If that's what it takes

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The little girl stood there, her breathing erratic as she looked at the woman on the bed. "Um... um... um... um... DD? DD?" She whimpered.

"Hey... come here..." Derek whispered as he held his hands out to her as she climbed up into Derek's arms.

"DD... Sleeping... sleeping beauty... my... um... um..." She whimpered as tears fell down her cheeks. "I... I..." She panted as she watched Meredith's eyes.

Derek... Derek, calm her down.

"It's alright... come here... relax... deep breaths... deep breaths..." Derek whispered as the little girl practically hyperventilated as she pulled at Derek, unable to get a word out edgewise as Derek held the picture in his hands and rocked her as she stared at Meredith.

"Sleeping... Sleeping beauty... but who... who was.... I ... I don't understand..." She whimpered. "DD... DD, who is she?" Zoey finally spit out as she grabbed Derek's shirt and stared into his eyes.

"Zoey..." Derek whispered as he looked up at Izzie desperately. "Zoey..." He whispered.

"Sweetheart?" Izzie said softly, suddenly as she glanced to Meredith's eyes. They were pleading with her, pleading with Derek. Izzie reached her hand out to touch Zoey's hair. "Zoey... look at Aunt Izzie for a second..." She whispered as Zoey's eyes flashed to Izzie as she continued to hold Derek's shirt. "Why do you think that sleeping beauty is your mommy?" Izzie whispered as she watched Zoey lay her head on Derek's chest, her eyes flashing to Meredith before flashing back to Izzie. "Why do you think that Meredith is your mommy? Why would you say that?" She asked. Her voice wasn't accusatory or negative, but positive and friendly, warm. "Zoey?" Izzie whispered.

Thank you, Izzie.

"I... the picture." She whispered. "The picture that DD has...I... my... the um...how can she be my mommy, DD?"

"Did someone tell you that this picture was your mommy?" Derek whispered, finally finding his voice as her desperate eyes looked into his. "Did someone say that?"

"Yes." Zoey whispered.

"And you think that the woman in the picture is Meredith here?"

Derek... she... she can't know.

"It is! It is, it has to be!" Zoey exclaimed as she knelt on Derek's leg sending a sharp pain through his leg making him wince as she gripped him tightly. "DD... it is..." She said as she turned quickly in his lap and grabbed the picture from his hand. "See, see... that's not um... my... I... oh..." She shook her hands as she tried to find the words, frustrated that she couldn't express what she wanted to say.

"You want to know who it was you were calling mommy?" Derek asked as she looked up at him.

"Yes! If she says this is my mommy in the picture... then this isn't who she is... see... this looks just like sleeping beauty... just like her! See? See, DD? See?" She said as she waved it at Derek. "It looks like her, doesn't it? Doesn't it? Doesn't it, DD?" Zoey interrogated, her excitement getting the better of her as she pointed quickly at the picture.

Derek glanced up at Meredith, whose eyes were watching them carefully. "What do you think about sleeping beauty being your mommy?" Derek asked, trying to hide the slight smirk on his face as he sensed her excitement shooting from her body like the sparks of a firework. "What would you say if you found out that it was true... that she is your mommy?"

Oh, Derek.

"I would love that!" She exclaimed as a bright grin lit up her face. "But..." She swallowed hard. "Why... why did I not know that before?" She whispered as she glanced to Derek. "Why didn't anyone tell me? DD... did you know?" She whispered.

"Not until you showed me the picture." He said with a shrug. "Looks pretty convincing to me..."

"Yes." She nodded. "Yes, pretty um... conv... yeah..." She nodded. "So... my old mommy... she was my... step... mommy?"

Derek paused, thinking of the confusing situation that the little girl had already found herself in, knowing that there would be no sense in confusing her further, he shrugged. "We'll have to figure that out... won't we?" Derek asked as he watched her nod. "You know..." Derek said as he watched Meredith continue to watch. "We've been talking to Meredith all of this time... and she's laying right here." He whispered. "Maybe we should go right to the source." He said as Zoey glanced to Meredith and then back to Derek. "Go on... ask her..." He whispered.

"One is yes... two is no... three is... I love you?" Zoey asked Derek.

"That's right." He confirmed.

"Sleeping Beauty?" Zoey swallowed hard as she held up the picture in her hands as she balanced on Derek's legs. "Is this you in the picture with baby Zoey?" She asked as she pointed at the picture and showed it to Meredith.

Yes... yes, baby... that's me...

Meredith could feel her sadness welling up, the little girl's hopeful eyes resonating into her soul as she looked so helpless. She blinked once as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Yes?" Zoey asked. "DD, she said yes!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Now ask her the important question..." Derek said with a half smile, though he could feel the sadness in Meredith's heart.

Oh... oh, Derek... don't do this to me...

"Sleeping Beauty... are you my real mommy?" She whispered, watching Meredith watch her. She could sense that Meredith was having some sort of internal battle. She could sense that there were some things that she would never understand. Things she wouldn't understand until Meredith was able to explain them, but for now, all she wanted was the truth. "Are you my real mommy?"

Baby...

One blink.

Zoey gasped. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she turned to Derek. "She said yes!"

"She did..." Derek whispered as he squeezed Meredith's hand in support.

"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed as she nearly leapt to the bed.

"Watch it... watch it... careful..." Derek said as he wrestled with Zoey for a second to make sure she didn't pull anything.

Let her hug me... for the love of God let her hug me...

"I need to hug her, DD!" She exclaimed as Derek let her go as she crawled onto the bed and wrapped her arms so gently around Meredith, hugging her close, she kissed Meredith's cheek. "She got sick, DD... she got sick and she couldn't take care of me, right? That's why I wasn't here in Seattle... because my real mommy was sick..."

"That's right..." Derek nodded.

"We need to fix her." Zoey whispered as she started to whimper. "DD... DD, please fix her..." She said as Derek watched on, unsure if telling her the truth was a good idea... for Zoey, or for Meredith, but when the door opened and Cristina, Bailey and Doctor Webber walked in, he was sure that he had his answer.