Voir Dire (N.H.)

thirty-four

"Hold on, hold on. Where are you? Are you at home?" he tried his best to keep his voice calm and steady, but even he could hear an element of panic in his words.

"Yes," Krystal said quickly. "I don't know if I should go in? To the hospital?"

"Well of course you should," Niall replied quickly as if there was even a question. "I'll come get you. I'm on my way." 

Niall hung up the phone abruptly, and began rushing around the kitchen trying to find his keys. He nearly forgot Kelsey was sitting at the table in him until she came up beside him and grabbed his arm.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her own voice displaying some panic. 

Niall nodded quickly. "I don't know..." he hesitated for a moment, trying to think of what exactly he should say. A voice in the back of his head telling him that Kelsey wasn't going to take kindly to being ditched at dinner for Niall's other woman. "I'm sorry, Kels, something's going on with the baby. I've got to go to the hospital with Krystal. Finish dinner without me, I'll be back soon." 

And with that Niall rushed out the door, leaving Kelsey standing in the kitchen, trying to process what exactly just happened. She walked back over to the kitchen table, her chicken now looking a lot less delicious and the candlelight dinner seeming a lot less romantic. She took a seat, before putting her head into her hands. 

How quickly she'd forgotten that Niall was not hers alone anymore. And he wouldn't be hers alone ever again. The reality of the situation began to set in. Niall having a baby with Krystal wasn't some simple complication to their relationship, it was a whole other relationship in its self, one that required time and effort, and unfortunately for Kelsey, would always take the precedent. 

He hadn't even hesitated. He hadn't even asked if she wanted to come with. In fact, Kelsey was almost positive he'd forgotten that she was even there the moment he realized something was going on. Kelsey felt her stomach turn.

Suddenly, she'd lost her appetite for dinner. She brings her plate over the the large stainless steel sink, setting it inside with a clink. Then she slowly climbed the stairs to Niall's bedroom. Kelsey made her way to the wooden dresser in the corner of Niall's room, opening the drawer to find one of Niall's grey t-shirts. She slides out of the black dress she'd purchased for the evening, not bothering to pick it up from its pile on the floor and pulled on the shirt. Then she slid under Niall's covers, hoping that if she closed her eyes for long enough, this night when feel like a dream again instead of the beginning of a nightmare.

*******************

It's 11:13pm when Kelsey heard Niall's car pull in to the drive again.

She listened as the door from the garage opened. Niall's voice echoed into the house as he entered, followed by another higher-pitched voice. Krystal. 

Kelsey's mind raced with any reasoning as to why Niall would bring her back her. Had he already forgotten that Kelsey was here? Had he so quickly forgotten about their romantic evening in, the one that had so quickly been ruined?

Kelsey began to grow irritated. Maybe this had been part of Krystal's plan all along. Maybe she knew that Kelsey was here and didn't want Niall to spend time with her. 

"Kelsey?" Niall called out from downstairs, but Kelsey doesn't feel like responding. Instead, she continued to lay in bed, her body facing away from the bedroom door. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, she wouldn't give her frustrations the opportunity to make themselves known. That would be better for both of them wouldn't it? To forget this night had even happened.