Wow was Mockingjay painful. There was something about seeing hijacked Peeta that made it much more impossible to endure than just reading it. So to make myself feel better (and hopefully you too) I wrote this probably overdone story. But oh well, I needed this bit of fluff to help dull my misery.
As for my other story, "Always", I will be updating soon. Chapter 7 is almost finished.
Happy reading :)
It must be midnight, it must be tomorrow when Haymitch opens the door. "They're back. We're wanted in the hospital." My mouth opens with a flood of questions that he cuts off with "That's all I know."
We run, suddenly charged with determination and excitement. But part of me is horrified at what I'm going to find. I have to see him, though. And nothing will stop me.
I'm well out of breath when we reach the hospital, which is in a state of chaos. Doctors shout orders and wounded are wheeled around on their beds. We're sideswept by a gurney bearing an unconcious, emaciated young woman with shaved head. Her flesh shows bruises and oozing scabs. Johanna Mason.
Haymitch leads us down a hall, and through a doorway I catch of short glimpse of Gale. A nurse pulls something from under his skin with a pair of tweezers, but he doesn't flinch. I want to thank him, but the door shuts before I can even open my mouth.
"Finnick!" Something between a shriek and a cry of joy. A lovely if somewhat bedraggled woman - dark hair, sea green eyes - runs towards us in nothing but a sheet. "Finnick!" And suddenly its as if there's no one in the world but these two, crashing through space to reach eachother. They collide, enfold, lose their balance, and slam against a wall, where they stay. Clinging into one being. Indivisible.
A pang of jealousy hits me. No one seeing them could doubt their love. I pry my eyes off of them, start towards Boggs. He's exhausted, but unharmed. "We got them all out. Peeta's at the end of the hall. The effects of the gas are just wearing off. You should be there when he wakes."
My heart skips a few beats. Peeta. Alive and well - maybe not well but alive and here. Away from Snow. Safe. Here. With me. In just a minute I can touch him. See his smile. Hear him laugh.
I'm lighheaded in anticipation but Haymitch drags me forward. Opens the door. For a moment, time freezes. My eyes scan over the doctors shining lights into his eyes, checking his pulse, reassuring him that he's safe. He stands on shaking legs. He looks so bewildered, so broken, that it shatters my heart. "Peeta." I barely whisper, my own legs turning to jelly. Still, I force myself to get closer. The doctors give me one look, then move out of my way.
Peeta finally meets my gaze. His eyes, that beautiful blue that I've missed so much meet my own. "Peeta." I say again, louder. Tears threaten to spill over my eyelids. He's here. He's okay. I reach my hand out to caress his face, so gentle as to not hurt him. He just stares at me, his mouth slightly open as if he's trying to find what to say.
Finally, he speaks. "Are you real?" I let out a shaky laugh and tears slide down my cheeks. "I'm real Peeta. I'm real. I'm here."
"I wasn't sure if you were alive, they told me you -" Suddenly I can't take it anymore, I fling myself into him, wrap my arms tightly around his neck. He doesn't hesitate to circle his own arms around my waist, pulling me even closer to him.
I sob into his shirt, all of the emotions I've felt in his absence flowing out. He buries his face into my neck, saying just once, just loud enough for my ears to pick up, "Katniss." We stand like this, wrapped in a tight embrace, for just a moment before he gently pushes me away and puts his hands on my cheeks. His thumbs brush away my tears, but do nothing to brush away his own. Then suddenly he's kissing me and I'm kissing him back.
"I love you. I love you so much." He says between kisses before he finally presses his lips to mine and leaves them there. That feeling starts again, moving slowly through my body like honey. Instead of pushing it away, I let it happen. Let myself feel for the first time in so long.
I'm hit with a sudden realization: that I can never feel this way with anyone else. That no matter how hard I try, Peeta will be the only person in the world I could ever feel complete with. That's when I understand that Finnick was right. That I do love him. And although I may not have known in what way then, I certainly know now.
It's minutes before we pull away. He rests his forehead on mine as we catch our breath. "I'm never letting you go again. I love you, Katniss. Always."
"I love you too. And I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out."
He kisses me again, softly. "It could of taken you a million years and I would love you anyways."
A doctor gently knocks on the open door. We release each other, but keep our hands entwined. "Mr. Mellark, we need to run some tests on you. I'm sorry, but at this time it would be best if Ms. Everdeen left the room." She looks at me. "You can come back tomorrow afternoon, during visiting hours." I know she doesn't mean to cause me harm. But I can't leave him. Not again.
Haymitch comes in. "I figured I'd wait outside while you two caught up." He notices the doctor, and then glances at us again. "Is there a problem here?"
"Mr. Mellark has been through extensive trauma and he needs to heal. I understand that they have not seen each other in some time, but he is not well enough to -"
"Can we talk about this outside? I don't want to cause a meltdown. Katniss has the tendency to hide in closets," Haymitch cuts in. They leave the room, and just as the door closes Peeta says "Hiding in closets?"
I look at the ground. How can I explain how broken I've been without him, when he went through so much worse in the Capitol?
"The doctor's right, Peeta." I say, changing the subject. I take a seat at the edge of the bed, pulling Peeta down with me. "You need to rest."
"Katniss I don't care if I never sleep again as long as you stay."
"I don't want to leave you. But you need to get better. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Please don't leave me." His voice sounds so small, so scared. I want to hold him, never take my eyes off of him.
We're interrupted when the doctor comes back in. She looks unhappy. "We agreed that separating the two of you would not improve Peeta's health. So a cot will be brought in, you may sleep in here until Peeta is better." She checks her clipboard. "You will have testing tomorrow morning, but judging by your condition you seem to be relatively okay aside from bruising and a few fractures. What you need now is to sleep. I'll be back in the morning." With a small nod, she turns and leaves.
"So you'll stay?" Peeta says, laying down. He adjusts the pillow so that he is comfortable. I'm reminded of a time, not so long ago, when I asked Peeta to stay with me. His one word reply slips back into my memory, making me smile. So I tell him, "Always."
I don't wait for the cot. Instead, I crawl into bed with Peeta. I pull the covers up over us, snugging deep into his warmth. The hospital bed is tiny, barely enough room for the two of us. But I don't care. He falls asleep quickly. I wonder when the last time he slept in a bed was. Was it the night before the Quell? I brush my finger ever so lightly across his brow, wondering just how much pain Peeta has been through. Not prepared for the answer.
As I drift to sleep, I push away all of my worries. I can deal with them later. For now, I am with Peeta. As I always will be. And together, we will get through this war.