Little Shepherd

Chapter 52

"You have time to ride with me to go get Josie? I know it's early but I'm sure she'll be happy to see us." Derek asks Meredith after they've both finished up their responsibilities for the night...well morning now. She shakes her head.

"I wish I could, but I've got rounds in 10 minutes. I've got to go freshen up." She answers. He gives her a quick kiss on the forehead. Addison walks up to them.

"Hey, I'm glad I caught you. I know time is tight before you have to be back here so I called Mark. He's going to let Josie sleep in, make her breakfast, and then bring her in to see us. As long as it's okay with you of course. He just thought she could use the rest after the night she had." Derek nods.

"Yeah, okay. Sure. He'll bring her right here if she wakes up and want to see us right?" He asks protectively.

"Yes of course. He wants to make things easier for her, not worse." Addison assures him. Derek agrees. He desperately wants to have his little girl in arms, but he knows her body needs the extra sleep. She's been through so much, and she's in good hands with Mark.

~With Mark and Josie~

Josie wakes up in a strange bed alone. She vaguely remembers leaving the hospital, but she fell asleep as soon as her head hit her car seat and she can't recall anything after that. Her initial instinct is to panic. She's never been to this place before, but she takes a deep breath and slides out of the huge bed onto the floor. She rubs the sleep from her eyes as she cautiously makes her way out of the room. She finds her way down a hallway and into a small kitchen with an open dining room that looks into the living room, guided by the smell of cooking food. She sighs with relief when she sees something familiar.

"Uncle Mark!" He turns away from the stove, spatula in hand, to face her.

"Hey kiddo, you're awake! Did you have a good sleep?" He asks her enthusiastically. Josie nods. She takes notice to the apron tied around Marks neck and waist, doing her best not to giggle. "You hungry? I'm making your favorite." Josie runs to his side, standing on her tip toes, trying to see up onto the stove.

"Chocolate chip pancakes??" She asks excitedly.

"You bet, and bacon." She looks up at him in awe.

"Can I help?" She asks hopefully.

"Of course you can." He hands her the spatula and lifts her into his arms. He rests her on his hip so that she can see into the pan. "Now, it's hot so we have to be careful okay?" Josie nods happily. "The bacons already cooling, so all we've got to focus on are the pancakes. Have you ever flipped a pancake before?"

"I helped mommy before, but that was a long time ago." She tells him.

"Well thats okay, its like riding a bike, muscle memory." Josie looks at him confused.

"But I don't know how to ride a bike Uncle Mark." He can't help but chuckle.

"Sometimes I forget your not older than you are." He tells her honestly. "Here, I'll help you." He places his hand on the handle of the spatula just behind her tiny hand. "Now that it's ready to flip we're going to wiiiggle the flat part riiight under there." He explains as he moves the spatula. "Then we're gonna lift annnd"

"Flip!" Josie finishes for him cheerfully as they work together to tip the pancake onto its other side.

"You did it!" Mark cheers, bouncing her on his hip a little. She giggles, then lays her head on his shoulder.

"I love you Uncle Mark." She tells his quietly.

"I love you too Jojo." He replies as he kisses the top of her head. "You ready for the next one?"