WHO: Adelaide and Rodeo WHAT: A talk WHERE: NY Public Library WHEN: February 28, 2019 RATING: Medium STATUS: In Progress
Rodeo hadn't had an easy night. Though he had gone to the firehouse at Charlie's request and spent the night with her against his chest, he had hardly slept. The combination of his restless hurt and the uneasy sounds of Charlie's feverish sleep kept him awake most of the night, stroking her hair and kissing her hot cheeks. He didn't do well with seeing her sick. It left him feeling an excruciating sort of helplessness, hating that he couldn't stop it, couldn't protect her. It was the same feeling he got when he thought about Adelaide-- it felt as if she was beyond his help, too. She had tangled herself into situations he couldn't begin to pull her from, had become the possession of a man Rodeo was now convinced she didn't love in the slightest. Rodeo couldn't stop her, and he knew that she would return to Cail no matter how desperately he tried to stop it.
That didn't mean he wasn't going to still try, though.
He rubbed at one of his stinging, tired eyes as he made his way down the hall to the storage room where Adelaide had found the piano. He pushed his hair away from his face, then dropped his hand to stuff it in his pocket. His clothes and skin were stained with engine grease and motor oil-- after he left the Firehouse in the morning, he'd gone to the workshop and attempted to distract himself from his anxieties with some of his projects. It helped, but only for a couple minutes at a time. His mind always returned to Adelaide, to the things Lilah had said, to the way Charlie had shivered in her sleep.
Rodeo stepped through the doorway of the storage room when he reached it, knocking gently against the door frame. He didn't realize that Adelaide was likely to recognize his mood the moment she laid eyes on him. He had that sad, purposeful look in his blue eyes. His brow was furrowed, his shoulders hunched slightly inside the old black hoodie that he wore. His guilt and worry was as clear on him as if he wore a sign on his forehead.
"Hey, baby girl," he said quietly as he came through the doorway. "You gonna play me a song?"