Hey There Delilah

Chapter 5

*Luke's P.O.V.*
How could I have forgotten her? I turn back immediately and race to Panera's, now a block and a half away, only to find that my biggest nightmare had come true. Delilah was gone from the guitar case, a fourth of the orange where she once sat.

"Delilah!" I scream, panic finding its way into my bones. I search all around me, screaming her name a total of four times but not seeing her anywhere.

"No, no, no, no, no," I mumble, tears starting to fall. How the hell did I let this happen? Then I hear it. A scream coming from a lady a few feet away.

"Oh my god someone get that baby!"

I turn towards the street to see Delilah crawling into the middle of it, and for a split second I'm filled with relief; then dread finds its way back to me as I look to see a big black car heading straight for her.

My heart stops and I race for my baby. The car stops abruptly, less than two feet away from Delilah, and the passenger side door swings wide open. A man in a business suit rushes out of the car and into the street, ignoring traffic and grabbing Delilah who's now crying extremely hard.

"Why the fuck is there a baby in the middle of the road!?" He yells.

My body feels nearly frozen as I run the rest of the way to Delilah. The black car has now pulled over to the side of the street, and the business suit man follows behind it; he's on the sidewalk when he sees me running towards him.

"Oh my god, oh my god," is the only thing I'm able to get out as I reach for Delilah, the tears in my eyes still falling.

"This your baby?" The man says, struggling to hold Delilah as she thrashes in his arms.

"Yes, yes I'm her dad. I'm so sorry," I ramble on, still apologizing when the man hands Delilah to me. I hold her closer and tighter than ever, afraid she'll slip away even when I'm holding her. I fully intended on not letting go ever again. The man clears his throat, grabbing my attention.

"Do you mind telling me why the hell your daughter was in the street?" He says after Delilah's sobs have turned to sniffles.

I open my mouth, but the words fail to come out. How was I supposed to explain that I was the worst father in the world? I look at Delilah, still not over the fact that I almost lost my child, that it was all my fault, and that the man standing in front of me was the reason she was still alive.

"You saved Delilah. Thank you so much," I manage to say quietly to the man. I hadn't even begun to answer his question, but I wasn't sure how. The man lets out a deep sigh, running his hands through his hair and looking at Delilah and I with worrying eyes.

"You're welcome. Look, I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but you need to keep an eye on your kid. She's a baby for Christ's sake. Your baby. " The man was young, not much older than me even, but I felt like I was being scolded by my mother. I deserve it, to be honest.

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry," I blubber out, tears threatening to spill again. I feel my breathing becoming uneven, the anxiety strangling my throat as I clutch Delilah close.

"Woah, easy there. Don't hurt yourself. She's safe now," the man says to me. "Why don't we go sit down for a bit, okay? You need to calm those nerves. I'll buy you two lunch."