Connor's P.O.V
I knocked on Delilah's door but it's not De I see; it's her dad.
"Hey Connor. How are ya'?" I can tell that it kills him to see his daughter the way she is even though he smiles at me.
"Hey Mr May, I'm okay thanks, I mean I've been better. You?" I reply trying to show him that it's affecting a lot of us.
"Same here son." There's a pause as he gathers himself. "Are you here to stand and talk to me or were you hoping to see my daughter?"
I smile, he's a brave man seeing your 'precious little girl' in this state must be awful. "Don't get me wrong Chris your great to talk to but I would like to see De if she's willing to see me?"
"Of course Connor, just let me go and get her."
He walks towards her room and I follow him down the corridor even though I felt like I should've stayed back a bit.
"Just wait here."
I stand just outside her door as he goes in and shuts the door behind him. I can hear Chris talking but Delilah isn't replying until suddenly the crying starts and then she screams. The sound is piercing and makes me feel like I've just been stabbed.
Why is she screaming? Is she really that bad? Wow what a mess they've got themselves into.
I then hear Delilah shout at her dad. "I DON'T WANT HIM, I WANT TO BE ON MY OWN!" she shouts so loud her voice wobbles and cracks.
"No Delilah I'm not having you sit in here on your own for the next three weeks! I'm not letting you isolate yourself anymore than you already have!" Chris replies not shouting but firmly telling her what for and I feel like I should turn back and walk away. "Now you will speak to Connor whether you want to or not!"
"NOOOO! DAD, PLEASE!" Delilah starts sobbing and it kills me so much that she's so hurt she can't even speak to me.
Without even thinking I burst the door open and stare at Delilah.
"Now you may not want to speak to me, Delilah, but I'm telling you now, I'm not leaving you in this state no matter how much you shout!" I say to her as firmly as I can.
She doesn't reply but I take in her appearance...what happened? The once beautiful Delilah May was barely herself. Her cheeks were beginning to hollow out, her hair dry, brittle and lost it's shine, her eyes were absent and lifeless, her lips and skin dry cracked, and colourless. How did De become like this, when she sent me such a cheerful text just this morning? I searched for her phone but it wasn't anywhere.
"Connor." Delilah finally said quietly with her hoarse voice. She looked at me with her dull, dry eyes as they glazed over.
Her dad made a swift exit mouthing what I think was a thank you on the way out.
"De." I said to her as my eyes filled with tears.
"Connor..." she began to cry but I ran over to her and caught her collapsing body in my arms. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it's okay. Honestly, what're you like, shouting at your poor father like that?" I asked as I began to cry with her.
"I'm not thinking straight."
"Or eating right! De you're like a twig already, you need to feed yourself." I let go off her and sat up on the edge of the bed.
"I know, I've been in my room since..." she was going to carry on but didn't for a simple fear of saying it. "I've not been in the kitchen at all."
"Well, that's going to change now I'm back! I'll come round everyday at breakfast, lunch and tea, just to make sure you eat it!"
"You don't need to do that..."
"Clearly I do, De, it's been five days and you're already unhealthily thin. I'm worried about you!"
"What about...him? He needs your help too, I bet?"
"Yeah he's suffering worse than you, he barely talks, but he has Tris and Brad but I'll tell you what we can rotate. I'll do breakfast one day, Brad can do lunch, Tris tea then rotate the next day! How about it?"
"Sure!" Delilah smiled, she actually smiled a genuine real smile! I've never been so happy to see that smile ever in my life.
"So why don't we start with me taking you out for dinner, or is it a bit too soon for you to be leaving the house?"
"No, that sounds great! Where will we go though?"
"There's a great restaurant down the street that I would recommend."
"Do they have good vegetarian options?"
"Of course! I wouldn't recommend it otherwise!" We both laughed and it made me so happy knowing that she was making progress to a recovery already. "Well, De, it's been lovely talking to you but I shall leave you to get ready!" I gave her a hug and she hugged me back. Then I started walking down the corridor.
"Wait!" Delilah shouted and I popped my head back through the door. "is James really worse than me?" She looked so worried but, still, I knew James was unforgiven.
"Yeah, I'm afraid so. He's barely said a word and if he does he either bursts out crying or shouts at us." I reply I didn't want to make her feel bad because, like Milly said before, it's not her fault. "He got really drunk the other night so he didn't have to face...it. Then we found him whacking his head against the wall, yesterday, so much so he'd made it bleed." She looked so shocked but didn't say anything.
"Okay, well, I'll see you later." was all she could say.
"Yeah I expect to see you answering your door at six thirty sharp." I say to her with a grin and she waves at me as I walk away.
"Hey Chris." I say as I walk into the lounge area.
"Hey Connor, how is she?" he asks as he gets up off the sofa and makes his way towards me.
"She's doing better. I'm taking her out for tea at six thirty if that's okay?"
"Of course, I'm just glad to hear she's said she'll go out and eat!"
"Well, best be off, I need to check on James now as well and get ready." I turn to walk out the apartment.
"Er, Connor, I just want to apologise." Chris says to me and I turn back to face him.
"What for?"
"Well, for her shouting and for the texts; I sent them. I didn't want you worrying too much. She woke up screaming again this morning and was in no mind set to reply to any texts but I thought you deserved a reply."
"Oh, it's okay I'm glad that she's showing commitment to a recovery though. Well, I'll be off then!" I shook Chris' hand and exited the apartment.
As I walk towards the door of the band's apartment I hear more shouting.
"JAMES STOP! JUST THINK ABOUT THIS, IF SHE KNEW SHE'D BE EVEN MORE ANNOYED AT YOU!" I heard Tris shout.
"Seriously guys I let you go away for two weeks an you bring this back!" Joe's here the poor guy didn't treatise what he's got himself into.
"I CAN'T HELP THAT I LOVE HER! I NEED HER! SHE'S EVERYTHING TO ME AD IT'S MY FAULT SHE WALK AWAY! I NEED TO DO THIS!" James yelled, I can tell he's crying by the cracks in his voice.
"JAMES, PLEASE, WE'RE BEGGING YOU! Just give me the god damn knife!" Brad shouted but backed off a bit as he sounded like he was about to break down. Upon hearing this I burst into the apartment. There he was my best friend holding a knife to his stomach, tears streaming down his face. James had already cut his wrist a few times and the sight made me bury into tears.
"James? What happened to you?" I said to him he looked at me with disappointment in his eyes. "Please, James, put the knife down..."
"Connor..." James butted in but I refused to finish mid sentence.
"...for us?"
At this James' bottom lip trembled and he dropped the knife before collapsing to his knees, letting his head hang down. Me, Brad and Tris all ran over to him and hugged him. I thought we'd lost him. The knife lay beside me and I handed it to Joe before he came and joined us.
Once we'd finished hugging we sat him on the sofa before me and Joe went into his room and removed all the sharp things we found.
"I think he'd been drinking." Joe said to me breaking the haunting silence.
"Wouldn't surprise me. He sneaks vodka in his water bottle, thinking we don't know about it." I reply.
"He's an absolute wreck. We can't leave him on his own, no matter what!"
"I know. You three are going to have to look after him tonight; I'm taking Delilah out for tea do that I know she's eating. Honestly, the two just need to sort it out or get over it but De is no where near as bad as James."
"That's because she doesn't feel like it's her fault and it's not but it's not James' either!" Joe told me and that was that.
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Again with the abrupt ending but the chapter was getting long. James is really torn up about this...makes me sad I write these chapters.
No shout-outs but thanks to everyone who votes, comments, follows or adds means a lot to a loner like myself!
Thanks Fin!😘