If that's what it takes

69

Derek held Zoey's hand tightly as they walked toward the hospital. Derek's questions about her day at school went unanswered as she stared straight ahead on their walk. He knew he had done something wrong by invading her privacy, but he was beginning to think that she was taking the silent treatment a little too far. He thought for a minute about telling her that they wouldn't visit Meredith until she spoke to him, but he was not sure how she would react, or if it would even be right for him to do that. He knew that Meredith was looking forward to her visit, and it would be unfair to her if he denied Zoey that visit.

Parenting was a new adventure, something that he thought that he had maybe five or six years before he experienced it. He had helped his sisters with his nieces and nephews, but they were always well behaved... at least to their fun loving Uncle who never had to bring them down from their sugar highs or up from their grumpy lows. He wished for a moment that he had talked to Kara about the situation. Her daughter was Zoey's age, and though she hadn't experienced things the way that Zoey had, Derek was sure that Carrie had a silent streak in her.

"Why don't we sit down in one of the waiting rooms for a minute and talk before we go see Meredith." He said softly as he stopped in the lobby of the hospital.

"No." She grunted as she crossed her arms across her chest and glared angrily at Derek. "I don't want to talk to you." She muttered.

"We need to talk, Zoey." Derek said softly as he reached for her hand.

"No!" she exclaimed, slapping Derek's hand as she stepped back. "Don't make me run... I will run..." She muttered.

"Don't make me take you straight home like I did yesterday." Derek challenged as he raised his eyebrows. Her jaw dropped in surprise as she thought of the day before.

"You said I could visit Sleeping beauty." She mumbled as she continued to stand there staring at Derek.

"I did... I said if you're a good girl we could visit Meredith...and right now... this behavior... not talking to me, threatening to run... that's not being a good girl. That's being a very, very bad girl." He said crouching in front of her as she continued to give him an angry glare.

"I am not a bad girl!" She shouted as people looked as they passed. Derek refused to give in to her plan of embarrassing him. He showed no break in his coolness.

"Shouting... is being a bad girl too... let's go home." He said as he stood up and reached for her hand.

"No!" She said as she pulled on his hand as he grasped it. "No... no... I'm sorry... I'll talk to you... I'm sorry..." She mumbled as he stopped and turned around.

"You promise you'll talk to me?"

"Maybe." She mumbled as she shrugged.

"Maybe is better than nothing, I guess..." He said with a sigh. "Let's go see Meredith... then we'll talk about the arrangement for tonight."

"Tonight?" Zoey whispered.

"DD has to work tonight... Izzie is going to take you to my house and watch you overnight."

"No!" She said as she grabbed Derek's arm. "No... no, you tuck me in, DD! No one else!" She said as she started to whimper and hop from foot to foot. "No... No......" She whimpered.

"We'll talk about it after we visit with Meredith... let's go..." He said with a very soft sigh as she gripped his arm and walked with him to the elevator, where they got inside and pushed the button for Meredith's floor.

They rode the elevator in silence as Zoey clung to Derek's arm. As soon as the door opened, she released his arm and went to run, as Derek grabbed hold of her hand tightly. She turned and looked at him, shaking his head lightly she sighed heavily and walked at his side.

They walked toward Meredith's room, their stride was quick and purposeful as Zoey continued to look up at Derek as he just stared straight ahead, his thoughts elsewhere as he let go of her hand to open the door, watching her run quickly into the room.

"Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty!" She said excitedly as she ran up to Meredith's bedside and climbed onto the chair, climbed onto the bed and immediately leaned over and kissed Meredith on the cheek. "I missed you so much yesterday..." She said with a little sniffle as she smiled down at Meredith and began her usual babble about how school was and about her friends and how happy she was that she was visiting. "Are you going to wake up for me, Sleeping Beauty? I miss you..." She whispered as she kissed Meredith's cheek again. She looked to Derek quickly, but turned her face toward Meredith instead. "I am mad at DD..." She whispered. "He was a bad boy."

Though she was whispering, Derek could still hear her. A six year old's whisper is not exactly a whisper, but more of a normal person's speaking tone and he could feel the hurt in his heart from her words. "He wants to leave me all alone tonight with someone else... and work here at the hospital... he wouldn't take me to see you yesterday, Sleeping Beauty... he made me cry..."

"Zoey." Derek said as he stepped forward.

"Hush, DD... go away." Zoey snapped.

Suddenly, Zoey felt a firm hand on hers, squeezing it as Meredith's eyes opened slowly. "Sleeping Beauty!" She said with a grin as she looked to Derek instinctively, though his eyes were on Meredith. She could feel Meredith's hand on hers, and her eyes were not confused or anxious, but firm and concerned. Her eyes were on Derek, not Zoey for a moment.

"What is it?" Derek whispered, sensing that there was something that she needed to say.

'Don't let her talk to you that way.'

"Meredith...I..."

'No.'

"What is she saying?" Zoey asked innocently as she looked to Derek, watching as his forehead wrinkled as he looked into Meredith's eyes, her eyes not meeting Zoey's just yet. "DD, what is she saying? She's talking to you, what is she saying?"

"She said that you're being mean to me." Derek said as he glanced to Zoey, his eyes passing back to Meredith as she blinked once.

"She did not say that." Zoey said stubbornly, the response from Meredith being another squeeze to her hand. Zoey turned her face to Meredith, who started to blink again, her eyes looking straight into the little girl's.

"What is she saying?" Zoey asked in a high voice, still looking into Meredith's eyes.

"She says that DD loves you... don't be mean. Teach him...what he needs to know. Love him."

"I do love him..." She mumbled as she squeezed Meredith's hand.

"Forgive him." Derek whispered, reading her eyes as she stared into his. "Love him." He whispered again as his voice drifted off. He swallowed hard, this eyes becoming lost in Meredith's for a moment as he watched her carefully as Zoey looked between the two of them. Suddenly, Derek was pulled from his reverie, his eyes going to Zoey as he took a deep breath. "Do you want me to teach you how to talk to Meredith?" He whispered. "So you understand what she's saying?"

Her mouth opened wide as she smiled. "Yes!" She said excitedly as he looked to Meredith. "Alright... its easy..." He said softly as he smiled at Meredith, seeing her eyes light up in excitement to talking with her little girl. He turned and sat on the bed as Zoey allowed him to lift her into his lap as he explained the rules to what they called 'Yes, No, I love you.'