"I can't believe you dragged me into this," Mark groaned.
"At least you're not an elf," Meredith said miserably.
"Quit sulking," Derek said firmly, suddenly rounding on them. Meredith didn't stop in time and ran straight into him. He grasped her shoulders firmly and pulled back so he could look at her. "This is for a good cause."
"And later?" Mark asked. "With your family?"
Derek shrugged. "You slept with my wife." He patted Mark's cushioned, rounded belly. "You make a very jolly Santa." He turned to Meredith and kissed her nose. "And you make a very cute elf. He won't take long, and you get to change before we go home."
"That is so unfair," Mark muttered.
The chief suddenly stuck his head out of the children's ward. "We're ready for you Santa!" he yelled over dramatically.
Mark rolled his eyes and smiled widely. "Ho ho ho!" he bellowed as he entered the room.