𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 | ᵍʳᵉʸˢ ᵃⁿᵃᵗᵒᵐʸ

⁰⁰⁴ 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭

"Addison, what are you doing here?"

Derek's words hung in the air, cold and distant, an unspoken accusation. His gaze was fixed on the woman who had once been his entire world.

Addison, draped in a dramatically black coat, raised an eyebrow. Her gaze drifted through Derek's dark hair.

"Your hair is different," she observed.

"A lot of things are different," he retorted defensively.

"It's longer. I like it. It's very Russell Crowe"

Addison brushed a strand from his forehead.
But before her hand could linger longer, Derek pushed it away, his face a mask of discomfort.

"What are you doing here?"

"That's what I should be asking you."

Addison tilted her head and leaned back slightly. "You just pick up and leave everything? Your house, your practice, your friends, even your daughter. You have a life in Manhattan."

"Had."
His emphasis was so firm, so... final.

"And now you have a girlfriend in Seattle."

Addison sighed. "She seems...sweet."

"The ice you're on. Thin."
The words came out sharp and warning from Derek's mouth.

"She's young," she smiled smugly.
"That whole wide-eyed, he's-a-brain-surgeon thing happening, but still sweet. Which was what you were going for, right? The anti-Addison?"

Derek stepped closer, his eyes firm, almost warning, on her."If you came out here to try win me back, you can forget about it."

"I did, I flew all the way across the country to reminisce over wedding photos, get drunk, fall into bed, and make you realize you can't live without me."

Addison laughed, a sarcastic, dry laugh.

"Relax. Derek, I'm here for work. I'm helming the TTTS case you guys admitted last week and from Richard's briefing, I should be..."

"...Richard knew you were coming out here?"

"He asked me to come. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, he didn't."

She shrugged and a mischievous smile flitted across her face. "Hmm, well, surprise. But I'm also here to ask you to send Missy's file to Dr. Jeffrey."

Derek laughed bitterly.
"Dr. Jeffrey? You mean the radical psychopath who butchers his patients one by one like lab rats?"

His face contorted in disgust.
"I'm not letting him near Missy."

"That's not fair, Derek. You run away, leaving us all behind, and now when I try to do what's best for our daughter, you block every one of my choices."

"Your daughter, yes. And you've done a great job teaching her how to cover up lies and deceit, haven't you?"

"That's not true, and you know it," Addison snapped back, her facade of calm crumbling for a moment.

"Missy was scared, Derek. She didn't want her family to be torn apart. And your personal dislike of Dr. Jeffrey shouldn't get in the way here. We're talking about our daughter's well-being."

"You mean how I feel after you cheated on me with Mark? Or how I feel after our daughter tried to cover up your affair? Do you really think that doesn't affect how I feel about everything that has to do with you?"

"It is unfair of you to interfere now and question everything, Derek. When you left, I was left alone to make decisions and take care of Missy. I had no choice but to find a new specialist."

Derek's face continued to darken.

"No choice? Or was it just a convenient opportunity to spite me?" His voice was icy,
full of accusation.

Addison rolled her eyes, her patience clearly wearing thin. "This is ridiculous, Derek," she replied sharply. "This isn't about you or your God complex. It's about Missy. Or have you forgotten that on your self-pity trip?"

Derek shook his head in disbelief.

"Self-pity? Addison, you had sex with my best friend! And now you come here and play the concerned mother who supposedly only wants the best for her daughter by putting her in the hands of a man I wouldn't trust to hold an syringe properly?"

Addison snorted contemptuously, her patience finally wearing thin. She pulled a file from her bag and shoved it into Derek's hands.

"Here are the latest x-rays and reports from Missy's pediatrician. Take a look if you're really interested," she said coolly.

Derek, more irritated than really interested, grabbed the folder, his movements jerky, his frustration obvious. He flipped through the pages, his expression hard and impenetrable.

"I'm doing this for Missy, Derek. No matter what has happened between us, she is still our daughter. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure she gets the treatment she needs. With or without your consent."