If that's what it takes

47

Later in the evening, Derek was preparing dinner as Zoey sat at the table with Mister Derek, Floyd and Molly. She was talking quietly with them as she colored on a piece of paper. "So we can color Sleeping Beauty a picture now and she can see it all pretty..." She mumbled to herself as she lifted Molly from her chair. She placed the doll in her lap as she leaned down and picked up her small pink backpack. She reached into the bag as she glanced up to Derek as he stood by the stove stirring a pot of pasta. She glanced down into the bag and then back up at Derek again.

"DD?" She said softly as she watched Derek turn his head toward her.

"Hmm?" He said as he raised his eyebrows kindly at her.

"Is Lexie going to heaven?" She asked as she closed the bag and held it tightly as Derek watched her curiously.

"Well, that's an odd question..." Derek said as he watched the little girl's fingers roll over the bag in her hands.

"I'm just wondering."

"It isn't something you need to worry about." Derek replied.

"But I do." She said softly. "What about Sleeping Beauty?" She asked with an earnest look, her eyes wide with wonder as Derek turned and placed the spoon he was stirring the pasta with on the spoon holder on the stove. "Is she going to go to heaven?"

"Listen..." Derek said softly as he stepped over to her and crouched beside her, watching as she looked over at him with extreme concern. "Sometimes people go to heaven... sometimes they live for a very... very long time... but if we sat here all the time, and worried about things like that... we'd never have the time to have fun... or enjoy our own lives... The best thing we can do right now, is not ask whether or not they are going to go to heaven... but to hope really hard... that they get better." He said softly.

"I don't want Lexie to get better." Zoey said seriously, her eyes watching Derek's reaction as the little girl's harsh words slammed into him. She had no idea how harsh those words were, how mean and full of hate they sounded. She was only speaking her mind, and Derek couldn't fault her for that. "I hope she goes to heaven."

"Now that's not a nice thing to say."

"She hurt me." Zoey swallowed. "She hurt me and she took away Molly... and she made me feel so sad. She made me feel alone. She took me from you." She whispered as she watched Derek. "I don't want her to be my family anymore. I just want you to be my family. You and Sleeping Beauty." She whispered.

"I know, gumdrop." Derek whispered as he kissed the top of her head and moved toward the stove where the pasta he had been cooking was boiling. "But you can't blame Lexie for everything... it seems to me like she didn't know what to do with a precocious little girl like you." Derek replied.

"Feed her." Zoey said as she rubbed her belly with her hand. "I'm a growing girl, DD... I need my yummy foods..."

"That you do." Derek said with a chuckle as he stepped to the sink with the pot and drained the water from the pasta. "Would you like to help set the table?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed as she placed Molly on the chair beside her. "I'll get the plates and silverware... you get that dinner on the table so we can eat, eat, eat!" She exclaimed as she ran to get the plates, the smile slowly returning to her face as she forgot for a moment what was hiding in the bag that was now hanging from the chair.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone who looks so forward to my crummy dinners..." Derek said as he mixed in some tomato sauce with the pasta and sprinkled it with cheese.

"Oh, your dinners aren't crummy, DD... they're yummy... SUPER yummy!" She exclaimed as she put the two plates on the table and skipped past Derek to get the silverware. The doorbell sounded and Zoey looked up at Derek.

"You know what that means..." Derek said with a nod.

"Extra plate for Mister Mark!" She exclaimed as Derek nodded.

"I'll go get the door... and give Mister Mark a smaller plate... he tends to eat less then..." Derek chuckled as Zoey giggled and grabbed three forks as Derek went to answer the door.