Something New 2 - Niall Horan

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I awoke that morning to a crying baby and a snort from Niall. Confusion washed over me for a short few seconds before the previous night came back to me. Niall and I, groggily and with no acknowledgement of each other, instead focused on the piercing cry from just down the stairs.

"Mmph," I heard him breathe when he finally saw me, pressing a gentle hand to my shoulder to get through the door, and to Noah, before me. In that moment, I fully saw him in all of his glory; black Calvin Klein's and a white T-shirt. The sweats he wore the night before seemed to have been discarded - I noted what seemed to be a pair of sweats on the floor near the wall, appearing to have been tossed - and I could see a tight bulge in the front. I said nothing, just stood back and let him saunter casually to Noah's nursery, as I assumed was his intention when he held me back.

I couldn't help but want to join him, assist him, but at the same time, I had so many questions, and I knew not where Niall and I stood.

My internal battle was apparently focused on Noah's cries - a fear that Niall wouldn't be able to calm him quickly enough, maybe? I didn't want to wake Maura - because as soon as his cries ceased, my decision was made. I left my position near the open door frame and waltzed to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me and facing the large mirror.

Pull yourself together, Cara. Now, I thought as I leaned on the cool granite counter and stared at my face in the glass. The dark circles under my eyes had lightened considerably, and my face seemed to glow the slightest bit more. Could one nights' rest with the one I love make such a tremendous difference? Oh good god, I have it bad.

And why wouldn't I? Over the past few months, my world had spun a million times over.

Racing, throbbing - there were so many words to describe what my mind was doing I couldn't make sense of all of them.

I was unable to collect my thoughts before I heard the yelling.

"Cara! Cara, he's gone!"

What?

I rushed down the stairs into the spare room where Noah had been sleeping, just last night, to discover Niall looking at me, terrified. The blankets in the crib were pulled askew, and just below where Noah's head should be, a small baby monitor, emitting a baby's cry.

No. How?

Niall was crying. And then suddenly so was I. Sobbing, uncontrollably. Fumbling for the phone in my pocket. Screaming for Maura. Dialling, shakily - 999. Tripping over my words to the operator. My heart besting so fast, my body ready to fight or to flee or to freeze; anything to remedy the situation.

"My baby's gone! My baby's gone."

"Slow down Ma'am."

"No! I'm not going to slow down. My baby's gone, someone took him. Please help."

The line went dead for a moment, and my heart dropped. But then it was dialling again, and I was connected to police dispatch. They identified themselves and I quickly repeated myself, desperate for someone to fix this.

Please, someone fix this.

Please.