𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 ᵖᵉᵃᵏʸ ᵇˡⁱⁿᵈᵉʳˢ

14

Time moved slow as Reggie struggled to get the girl away from the pub. He gave up, holding her beside a table, they watched as paramedics rushed in.

"Reggie" she sobbed. "I'm here, your safe" he shushed, kissing the top of her head as she watched them take her mother away, Tommy being held by Arthur.

Tommy looked over, his heart breaking more as he saw his daughter.

Delilah pushed away from the boy and over to Tommy, falling into his arms. "Is she dead, dad tell me she's not dead" she whispered, her voice cracking.

He stayed quiet. "Dad" she begged, tears still flowing. He shook his head slowly, his eyes red.

Delilah's breath hitches as she pushed her head onto his chest.

She looked over at Grace who was watching with shocked face. "Get her out" Delilah shouted, pulling away. "What?" Polly asked. "Get that fucking barmaid away from me" she hissed.

Grace bit her lip, being escorted away by Harry.

"She can't be gone," Delilah shouted, trying to steady her breathing. Tommy forced his eyes closed, holding his daughter tight. Delilah felt as though her heart had shattered into millions of pieces. She'd watched her best friend bleed to death, she watched her mother die.

-

John cradled Delilah as they sat on the couch. He wiped her tears from underneath her eyes and held her. "Everything will be okay, Lilah" he whispered. She shook her head, holding onto her jacket. "She's dead, John" she whispered.

He bit his lip, rubbing her back. Delilah's hands were shaking, "and it's Tommy's fault"

John was slightly taken back at the mention of his brothers name, and that she hadn't called him dad. Tommy appeared at the door, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Is that right, yeah?" he asked, staring down at his daughter. "My fault?" He wiped his mouth. "My fucking fault?" he shouted.

The girl sat straight, looking at him.

He stepped forward, wiping everything off the table, a glass smashing.

"What happened in that fucking pub was not my fault" He shouted, anger painted all over his face. Delilah stood up. "Dad your scaring me" she whispered.

"Scaring you" he scoffed.

"Tom, you're drunk" John stood cautiously. "Get out" he hissed. "What?" John asked. He shook his head, looking at Delilah.

"I can't look at you, get out" he spat. Delilah stood, teary eyed. "Tommy come on," John said quietly.

"I said get out, what do you not fucking understand?" He shouted, grabbing the girls arms and shaking her. She shook her head. "Your scaring me" she repeated.

"Tommy that's too far" John said, annoyed.

Tommy continued shouting and shaking Delilah, causing more tears to fall.

"Tommy that's fucking enough" John pushed Tommy away, standing in front of Delilah. "That's your daughter, tommy" he reminded his brother. "And she's just as upset as you are. You have no reason to take this shit out on her, she's just a kid"

Just a kid. That sentence replayed in Tommy's head.

Delilah ran to the door, grabbing her mothers jacket which hung on the hook. She let the door slam behind her as she ran down the dark road. Delilah struggled to breath as the scenes of her mother dying replayed in her head. She glanced down at the small patches of blood on her white dress. She found herself by the stables. Lilah pulled the dress uncomfortably.

Eventually she gave up and stumbled into where her horse, Canon, was kept.

She let out a sigh, sitting on the pile of hay beside the animal. "Tommy is that you?" a voice spoke. "No, Curly, it's me" Delilah spoke.

"Oh, hello Delilah, everything okay?" he stuttered. "My mums dead, Curly" she whispered.

His eyes widened and he played with his hands.

"Oh" he whispered. "Oh i'm terrible sorry, Delilah. Is there anything i can do for you?" he asked.

"Yeah, if my dad comes looking for me tell him you've not fucking seen me" she said, leaning into the hay. He nodded. "Understood"

The girl eventually fell asleep beside the horse, despite the cold that filled the air.

-

Tommy threw his glass at the wall as his daughter slammed the door.

"Fuck" he shouted, pushing the chair away and rubbing his forehead. "Tommy" John began. "What, John?!"

"Are you seriously not going to go after her" he asked with raised eyebrows. "She's left, at midnight, in the dark. You've just lost Francis do you seriously want to risk losing Delilah as well?"

Tommy's jaw tightened as he stared at his brother.

John sighed, grabbing his coat. "If you won't go after her, i fucking will. And i'm her uncle, Tom, does that not say something?" he huffed, leaving the room.

Thomas' eyes landed on the picture that sat above the fireplace of him, Delilah and Francis. He picked it up, throwing it at the wall.