If that's what it takes

56

Zoey howled apologies and sobbed loudly the entire ride home. She hiccupped and shouted, her screaming becoming more erratic as he drove toward the ferry dock. He pulled onto the ferry, her screams continued as she reached for the window and squeaked her fingers down the closed glass again and again as the tears rolled down her face and her cries broke Derek's heart. He let her scream, hoping that she'd stop when she became tired, but every time he thought it was about to stop, another wave of screaming would start up again.

She sobbed loudly as he pulled up the driveway, her hands now pounding on the car seat as Derek parked the car in front of the house. He climbed out and opened the back door, lifting her from the car seat, her screaming cries echoed through the woods that surrounded them, filling the air with her angry, sad, frustrated voice. He lifted her toward the house and watched her cry, her cheeks were bright red, her eyes were sad and bloodshot, her face soaking from the tears. "Are you done crying yet?" Derek asked as she shouted louder and shook her head as Derek climbed the stairs and moved his keys. He unlocked the door and walked inside, kicking his shoes off, he pulled her sparkly pink shoes off her feet and carried her upstairs.

"NO! NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO MY ROOM! NO! NO, DD! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO MY ROOM! DON'T MAKE ME GO INTO MY ROOM!" She screamed loudly, angrily, nearly hyperventilating as she struggled against him.

"You're going to go into your room until you can calm down... when you can calm down, we'll talk about this... but I am not going to talk to you when you're screaming like this." Derek said as he opened her bedroom door and walked in, flipping the light switch on, he walked toward the bed.

"NO! I don't wanna BE here! I DON'T WANNA BE HERE! DD!" She shouted as she kicked at the bed and screamed as Derek lay her down on it. "BAD DD! BAD, BAD! BAD DD!" She screamed as she kicked him and hit him as he watched her roll around and bury her head in the pillow as she cried into it.

"When you're done screaming, you can come downstairs and talk to me." Derek said as he took a step back from the bed as she rolled around and cried.

"Don't go! DD! Please don't go!" She exclaimed as she reached for him.

"I'm not going to listen to any more screaming, Zoey... so when you are finished screaming, you come downstairs to see me." He said with a stern nod, turning out of the room as he stepped out, closing the door behind him. Her screaming became more fierce as Derek closed the door, his back resting against the wall as he put his fingertips to his forehead and rubbed his face down to his chin as he tried to block out the sound of her screeching.

He took a deep, deep breath and let it out very slowly as he walked down the hallway and down the stairs. He could still hear her screaming, her feet pounding into the ground as he stepped into the kitchen and began dinner.

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About forty five minutes later, he stepped from the kitchen and found the house eerily quiet. His stomach twisted slightly as he walked to the stairs and walked slowly up them, his thumbnail nervously scratching his index finger as it normally did when he was filled with anxiety. He didn't call her name, for he could see as he reached her room, a set of four tiny fingers sticking out from under the door, wiggling slightly as she sniffled with her cheek against the floor.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She blubbered slightly as she sniffed, her voice soft and delicate. "I'm sorry... please don't hate me... please don't leave me..." She sniffed. "Please..."

Derek sat on the floor beside the door. He reached his hand out softly and hooked one of her tiny fingers in his index finger, feeling her soft skin against his. "I'm sorry, DD..." She whispered. "I'm sorry I screamed... I'm sorry I hurted you... I'm sorry..." She whimpered.

Derek held her finger for a while, her tiny finger flexed and wiggled in his as she whimpered under the door. "I love you, little one." Derek whispered.

"I love you..." She sniffled.

"Come here... open the door... for Just Derek..."

"Not Just Derek..." She whispered. "You're my DD." She whimpered as her tiny fingers disappeared back beneath the door. Derek sat and waited, and he listened to her shuffle around in the room a bit before the door slowly opened. Her blonde hair was in disarray, her cheeks red with exhaustion as her gray eyes seemed almost transparent to him. The door opened a little more as her bare feet stepped out and walked toward him, her tiny bare toes touching the floor as if she were testing the cool depths of a swimming pool, frightened that she'd find it too cold.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" He whispered, tilting his head as she stopped for a moment. She stared into his eyes as she allowed his question to linger in the air for a moment, before nodding her head.

"I shouted." She whispered.

"You shouted." Derek nodded.

"I hit you." She whispered.

"You hit me." He said as he reached his hand to his cheek.

"I'm sorry..." She whimpered as she watched him hold his cheek in his hand, her action playing in her mind as her lip began to tremble. "I didn't... I... I'm ... I'm sorry..."

"You should never, ever hit." He said seriously as she nodded. "Young ladies never hit... and hitting is never the way to solve anything... no matter what."

"I wanted to go to see Sleeping Beauty..." she whimpered.

"I know that... and I understand that... but I thought that having dinner with your new friend would be something you would like... and I understand that you wanted to do something else... but instead of shouting at me, you should have talked to me...I think I'm a pretty reasonable guy... don't you think I'm a pretty reasonable guy?"

"Mmm...hmm..." She nodded slowly as she poked her lower lip with her finger and leaned into him as he spoke.

"Thank you..." He said as he reached his hand for hers. "I have dinner for you downstairs... are you hungry?"

"A little..." She whispered.

"A little?" Derek said with a soft chuckle as he pulled her into his arm, letting her wrap her arms around his shoulders as she squeezed him tightly. "That means I'm going to have to find something else for me to eat, doesn't it? Because you're going to eat all of the yummy food I made..." He asked as she giggled into his shoulder as he carefully stood up. "You have a hollow leg, my dear..." He said as he lifted her off the floor and cuddled her into him as he carried her downstairs to the kitchen.