Isolda Hillard

Isolda was the first child of Gregor and Hannah but she certainly wouldn't be the last. As the years passed, they would joke that she was such a good baby that they decided to have five more, but having a large family was never really part of the plan. It simply happened. The brood grew every few years and the starter home the Hillards had purchased soon after marrying seemed smaller and smaller, but its inhabitants adjusted, none quicker than the oldest sibling. From the moment her mother told her that her eldest sister, Juliet was on the way, she nodded her head, solemn in her promise that she would be the best big sister ever and help her mom in any way she could. It was a promise she took to heart and never broke over the years, even though Adrian had a knack for spilling Coke all over her art projects and Cora still can't seem to understand the concept of hot water being limited, especially when you have an ancient hot water tank.

Her school years passed quickly. Isolda was a painfully average student in every way possible. Her grades were good, neither stellar nor terrible and she managed to build herself a decent group of friends, but she was never really all that popular, bending into the crowd just as easily there as she did at home. By the time graduation came around, she was panicked. She had never really developed a knack for anything and had no idea how to go about it. She drifted from odd job to odd job, figuring going to college without a clear cut idea of what she wanted to focus on would be a waste of time and money she didn't have. One day while cooking breakfast for her siblings (and complaining about her cashflow problem) Juliet joked that she should become a nanny. She'd certainly had enough practice. It was a lightbulb moment. She'd been babysitting for her parents and neighbors for extra cash since she was twelve. Why not make it a career?

But a lifetime of taking care of other people's children isn't wasn't what Isolda wanted for herself. After eventually growing bored with the tediousness of dropping her charges off to soccer practice and knowing far more about Dora than a grown, technically childless woman should, Isolda started work on a nursing degree. As much as she would grow to adore each member of her family, each new addition had a tendency to make Isolda feel like she had been pushed just a bit further into the background. Sensing that her eldest granddaughter might need some time to herself, especially as she got older, Isolda's grandmother, Sarah often invited her to stay at her house. Isolda loved these visits, sometimes which sometimes became lengthy because she couldn't bear to give up the peace and quiet and more importantly, the attention that came along with being the only child in a household. Isolda and Sarah were close and ultimately, her grandmother would help her decide her specialization while she graduated nursing school. She'd always had a soft spot for older people and children, but as her grandmother became sick and frail in her last few years, she was amazed by how diligently the nursing staff took care of her when she couldn't.

Though she doesn't really realize it, her grandmother's illness was the catalyst for her realizing her calling in the first place, assuming she gravitated toward her career because she's always been the sort of person who thrives on helping others. While this is definitely true, she joined the medical field because she didn't like the helpless feeling that came along with sitting by a loved one's bedside with no clue what was happening or how to stop it. She knows her limitations of course. She's not a doctor, things will always be out of your hands and her patients in the nursing home where she works going to leave sooner or later (and they're certainly not walking out the front door). Reminders of these things hit a woman as sensitive as herself often and hard, but she copes as best she can because she's never felt quite so productive, like she's actually accomplished something at the end of the day.

Work and family really are the only two pillars in Isolda's life. She's always been the sort to drop everything for her family, something her siblings, especially the younger ones take advantage of. With seven people who adore her company she's never really had to worry about being lonely or having plans, but being so devoted to familal relationships means that she hasn't had much time for romantic relationships. The few that have turned into something beyond the physical haven't exactly lasted with lovers feeling like they come second, something Isolda can't exactly argue. Now that she's finally got her career in order, she's thrown herself into that as well. She figures that if love crosses her path, so be it. She's not exactly the sort to go out looking for it, though it is slightly disconcerting to see her siblings seemingly happy in that department when she is supposed to be the one doing everything first.