Gale went slow for her, letting her lean against him when she needed it. Luckily, the cafeteria was only one floor up, so there wasn't a long way to go. Breakfast was the same grey gruel as yesterday with a piece of fruit each and a small cup of water. Madge was very thankful fo the cup of tea she'd already consumed. The gruel stuck to the top of her mouth and was very difficult to swallow. She couldn't finish it all, and gave the rest of it to Gale.
Once they were done eating, Gale brought their empty trays back to the kitchen. Madge stood up and waited for him to return. She felt weird about going to see Katniss. The two of them had been pretty good friends before Katniss had gone into the Games. Things had been a little distant between them since she'd been back. And besides, Madge knew Gale had had a thing for Katniss for a long time. She wasn't sure how he felt about his hunting partner now. Madge wasn't even sure how he felt about her.
"Ready?" he asked when he came back, jarring Madge from her thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," she took hold of his arm, letting him lead the way. He told her the hospital was on one of the very bottom levels of the District.
"Just tell me if you need a break and we'll stop, or I'll carry you," they reached the first set of stairs which Madge didn't find too disagreeable. In fact, it wasn't until they had walked the length of an impossibly long hallway and arrived at the third set of stairs, that Madge requested a break. Again, Gale let her lean on him as a support.
"It's better than it was yesterday," she defended herself. Gale stroked her hair and kissed her temple.
"I know it is. You're so strong, Madge," he said softly. Madge felt a burning sensation where his lips had made contact with her skin. Her face went red, she could feel it, and her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to ask him what he'd meant by that kiss, but he was already talking again. "Can you keep going or do you want me to carry you?" he asked concernedly, thinking her reaction was of pain from her leg.
"No, no, I'll be fine. I can keep going now," she smiled a little. She didn't want to let him show any more affection than was needed. If he really didn't think of her that way, she didn't want to be led on. Maybe it was because they were going to see Katniss - a girl she knew he'd loved at some time in his life and maybe still did - that was making her over-think everything right now. It wasn't the first time he'd kissed her, either. He had kissed her hair mostly, smoothing it back down after his lips had parted with it. He'd even kissed her hand, although that's where everyone kissed her when she had greeted people at her father's parties.
By the time she'd gotten her bravery back to ask him about it, they'd arrived at the hospital. Gale led her past the reception desk and straight to Katniss's room. All of a sudden, Madge didn't feel weird about this; she was nervous. Gale had not fully explained why Katniss was in the hospital.
"I'll just go in first to see if she's awake," he decided, pulling away from her. "I'll be right back," quickly he went in, leaving her outside in the sterilized hallway. Madge breathed the smell of rubbing alcohol. The last time she'd been there, she hadn't noticed it. But now that she wasn't accustomed to it, the smell hit her with such a force that it made her dizzy. She was about to knock on the door for Gale when she realized he was opening it to let her in.
"C'mon in, she really wants to see you," he held the door for her, putting a hand on the small of her back to push her forward. Katniss lay on the hospital bed, her hair plaited neatly down her back. She looked a little worse for wear, but still probably better than when she'd first got back. Her eyes, usually so bright and sharp, were dull and watery from the morphling she was hooked up to.
"Madge, hi," her voice was thin and lacked conviction. Gale went around to the other side of the hospital bed. "How are you?"
"I-I'm good," Madge cleared her throat a little. "How about you? How do you feel?" Katniss shrugged, shifting to a more comfortable position. When she spoke, her voice shook.
"I want to go home," she bent her head down and Madge saw a tear fall into her lap. Gale took her hand in his and stroked the back of it with his thumb.
"I talked to Heavensbee for you yesterday. He said that once you're better and they know things are safe, you can go back for an hour or so," he explained. Madge's heart jumped into her throat. If she could go with Katniss, she could go get her parents! She'd have to ask Gale later if she could tag along. For now, Madge reached out to rub Katniss's arm comfortingly.
"How's Peeta?" she asked quietly. For a moment, it seemed as though Katniss hadn't heard her, then Madge noticed how her hand had tightened around Gale's. Suddenly, an awful noise was filling the room. It started as a low rumbling, then turned into a loud screech. It took Madge a minute to realize it was coming from Katniss. Her face was red and her cheeks were stained with tears. Gale was doing everything he could to calm her down: he pulled her close to him, cradling her head to his chest. Madge backed away, terrified.
A nurse arrived to give Katniss more morphling. Once she'd passed out on Gale, he laid her back down gently and tucked the blankets right up under her chin. Madge choked back her own sob, making him look up as if just noticing her now.
"We need to talk. Come with me," he stood up and pulled her out of the room, back into the rubbing alcohol hallway.
"Is she okay?" Madge asked before Gale could speak.
"Yes, she'll be fine. But next time, don't say anything about him," he advised, holding her by the shoulders.
"But why not? Why did she get so upset? I... I thought they liked each other," Madge went on. Gale sighed, struggling to find the words to explain it.
"Madge... when we went to rescue them... well, the Capitol took Peeta," he looked her right in the eye. "We don't know what's happened to him, if he's dead or alive or what. Do you understand?" As shocking as it was to her, Madge nodded. Her knees started to shake, so Gale led her to a chair. Her and Peeta had been pretty close friends when they were kids. And now... now he was gone. Gale stroked her hair, running his fingers through the ends of it.
"I'm fine, Gale. Really, I am," she reassured him.
"Do you want to go back to my place?" He asked, and she stood up to agree. "You're so strong, Madge," he repeated, leading the way back to his - their - compartment.
"Gale, I want to go back to 12 with Katniss," she blurted. Gale hesitated in walking, but he was firm with his answer.
"No, it's too dangerous," he decided.
"But what about Katniss? You think she'll be fine?"
"I don't want you getting hurt. I'm not taking any more chances with you. Leaving you that night was bad enough," he said, referring to the night of the bombing. With this said, Madge felt her next question was moot. Of course Gale liked her. And she liked him, too.