I flip on the light switch in the front room of the house; remove my gray wool coat, mittens, hat and soaking wet boots. This winter is going to be long and cold. I walk back towards the kitchen, thinking I would find Peeta there. The lights are still on and there's fresh bread and cupcakes sitting on the counter. But no sign of my husband.
"Peeta?" I call out. "Peeta?" There's no reply. I lean against the counter, replaying my doctor's appointment over and over in my head. I fold my arms across my chest and stare at the ground.
"Katniss!" Someone calls from the door. I start to walk back; upon turning the corner, I see Peeta standing at the end of the hallway, still wearing his apron.
"Peeta!" I smile and run towards him, my arms outstretched to give him a hug. The expression on his face stops me. It's serious and distracted. "What's wrong?" I ask.
"There's someone here to see you." He explains, putting his hand on my back to steer me towards the door. When I turn the corner, my breath catches in my throat. I back up, closer to Peeta.
"Hey Catnip. How's it going?" Gale asked, taking off his gloves. I gape at him in shock.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were in District 2." I say. Gale smiles and shakes his head.
"I'm your best friend and I don't even get a 'hello?'" He asks, stepping towards. I instinctively grope for Peeta's hand. I find it and hold on tightly. I wouldn't exactly call him my best friend anymore. Having Gale in my house scares me a little. Okay, it scares me a lot. He's right in front of me now but I can't back up anymore; I'm against a wall.
"Besides, I' not allowed to come back? This was once my home too, Katniss." He reaches a hand up to stroke my cheek. I pull away, turning my head so he can't touch me. I feel Peeta's hand twitch under mine. Gale pulls his hand back, a bit startled but his expression of surprise turns to sadness. I don't feel guilty though, for once in my life.
"What do you want?" I ask, trying to meet his eye. It's hard to look at him without wanting to scream. I try anyway.
"Peeta invited me for dinner. But only if you want me to." He explains. He smiles softly at me. I get a flashback of all those times I went hunting with him before my first Hunger Games. It makes me feel a little too nostalgic and so I cave.
"I don't care. Stay, then." After I've said it, Gale lets out a breath of relief he didn't know he'd been holding. Peeta starts moving first and since I'm still holding his hand, I go too. I try to put as much distance between Gale and me by pushing ahead of Peeta so I'm leading the way.
When we're back in the kitchen, Peeta lets go of my hand. I stand against the counter, trying to keep my face clear of emotion. He stands behind me.
"Sorry, it's only for dinner." He apologizes before kissing my cheek. He turns to face Gale now. "Is lamb stew and bread okay?" He asks. Gale nods. He's not picky about anything. "Alright, I've just got to finish closing down the Bakery but I'll be right back." He says, hurrying past Gale so he can un-apron himself.
I get out a knife to start cutting bread. I can feel Gale looking at me, sizing me up because he hasn't seen me since before I got married.
"Does Peeta know?" He asks suddenly. "Is that why he's so happy to let me stay?" I do my best to ignore him, mostly because I don't know what he's talking about. "He does know you're pregnant, right?" At this, I nearly chop my hand off with the knife. I whip around and glare at him.
"Who told you?" I ask, except no one else know yet and he just got back tonight. Gale smiles at me but he's learned his lesson about coming towards me; especially since I have a knife.
"No one told me, Catnip. I just could tell. So you haven't told him yet?" I go back to cutting the bread. It would be like Gale to read my mind like that. It's what I used to like about him; I didn't have to hide anything while I was with him. I waited till I didn't have a knife to respond.
"No, I just found out today." I took a seat at the table, resting my elbow on the wood and my chin in my hand. I looked glumly at the place mat. Gale read my thoughts again.
"You don't want kids, do you Katniss?" I shake my head. "But Peeta does?" I nod. He runs a hand through his long hair. It's grown back long and thick since he had it shaved for the Rebellion. "Do you want me to tell-?"
"No!" I snap. "I'm telling him. And I'm telling him when you're not here. If I hear one word come out of your mouth that even so much as hints at my pregnancy, you will die." I point a finger accusingly at him. He puts his hands up in surrender.
"Fine," he agrees. "So, I can't tell him there's a bun in the oven?" He jokes in usual Gale fashion. I whip a napkin at him but it flutters to the ground before it reaches him.
"No," I say, but he's smiling and holding back a laugh.
Before anything else can be said on the matter, Peeta returns. I'm glad that he's back but my most recent conversation makes my stomach flop at the sight of him. He's brought some extra lamb stew from the Bakery fridge and he heats it up and serves it. Gale sits across from me, while Peeta sits beside me.
"So, what brings you back to District 12?" Peeta asks conversationally.
"Well, the project I'm working on in 2 is being put on hold for the winter so I thought I'd come back here for Christmas. See my family, you two, put flowers on Prim's grave." He explains and I tense up at the mention of Prim's name. Peeta must notice and he knows how I feel about her and Gale because he's putting a hand on my shoulder and rubbing it.
"I'm sure your mother will be very glad to have you home for the holidays." He says, glossing over the sticky moment with ease. They both talk some more as if they've been friends forever. I can feel my stomach doing more back-flips. I swallow each mouthful of stew with difficulty. Finally, my stomach can't take it anymore. I feel it lurch forward and I put my spoon down. Peeta and Gale both look at me quizzically. There it goes again and I bolt for the bathroom.
"Katniss?" Peeta calls after me. His voice is filled with concern and worry. I get to the toilet just in time. Everything comes up from lunch onward. In a matter of seconds, Peeta is kneeling behind me, rubbing my back and whispering to me. I start to cry from the feeling of everything coming back up my throat.
When I'm sure it's over, I wipe my mouth and flush the toilet. I lean back into Peeta's chest and he just rocks me gently back and forth.
"You're okay, Katniss." He soothes. I close my eyes because it's made me exhausted for some reason. Gale stands in the doorway, watching with a smirk on his face. When I notice this, I'm scared he's going to tell Peeta the real reason why I've thrown up.
"Well Catnip, sick of me already?" He asks, the smirk widening into a smile. He thinks it's the best joke he's ever told. I smile softly but not because I find his comment amusing. Its relief that I've discovered maybe, just maybe, I can trust Gale again.