

"Yeah."

"Well nobody messes with my baby brother." Dylan smiled. "Speaking of THAT, I don't really think you're retarded. Okay? I found out that it's in school records that some of your old teacher's thought that. I just said it to get Romero to back off."

"You found out? How?"

"We have a friend. She kind of told me, sort of. About that and a bunch of other stuff. Like exactly how Sam died. If you want to talk about just say so. I'm here. We can talk about anything."

Norman shrugged.

Dylan was trying to think what to say when the nurse came back with clean clothes and sheets. She remade the bed while Norman changed clothes in the bathroom.

"So how long do I have to stay?" Norman asked after the nurse had left.

"A night, maybe more. But I have something that might help pass the time." Dylan grinned.

"Yeah?"

"Our new friend let me borrow this." Dylan grabbed the iPad from the chair where he'd dumped. "She's into movies. Old foreign ones. When I said you like old movies she said you could borrow it and watch whatever was on it. If you want."

"Sure."

"Cool. She said there's one about samurais that you should watch."

"You keep saying She. Doesn't she have a name." Norman jabbed.

"Kate Donnelley."

"Miss Donnelley from school?"

"You know her?"

"I met her when Mom and I went to register. She's cute."

"I guess." Dylan fumbled with the iPad, looking for the movies.

"You're blushing."

"I am not."

"Are too."

"I. Am. Not." Dylan propped up the iPad on the tiny bed table. "Now hush and watch the movie."

Dylan was never one for movies that required him to read and thus he really couldn't get into the story. Norman, on the other hand, was enrapt. Watching his little brother out of the corner of his eye, Dylan found himself thinking how, outside of being in a hospital room, the whole thing felt strangely right. Looking out for each other, teasing and laughing, watching a movie. Weren't those the things that brothers should be doing. Sitting there he realized that for the first time in a long time, even before he found himself forced to 'come home', Dylan was relaxed. There were no queasy feelings lurking in his stomach, no thoughts rattling in the back of his head. He didn't feel that overwhelming need for a cigarette.

"That was great. Did you like it?"

"Yeah." Dylan said, hoping not to get caught in his little white lie. "Why don't you pick another one, I gotta take a piss."

"Classy."

"But true." Dylan smirked.

Dylan paused in the doorway to the tiny bathroom. He looked back at Norman, intensely reading the screen.

He'd come because he had no where else to go. He'd thought at first he'd stick around and try to screw up Norma's little dream world. Payback for all those years.

But now, for the first time, someone needed him. And he kind of liked that. He really felt like a big brother. He felt like he could do whatever needed to be done. For the best interest of the child.

"hurry up would ya." Norman's voice cut into his thoughts.

And who knew maybe it was also in the best interest of him.