If that's what it takes

94

Derek sat with Sarah and Meredith for a while as the girls colored and talked as well, telling their own stories that made everyone laugh. Derek straightened up and Meredith's eyes went to him. She knew what it meant. "No." She mumbled, her voice sounded soft, and sad.

"Meredith..." Derek whispered.

"What, what is it?" Sarah asked.

"She knows we have to go."

"No." She said again, her eyes closing tightly.

"Not this again, Meredith..." Derek said softly. "I don't want to go... but we have to."

"No..." She said louder. "NO!" She said again, louder and more forcefully.

"Meredith." Derek said sternly as Sarah stood up.

"Derek, you have to understand what she's going through." Sarah said as she walked to the bed. "She doesn't want to be left alone."

"I know... but we have things that we have to do... and... I want to stay here, I do... but..."

"NO!" Meredith said loudly, swinging her good arm haphazardly to hit Derek in the hand.

"Alright..." Derek shook his head. "No hitting... Zoey... pick up your crayons, sweetheart... we have to go..."

"Mommy says no." Zoey replied as she continued to color.

"Mommy is not..." Derek stopped himself as he glanced to Meredith. "Mommy doesn't get..."

"Derek." Sarah said as she shook her head with a frustrated look on her face. "Meredith... they'll be back. You need your rest... I know you don't want to be alone..." Sarah said softly. "Derek, you need to get her some way to communicate... she can't go on like this..." She shook her head.

"I... Meredith is... I just... Zoey, get your crayons." Derek said sternly.

"No." Zoey said from the floor as she continued coloring.

"Zoey, don't do this..." Derek sighed. "Pick up your crayons... and let's go." Derek said as he reached forward to grab her crayons.

"NO! NO! NO!" Zoey screamed as she pulled the book from Derek and rolled on the floor away from him screaming. "NO!"

"That's enough!" Derek exclaimed as he reached for her coloring book, watching as she held a crayon in her hand and slammed it into his wrist, stabbing at him.

"No! No! No!" She exclaimed, releasing a loud, angry screech that sent Sarah and the two girl's hands over their ears as the two girls stood up and ran toward Sarah.

"Derek!" Sarah exclaimed as she pushed him back a little as he released the coloring book and reached for Zoey's hand. "Come on, sweetheart... why don't we go and we'll come see mommy again soon?"

"No! Mommy doesn't want me to go! Mommy wants me to stay! Mommy wants me to stay!" Zoey exclaimed as she stood up and ran around the bed, climbing beneath it as Derek stood up straight and glared at his sister for a moment.

"Don't look at me like that... you're the one handling it all wrong..."

"Handling it all wrong? What do you know about the situation, Sarah? Just... go out in the hallway for a minute...and I'll take care of it." He said sternly.

"Derek."

"Just go out in the hallway, alright?" He said as he pointed his finger toward the door as he watched Zoey poke her head out from the other side of the bed. "Just... please..." He said as he took a deep breath. "Please..." He said as his eyes closed for a moment and he opened them again, giving her a pleading look.

"I'll... be just outside..." She whispered. "Come on, girls..." She said as she took Sammy and Morgan's hand and walked toward the door. "Meredith... it was a pleasure to meet you... we'll talk again soon." She said with a kind smile as she stepped out into the hallway, but not before giving her brother a warning glance.

Derek stood with his arms crossed over his chest for a moment as he looked over at Meredith as she watched him. There was a challenge in her eyes and he knew this wouldn't be easy. "Meredith, we have to..."

"No!" Meredith said again as Derek shook his head.

"Meredith..." Derek said as he watched Zoey climb back under the bed. "Zoey, come out from back there."

"No!" She exclaimed as she popped her head up and then back down. Derek turned toward the crayons on the floor and began to clean them up. He put them in the drawer by the bed, and watched Meredith as she watched him carefully.

"You know that we can't stay all day long... why do you put up such a fight? You know that I want to stay... and every time we get ready to go, you start this right back up... please... Meredith... don't you know that we want to stay?"

"No." She muttered.

"Meredith..." Derek whispered as he touched her forehead, her eyes following his fingertips as he touched her skin. "Meredith..." He whispered again. "We'll visit tomorrow... you know we'll be here... we haven't missed a day."

"Ddjjj..." She mumbled as he watched a tear roll down her cheek.

"Oh..." Derek whispered. "Don't cry..." He said softly as he wiped her tear and let his fingers linger on her skin for a moment. She blinked her eyes tightly, and released a gasp of air as she tried to hold in her sob. "Oh, Meredith...please don't cry..." he said softly as he moved his fingers through her hair. He watched as Zoey popped out from where she had been hiding.

"Don't cry, Mommy... don't cry." She said softly as she patted Meredith's hand. "We love you... we love you very much..." Zoey said softly. She looked up at Derek and he smiled a half smile as she gave him an apologetic glance. "We love you, Mommy and we'll visit tomorrow, okay?" she said as she kissed her mother's hand. "Say my name, mama..." She said, bouncing a little. Derek smiled as he watched Meredith glance to the little girl longer. "You can do it, mommy... say my name... say... Zzzzzzoey..." She said with a smile.

"Zzzzz..." Meredith attempted as Derek smiled at the little girl.

"Yay!" She said excitedly as she clapped her hands for Meredith, who smiled slightly as she watched the little girl's braids bounce. "Soon you will be able to say the whole thing!" She said as Zoey looked at Derek.

"Meredith..." he whispered as he touched her forehead again as she looked at him. "We will be back tomorrow..." He said with a nod. "I promise..." He whispered.

I know.

Her eyes blinked back at him, as he watched her watch him. "We'll see you then." He whispered.

Bye.

She blinked as she swallowed, blinking once, twice, three times, as he ran his finger over her cheek one more time, before she felt the little girl's hand in hers release as she felt the absence of Derek's fingertips, and watched as she took Derek's hand and left with him.