CHAPTER 6
"Katniss."
I squeeze my eyes together tightly. Maybe if I pretend I'm still asleep, she'll go away. But my wish doesn't come true, because she begins shaking my shoulder.
"Katniss, get up," she says. I don't move. "Katniss!"
I open my eyes and glare at her. "Johanna, do you know how much sleep I've gotten this week? And you're here waking me up."
Johanna gives my arm a pinch.
"Ow!" I cry, scooting back away from her and rubbing the place she pinched. "What was that for?"
"That was for not shutting up," she replies. "Listen. I have news, and I'm pretty sure you'll be glad I woke you up."
"What is it?" I groan.
"Peeta's awake."
My eyes widen. I jump out of the hard waiting room chair I spent the night in and sprint to Peeta's hospital room.
"Ma'am, please don't run in the hospital!" a nurse from down the hall calls after me, but I pretend not to hear her.
When I reach Peeta's room, the first thing I see is the doctor next to his bed. Peeta is nodding at him with a weak smile on his face. The doctor has passed him a handful of pills and is instructing him on when to take them. Peeta picks up a paper cup filled with water and takes them one at a time before he notices me.
"Peeta," I say, but it comes out like a breezy exhale. I run over to him.
He holds out his arms to me, and I wrap mine around him. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't have touched them simply because of the burns. I've always hated burns and have been disgusted by the sight of them; burns are the worst kind of pain. But because it's Peeta, I put my aversion aside.
"Is everything okay?" he asks, stroking my hair gently.
I pull back from him. I am unable to help laughing at his selflessness. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? How long have you been back?"
"You act like I flew to the moon or something. I've been here the whole time, Katniss," he chuckles. "But I woke up about half an hour ago. Johanna was sleeping but the doctor woke her after he got me settled and told her to find you."
"I'm glad he did," I say. "I was so worried about you."
He smiles a little, then seems to remember something. "How's Will?" he asks.
My own smile drops from my face at the mention of our son. But I know better than to worry Peeta, especially right now in his fragile state. "He's a little better," I lie.
"Katniss, he's my son too, you know." He doesn't believe me.
I sigh. Of course, he would see right through me. "He's doing okay, but the medicine isn't working as well as it should be. They think the low effect has to do with how young he is."
"He'll get better, Katniss. I know it."
"You just came back from the almost-dead, yet you're comforting me," I say.
"It's a little ironic, I'll admit," Peeta laughs. "But I have to be here for you. I haven't been for a few days."
"Making up for lost time," I comment, and he laughs again.
Peeta may not be completely healed, but he's alive. And for right now, that's all I need.
Four days later, Peeta is cleared to come home from the hospital. Will, although still sick, has been allowed to come home with us, under the condition that his doctor comes to check on him once a day until all traces of pneumonia are gone. We said our goodbyes to Johanna back at the hospital and I thanked her for all her help. I asked if she wanted to come back with us, but she declined, and I decided not to push it.
When we arrive home, I first go in the office to check for the mail, which my mother told me would be in a pile on the desk. And it's a pile if I've ever seen one. I can't even count how many envelopes are stacked on the desk.
"Katniss!" Peeta calls from the other room. "Your mom left a message. We pick up Maysi at seven tonight."
"Where?" I ask. I get no answer. "Where are we picking her up?" Still nothing.
I give up on shouting and walk to the kitchen, where he's holding Will and listening to the answering machine.
"I was asking you where we're going to pick her up," I say.
"Hold on." He holds up a finger while he finishes listening to the voice message, then puts the phone down. "Hazelle's house."
My eyebrows furrow slightly. "I hope she's doing okay. I feel terrible for leaving her here."
"Maysi needed to be here for school. It wouldn't have been good for her to come with us. And besides, she didn't need to see us like that."
I nod, but I don't get a chance to say anything back because the doorbell rings suddenly. I give Peeta a confused glance, wondering who it could be. I don't think we're expecting anyone. Peeta places Will on the ground, then raises an eyebrow and shrugs at me as he goes to answer the door. From the kitchen, I can hear muffled greetings and what appears to be excitement.
"Yeah, she's in here," I hear Peeta say as his footsteps come toward the kitchen.
Peeta re-enters the kitchen. Following right behind him is Haymitch.
"Haymitch," I smile, going in for a hug. He hugs back and smiles too, and I'm glad that he has stopped reeking of liquor.
"How you doing, sweetheart?" he asks.
"I'm okay," I answer.
Haymitch catches sight of Will standing beside me and crouches down in front of him. "Hi, there." He leans forward and messes up Will's hair, making my toddler son laugh. "You got taller."
"Daddy says I'm going to be tall like him," Will says proudly, beaming from ear to ear.
Haymitch looks up at Peeta and smirks. "Well, you don't have much further to grow, then."
Peeta frowns. "I'm not that short."
"I'm messing with you, kid," Haymitch says. "Where's the girl?"
"Still at Hazelle's. We haven't picked her up yet," I reply.
"Then tell her Uncle Haymitch says hi," he says with a wink.
"Of course," Peeta promises.
Over the past few years, Haymitch has grown close with our family again. In the years after the war, I didn't want to see him or anyone else who held a reminder of what happened. But when Maysilee was born, Haymitch was one of the first ones who came to visit me, even though we hadn't seen each other in close to seven years. As a result, Haymitch has become one of Maysi's favorite people. He's close with Will as well, but him and Maysi have a special bond. I think my kids see him as a grandfather figure, since both of their biological grandfathers passed away long before they were born.
Haymitch stopped drinking around the time Maysi was born. Peeta and I try not to bring up his alcoholic past in front of him. We know it's hard on him, even now after years of being sober. But he does have a thing for caffeine now.
"Why don't you come in the den and we'll catch up?" Peeta suggests.
We all follow him to the den. I sit on the couch with Will in my lap and Peeta sits next to me. Haymitch lowers himself into a white armchair across from us, a mug of coffee in hand. He begins to stir sugar into the mug with a spoon.
"So," he begins. "Word on the street is there's been some hospitalization in the family."
I don't know how to respond, and thankfully I don't have to.
Peeta replies, "Yeah, a little bit."
Haymitch stops stirring and waits for him to continue.
"Will has pneumonia and was being treated. He's gotten a little better, but his immune system is still weak. The doctor suggested we pull him out of preschool until he can get better, but we haven't really had time to weigh our options yet."
Haymitch nods. "And you weren't doing so good yourself?"
I'm surprised at Peeta's calmness when he answers. "You know about the fire. And I'm sure you heard I was in a coma."
Haymitch raises one brow at Peeta. Then he looks back down at his mug and continues stirring. "That's news to me."
"Oh," says Peeta.
"But you're okay?"
"As far as I can tell."
"No damage to the brain?"
"Nope."
"The lungs?"
Peeta noticeably stiffens next to me. Nonetheless, his answer is, "No."
I see Haymitch give him a look of doubt that lasts for all of one second, and Peeta shakes his head ever so slightly.
"Well," Haymitch says. "I guess I ought to be heading back."
He begins walking to the foyer. Peeta gets up to follow him and I come close behind, holding Will.
"You just got here," Peeta complains. "You should come by for dinner soon."
"I'll take you up on that offer," Haymitch says. He grabs his coat and puts it on. "Winter's coming. You can feel it in the air. You take care of those kids."
He pats Will on the head and gives me and Peeta hugs. "I'll be back for dinner," he promises. Then he walks out and shuts the door behind him.
Several hours later, after we have showered, changed clothes, and unpacked our hospital bags, it is time to pick up Maysi. Peeta calls Hazelle before we leave the house to let her know we're coming, and she surprises him by extending an invitation to stay for dinner. I'm not at all surprised, though; she always invites her guests to stay for the next meal. She's very hospitable.
Peeta accepts her invitation and before long, we're in the car. The ride consists of light conversation. We don't discuss the events of the past two weeks, only our plans for the next few.
I have almost forgotten that Gale is the one helping care for Maysilee until we knock on their back door and he is the one to answer, holding Maysi's hand.
How surreal it is to see him standing next to my daughter. The sight of it makes me momentarily forget my distaste for him.
"Mommy!" she says when she sees me. I bend over to hug her.
Once she greets Peeta and Willard, Gale invites us inside. As we walk through the front hall, he says, "I bet it's been a while since you were here last."
"We were just here the other day, actually," Peeta responds.
Gale seems surprised by this, but he doesn't say anything else.
When we get to the kitchen, Hazelle greets us with hugs and kisses. "It feels like forever since you were here! Are you all okay?"
Peeta answers for me again. "Will is well enough to stay at home. His doctor is keeping an eye on him though."
"That's good," Hazelle says. "And how about you?"
"I'm fine," he replies. But based on his exchange with Haymitch earlier, something tells me he knows something that I don't.
"Well, why don't the four of you sit down in the den? The others are in there, and I'm sure Gale would be happy to catch up with you."
Gale gives her a hard stare, which she returns with a stern one. He turns without a word and we follow him to their small living area.
Moments later, we're seated, with Peeta and I on the couch and Gale on another one parallel to us. Maysi and Will have wandered off to play with Posy in her bedroom. Rory and Vick have joined us in the living room, though, saving us from the awkward silence that was beginning to form.
Rory sits in one of the two old, beaten-up recliners across from us without saying a word.
"Hey, guys," Vick says with his signature goofy smile. He comes over to us and gives Peeta a friendly slap on the back, then hugs me. Then he goes to sit in the empty chair next to Rory.
I had hoped that the two younger Hawthorne brothers would ease the tension in the room, but I was wrong. We sit in dead silence for what feels like forever.
"I'm really sorry about the fire," Rory finally says to Peeta. "I went past the bakery yesterday. There was a lot of damage. It must be hard."
Peeta nods. "Thank you. I haven't really had much time to think about it yet."
"Do you know what caused the fire?" he asks.
Peeta opens his mouth to answer, but Gale interrupts him. "Shut up, Rory. We both know what caused—"
Gale suddenly stops mid-sentence, as if he realized that he's said too much. Peeta looks between the two brothers, appearing as confused as I am. What does Gale mean? How does Rory know what happened? What did happen?
Gale, seeming to have forgotten that Peeta was in the room, has composed himself quickly. "Gas leak from the car accident, right?" He laughs, and I can see the well-concealed nervousness in his voice. Years of knowing him have taught me to pick up on these things.
I narrow my eyes at Gale. He pretends not to see, but I know he does.
Thankfully, Hazelle rescues us from the growing tension by calling from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!"
The five of us stand and make our way to the table. Hazelle has added extra chairs to make room for all of us. She puts a plate at the head of the table, where she sits at every meal. Then, she continues setting plates down at each place. I sit in the first chair to her right, and Peeta sits beside me. Rory sits directly across from me, to Hazelle's left. Gale is beside him, and Vick beside Gale. We're all ready to eat, but the kids and Posy haven't come yet.
"Kids!" Hazelle yells, her voice projecting to the back of the house. "Are you coming?"
"Did someone say dinner?" I hear Will's excited voice shout as he runs down the hall.
All of us adults laugh.
"He's a real comedian," Vick comments.
We hear the running footsteps of Maysi behind Will. Posy is walking behind them, watching to make sure they don't fall.
"Alright, find a place to sit. I'll be right back," Hazelle says.
While she's gone, Peeta picks up Wll and puts him in a chair Hazelle has set up next to his. Posy sits beside Vick, and Maysi sits beside her.
"Where did Hazelle go?" Peeta asks.
She returns before his question gets answered. Walking behind her is a young boy who doesn't look much older than Maysi. He stands between Gale and Vick and says something to them quietly.
"You can pull up a chair beside me," Vick tells the boy.
The little boy goes over to the end of the table opposite Hazelle and tries to pick up the empty chair, but it's too big for him to carry. Posy offers to help and sets the chair where he tells her to.
By the time the boy has settled into his seat, Hazelle has sat down as well. She holds out her hands to Rory and I, and everyone else follows suit. We say a short prayer over the food – something I haven't done since my father died – and then begin eating.
Hazelle takes a bite of her food, nods in appreciation of her own cooking, and swallows. "We're so glad you were able to join us for dinner," she says to Peeta and I.
"Thank you for inviting us," says Peeta. "This is amazing. What is it?"
Hazelle beams at his compliment. "It's rice with beaver meat. The potatoes came from my garden."
Peeta takes another bite. "Mmm. Where do you find meat this juicy?"
"Gale shot it last night. He has an eye for picking the fattiest animals."
I can't help but ask. "You don't hunt in the mornings anymore?"
He looks surprised that I spoke to him. "You hunt in the mornings," he replies gruffly.
"So?" I say. Why should he care when I hunt?
"I don't want to bother you," he answers, and I know better than to continue.
I realize that the table has become completely silent during our exchange. All of them watching, all of them waiting. Watching for signs of forgiveness, waiting for one of us to explode. But neither of these things happen, so everyone reverts their eyes back to their plates.
"Grandma," an unfamiliar voice says, and I look up to discover that it belongs to the little boy. "Who's that?" He points to Peeta.
"That's Peeta Mellark, Ms. Katniss's husband," Hazelle replies.
"Oh," he says.
Peeta looks up and notices the boy watching him. He wipes his mouth with his napkin, then smiles at him. "Hi," he says. "What's your name?"
The little boy says, "Lane."
The name sounds familiar. It takes me a moment to remember that this is Vick's son, the one Rory was talking about. I look at Vick and smile. "I was wondering when I was going to get to meet your son. He's cute."
Vick looks confused. "My son?"
I look between Vick and Rory, trying to figure out why Vick is so perplexed. Lane is his son, right? If not, who else could it be? And where is his son?
Rory shakes his head at me and his eyes are trying to tell me something, but I'm not sure what.
"Rory, you said Lane is your nephew . . ." I say. My words trail off as if it's a question, because at this point, it is.
Rory sighs and puts his head in his hands. "Way to go, Katniss," he mutters.
Right then, everything begins happening at once.
Hazelle answers, "Lane is his nephew." She looks as lost as I am.
Vick looks to Rory and asks, "How does Katniss know about Lane?"
Meanwhile, Gale is glaring dangerously at Rory, his eyes appearing as if he's ready to kill him.
My eyes flash between all three brothers, unsure of what to think of the situation.
It's Peeta who speaks up in the midst of this chaos. "Will someone please explain to me what's going on?"
Everyone stops talking to stare at Peeta, but no one answers.
"Well?" he demands.
Gale is the only one not paying attention to Peeta. His eyes are still trained on Rory, daring him to say anything else. "You told her about Lane?" The anger in his voice makes me shiver.
"I didn't mean to, it just slipped out. I'm sorry," Rory pleads.
"Who else did it just 'slip out' to?"
"No one, I swear. I wouldn't tell anyone else," Rory insists.
With a shaking voice, Hazelle asks, "Rory . . . did Gale contact you before he came back?"
A/N: Well, this was the longest chapter I've written in a while! It was really fun to write and I'm so excited to introduce Lane. Next chapter, you'll find out answers to a few of the questions you've been asking. Also, some Galeniss coming in the next chapter. Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to review and let me know what you think! Your input keeps me going and I'm so grateful for each of you that take the time to review :) If you have time, maybe write an extra long one for this extra long chapter?