If that's what it takes

26

When Derek reached the kitchen and walked inside, his jaw dropped at what he saw. Zoey was sitting at the table watching Mark carefully as he poured six bowls of cereal, each holding an individual spoon.

"Mark! What are you doing?" Derek asked as Mark looked up at him innocently. Littered on the table were six individual size cereal boxes, torn and opened lying across the table as Mark held the container of milk in his hand.

"What's her favorite kind of cereal?" Mark asked.

"I don't know, I didn't ask her yet..." Derek replied.

"Derek, Derek, Derek... breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Breakfast... can decide your whole mood for the day..." Mark shook his head as he looked down at the six bowls of cereal and over to Zoey. "What's your favorite kind of cereal?"

"I dunno..." She shrugged.

"See... she dunno what her favorite cereal is." Mark said as he started pouring milk into one of the bowls. "Here, try this one..." He said, sliding the bowl to Zoey, she grabbed the spoon and shoved a mouthful into her open mouth. She munched down on it and looked up at Derek.

"Mmm..." She crunched as drips of milk fell out of the corner of her mouth.

"Mark, you're making a mess..." Derek grumbled as Zoey looked over the table and viewed the different bowls.

"I want to try that one." She pointed at the bowl with the Apple Jacks in it.

"That one?" Mark asked, pouring milk into the bowl, he slid it over to her and grabbed the bowl that she had already started and shoved a mouthful into his mouth as she shoved a mouthful into hers. "Mmm... mishish good..." He said as he spit milk as he talked.

"Mark, that's disgusting!" Derek exclaimed as he watched Mark poured milk into a third bowl with Muesli in it.

"Here... eat this and hush..." He slid the bowl toward Derek and looked over at Zoey as she shoved another mouthful of cereal into her mouth and grinned, giggling at Mark's cereal filled grin at her.

When all of the cereal was gone, and the six bowls sit on the table, milk droplets littering the wooden surface as the three of them sit looking at one another as Zoey sat anxiously looking at the table. "You said my house was too clean." Derek nodded. He looked up at Mark and smiled. "My house is never clean with Mister Mark around..."

"He's messy..." Zoey agreed.

"I'm not messy... I'm comfortable." Mark replied as he stood up and started to gather the bowls off the table. Zoey started to stand up to help and Derek reached out and touched her hand.

"He made the mess... you let him clean it up." Derek nodded as Zoey watched Mark and nodded slowly.

"She wants to help me?" Mark asked as he walked over to the sink.

"We're foregoing chores for a little while." Derek replied as he watched Mark rinse out the sink. "She's my guest... not my personal slave." Derek said, giving Zoey a half smile. "How was the graveyard shift?"

"It wasn't bad... wasn't bad... a couple traumas came in, nothing too big." Mark nodded. "What are the big plans for today? Gonna go down to kids r' us and go wild?" He asked with a silly voice.

"We're going to get the things we need." Derek nodded. "Some clothes and toys...a swingset for the kitchen..." He teased as Zoey giggled.

"A swingset for the kitchen? I always thought you should get one of those..."

"Mark...child present..." Derek nodded.

"I was going to say um... tree forts or something."

"I'm sure you were." Derek chuckled. "Then... I thought we'd go to the hospital to see Meredith." Derek nodded, glancing to Zoey, who's eyes lit up.

"Who is Meredith?"

"Sleeping Beauty!" Zoey exclaimed.

"It's... Lexie's sister." Derek said as he tried to broach the subject lightly as he knew that Zoey was listening very clearly.

"Lexie's sister... so an aunt?" Mark asked, giving Derek a strange look as he shook his head.

"Not an aunt...?" He asked.

"No..." Derek sighed as Mark seemingly thought he understood, but needed to confirm it.

She's in the hospital?"

"She has been in the hospital for over six years now." Derek said, his eyes looking intensely into Mark's eyes as Mark watched the strange look on Derek's face.

"Six years?" Mark asked, his eyes flashing to Zoey as Derek nodded. "What's wrong with her?" Mark asked softly.

"PVS..." Derek replied. "Brought on by stress and depression."

"So you're going to visit her?" Mark asked.

"Who is it going to hurt?" Derek asked as he looked up at the sound of the doorbell.

"Crap, I gotta go..." Mark said as he put the last bowl in the dishwasher and walked toward Zoey.

"Thank you for breakfast, Mister Mark." Zoey said as he leaned down and kissed her cheek softly.

"Thank you for breakfast...I'll sneak out the back..." He winked as he touched the top of her head and made his way toward the back door.

"Crap..." Derek said as he stood up and glanced toward Zoey. "We should probably get you dressed... run on upstairs... and find some clothes, I'll come up and help you if you need it... I'll let them inside..." He said as Zoey nodded and hopped from her chair, jogging out of the room toward the stairs.

"Good luck man..." Mark said with a smirk as he slipped out, leaving Derek to answer the door alone.