Little Shepherd

Chapter 29

"I've got Ice creammm." Doctor Arizona Robbins announces cheerily as she enters Josie's room. Everyone is so overjoyed that she's awake. It's only been an hour or so, but even that is a miracle after what she's gone through.

"Chocolate?" Jojo asks, her groggy voice full of excitement.

"Well of course!" Arizona chirps. Derek smiles at the two of them, so beyond grateful that his little girl is conscious and talking. Addison and Meredith have had no choice but to go back to work, but they both stop by every second they possibly can.

"Thank you Doctor Wobbins." Josie says with a grateful smile as Arizona places a bowl of ice cream on the table hovering over her lap.

"Anything for you sweet girl." Arizona replies. Josie picks up her spoon but she struggles to keep a grip on it. She grunts in frustration as it falls from her hand the second she tries to push it into the ice cream.

"Hey, it's okay. I can't imagine how frustrating this must be for you but I promise with time and practice you'll be good as new." Derek tells her in an attempt to comfort her.

"And until then, you've got us to help." Arizona adds sweetly as she picks up Josie's spoon and loads it with ice cream. Josie lays back in her bed, her face full of sadness and anger.

"I don't want it anymore." She whispers, pouting.

"Awe come on Jose, it's your favorite." Derek encourages. She crosses her little arms across her chest.

"No." She refuses stubbornly.

"Well I guess I'll just have to eat all this ice cream all by myself." Arizona teases, hoping that it'll make Josie change her mind. She takes a big bite, but instead of changing her mind it makes Josie even more adamant. She rolls over onto her side facing away from Doctor Robbins. Derek looks to her with a frown.

"Jojo..you don't even want a little taste?" He asks softly. Worry eats away at his stomach. Arizona walks to the other side of the bed so that she could see Josie's face.

"Here comes the airplane." Arizona sings as she wiggles the spoon in front of her face.

"I don't want it!" Josie cries out. She smacks the spoon out of Arizona's hand and then shoves the table away from her so forcefully that the bowl of ice cream clatters to the floor. The ice cream splatters everywhere. Arizona and Derek gawk at her, utterly shocked by her reaction. Josie buries her face in her pillow and sobs. Her whole body quivering as she cries.

"I..I'll clean this up. I shouldn't have pushed her." Arizona says apologetically. She leaves the room to get cleaning supplies. Derek rubs his daughters back, completely at a loss for how to handle this. She's just a child. She doesn't understand what's happened to her body or why she can't do the things she could before. She's angry and scared and he has no idea how to make it all better for her.

"It's gonna be okay baby." He whispers gently. When Arizona returns he helps her clean up the huge mess. When they're finished Arizona nods her head toward the door, silently asking him to join her in the hall. He nods and follows her just outside the door.

"What are we supposed to do? If I can't even get her to eat ice cream how am I supposed to get her to eat anything?" Derek asks her emotionally.

"We just have to give her time to adjust. She'll come around. She's angry at the world right now, we have to be patient. All we can do is continue showing her the love we have been. Medically speaking we still don't know the full extent of her detriments."

"We need to do another MRI and EEG to make sure things are the way they should be and to check for any seizure activity." Derek says.

"I agree. I've already scheduled them both." She tells him.