Chapter 8. Brotherly Confrontations

It didn't take very long for the story of Gale's return to reach the rest of the rebels. However, the news never hit Hazelle and Gale's siblings until the second day of his hospitalization. None of the other Victors knew the family well enough to go to them to reveal the news, which angered a particular blond braided healer. Prim took it upon herself to wake up an hour earlier then she usually would on the second day. Braiding her hair in the same way Katniss's hair used to be, the healer took to the streets and headed directly towards the Hawthorne's home.

It was always colder during the night time and early morning, so Prim didn't have to worry about Buttercup attempting to follow her out. She hugged herself to try and warm her skin under the fur lined coat before stopping at the house. As her knuckles struck the door, it occurred to her that she had no idea how to inform the family of the news. She cursed herself for not preparing better and clouding her logic with anger towards the others who should have done this much earlier.

After a few moments, Rory opened the door before Prim could knock again, holding a steaming cup of coffee. Already in his Bonum Army training uniform, he had been ready for the day and his upcoming classes, even though his mother and siblings were still in bed. He smiled a little at seeing the youngest Everdeen on his door stop.

"Oh, hey Prim. What's up? Do you want to come in?"

Prim dropped her hand immediately, staring at the boy. "Um," she started, searching for words. "Is... is your family up?"

His smile faded at Prim's hesitance and her body language. He instantly could tell something was wrong. "No, they're asleep. Posy had a rough night last night. Why? Did something happen? What's wrong?"

"You should wake them. There's... there's something that you all should know about and no one's told you yet and..."

Rory, however, didn't move from his spot. He set his coffee mug distractedly on a table near the door before eyeing the small blond girl, anxiously. "Prim, what happened?"

Prim bit her bottom slightly. She shouldn't have to be the one to tell him. Someone who could better voice the news, who could be more compassionate should. She was afraid that if she just blurted everything out, he wouldn't believe her or think it was some mean joke.

The girl sighed heavily as she released her lip from her teeth. Trying to channel what the younger, past form of herself would do in a situation like this, she reached forward and grabbed one of Rory's hands lightly. She calmed her voice and lowered it to a more comforting tone. "Rory... they found Gale. He's alive."

Rory, however, just stared down at her. His heart began to race and his palm became sweaty in hers, but when he spoke, his voice was still calm, even though inside, he felt like screaming at her. "Prim, that's not funny. He's dead."

The blond just shook her head though. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. "I promise you, Rory, I would never joke around like that."

"Prim, it's been a year. He wouldn't... he wouldn't have abandoned us like that."

"He's in the Medical Center."

He eyed her, disbelievingly. His big brother, the one who always took care of him, was dead. He had to have been. Why else would it have taken him so long to come back? Regardless, there was still a small nagging feeling at the back of his brain, a feeling that told him to look, just in case. "I... I'll wake everyone up."

"I'll wait here to take you guys," she nodded before dropping her hand from his. Rory nodded once before pushing his emotions back down in his chest. It was something he had grown used to doing, bottling up his feelings for the good of the family.

He ran back up the stairs, his combat boots thunking heavily on the wood. He quickly woke up both of his younger siblings and his mother, telling them to hurry up and get ready as quickly as possible.

"What's going on, Rory?" Hazelle questioned her son as she dressed Posy in her little pink, fur coat.

Rory, not wanting to overexcite anyone, but especially Posy, just crossed his fur coat covered arms over his chest, impatiently. Regardless of Prim never lying to him, he still felt a nagging doubt at the back of his mind. "We'll have to see. Prim has something to show us."

"Prim?" Hazelle questioned as she finally managed to get the coat on the girl. Posy began to whine, not wanting to be awake as she began to try to wrestle out of her coat. When Hazelle picked her up, the little girl began to scream and thrust her tiny fists into her mother's shoulder.

Rory sighed heavily and took the small girl from his mother, almost forcefully. He set Posy on his hip and forced a wide smile for her. "Posy. Do you want to see Gale?"

The little girl stopped her punches, but Hazelle immediately pulled her from Rory's arms. "Rory!" she screamed at him, causing Vick who was still laying down lazily in his bed to jump to a sit. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Rory winced at his mother's screams, thinking he was not as good at this as Gale would have been. He would never be as good as Gale was. "He's alive, Mom. Prim told me. He's at the Medical Center and she wants to take us to see him."

"Gale...?" Vick questioned as he stood up. "Alive?"

"Stop it, Rory," Hazelle scolded as she put Posy on her feet and covered the girl's ears with her hands. "Your brother isn't coming back, we've had this conversation."

Rory clenched his fists. "I know you miss him, Mom. I know it hurts. It hurts me too, every day. But Prim said he's alive and Prim has never lied to me. I believe her. And you're going to feel like shit if he's there and you didn't go to see him."

The woman shook her head a few times, fighting back threatening tears. She slowly let go of Posy before turning and picking up her own coat, putting it on. "I don't believe this."

The acting eldest Hawthorne boy picked Posy up again, his anger at his mother still stirring in his stomach. "We'll have to see for ourselves, won't we? If I'm wrong, you can kill me, alright?"

Hazelle stopped for a brief moment before turning back towards Rory, hurt and anger swirlling in her eyes. However, she kept her mouth shut and just nodded silently towards him as Vick walked over in his coat, not bothering to brush or fix his hair any. Rory clenched his jaw and, without checking to see if Vick or his mother were following him, he carried Posy back down the stairs and out the front door, stopping next to Prim.

Prim waited in the bitter cold, her eyes staring towards the family as they walked out. Almost immediately, she could sense the tension between the mother and son, her eyes going back to Rory. "Did you...?"

"Yeah. It's fine. Let's go."

He knew he was being short with Prim and it wasn't her fault, but his mother was driving him crazy. He already felt constant anger that he tried to force down for all their sakes but she wasn't doing anything to improve the situation. Prim simply nodded. He didn't need to say anything for her to understand. She reached forward, putting a hand on his arm briefly before turning and starting their short walk towards the Medical Center. Rory shifted Posy so she was more comfortable on his hip before following Prim, anxiety and anger both making his hands shake slightly.

Eventually, Prim led the family to the Medical Center and inside the lobby area. Hazelle followed from the back, holding on to Vick's hand almost too tightly. Her eyes were stuck on the back of the youngest Everdeen's head even as they entered. She had accepted the fact that Gale was done a long time ago, even though the thought still haunted her occassionally.

Prim only stopped once when reaching the closed door of Gale's room. She looked back towards the Hawthornes though specifically to Rory. Rory hesitated at the door before turning back to his mother and Vick. He set Posy back into Hazelle's arms, avoiding her eyes. "You guys go in first."

Hazelle stopped as she looked down at him. "Rory, what...?"

He gave her an encouraging smile, although inside, he was feeling anything but smiley. "He'll want to see you first, anyway, Mom. I'll be in right after you. I just need to talk to Prim for a second."

The woman paused but gave him a nod. Pulling posy up closer in her arms, she waited for Prim to open the door for them. Once the healer did, Hazelle, Vick, and Posy all entered into the room. She watched them walk in before turning back to Rory.

"You should go with them."

Rory's smile faded from his face as soon as they were inside and he nodded after a second, leaning against the wall beside the door to gather his emotions. "I just don't want to... fall apart in front of anyone, but especially him. I just need a second."

Prim paused before letting go of the door. She took a step over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You going to be okay?"

He paused for a moment before pulling her into his arms, nodding slightly against the side of her head. "Thanks for telling us about this, Prim. Since no one else would have."

The blond's eyes immediately shot open wide and her face glew red. Her and Rory had been friends for a long time, probably as long as Katniss and Gale were. She wasn't used to him showing this sort of physically emotional side, especially towards her. Still, she slowly wrapped her arms around him in attempts to comfort the boy before her. "Um, o-of course. You would have done the same for me."

Rory just nodded again, feeling calmer as he held Prim in his arms. He paused for a moment before letting go of her. He smiled at her red face before running a hand through his shaggy hair awkwardly and pushing the door open. Wordlessly, he walked into Gale's hospital room.

Inside, Hazelle was already sitting next to Gale's bed, tears streaming down her face. Both happy and horrifyed by her son's appearance, she was holding one of his hands in both of her's. Vick sat at the foot of the bed, unblinking, as if Gale would disappear if he did while Posy was laying next to her oldest brother, her head in his chest and little arms around his neck. Gale, all the while, smiled weakly at his family, holding his mother's hand while hugging the small girl in his chest with the other. His gaze turned up towards Rory when the boy walked in. His eyebrows raised. "Rory, that you?"

Rory instantly felt his chest clench at the sight of his brother, but he held his emotions in tightly. He walked calmly to Gale's bedside, his shiny black boots clunking loudly on the floor, echoing in his head with each step. "Hey Gale. You need a haircut."

The oldest brother couldn't help but laugh at that. He straightened up slightly until he was at a sit, Posy sitting on his lap. Taking in a few breaths, he reached forward towards him, running a hand threw his hair. "Nice uniform. I t-take it you been watching out for everybody while I was g-gone... I'm sorry about that, little bro."

"I wanted to do it. Besides, it definitely helps in the female department," Rory said seriously, stopping in front of his brother and observing his appearance before giving him a quick, masculine, almost compulsory hug.

Gale's smile only widened. He pulled his arm from around Posy out and wrapped it immediately around Rory. When the boy pulled back, Gale slid his hand so it was on Rory's shoulder, giving him an almost saddened smile. "You g-grew up so fast this past year..."

Rory's bottom lip quivered for a split second before he forced it into a smile, even as his ears turned red under his longer hair. "I guess so. How are you?"

"B-been better... but much better n-now with you all here. I miss you all."

"Well, now you're back and everything can get better."

The hunter smiled at him before giving him a small nod. "Y-yeah. It can."

Suddenly, Gale's constant smile started to bother Rory. He couldn't stop his bitter tone as the words tumbled from his mouth. "What happened that you had to be gone for a whole year?"

That did indeed stop the hunter's grin. His face fell slightly, though he wasn't surprised. He had been wondering when somebody was going to ask him the question. "I... When I w-was stung by that tracker jacker, I c-couldn't think straight enough to pull the s-stinger out or try to get the v-venmon out. It s-stayed in me and sort of... messed with my memories. When I w-woke up, I had n-no idea where I was or w-who or why my b-body was burnt and arms and l-legs were broken. Still not sure but t-thinking back, I think a tree b-broke my fall and limbs."

Rory's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes ran over his older brother's face quickly. "But you know who I am. How long did it take for your memory to return?"

"I-I've been gone a year. I w-was lucky that my mind was just jumbled and not c-completely gone. I had m-memories, I just didn't know what any of t-them meant or if they were r-really mine."

"How were you unsure if they were yours?"

"It's hard t-to explain. I-I wasn't sure if they were m-memories or hallucinations still. I w-was lucky that Paylor and her group found me. T-they helped me unscramble a l-lot about some of the most recent events."

"Well, we're all glad for them, then," Rory mumbled, though his voice was still bitter. It didn't make his statement any less true; he was just angry. He wanted to voice his frustration but felt like he didn't have the right anymore. Vick did. Posy did. Hell, even his mother did. But Rory didn't. Not since he was forced to take over Gale's part as the father figure of the family, and even in that, he was a failure.

Gale stopped as he looked up to Rory. Hesitating, he turned back towards his mother. "M-mom, if you don't mind, c-can I talk to Rory alone f-for a minute?"

Hazelle paused for a moment before giving him a small nod. She picked up Posy from the hunter's lap before standing. Rory didn't look at them, however. He kept his eyes on the ground, feeling like a eleven year old again, getting grounded for making Posy cry. Once up, Hazelle took Vick's hand and left the two oldest brothers alone in the room.

Gale watched them leave before turning to Rory, but he didn't look mad. If anything, he looked upset. He winced a little as he reached forward again, putting a hand on Rory's shoulder. "T-thank you, Rory."

Rory blinked and looked up at his older brother after a moment. "For what?"

"F-for taking care of everybody, k-keeping the family togther. I... I always worried w-what would happen if I vanished. N-now I see I didn't have to."

The younger brother's hands clenched as he tore his eyes from Gale's. He didn't want his older brother, his role model, to see the emotion he evoked. "I didn't have a choice. After Mom made us move out of the Victor's house, I knew I had to become you. Except I suck at it."

"W-well of course you do, you shouldn't h-have to be me."

"Well, I did," Rory snapped and then paused, heat creeping into his cheeks. "Sorry. It's not your fault. You're just... what's always kept us together. So I tried to become you. But I guess I'm too angry."

"Y-you can yell at me if you n-need to. I-it's okay, I know you're u-upset."

He paused and then sighed again, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not going to yell at you, Gale. I'll get over it. It's not a big deal. It's just... you don't know how much it affected everyone, you being dead. And I'm not sure you're ready to deal with how messed up everyone is."

"To b-be honest, I'm probably not," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "K-Katniss... I saw her a-already. It wasn't the m-most ideal reunion."

Rory let out a small, humorless chuckle at that. "No, I suppose it wasn't. She saw me once and apparently I look too much like you. Since she doesn't talk, it was like a weird scream thing she did at me. She had to be sedated. So I'm not allowed over there to see Prim anymore."

Gale's frown only grew, but then he tried to force a smile. "M-maybe with me back... she'll be okay. T-then you can hang out with P-Prim again."

"Maybe... and maybe Prim will get back to normal if Katniss does. I know you like the angry, tough girls, but it's not cute on Prim."

"Heh. S-so we have a s-similar look but not s-so similar taste in girls then, little b-bro?"

"I never said I had an interest in Prim," Rory made a face at Gale to further his point.

"Y-you didn't have to. I can just tell," he smiled back at his little brother.

"That's gross, Gale," was all Rory said, his ears going red under his hair again. "I'm going to tell Mom she can come back in now."

Gale laughed a little, pulling his hand away from Rory. "S-she's Katniss's sister, so i-if anything does come of it, you'll h-have me and Katniss on you if y-you ever hurt her, you know."

"Nothing's going to happen!" Rory all but growled, clearly embarrassed with the turn of the conversation. Regardless, he couldn't help but admit he enjoyed having his older brother back even when he was making fun of him.