If that's what it takes

14

Zoey lay curled in a ball, her head was resting softly on a pillow as she moved her feet beneath a soft blanket that was covering her. A picture flashed in her mind that made her eyes open wide, and she immediately realized she was in a strange place. She sat up with a start, her eyes closing as she opened her mouth and released a blood curdling scream.

It took only a moment and a pair of strong arms were encircling her, though she didn't care to find out whose they were. "Help! No! No! Let go! Let go of me! Let go of me!" She screamed, panicking as she pulled at the arms that were holding her.

"Zoey... Zoey, calm down... Zoey, it's just Derek..." His voice was soft and soothing, not overly coddling, but gentle and caring as she stopped pulling at his arm and tried to catch her breath. "It's alright... it's alright..." Derek said softly as he rocked her back and forth.

"I want my mama!" She exclaimed as she burst into tears, shoving her face into Derek's shoulder as she clung to him, her fear and anxiety pouring from her body, soaking Derek's shoulder with her tears. "I want my mama!" She sobbed as she clung to him, his arms gently rocking her as he kissed her head and whispered to her, her tears continuing as she held him, her thumb eventually finding its way to her mouth as she grunted and sucked at it, trying to find some comfort.

"Shh... little one, it's alright..." Derek whispered as he held her, her wracking sobs slowly drifting into sniffles as she calmed herself from the immediate fear of waking up in a strange place. She looked around, finding herself in a dimly lit room, mostly because the curtains had been drawn and the lights turned down. The room smelled strangely familiar, yet she couldn't quite place why. Derek was holding her in his arms, and it felt right, it felt good to have someone there when she woke up, it had been such a long time since that had happened, that she wanted to revel in it just a little more.

"Where are we?" She whispered as she leaned forward slightly, slipping her thumb back into her mouth.

"We're still at the hospital..." He whispered as he started to pull her from his shirt and lay her back on the bed.

"No..." She whined as she tried to cling to him, looking up at him, she watched the exhausted look in his eye and reluctantly let go of his shirt.

"It's alright, sweetheart." Derek said softly.

"Don't let them take me, Just Derek..." She whispered.

"Would you rather... come home with me tonight?" Derek asked as he watched her eyes dart to him. "I don't have any little girl things, or a swing set or anything fun... but I have a couple extra rooms..." he shrugged.

"You want me to come stay with you, Just Derek?" She asked as she sat up, crossing her legs in front of her on the bed as she faced Derek, her smile radiating now, a sharp contrast to the look of fear only minutes before.

"If you want to... you can stay there as long as you want to." Derek shrugged.

"Oh! Oh yes! That would be so great!" She exclaimed as she tried to push herself to the edge of the bed.

"Woah... woah... not so fast there..." He said as he put his hand around her belly and pulled her back onto the bed. "Not for a few hours..."

"Few hours? That's forever!"

"No, it's just a few hours... we need to get your clothes... and a booster seat for my car... and groceries..." He said as he watched her become visibly excited, her bottom wiggling on the bed gave him a smile as she tilted her head. Just as he finished speaking, the door opened and the two of them watched as Mark walked in with his hands full of things. Derek jumped from the bed beside Zoey to help him, grabbing several bags and the booster seat from Mark's arms. "Geez, Mark... you could have left these things in your car..." Mark said as he glanced to Zoey, who watched them curiously. "Zoey, you remember Mark, right?"

"Hi, Zoey." Mark said with a soft, friendly tone as she waved slightly at him.

"Hi, Mister Mark." She said very softly, her smile sideways as she raised her eyebrows at the items that had been brought into the room. "What did you bring?"

"Well..." Mark said as he grabbed one of the bags. "She didn't have a lot of clothes." Mark said as he opened the bag. "And she didn't have much of a room." He said with a frustrated sigh.

"Mark, we don't need to talk about it now." Derek said as he opened one of the bags and looked through it.

"It was a closet, Derek... like seriously... with a tiny little mattress and a..."

"Mark." Derek said as he looked his friend in the eyes. "Did you hear what I said? Don't discuss it now." He said as he glanced to Zoey and back to his friend.

"Oh...yeah, got it." Mark nodded as he pulled out a small pink t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

He looked up to find Zoey going through one of the bags beside him. He looked up to Derek. "She's quick." Mark said as Derek nodded.

"She is." Derek nodded as he smiled, opening up the backpack in his hands. "Look what I found." Derek said as he pulled the little girl's doll from the bag, her eyes lit up as she held up her arms.

"MOLLY!" She exclaimed as she grabbed the doll into her arms and pulled her into her chest, hugging her doll tightly in her arms as she grabbed Derek's leg with her arm and hugged it as well.

"I found that bag hidden in one of the cupboards in the kitchen."

"Hidden?" Derek asked.

"Molly! I thought you were gone forever..." She exclaimed as she started to sob. "Molly, oh Molly..." She exclaimed as she hugged Derek's leg as she chanted her doll's name and cried.

"What's wrong with her?" Mark whispered.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Derek asked as he lifted the girl into his arms as she cried, clinging to her doll tightly as she cried.