All Mine

•2•

"Let's hurry, we've kept them waiting long enough," Mrs Heelshire said in a demanding tone.

Mrs Heelshire was, by now, standing in front of another door to another room, waiting for you to walk behind her. She looked at you with uncertainty, before she reached out her hand and firmly took hold of the doorknob.

After Mrs Heelshire opened the door, she made herself be known almost instantly, but you heard a man whispering to himself, or, presumably, his son, so he didn't take much notice.

"Daddy?" Mr Heelshire quickly got up from his kneeling position down by the chair as soon as he heard his wife's voice fill the room. "Y/N, allow me to introduce Mr Heelshire." Mrs Heelshire introduced her husband, using her hand to point him out on her right side.

"Y/N," He repeated after his wife.

"And this is our son, Brahms."

She had strode her way over to the chair and stood behind it, her hands firmly placed on either side of the armchair, Mr Heelshire doing the same thing, just on the other side of the armchair.

Mr Heelshire moving revealed.. a doll.

You chuckled slightly, then laughed wholeheartedly. You thought this was a joke, but the expression on the parents' faces said otherwise. Trying to summon words, the Heelshire's looked at each other dubiously, wondering if you were a suitable nanny to look after their.. doll. After laughing, you looked over at Mr Heelshire, whose brows had furrowed together slightly. Mrs Heelshire had a similar expression on her face.

You hesitated for a moment before looking on the doll. It's perfection sent a shiver throughout your body; how the light bounced off its shiny porcelain face, how its khaki green eyes were dead-set on something in the distance of the room and how it was positioned, so formally, as if it was a real boy.

Mr Heelshire looked at his wife, him being clearly confused as to not understanding why you weren't accepting 'Brahms' as well as Malcolm had. Mrs Heelshire stared at you rather rudely, with her right eyebrow raised, expecting you to do what Malcolm did. As if to reassure the old couple, you let a small smile plant itself on your face and strode over to Brahms, taking the doll's petite hand in your own soft one and shaking it gently.

"It's nice to meet you, Brahms," You said to the doll, then looked up at the Heelshires.

"Will you take Y/N's things, please?" You heard Mrs Heelshire say to her husband. "Y/N, I have a lot to show you."

Everything seemed to happen all at once, as soon as Mrs Heelshire finished her sentence. Mr Heelshire went out of the room, presumably downstairs, to collect your luggage and Mrs Heelshire moved around to the front of the armchair, picking Brahms up and letting his head rest on her shoulder.

---

"You have to be a good boy. You promised us." By now, Mrs Heelshire had grabbed the doll by the cheeks and was looking frantically looking for any remorse in its lifeless eyes. You felt sorry for her, but the doll couldn't have made this mess. It must have been a set up to scare you away or something.

"I apologize for the rush, Y/N," The voice behind you made you jump, but when you turned around in fright, you saw that is was only Mr Heelshire and your breathing relaxed.

"Here." Mr Heelshire said, bringing an envelope out of his pocket. "A schedule. Your rules."

You stared after him in disbelief, questioning in your mind why you had to follow so many rules. It's a doll you have to look after. Why were there instructions to look after it? You followed Mr Heelshire down the stairs a few seconds later.

"Come along," Mr Heelshire cheerfully shouted to his wife, who was presumably upstairs.

You pressed your lips together in a small, pitiful smile, sort of feeling sorry for the old couple for taking care of the.. doll for so many years. It must have really eaten away at them.

Mr Heelshire watched his wife walking down the stairs, holding the doll close to her chest. Mr Heelshire turned around and awaited her to walk to him. When she did, they came close and Mr Heelshire leaned into his son's head and kissed it very gently. Mrs Heelshire closed her eyes and she looked peaceful, if only for a moment.

You just stood there and, once again, stared at the three of them in disbelief. How could two people become so close to something that couldn't even move, talk or eat? You breathed out and Mr Heelshire began to talk to you again.

Mr Heelshire nodded to you and Mrs Heelshire leaned in to kiss the doll's forehead. Mrs Heelshire turned to you and began to hand you, Brahms. You were caught off guard and quickly held out your arms before he was calmly placed in your arms as if Mrs Heelshire didn't want to let him go. After, she leaned in for yet another hug. As she looked at you, her eyes were glossy- she looked like she was about to cry. But this time she hugged you, something was different.

"I'm so sorry," Mrs Heelshire whispered raspily into your ear. This shocked you, so when she pulled away, you had a shocked expression spread on your face like butter on toast.

"Let's go." Mr Heelshire proclaimed loudly, rushing his wife along.

Mr Heelshire had, by now, reached the front door of the house and Mrs Heelshire followed after him, her head held high and her shoulders back. Their luggage, you presumed, had already been placed in the taxi and, standing by the door with the doll on your hip, you watched the Heelshires climb into the taxi.

You just about saw, through the cab's window, Mr Heelshire reach for his wife's hand but she was looking back at the house that held so many memories for so many years. Neither one of the couple was ready to leave, but they knew they had too, for their own wellbeing and Brahms'.

Mrs Heelshire sneaked one last look at the glorious mansion and sighed heavily. She watched the road ahead of her, as her husband did the same, whilst the taxi drove around to the back of the house. Mr Heelshire looked straight past the cabbie and through the windshield. He wondered how the nanny was going to cope.

Once you saw the cab had left, you softly closed the door, still carrying Brahms. To calm your nerves, you breathed in and out a few times.

Mr and Mrs Heelshire had left, but you had no idea what to do next.