Little Shepherd

Chapter 33

Derek is sitting in a chair beside her bed deep in thought. Josie sighs deeply, crossing her arms. Her father lifts his chin from his hand to look at her. He lifts his eye brows at her.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asks her softly. She shakes her head no with a pout. "Okay, well if you change your mind I'm here okay?" He can see the thoughts turning behind her fierce little eyes. He watches her, waiting, knowing she's going to tell him what's on her mind even though she said no.

"I want to see him." She says after a moment.

"Who? Uncle Mark?" Derek asks, his voice unable to hide the surprise he feels. That was the last thing he expected her to say.

"I need to tell him something." She explains.

"I could tell him for you, if you want. You don't have to see him if you don't want to." Derek replies gently. She shakes her head at this.

"No. I want to see him." her voice is full of determination.

"Okay baby, if that's what you want." He's reluctant to let him see her, but who is he to keep his child away from a man that she's known and loved for her entire life. "I'll call mommy. I'm sure she'll know where he is." The statement seems innocent to Josie, but anyone else would have been able to hear the bitterness in his words.

Mark and Addison arrive at Josie's door not long after he called. Mark was more than happy to jump to Josie's beck and call of course.

"Hey kiddo. I heard you have something to tell me." Mark says playfully. Josie nods.

"I do." Mark chuckles almost nervously.

"Okay baby girl hit me, what is it?" He asks. Derek and Addison watch her curiously, neither have a single clue what's about to come out of her mouth.

"Screw you Uncle Mark! Screw you!" She shouts at him as her eyes well up with tears. The three of them gasp at her outburst. Mark takes a step back as if she had physically hurt him None of them have ever heard her say such a thing.

"Josie!" Addison gasps in surprise. Derek clamps a hand over his mouth part of him in shock that his little angel just spoke that way while the other part of him is battling the urge to laugh. Mark speaks.

"Woah okay, that was heavy. I get it kid, I do, but..." Josie cuts him off.

"You're a bad man! You-you stole mommy's love away! You made her break her promise! You-you broked my heart!" She shouts at him emotionally.

"Okay, this was a bad idea." Derek interrupts. "Mark you need to go."

"Wait, that's not fair. I didn't steal anything. Your momma was just as much a part of that as I was."

"Mark! Not helping." Addison yells before he could keep going.

"You need to leave." Derek insists.

"Come on man, she thinks I'm some type of monster that stole her mom away." Mark pleads.

"Aren't you?" Derek retorts slyly.

"I-it wasn't like that and you know it." He looks to Addie and then back to Derek. "I loved her man." Derek's blood is boiling, he's so angry he wants to hit him again. He takes one glance at his heart broken little girl and he immediately deflates. He's not going to cause her anymore stress. This is already too much for her. What kind of father would he be if her exposed her to violence like that. He'd never forgive himself.

"Please Mark," He sighs exhaustedly as he sits back in his chair. "Just go."  Mark opens his mouth to argue but Addison grabs his arm. She shakes her head and he shuts his mouth. He walks to the door, stopping in the door way. He looks back at Josie whose eyes are red and puffy from crying.

"I love you jojo and I love your mom. I never meant for you to get hurt. I'm sorry kid." He says quietly before turning and walking out the door. Addison follows after him. Josie rolls over, stuffing her face into her pillow. Derek glides his fingers up and down her back hoping to give her some ounce of comfort. She sits up after a moment, wiping her snotty nose on her arm. She takes a deep breath fully calming herself.

"You okay?" Derek asks her lovingly. She nods.

"I'm sorry I said a bad thing daddy. I just...had to." She looks up at him with her big watery blue eyes. He swipes a stray hair from her tear stained face.

"You're not in trouble Jose, just don't say it again okay?" It takes everything in him not to give her a high five and tell her how much of a little bad ass she is.

"I won't, promise." She holds out her tiny little pinky. He chuckles, entwining it with his own.

"I guess we have O'Malley to thank for that one." Derek laughs. Josie giggles.

"Yeah 'Malley said it first." She laughs. Derek obviously would never be upset with her for something like that, she had every right to express the way she feels. This whole entire situation effects her the most and she can't go around punching people the way her father did. He's glad that she was brave enough to use her words and say it to Mark's face the way she did. A lot of adults have trouble confronting the source of their pain and there she is. His brave, strong, little girl. She can over comes anything, she will overcome everything. He kisses her forehead.

"Everything's going to be alright, you know that right?" His voice is overflowing with the love he feels for his daughter. She nods.

"Yeah daddy, I know. We're gonna be just fine. All of us." She smiles, thinking about the limitless future ahead of them.

"When you get out of here we're going straight to the new place daddy was telling you about." He tells her, full of hope for the future this new start will hold for them.

"With all the land? And the water?" Josie asks excitedly. He nods.

"As long as you're feeling up to it of course."

"I'd like that a lot." She says with a content smile. He caresses her cheek.

"Me too little bear. Good things are coming for us I promise."