If that's what it takes

37

Derek said that they were going to visit this morning. He said it was her first day of school and he wants to share it with me. Why is he the only person that seems to believe that I can hear everyone? My baby is going to kindergarten... Oh... I wish I could just hold her... hug her and tell her that I'm proud of her. I wish she knew who I was. What time is it? It has to be morning... it feels like morning... With my luck, it's the middle of the night. It probably is... Izzie came in once already... it has to be morning, where are they? If they don't show up, I'll be so disappointed.

The door opened slowly and Derek popped his head in. "No! Move!" Zoey exclaimed, bursting through the door as she pushed Derek. "Haha! I beat you! I soooo beat you!" She exclaimed as she hopped around, her backpack on her back as she watched Derek laugh.

"You did not beat me... I made it here first..." Derek teased.

"No, you didn't have your feets in here! My feets were in here, so I won fair and square, Just Der!"

"Oh, clever... clever, clever, clever..."

"Hiya Sleeping Beauty!" She exclaimed as Derek shook his head at her. She climbed up onto the chair beside the bed and waved down at her. "Just Derek... it's about time you kissed her and woke her up! You read her history, right?"

Persistent...and a bit bossy... are you sure you haven't been hanging around with Cristina?

"I read some of it this week, yes... but it's a lot of complicated stuff... you need to be patient... and it may take more than a kiss..." Derek chuckled as he shook his head. "Tell Meredith what day it is today."

"Today is my first day of school!" She said proudly. "I told you last week that I met my teaceher Mrs. Morris... she's real friendly and she said I'm going to have a lots of fun in her class. Just Derek thought it'd be a good idea to come in here and tell you about my new school clothes... I'm wearing my pink sweater and jeans and pink sparkly shoes... and I asked Just Derek where his pink sparkly shoes are and he said that he sent them away to get refitted because his feet got big!" She laughed uproariously as she held Meredith's hand.

"He said if I do real good in school then we're going to go out to dinner tonight at a fancy restaurant! I wish you could go... I wish you could go to the nice fancy restaurant with us... maybe when you wake up... I told Just Derek to kiss you to wake you up and he wont do it... I think he's just shy... he thinks you're prettyful, he told me that... he told me that..."

"Hey, you're telling all my secrets..." Derek teased as Zoey looked back at him and smiled.

Are you blushing, Mr. Neurosurgeon?

"I should go now, school is going to start soon... and I want to make sure I get a good parking space..."

"Desk... a good desk..." Derek laughed.

"Yes, where I park my behind..." She giggled as Derek shook his head.

Hahaha!

"Alright..." Derek said softly, reaching his hand to Meredith's. "Tell Sleeping Beauty that you'll see her after school..." He said softly, wrapping his fingers in hers, feeling her soft skin against his.

"Bye, Sleeping Beauty... I love you..." She said softly as she smiled up at Derek.

"Here..." Derek said as he leaned close to Zoey. He lifted Meredith's hand carefully.

What are you doing?

"What?" She asked, looking at Meredith's hand.

"Let her hold your cheek... let her feel your smile..." Derek said with a smirk.

Oh... Oh my God...

"I like that..." Zoey said with a sparkle in her eye as she leaned forward toward Meredith's face, lifting the woman's hand to her cheek, she leaned into it softly. "Can you feel my smile, Sleeping Beauty..."

It's in my fingertips... her smile is...she's so beautiful... she's so absolutely beautiful.

Zoey continued to lean forward with Meredith's hand on her lips, rubbing her soft thumb along her smile as she placed kisses on her fingertips.

You are so beautiful...

Derek watched her lean over Meredith when suddenly, she jumped back with a small gasp. "Oh!" She squealed as she looked up at Derek. "Sleeping Beauty.... She opened her eyes, Just Derek! She opened her eyes and looked at me!" She exclaimed as she pointed down at Meredith as Derek looked down at the woman before her, her eyes still closed, the peaceful look on her face seemingly more at peace as Zoey looked up at him. "She did! I swear!"

"She looked at you?" Derek whispered, his voice all but incredulous as she nodded. He looked to the monitors, noticing that there was a slight change in her heart rate, her brain activity slightly more intense.

"She's waking up!" Zoey exclaimed as she reached forward and put her hands on Meredith's cheeks. "Sleeping Beauty... " She whispered. "It's time to wake up..." She swallowed hard as a tear began to form in her eye.

"Oh, don't cry, princess..." Derek whispered.

"You don't believe me..." She whimpered.

"I believe you... I do..." Derek nodded. "Let's get going... we should get to school... we don't want to be late for the first day..."

"No... no we don't..." She said, wiping the tear from her eye quickly.

"We can stop back after school... and after I'm done with work..." He whispered.

"Okay...." She whimpered, nodding.

"Let's go...tell Meredith you'll see her later..." He said with a smile.

"See you later, Sleeping beauty!" She exclaimed, as she carefully climbed from the chair and grasped Derek's hand.

"See you later, Meredith..." Derek said softly.

I'll see you... later...