He was crying as he ran through the pouring rain. His little legs were going as fast as they could, but he was so tiny and the distance was so far.
Partway down the path, he took a tumble and fell onto the ground.
Talia gasped, wincing along with his pain.
When he picked himself up, he was covered in mud and his knees were bleeding, but he kept running towards her.
Unable to stop herself, she ran out of the car, towards the little boy.
"Maaaaaaammaaaaaaa. Oaaaaaaaahhhh!!!" He cried as he reached out for her.
Talia sank to the wet ground and wrapped the boy into her arms.
"Hush child. I'm here. I'm here."
She rubbed his drenched head as she pulled her windbreaker over him to shelter him from the downpour.
"Maaaaaaammaaaaa. No go. Maaaaaaaamaaaa. NO GO!!!" He cried, saying the few words he knew over and over again.
Talia sighed.
She was going to have to take him back into the house. If he stayed out in the rain, he could get sick and then it would really be her fault.
She took her windbreaker jacket off and wrapped it around his little body. Then she picked him up and walked through the line of stately blooming magnolia trees.
She had barely taken a few steps when his brother came out with a large golf umbrella.
Cedric Blaxtone quickly reached them with his long legged stride. Without a word, he sheltered them under the umbrella and walked with them back to the house.
As soon as she entered, the nursemaid ran to Devin.
She reached out to pluck the boy from Talia's arms but Devin would have none of that. He was back to squeezing her neck with a death grip, refusing to let go.
"Oh my God!" The nursemaid cried. "I put him in his crib. I turned my back for a second and he had taken off down the road!"
Cedric narrowed his eyes. He stared at the nursemaid and jerked a thumb towards the door. She stared at him, uncomprehending.
It was then that Devin's father came towards them and escorted the nursemaid to the door. He said a few words to her and shoved her out.
"It's raining out there. Why did you send her out?" Talia looked over at him. "Is it because Devin ran outside?"
Cedric harrumphed. "She was his nursemaid. She only had one job—watch over the boy. She was barely here for three hours and she had already lost the boy."
"I told you that he needed to be held and hugged when it's stormy outside. He's frightened of the thunder." She looked at the man with anger glinting in her eyes.
"Don't leave him alone when he's scared or he'll run out again." She began absently rubbing Devin's back to keep him warm. "How many times does this have to happen before you people understand that?"
Cedric stared at her; his amber eyes inscrutable.
Talia looked away. Perhaps she was a bit too harsh on them.
"He just needs to be hugged when it's scary outside." She lowered her voice.
Cedric stared at Talia and gave a curt nod.
"You hug him then." He said with finality.
Turning to one of the housemaids, he handed the woman the golf umbrella that had been dripping all over the polished mahogany wood floor. With a quick turn, he disappeared through a set of double doors leaving everyone staring at each other.
Talia blinked, not quite sure exactly what had just happened.
"Milady, please follow me." The housemaid was speaking softly into her ear. "We need to get you out of your wet clothes. The Young Lord also needs to be bathed in warm water and dried again so he won't get sick."
"But I have to—"
"Miss Fabian, please follow the housemaid." Devin's father said. "You and the boy cannot remain in these wet clothes."
Talia stared at him, feeling as if her options had just shrank to nothing.
She nodded and followed the housemaid up the stairs to the third floor.
"Isn't Devin's room on the second floor?"
"Yes, Milady, but your suite is on the third floor. Since he will be with you, we will move his things into your suite."
"What?"
"This way please." She gave a gesture and indicated for Talia to follow her through a set of double doors that opened up into a suite of rooms that were twice the size of her entire apartment.
Since Devin was muddied and bloody from his fall, once again, he had to be bathed. She spent more time, washing his body and cleaning his scraped knees. Once he was clean, she took him back to her bed and plopped him down.
"Look at what I found, Devin!" She showed him some colorful dinosaur bandaids.
He didn't look too impressed with them.
"I'm going to put them on your ouchies and then I'll give them a magic kiss. That way, they won't hurt as much any more. Okay?"
Devin looked up and nodded.
She grabbed a couple of the brightest colored ones and covered up his torn knees. Then she bent over and kissed them, giving the final magic touches.
Devin's eyes grew round as saucers. Apparently the magic worked because his face grew bright and he touched the bandages with a careful finger.
"No owie. No owie." He shook his hand.
Talia laughed as the housemaid stood by waiting to help him with his clothes.
While he was being dressed by the housemaid, Talia took advantage of the momentary respite to shower and change into the last set of clean clothes she had brought with her for the evacuation.
By the time she was done, he was sitting on her bed playing with some velcro soft blocks and a furry little brown animal that looked like a very ugly lumpy thing with patchy fur and a missing eye.
He looked up when she walked in from the bathroom, his face lighting up.
"Devin!" She smiled. "Who's your friend?" She pointed to the ugly furry thing. "Does he have a name?"
"Ben!" He and grabbed the animal's ears.
"Hmmm. Looks like Ben has no eye," she pointed to the missing eye.
"No eeeeeye." He repeated. "Put eeye Ben." He pointed to Talia and then at the missing eye.
"You want me to fix your friend? You want a new eye for him?"
Devin nodded. "Yes! Eye Beeeen."
"Okay. But I'm going to have to take him for a little while so I can fix his eye. Can I take him to fix him? I will give him back to you when he gets a new eye."
Devin looked at the furry thing and then back at Talia. He picked up the toy and placed it in her hand.
"New eye." He repeated the last two words she said.
"Okay Devin. I will give Ben a new eye."