If that's what it takes

40

I wonder how her first day of school is going. I wonder if she was scared. She sounded so excited when she was here, she sounded so happy. Derek sounded like he was the worried one, and Zoey... I... finally saw her... oh... I just want to cry... She is so beautiful, so absolutely beautiful. I wish I could thank Derek for letting her sit with me... for coming here on her first day of school, sharing that with me. I wish he knew how much it means to me. I wish I could tell him how much it means to have touched her face, felt her smile, seen her eyes. I wish he knew.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to hear the door open and the feet of the person walking across the room, the eyes of the person beside her as he spoke, pulling her from her constant stream of thought. "Meredith." Derek's voice chimed softly, his voice soft and happy as she stopped her thoughts for a moment, listening to him sit down.

What are you doing here?

"I was working... and just finished with a surgery... I thought I'd come and visit you for lunch. If you don't mind." Derek said with a soft smile as he took her hand for a moment and squeezed it.

I actually had other plans.

"Your little one made it to kindergarten, safe and sound... and is surviving her first day."

She's brave.

"Though I can't say that I'm surviving too well. I've had her with me for a week, and I miss her terribly... wow... I sound pathetic... or I think I do... she's just had such an impact on me... she really touches my heart. She is a very amazing little girl." Derek sighed with a smile.

I am very proud of her.

"You know... when she said you opened your eyes this morning... I think that it made her day."

It made my year, Derek. You have no idea.

I believe her, you know... when she says you opened your eyes... I do believe her, and I'm going to believe her until I see it for myself." He whispered as he reached forward to touch Meredith's cheek.

Maybe you will. I don't know you well enough yet for that, now do I?

Did I just giggle?

"When I dropped her off at school this morning, the first thing she did was introduce herself to her teacher. She was so brave, I was so proud of her. She always reaches her hand out..." He said as he held Meredith's hand firmly in his. "And she says. 'My name is Zoey Grey... nice to meet you'... It's probably one of the cutest things I've seen, really... and she was so brave, introducing me to her teacher, she got a little mixed up when she tried to introduce me, she didn't know what to call me... She calls me Just Derek... of course, but she didn't know what 'relation' I was... so I told the teacher that I was her 'DD' , her Designated Derek..."

Hahaha... her 'DD'... that's cute!

"I hope that you don't mind me having my lunch with you today... I mean... I usually sit in the cafeteria with Mark... but I saw my ex-girlfriend today, and I really don't want to talk about it with him... he's like a girl sometimes, Mark is... he likes to gossip." Derek sighed.

And other times...

"And other times, he has so much testosterone, that you think that they should invent a testosterone deodorant just to keep the stink down..." Derek chuckled as he settled back in his chair and Meredith listened to the sound of a paper bag.

What's for lunch?

"I made Zoey and I the same lunch.... Peanut butter and jelly with a yogurt and a baggie of pretzels. Her yogurt was strawberry... because it was pink..."

I swear, she's going to turn pink if you're not careful, Derek.

Derek sat quietly for a little while, eating his lunch in silence as he watched Meredith lie there. She seemed at peace, quiet, and strangely not alone as he sat there eating. She could feel his eyes on her, and though she didn't know him well, she knew that he was taking good care of her little girl. She knew he was no threat, a doctor, a kind hearted man, a sincere man, a man who she... tried desperately to picture in her mind, what he looked like, wishing she could just open her eyes and watch him back.

She listened as he finished his lunch, placing everything carefully in the bag before tossing it into the garbage can in the room.

You're not going to leave now, are you?

"You know what I just realized, Meredith?"

What?

"This was our first date..." He said with a smile on his lips and in his voice. "You... were a very good lunch date."

You weren't so bad yourself.

"If you don't mind... I'd like to have lunch here with you... I'm not going to use you as therapy, you don't have to worry about that, but I don't know... you seemed concerned when I first came in, and when I spoke, you seemed to relax..."

Thinking highly of ourselves, are we?

"It could just be my imagination... I don't know... I just... you make me feel comfortable... and you help me not miss Zoey so much."

Aww... you do miss her...

Derek cleared his throat as he sighed softly. "Lexie still hasn't woken up..." He sighed. "It has been a week... she is showing signs of improvement, so that's good, I guess... Mark has been keeping a really close eye on her... and I won't let Zoey in to see her... she doesn't need to see her... not when she's like this... not after everything she's been through, I want to protect her from those things." Derek said sternly.

I think you're doing a wonderful job, Derek.

Suddenly, the door opened and Izzie walked inside without looking, expecting the room to be empty. "Hey, Meredith... It's one thirty..." She said in a tired voice as she turned, jumping a little when she saw Derek. "Derek! You scared me..."

"I'm... sorry, Izzie... do you want me to leave?"

Don't leave, don't leave... Don't make him leave, Izzie...

"You can stay if you want to..." She shrugged. "On lunch?"

"Yeah... just visiting with Meredith, keeping her caught up."

"I bet she is liking that..." Izzie said with a smile. "So... you're one of Cris' upcoming residents, huh?" She said in a soft flirty voice.

BACK OFF BARBIE, HE'S MINE! Where the hell did that come from?

"Yes... She's a tough teacher, but she's good at her job..."

"How is... Zoey doing?"

"She's well, it's her first day of school... I miss her a bit..." He chuckled as he held Meredith's hand in his.

"Derek... I..." Suddenly, Izzie's sentence was interrupted by the sound of Derek's pager.

"Crap, I'm going to have to take this... what were you saying?"

"Um..."

Nothing, you were saying nothing... get out, Derek... go on... get out before she grabs you in her clutches...

"Well, I should go... I'll see you later...You were a wonderful date..." He said, looking down at Meredith, he couldn't resist leaning down to leave a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll be back later with Zoey..." He said softly, as he nodded at Izzie and walked out the door quickly.

I'll be waiting...