he scoffed – he couldn't not scoff; it was almost reflexive, a knee jerk reaction – as he sat back in the chair again, and listened as natalie rattled off what happened. she thought it was just a fracture, that she didn't feel like anything was broken, but it still required digging in to. cody was torn between impressed & ashamed when she said she could deal without any painkillers, unable to decipher from her expression whether or not his behavior over the years had caused a complex.
aside from chiming in to answer questions that were his responsibility – no, she's not allergic to anything, no applicable medical history in the family – he was quiet. mostly just being a parent, which, in the circumstance, felt bizarre. brown eyes followed madeline's form when she disappeared from the room to order x-rays before his attention turned back to nat and finished his interrupted thought about grabbing a treat on the way home. when the technician came in and he had to slip from the room, cody snagged the blonde's arm at the first opportunity.
❝ what are you doing here? ❞ blurted from his mouth before his brain could catch up. the words were far colder than intended, but he was more alarmed by the panic that laced around them. cody's eyes fell closed, an exasperated look crossing his features as he took a step back to recenter, glancing around to be sure they didn't have an audience. god, i could use a drink. ❝ that's not - i mean. it's good to see you. you look... ❞ his gaze swept over her, just a flick, but the pause was hard to ignore. ❝ happy, but... mads, what are you doing here? ❞
madeline felt like she was working in autopilot. she was talking but it felt like she was outside her body. she focused on natalie instead of her father in the corner but she was hyper aware that he was there. hyper aware that it had been eleven years and she didn’t know him anymore. hyper aware that he had a daughter, a child that she had tried so hard for. jealousy bubbled inside of her veins but she couldn’t be mad about it but maybe things would have been different if he hadn’t left her behind. maybe this could be their daughter. quickly she shook her head breaking herself from those thoughts.
it wasn’t long before she finished her exam of natalie and was headed out of the room to put in the order for an x-ray. her anxiety leaving the room was ramping up, beating against her chest. when the tech went into the room, she held her breath knowing cody would be coming out into the waiting area. and like clock work, she felt him tugging on her arm. what she didn’t expect was the chill that ran down her spine and the heat from his touch on her arm. what was even worse was the tone coming from him. it shocked her to say the least and she scoffed, shaking her head.
“i’m stalking you,” she said, sarcastically. it was like instinct, not anything else to be snarky to his colder tone. “what does it look like I’m doing? not that you would know this or even care at this point but i just moved here for this job. didn’t know you were here, though.” she paused, looking away for only a moment but let her gaze linger on his. he looked different but also the same as he did. older, more life wearing him down, but still good. “so you’re a dad now. that’s something. she’s beautiful, by the way. and she looks just like you.”
