Back To You

Chapter 17

It had been a month since her attack.... She didn't want to be alone....

Delilah shivered despite having a sweater on. Luke threw another log in the fire place. Ever since the attack she had been surrounded by people. Luke, Cole, Caroline, Joel, Lacey, her parents. Someone was always with her. She stared out the window at the gray Nashville sky. The wind was picking up and she knew the rain was going to start any minute. The house was warm due to the fire but she couldn't stop shivering.

Luke picked his beer up from the counter and shared a look with Cole. The bruises were fading and there was a small scar above her eyebrow.

"Sweetheart?" He said softly. "Do you want a glass of wine?"

She shook her head without turning around. "No."

"Lila?" Caroline said coming back from the front door. "Detective Miller is here."

She turned as Cole came stand by her. Luke joined his wife by the counter.

"Detective." Delilah swallowed hard.

"I just wanted to come by and give you the news in person."

"Ok."

"We still don't know who attacked you. The DNA hasn't come back yet."

Tears fell down Delilah's face. "I don't know what I was thinkin........" She turned back to the window.

"You can't give up. If you do, he wins." Detective Johnson felt helpless.

Delilah swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around herself. "He already has."

"No he hasn't. Not yet. I won't stop until I get him."

"I'm done." She whispered. "I'm tired." She looked up at Cole. "I'm tired."

Cole nodded. "Look, Detective, we appreciate you comin over but she's tired. Can we talk about this another time? Luke will show you out."

He led Delilah up the stairs to their bedroom. "You wanna a nap?"

She nodded and climbed onto the bed. "Will you hold me?"

"You never have to ask that, baby." He pulled her into his arms. "Always."

He held her tight until she fell into a restless sleep. He untangled himself from her and slipped back down the stairs. The rain had started. Luke was pulling his jacket on. "I'm headed out. Call me if you need me."

"Thanks." Cole walked him to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Later."

Cole opened a beer and stood by the window watching the rain fall. He glanced above him and sent up a prayer. Delilah had been withdrawn. She didn't want him to touch her unless she was sleeping. She didn't want to be alone at all. She was quiet and all she wanted to do was work. She and Caroline had started talking about starting a clothing and jewelry line. He was hoping it would bring her out of the dark place she was in. He downed his beer and headed up the stairs.

Screams woke him from a deep sleep. He flipped on the lamp to see Delilah sitting straight up in the bed, shaking. "Lil, Lila, I'm right here, baby. You're ok."

She looked at him through tear swollen eyes. "He shot you."

"It wasn't real." Cole pressed her hand to his chest. "See. I'm right here. It wasn't real. It was a dream."

"It seemed so real."

"It wasn't. I promise. I'm right here. In one piece. I've got you." Tears fell in rivers as she sobbed. Cole's heart broke again. He couldn't fix this. He couldn't make it right. It had been a month since she had been attacked in her house. The nightmares had stop coming every night but when they did come, he was helpless to stop them. All he could do was hold her.

"I'm scared." She whispered. "What if he come back?"

"He's not. But if he does, he won't get anywhere near you. I promise."

"I love you so much.... If something happened to you..." She said against his chest.

"Nothin is gonna happen to me. And I won't let anything happen to you." He kissed her hair. "Now, you think you can sleep?"

"Can you leave the lamp on?"

"Yes. Whatever you want." Cole settled back for a long night. He laid back with his arms around her. She finally stopped crying and was asleep against his chest. He tried to fall back to sleep. All he kept thinking was that he hadn't been there.

The next morning, he woke to find her gone. He threw the blanket off and rushed down the stairs in just his pajama bottoms to see her standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hand. He swallowed back the panic that had been building in his throat since he found her gone. She lowered her cup. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Cole furrowed his eyebrows. "For what?"

"For the nightmares. For keeping you awake. For my fear. Putting you through all of this."

Cole crossed the kitchen and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Listen to me... you aren't putting me through anything. As for the nightmares and keepin me awake.... I love you. And if lovin you means that I have to hold you when you wake up from one of those nightmares then that's a price I'm willing to pay."

"But you have to work and I am keepin you from it."

He thumbed away the tears that rolled down her cheek. "There is nowhere I would rather be. There is nothing I won't do to keep you safe. I love you, Lila. All of you. We will make it through this together. I'm not goin anywhere."

She buried her face in his chest and his arms wrapped around her, just holding her as close as he could.