14 – A brother's love
Henry could actually feel the jealousy he once held for Audrey literally disappear as he approached her bedroom door. He knew that his mother could not hear the soft whimpers coming from the little girl's bedroom just yet, but he had heard them as he returned from getting a glass of water and decided to investigate.
Regina had told him a few days earlier that Audrey occasionally had nightmares about the fire. That is why he never questioned his mother as she tirelessly stood at the threshold of the little girl's door, watching her sleep in case of bad dreams.
As Henry quietly opened the door and stepped closer to the bed, he watched Audrey for a second as she clutched her Superman doll tighter in her hands and sweat beaded on her forehead. Henry wondered if his adoptive mother's presence was the reason he never woke to her screams at night.
His silent presence didn't seem to be having the same effect as his mother's did so he entertained thoughts of waking her from her nightmare.
He had yet to choose whether or not to wake the girl when all of a sudden, Audrey's bright blue eyes flew open awash with tears.
It only took Audrey a few moments to focus on Henry as he bent over her to try and calm her down and help her sit up. "Henry?" the voice was so small, it nearly crushed him.
At that exact moment Henry knew that he could never again be jealous of Audrey's presence in his home and with his family. Just the way she looked up at him now told him all he needed to know; she trusted him.
Henry held his arms open as he sat on the side of her bed. The little girl practically jumped onto him. Rubbing comforting circles on her back as her sobs lessened, Henry looked down at his little sister. A second later, he leaned back to create some space between the two of them and smoothed the tears from her eyes, the same way Regina used to do for him when he had a nightmare.
Slowly moving onto the unoccupied space on the bed, Henry settled amongst the purple covers while Audrey snuggled into his side. After a few moments of trying to get comfortable, Henry tucked the blanket around them both and let out a deep sigh.
After hearing a sniffle a few minutes later, Henry could feel the little girl curl her head under his arm.
Not bothered by the fact that he was squashed on the bed next to Audrey's only doll, Henry smiled to himself. He remembered the argument between Emma and Audrey that very morning. He knew it was a pointless one as soon as he approached the pair, his other mother standing not too far away with a smile on her face. He remembered the faces of the two blondes as they engaged in their heated discussion. He chuckled as Regina told him what had caused the outcry between the two; Emma wanted Regina to buy other dolls and teddy bears for Audrey. Henry remembered having many stuffed animals and toys from his childhood, but it appeared that offering more dolls and teddy bears to Audrey was not acceptable. She only wanted her Superman doll. Emma ended up losing the argument which caused a clearly satisfied smile to appear on the little girl's face; way too much like Regina's.
The sound of another sniffle broke into Henry's thoughts and all of a sudden Audrey looked up at him and asked, "Why are you here?"
The question was simple enough. Audrey was probably accustomed to Regina being the one to comfort her after a nightmare. Emma, never having experienced this situation for herself, it made Henry really think about his response to Audrey's question. What could he possibly say that wouldn't make Audrey think of all the things she had lost? He simply decided to go with the truth.
"I heard you having a nightmare though the door" he said timidly. "I thought that maybe me being here with you would stop them."
Hugging Henry tighter to her, Audrey accepted his words gratefully. People in the past had never offered her much and his confession alone seemed to be more heartfelt than any of the ones her parents had offered her after a nightmare.
In the silence that followed, Henry thought he should continue along the path of opening up to Audrey. It wasn't that he was afraid that he would get burned or that she would use it against him. Rather, further exploration of his actions forced him to realize how important this little girl had become to him in only a matter of days.
"I'm here because I'm your brother and you're my sister," he explained to Audrey in the darkness, pulling her closer to him despite the Superman doll restricting their physical connection. "I'm supposed to be the one who chases nightmares and boys away," he continued as they both chuckled, easing the atmosphere.
Accepting Henry's explanation, Audrey nodded against his body. Her nose was stuffed from crying, but exhaustion took over as the pair settled down and entered a land of peaceful dreams for them both.