AN: Hi everybody! I meant to update a couple of days ago, but things have gone haywire yet again. If you can't tell, my life is a little erratic. :) Anyways, I present to you, a new chapter! Feedback is always appreciated!

Chapter 8 The Plan

Katniss POV:

He towers over my thin frame. Peeta is holding some crackers, and he is saying something. I choose to ignore him, but I can't help but see that his eyes are filled with concern. I start to cry thinking of Cato. Peeta sits down and pulls me into his lap, holding me like a small child. I squirm feebly, trying to get away from him. I have refused to eat for two days, and now I'm paying the price. Peeta lets me go with a disappointed look on his face. I curl up into my small cot and sigh as Peeta leaves, quietly shutting the door. I curl up tightly, the gears in my brain turning slowly, trying to figure out a way to escape. I know I won't be able to resist eating much longer. I finally come up with an idea, but I am doubting myself. I drag my body towards the window and look out, feeling the cool breeze on my cheeks. I look down at the three story fall, and say a quick prayer.

Then, I jumped.

Cato POV:

Pain. That's all I can feel. My first day back from the hospital, I broke things left and right until I collapsed on the floor and wept. I know, the might Cato crying? Well Katniss could be dead because of me. How could I let this happen to her? The second day I set out to find Katniss. If there was hope, I had to find her soon. No leads, Mellark disappeared without a trace. I devoted a day to cleaning up broken shards, so if Katniss came home, I wouldn't hurt her more.

If she comes home.

It's been a week, and I've died inside. The phone rings at about 9:30PM, and I wonder who it is. I jump up and run to answer the phone.

"Hello?" I ask, my voice clearly displaying my hope it was Katniss calling me. Instead, it was the only person who knew where she was.

Peeta Mellark.

"Cato," he says out of breath and worry lacing his voice, "It's Katniss." I drop the phone and it lands on the floor with a crash. Marianna comes in and picks up the phone. I can see her lips moving, but I can't hear her. I feel numb. It could have been seconds, hours, weeks, but Marianna dashed in my vision, tossing my shoes, jacket and keys into my lap. She already has her jacket and shoes on. I look at her in confusion.

"Cato," she states, "Katniss is in the hospital."

I jumped up and sprint to our pickup truck, jamming the keys into the ignition. If Peeta did anything to Katniss I swear I'm gonna… I slam on the brakes as we come up to a red light. Mari looks startled.

"Cato, don't be like this. You might scare Katniss," she says quietly, brushing her hair out of her face. I sink into my chair knowing she's right. The light turns green, and I attempted to go closer to the speed limit. It's literally killing me, knowing Katniss could be dying right now.

Katniss POV:

Numb. That's all I feel. I'm grateful for that, at least I can't feel the pain one would expect from the jump. My vision is black, and somewhere in the distance I hear the faint beeping of a heart monitor. I try to curl my hand, and I can hear the beeping quicken immensely. I hear a door being slammed open and footsteps coming closer, but that's when my head swims back into the darkness.

(AN: I really wanted to stop it here, but since I feel bad for not updating I'm writing more!)

Cato POV:

I rush into the hospital and dash to the front desk, Mari close in tow. The nurse looks scared, and she shakes slightly.

"I need to see Katniss Everdeen. Now," I saw with as much control as I can. She mumbles something about no visitors, and my vision fills with red.

"NOW!" I yell, with much less restraint. The nurse nods hurriedly and scampers around the desk, leading me to Katniss' room. I try to calm down for her sake. Once we get to the door, the nurse scampers away again. I take a deep breath, and open the door slowly. My eyes widen and I resist the urge to punch through the wall as I see Katniss. She's incredibly thin, and pale as a ghost. I could wrap my hands around her waist. She has bandages wrapped around her head and her chest, and her ankle is in a cast. I don't even try to count all the machines hooked up to her. I sit down gently next to her and stroke the very ends of her hair. Up close, I noticed she also has stitches on her head, as well as various places on her arms. Her heart monitor's beeping quickens slightly and I lean down close to Katniss.

"Shh, calm down. Just get better Katniss. It's okay now," I whispered as soothingly as I could, hoping it would help. I wanted to scoop her up and hold her close more than anything, but my fear of causing her pain kept me at bay. Mari came over and touched my shoulder.

"Cato, it's 1:30AM" she said, stifling a yawn. I nod my head and turn back to Katniss.

"I need to go home Katniss," I said just above a whisper, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Mari stood up, and we quietly left the hospital. The ride home was silent. I carried Mari inside, for she had fallen asleep somewhere on the way home. As I lay in my bed, all I could do is hope that Katniss would be okay. It soon became clear that sleep would not welcome me, and so I tossed and turned, anxiously waiting for morning to arrive.

AN: I think this is my longest chapter ever! If not, really close. Again, I'd love to get reviews! They really motivate me. I'm also in the process of writing other stories (though not related to The Hunger Games). If anyone knows what category to put random stories under, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know! Anyways, thanks for sticking with me through this story!