Sirens

Delilah's wrist burned while the dry blood clung to the long sleeves she used to cover up the old and new wounds. Salty tears welled in the bottom of her ducts but she quickly swiped them away before the officers could spot how much pain she was really in. The police radio crackled with voiced codes in the background but Delilah could barely hear over her frantic thoughts. So many questions ran through her mind as they drove through her small familiar neighbourhood. She dwelled on to explain being brought home by police officers or her ruined shirt or flustered appearance to her mother and her thoughts continued in that muddled state until she finally had to give herself a small shake to stop herself from panicking.

Officer Walker would glance into the mirror every few seconds to check on her. Officer Trevelley noticed Walker's attentiveness but assumed it was to make sure she wasn't about to throw herself out the door and run because clearly this girl wasn't mentally stable. In reality, Officer Walker just couldn't keep himself from looking at the tiny broken figure that sat in the back seat of his patrol car. Never had he wanted to embrace a woman, if he could even call her that in the state she was in now, as much as he had now; since his wife. These feelings weren't exactly a welcome thought as he tried to shake how inappropriate it was of him to consider what it would be like to hold her until she could smile again. Delilah didn't meet Officer Walker's eyes but she felt his curious gaze fall over her each time he would glance at the rear-view mirror. She didn't mind, but she was beginning to feel self conscious as she was faced with her puffy eyes, bright red cheeks and matted hair in the reflection of the car window. He didn't appear to mind as his consistent glances never faulted and she knew it was ridiculous to feel self conscious after all that she had been through but she couldn't deny the disgusting appearance that returned her gaze in the window. Finally, just as curious as Officer Walker was, Delilah met his dark piercing gaze in the mirror. Her eyes were wide and innocent as she watched him take his last look in the mirror before arriving to her home. Officer Walker drew a sharp breath as he stared back into her large brown eyes, a pang of guilt stabbed at the pit of his stomach as he realized what his behaviour might be doing to such a young vulnerable girl. He was aware of the effect he could have on Delilah, he had seen it a million times before in other young women as they felt safe and content around him especially after he would remove them from a dangerous position like Delilah was in. But her eyes were not full of lust or adoration like he expected- like he was used too. Instead there was something similar to curiosity and wonder, the same look she had in her eyes as she smiled into the suns kiss at Mikael's home. Delilah watched as a look of anger crossed Officer Walkers face while he contemplated on the idea that Delilah could find him similar to a sun as if he was like the overbearing, comforting, heat source. Delilah cringed at his reaction; resting her eyes back down onto her folded hands on her lap. She was confused at the anger he expressed as he clearly had not wanted her to look back. It was unreasonable to expect her to sit by and let him continue to gawk at her without her doing the same back. His irrational behaviour was giving her whiplash and by the time they had reached her home she was still deliberating on the encounter. Walker could feel the confusion radiate from the back seat and it made him want to chuckle at her shocked reaction- he hadn't meant to scare the small girl. Delilah noticed the smile playing on Walkers lips and she released a breath she hadn't known she was holding; relieved that he had let go of the anger she seemed to bring forth from him.

There hadn't been any sound other than the radio since Delilah's small and certain voice chimed as she recited her address and Officer Trevelley wrote it into a GPS. The silence was comfortable and a relief after Delilah's ears had started ringing from her own screams. Thankfully, as they pulled up into her driveway she noticed the absence of her mother's car indicating her mother had decided to go to work today. Delilah was relieved, not only because she wouldn't have to explain her appearance or mode of transport, but they might even be able to pay rent this week if her mother keeps up her work attendance. The driveway was gravel and the crunch of stones welcomed Delilah home. Her small one story home sat at the top of her driveway incline and at the back was a large double garage filled with junk her father had dumped on them before moving away and work out equipment her brother had left behind. The white panels on the walls were spotted with green mould but other than that the main house was respectably tidy and spacious. Spacious to the extent that the home seemed over sized with a spare room and a much too large of a lounge for just her mother and herself who barely use it.

Officer Trevelley turned the car off when they reached the end of the driveway and Officer Walker was out and at Delilah's door before she had pulled herself out of her thoughts. His eagerness could have easily been misinterpreted as wanting to get this transaction over and done with if it weren't for the fact that he grabbed her bags and walked her to the front door. He was familiar with comforting abuse victims but never had he been faced with one so young and so seemingly intelligent. His throat was burning with insensitive questions as he couldn't help but wonder why she would let this happen to her, how she got to be in this position and why she wouldn't ask for help earlier. Delilah had unlocked the door by now and stood on the top step of her doorway facing him with a confused look before she dropped her eyes at her bags and offered to take them inside with a gesture of the hand. Deliah wasn't sure how she should behave in this moment. She quickly tried to imagine the outcomes of anything she said, if she invited Officer Walker inside that would obviously end in embarrassing array of reasons why he needs to get back to work, but a simple 'thank you' seemed so inadequate compared to how much they had helped her. Officer Walker had also comforted her personally; surely she could offer him a token of gratitude.

Finally, after a few moments deliberation she had decided it would be best to be honest and just ask, "I'm not sure how I could ever thank you to show how much you have really helped me today, you've both saved my life. How do you usually get thanked for this kind of thing?" She avoided meeting his eyes as her olive skin started regaining a pink blush underneath her swollen cheekbones. Officer Walker rubbed the back of his neck with a similar pink tinge flushing his handsome face, "We can't accept gifts or anything really, for obvious reasons," Delilah couldn't help but interrupt with a chuckle at the thought of her possibly bribing such a respectable, honest man and Walker gave her a knowing look before continuing, "but a thank you would definitely suffice, it is my job after all."

Officer Walker graced Delilah with a sheepish grin revealing sharp canines and a casual shrug as she replied seriously with a frown, "That doesn't seem like enough considering all you've done." Potentially saving he life was a good enough reason than any for a gift or something. Her voice was sincere and filled with appreciation, no double meanings or hidden agenda's which Walker was usually suspicious of.

Nobody could ignore the obnoxious cough that came from the patrol car as Officer Trevelley rolled his eyes and started up the car. "I guess that's my cue to go, will you be alright here on your own? Its not very far from Mikael's house, does he know where you live?" Officer Walker bombarded her with questions as he began imagining Delilah alone.

Delilah's considered her answers carefully; as much as she would love Officer Walker's protection services 24/7 he probably had a life to get back to which probably consisted of a wife and children at his age pushing 30 she guessed, not to mention other citizens just as lucky as herself.

"I'll be fine. Do you have a number or something I can call if I think he might pose a threat still? I don't want to call emergency services for every little disturbing text but it might put Mikael off knowing I can get help if I'm not comfortable." Deliah's voice was confident and didn't shake for a second. Her forwardness threw Officer Walker back before he realized his mouth was parted in surprise as he misinterpreted her asking for his number. He quickly realised that Delilah was in a vulnerable position and needed help. He scorned himself for making more of her situation as he mumbled a "Sure." before fishing out his notepad and quickly scrawling out his number and Police Officer number alongside Officer Trevelley's information to make it look more appropriate, although they both knew who she was going to call for help and it didn't consist of the man sitting in the patrol car with his hand over the horn if Walker didn't turn to leave in t-minus 0.5 seconds. Walker lifted his hand to the side of Delilah's face and she flinched away as it brought back the painful memory of the last male who had a hand by her face. He dropped his hand immediately and mumbled an apology, not sure what he was planning on doing had she not flinched. He shook his head before stalking back towards the patrol car with his hand balled in a fist. Delilah had wished she hadn't been so sensitive and had stood still to see what Walker was going to do but it wasn't an irrational fear and she was sure he would understand.

Delilah watched the back of the patrol car until it was out of sight then turned into her home and closed the door behind her. She placed her back flush against the door and slid down until her head was buried in her knees. She could finally let the tears that threatened to embarrass her; free, and they streamed down her swollen red cheeks in a never ending flow for the next few minutes until she had decided that enough tears had been shed at her own cost and in her disgusting ex-boyfriends name. She stood up, brushed off her crumpled clothes and headed straight for the bathroom where she ran herself a hot shower and evaluated the damage in the full length mirror. She very carefully peeled the shirt from her bruised stomach and ran the sleeves under the warm water before uncovering her wounded arms. She winced at the pain and clenched her teeth as she rinsed away the dirty scabs and stepped under the heavy flow of hot water. Steam rose from her cold body as the water attempted to warm her and wash away the filth from the day. She sat in the shower as she had against her front door, her back flush against the shower wall, bottom perched on the floor and knees tucked under her arms that wrapped around her body. She let the water pound on her back before she picked up her mothers body wash and lathered it into her sensitive skin; concentrating on the parts Mikael had touched her. She wasn't sure if the droplets that ran down her face were tears or the shower which is the reason why she felt so much more comfortable and less pathetic crying in the shower. The water temperature began to slowly decrease and she knew she had been in the shower for too long, her mother would be upset if Delilah used all the hot water on one of the few days her mother went to work. Delilah patted herself down dry because there was too much broken skin to rub, and wrapped her hair in a towel as she put fresh clothes on before wrapping her wounds in bandages. She placed her old filthy blood streaked clothes in the bottom of the washing machine and covered them with another load of washing before switching it on. She assessed the cupboards in her kitchen and frowned as she struggled to figure out what she could serve for dinner that night knowing her mother would be hungry from her hard days work. Coming to no conclusions for a proper meal Delilah decided upon breakfast for dinner would do and dedicated to bacon and eggs. Soon after Delilah began cooking, her mother arrived home and came straight to the kitchen to see what was cooking while placing her rough hands on each side of Deilahs shoulders and peaking over to see what was for dinner.
"Smells good honey, I was going to ask if you wanted pizza." Her mother said with a smile in her voice; she was always in a much better mood once she had felt like she had accomplished something, Delilah wished she would realize work was better for her than she thought but knew how physically demanding her landscaping work was.
"Breakfast for dinner, its all I knew how to cook." Delilah kept her eye on the scrambled eggs as she replied and smiled.
"I'll have your breakfasts over pizza anyday," Her mothers voice was loud and echoed throughout the, otherwise, empty house, "I'm going to go have a quick shower."
"Very quick! Its almost ready." Delilah complained.

"Like flash." Her mother replied and disappeared behind a shut door. Delilah heard the shower running before she had turned around to check on the toast.
She set the plates on the table as she dished up her sorry excuse for dinner and shouted out to her mother telling her the food was ready. Her mother met Delilah at the table soon after with her hair wrapped in a towel and a flowery worn dressing gown doning her tiny short figure. Her small round freckled face was beginning to show laugh and frown lines, but she looked refreshed and the light in her wide brown eyes that always accompanied her appearance after a successful day glinted happily.
"This looks delicious honey thank you!" Her mother exclaimed and they both tucked into their food before talking any further.
"Did you go to work today mum?" Delilah asked softly.
"Yeah gotta pay the rent you know, good weather for it too." Her mother replied before sitting back in her chair and smiling thankfully.
"That's good, but you're still on dishes."

Her mother looked taken aback before laughing a deep throaty laugh and giving Delilah a doubtful look.
"That was the deal remember? The cook doesn't clean." Delilah recounted with a playful spark in her eyes as she reminisced on the memory from when she was younger. Delilah would often question why she and her brother were always the ones that had to do the dishes and without missing a note her parents would always answer, "Oneday, when you cook, you wont have to clean." Well that day had come she thought with a smirk not that it was a first but when she had cooked it had been just for herself while her mother was out.
"I do the dishes anyway, cooking or no cooking." Her mother claimed.
"Sure you do mum." Delilah replied sarcastically before expertly packing away the dinner dishes and juggling them all at the same time because she wasn't in the mood for two trips to the kitchen. Delilah piled the dishes on the bench and sighed before washing them and leaving them to dry on the counter while her mother stepped outside for a cigarette. Afterwards, she grabbed a book from her bookshelf and curled up on the worn couches in the lounge, not in the mood to resign to her cold room early tonight, she had decided to read. The book she was reading was one of her vintage volumes of Shakespeare's plays she had traded for in the local second hand book store, choosing Midsummer Nights Dream for tonights venture. Her mind drifted to her cell phone and Officer Walkers number that was tucked away with it but she knew there would be texts from Mikael which she wasn't sure she was ready to face just yet. Her mother was in the background of the lounge lighting a fire in their fireplace and watching the news.
"No homework tonight darling?" She asked as she eyed Delilah's book.
"Not tonight mum, one assignment but I think I could probably do it on this play." Delilah gave her a small smile and went back to her reading but the urge to check her phone was too strong so she huffed and went to her room to retrieve her cell phone before she lost her courage. Waiting for her on the tiny digital screen were 11 text messages from Mikael asking after her, what she had told the police and occasional begging which quickly turned into threatening Delilah not to tell their parents what had happened today. The last message was received 3 minutes ago and said that he was waiting for her at the bottom of her street and to come see him. She blocked Mikael's number and stared at the crumpled piece of paper Officer Walker had given her; not sure if she should tell him that Mikael has broken his side of the order they issued him and was stalking her or just to leave it. She had seen this situation on movies and TV before and didn't want to be ambushed outside her house when she did the rubbish or something similar by Mikael so she decided to call Officer Walker before she lost her new found courage. Said courage began dwindling away as soon as the phone began to ring. But she didn't have much time to reconsider before Officer Walker answered and fumbled with the phone making her smile as she waited patiently for him to compose himself.

Officer Walker coughed, "Lucian Walker speaking." Delilah was surprised at discovering his first name was Lucian. It was a strange name and she knew that feeling all too well, knowing she wasn't alone in this part of the city with a unique name made her smile.

"Officer Walker its Delilah speaking, are you busy?" She asked, considering for the first time how long his shift may have been today and if he was even still working. Suddenly she felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach as she realised he might be at home enjoying his time off with his family.
"Oh Delilah! No I'm not busy, just finishing up at the station soon, is everything alright?" Lucian's voice was rough with urgency. His brows furrowed together as he hadn't expected to hear back from Delilah so soon, not that it wasn't a welcome distraction from the piles of paperwork that currently surrounded him on his tiny shared desk.
"I'm fine," She replied causing Lucian to release a breath of relief just after he heard Delilah release the same sounding breath as she was glad she hadn't interrupted his private life, "I was just wondering what would happen if one of us broke the rules on the order you gave us?" She tried to sound confident but couldn't help the fear seep into her words. Lucien's heart dropped with disappointment as he began doubting his first impression of Delilah being intelligent enough to stay away from Mikael.

He remained silent for a few seconds before answering slowly, "I wouldn't recommend it Delilah. You should keep away from him atleast for the time the order stands." Delilah panicked as she realised his misunderstanding and waited for him to finish curious as to where Lucian was going to take this, "But if one of you did and we found out we would have to either extend the restriction or issue an official restraining order, in which case you would go to court if you broke the limits." His voice was controlled but he was furious that she had given in so easily and was already thinking of going back.
"I'm sorry I think you're mistaken Mr Walker. Mikael has tried to contact me multiple times and is currently waiting for me at the end of my street. I have blocked his number but am worried about him trying to come and see me in my house if I don't go meet him." She was planning her goodbye's as she admitted defeat when Lucian interrupted her.

Realization quickly hit Lucian like a brick as he cursed to himself, "oh…Sorry Delilah, I'm not busy, just the end of the day paperwork. Would you like me or another officer to come around and remove him from the premises?" He hoped she hadn't taken his anger to heart as he had momentarily questioned her sanity and intelligence. He felt guilty for doubting her and Delilah returned that guilt with her own as she tried hopelessly to find an alternative that didn't include keeping Lucian away form his home.
"Is there any other way to deal with the situation?" She asked. Lucian wondered if he had offended her as she seemed unwilling to be around him.
"I'd recommend informing your parents but it would still be safest for someone to come and check on your home. I finish in half an hour and can be there within the hour to check on your house if that's alright with you? Don't tell Mikael, keep his number blocked and stay inside the house okay?" Lucian was still filling out paperwork while he was on the phone trying desperately to complete the mundane tasks before he could finally leave and help Delilah.
"Okay Mr Walker, thank you. Sorry to keep you from home and family even longer." Her voice was small and all that remained of her confidence was a small shred of hope that took the form of Lucian Walker's appearance. Lucian smothered a small sharp pain that stabbed at his chest when Delilah mentioned his now only two person family, two thirds of a whole in his opinion.
"That's alright, I'll see you soon?" Lucian asked as he was seeking for some kind of approval, or willingness from Delilah to show he wasn't being over-bearing. He had to remind himself that she had asked him for his own help and called him not the other way around. Lucian shook his writing hand as he tried to push his insecurities and writing cramps away.
"Yessir. See you soon." She still couldn't quell the feeling of inferiority to police officers despite her personal interactions with Lucian. The sound of her calling him 'sir' raised the hairs on his forearms as he smiled with surprise and pleasure.
"Oh Delilah?" Lucian asked and Delilah heard the smile in his voice.
"Yessir?" She breathed.
"Its 'Lucian' sweetheart. You'll be fine."
She didn't have time to reply before he hung up the phone and she was only left with the dial tone and a slack jaw from shock at his final words.

A half an hour passed and Delilah was beginning to get anxious but she was glad she appeared respectable this time around when meeting Lucian. She was dressed in a white turtle neck long sleeve knit and dark green khaki pants rolled at the ankle showing a small hint at the woven anklet she worn on her left ankle. Her hair was tied in a loose bun with stray bangs escaping which she would tug at or frustratingly force out of her face before they fell back into place in front of her eyes. She told her mother a brief summary of the situation- that Mikael and herself were fighting and it escalated loudly causing the neighbours to call the police who issued a temporary restraining order. Not entirely a lie but not the whole truth so Delilah's brother didn't feel the need to fly back from England to commit murder when their mother told him about it. But it was enough of the truth to ensure that Mikael would never be allowed back into her home without her knowledge. Her mother was infuriated at Mikael but having always been a little more awkward around Delilah than she was around her brother she struggled to find a way to comfort her daughter. Her mother knew that Delilah filled the absence of her father with her brother and suspected that her brothers absence would have this similar effect of Delilah throwing herself into a long term serious relationship. But never had she dreamed that her daughter would have to face the reality of man's many flaws so soon in her life. Delilah had experienced abandonment and now abuse. That was too much for a 19 year old girl to handle.

Delilah's mother was infuriated but glad to have been informed about the situation and proud of Delilah's responsible way of handling Mikael as she assumed Delilah had called the police. Her mother had the same concern that she was wasting Lucian's time but Delilah recounted his insistence on letting the police know if she felt threatened and her preference to avoid hassling emergency services because it wasn't quite an emergency. By telling her mother, Delilah had accepted that she would never be with Mikael again and was finally free from his abuse and anger as she couldn't face her mother if they got back together and he would never be welcome again. A weight had been lifted off her slump shoulders as she came to the realization that she was free from his constant intense abuse.

It was about 7:30pm when Lucian pulled up in his own car. It was a black Chevy Impala, ancient looking and had clearly seen better days but an attractive car none the less. Its glossy black sheen was subtle in the evening sunset but its grunt as Lucian pulled up was deafening. Lucian had been rushing to get to Delilah as soon as he could, he was furious at Mikael for not heeding his warning. This boy was clearly not used to discipline or consequences and he was about to fix that. When Lucian clicked the car off and parked a little ways from the porch, Delilah watched as his long legs slid out from behind the wheel in dark navy blue straight cut jeans bunched at the ankles around his still uniform black boots. Instead of the police vest, Lucian was dressed in a long sleeve tight knit shirt with two buttons open in the V of his neck revealing his collarbones and upper chest. Delilah was finally able to take in Lucian's appearance properly with a level head and no obtrusive clothes like his police vest and distracting tazer and mase. Now she was able to appreciate the tightness of the knit shirt on his biceps, and the way it rippled along his back muscles when he bent back into the car to pickup his phone and wallet. She watched his long stride as he walked towards her and noticed the way his knuckles went white in a fist and his jaw clenched as he quickly looked past Delilah and gazed around the house; looking for Mikael she assumed. When Lucian approached Delilah and ducked his head as his six foot height surpassed the height of the porch light she was able to appreciate his small smile and the slight laughing lines that were beginning to form; replacing his deep dimples. One of the few giveaways to Lucians mature age. He was paler than she remembered, as she had assumed his culture while he stood in the sun and based on his tattoo but his pale complexion made her doubt her initial thoughts of being islander. His eyes were dark with long straight thick eyelashes surrounding the slits of his eyes making it almost seem as though he was wearing eyeliner. Delilah took in a small breath as she noticed his deep brown almost black eyes; they were intense and all consuming black holes as his stare burned hot and hungry into her own. Lucian felt Delilah's gaze on him as he walked towards her, stopping only a foot in front of her underneath her porch light. She seemed to be taking him in properly this time, no doubt she was too distracted earlier today the first time they met making Lucian suddenly curious as to what she thought of his appearance. He also noticed she had cleaned up since they last met, her wild, unruly, light brown hair roughly tied back in a loose bun with stray locks framing her round tan face. Delilah's frame was small still, but her curves were more evident in her own clothing, her dark khaki pants clung to her hips, thighs and calves but loose at her knees and ankles, her turtle neck baggy on her stomach and arms and tight around her chest area although he quickly realised it was meant to be loose everywhere. Lucian's eyes flickered towards her perfectly shaped pink mouth before returning to meet her stare. A slight blush crept up Delilah's neck and cheeks as she noticed him glance at her lips and she returned the favour by quickly taking in his own perfect mouth slightly ajar from his long canines and slight smile. She shook her head realising how ridiculous she was being staring at a mans lips who could have a wife and family at home for all she knew. Lucian watched as she cringed and bit her lip in contemplation before asking, "Are you okay Delilah? Has Mikael made an appearance?"
Delilah shook her head, "No sir, just keeps texting me to come meet him at the bottom of my street see?" She asked as she pulled out her iPhone and raised it above her head towards his eye level so he could see all of the texts Mikael had been hounding her with. It entertained Lucian to see how far up she had to hold the phone at his eye level, her arm was almost stretched out fully and her brow furrowed at the effort. He hadn't realized how short she was compared to his six foot one own height, Lucian towered over Delilah over a head higher. That smile that erupted from her efforts to reach him quickly evaporated once he read the threatening text messages mixed with love letters mix with panic stricken texts that Mikael had texted her within the past 20 minutes.
"The boy has no intention of quitting, does he? Have you been through a similar situation with him before?" Or anyone else, Lucian wanted to add to the end of that question. In his experience more than half of the women in these types of relationships were magnets for these type of pathetic excuses for human beings.
"No sir, never have we had to get the police involved. He was in anger management therapy but its been a year and if anything its just gotten worse." Lucian adored the way she called him sir despite her knowing his full name, and it sounded much better than Mr Walker so he decided to keep it. Although that thought quickly faded when he saw her tremble, not sure if it was from the cold outdoors or the memories his question brought to the surface.
"You should go inside, I can come knock on the door when Mikael has left." Lucian's eyes were hooded with anger as his gaze bore down on Delilah. Despite his efforts to shield her from his anger Delilah could still see the twitch in his jaw and the white knuckles of his fists; she was an expert in observing tell tale signs of incoming anger it once being what kept her safe. She thought that Lucian shouldn't try hide his anger from her, she was glad he was feeling the anger that seemed to be absent from herself and it appeared as though he felt enough of the stuff for the two of them. She was intimidated of course but not in the way Mikael intimidated her the difference being she wasn't scared of Lucian; he bought forth no fear from her emotions, only inferiority and a childlike emotion she couldn't quite pin point. Delilah gave a small nod and before she could bite her tongue she asked, "Please stay safe?" It was almost so quiet that Lucian barely heard it before he tipped his head in curiosity and gave her a small nod. She waited until he disappeared down the driveway and sighed as she hid behind her front door trying to shake the nerves that Lucian's appearance had created in the pitt of her stomache.