AU: in this story, Panem is a very secretive country. Most of the world views it in the same way that we view North Korea.
Thea Affel woke from her nightmare with a scream. It took a moment for her to realize where she was. She was laying in a small, rickety boat crammed next to her only family, her son.
Her nightmare had begun like all of the others. She dreamed about her time as a contestant on the Hunger Games. But instead of following the normal course for her nightmares, she dreamed that her son was there, and that he was injured. A sitting duck surrounded by the other tributes.
When Atlas` name had been called at the reaping, Thea knew that they had to escape. Truth-be-told, she really didn`t think that they would make it out alive. But she also knew, because of her 'healer' job in the district, that her son was barely healthy enough to survive the next few months in the conditions of their district, let alone in the Games. Sending him to fight would have been dooming him to die afraid and alone. She knew that they were close to the United States. She pulled out a map and used the stars to find their position. The tides must`ve carried them much faster than she had expected. She couldn`t see the horizon in the dark, but using her map and the stars, she figured that they were no more than three miles from the coast of south Jersey. She just hoped that the border wasn`t being so heavily patrolled that they couldn`t sneak in.
She figured it would be easier to sneak in at night, so she grabbed the paddles and began to row. She rowed so quickly that by the time they reached land, she couldn`t more her arms. She had to wake Atlas to get up because she couldn`t pull the boat onto shore. Five hours later, the pair were sneaking into Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
"Mom, we can wait one day-"
"No, we`re getting you better now. In one day they might come for us."
"I heard that this country is more powerful-"
"I said no! We don`t know anything about the outside world for sure, not with outside media outlawed in Panem. We think we know the rules here, but we don`t know. This doctor has a good reputation. First we get you better, then we go into hiding for a little while." Thea and her son both knew there was no room for negotiation here. Thea was forced to be a survivor for her entire life. She was an orphan in an outlying district, which meant that she clawed and fought just to keep from starving. The survival, hunting, and stealing skills were a big part of what got her through the Games alive, but everyone told Atlas that it was her strength and her refusal to give up that made her a Victor. Atlas knew that his mom was unbelievably stubborn under the best of circumstances. When she was fighting for her son`s life, arguing was pointless.
Atlas was torn from his thoughts by his mother pulling at his arm. It scared him to feel how weak she had become. Atlas was 17, and was more muscular than anyone else in the district because his mother was an expert at getting them enough food, but he had always been impressed by the strength that of his mother, who was almost a foot shorter than him. Now when she pulled, she couldn`t even budge him. He looked at the bruising all over her face and arms. She had fought off two peacekeepers while he was unconscious after coughing up blood. When he finally woke up, he found two dead peacekeepers and his mother beaten almost to death. She had always reassured him that she would go to the ends of the Earth to keep him save, he just didn`t take it so literally before. He let his mother lead him to the stairwell and they both struggled to climb several stories in their condition.
Finally, they were on the correct floor. They found the correct door within minutes.
"Dr. Wilson; this is it!" Thea exclaimed. This was the first time she had felt real hope in weeks. She didn`t knock. In her district, knocking wasn`t the custom.
Dr. Wilson expected to see House; who else would be barging into his office? Instead, he gasped at what he saw. An enormous man, maybe 6'5", was clutching a piece of cloth as he began to cough up blood. Next to him stood an unbelievably attractive blonde. She was curvy, thin, and tiny. He would later find out that she was 5'2", but next to the tall man she looked much smaller.
"Dr. Wilson?" the woman asked. She had a thick accent that he`d never heard before.
He stared in shock for another moment before speaking, "Yes. I`m sorry, did we have an appointment?"
"No sir, but my son is very sick and I`ve read that you`re a great doctor. Please, you have to heal him."
Wilson motioned for them to sit down.
"Are you ok Mrs..."
"I`m Thea Affel. My son is Atlas. I`m perfectly fine, my son is the one whose sick."
"Thea, you look like you`ve been badly beaten. You need to get looked over."
Thea shook her head violently. "Dr. Wilson, I traded everything for American money at our underground market. The money is to treat my son, not to look at some bruises." With that Thea handed him what she clearly thought was an enormous amount of money. It probably was, where she was from. But it was only thirty dollars. It wouldn`t even cover a check-up.
Wilson smiled sadly, "Thea, this isn`t even enough to pay for a checkup... how long have you been in the country?"
He saw her face suddenly change. Rage and determine replaced the scared mother expressions on her face.
"Atlas, wait outside."
"Mama, if he can`t-"
"I said out!" Atlas got up and dragged his feet on the way out.
"Thea, there are government assistance programs-"
"No. You will not share our names with the government. How to I get insurance?"
Wilson looked a little bit shocked, "Are you here illegally?"
"They were going to kill my son. We survived the way here, you can`t refuse to treat him now," also the fierce determination was still obvious in her features, her voice cracked at the end and it was clear that she was having a hard time keeping back the tears.
"I can`t-"
"Please," she was pleading now, "I can work for you Dr. Wilson, I can do anything you want. Anything at all, even if all you want is sex. Please. You have to help him. He`s a good boy."
Wilson looked shocked at how easily this woman offered prostitution. It was pretty obvious that this was a common practice where ever she was from. But the tears in her voice broke him. He always cared too much for his own good.
"I could hire you to help with some paperwork, housework, errands. Things like that. I`ll provide health insurance." he said after a long pause.
The woman thanked him profusely. He decided to use her happy mood to his advantage.
"But, I want to exam you and make sure that you`re ok."
The woman nodded quickly, "Yes sir. I know I look hurt but I can still work."
It saddened Wilson that she thought he just wanted to make sure she could work. He told her she was wrong, and led her and her son to a private room. He asked Thea to sit on the bed and began to look over her bruises. When he pulled up her shirt to check her ribs, Atlas lunged at him. He was shocked to see Thea hold back her big, muscular son. She yelled at him in what must`ve been their native tongue, before sitting back down and letting Wilson finish the exam. He found a broken rib and wrist. He got her patched up and in a cast, cleaned some of the cuts on her face.