Chapter 10: The Cure

I open my mouth to protest, but my voice is muffled by his shirt as he gives me a comforting hug. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We have no other choice. He will be fine once he sees you again."

"No, he will be broken," I argue, pushing him away from me. "You're going to break him."

Haymitch doesn't respond. He turns on his heel and leaves the room, beckoning for me to follow him. I carefully climb off the examination table and stumble after him, my legs refusing to move properly. I'm led into the room directly next to Peeta's, where there is a one-sided window that allows me to see into his room.

"The plan starts now," he tells me.

I watch as he disappears out of the room and heads to Peeta's door. It takes the crazed boy a few minutes to decide whether or not to open it, but when he does his words are cold. "What happened to her?" His voice is as clear as if he were standing in front of me.

Haymitch lets out a long sigh and closes his eyes. "She died of her injuries. You win, Mel. You tortured her to death."

The shift from Mel to Peeta happens instantly. "No," he whispers. "You're lying." He looks around the room and immediately spots my blood on the floor. With unsteady movements, Peeta manages to make his way toward it. "Did he really do this?" There is a long pause. "Did I really do this?"

"Your hands did it," Haymitch replies coldly. "You could have stopped him, but you didn't! He broke her fingers, stabbed out her eye, and sexually assaulted her!"

Wait, that last part didn't happen! Well, I mean, Mel did kiss me and touch me against my will, but he didn't do anything else. Peeta is going to assume the worst, and it's all Haymitch's fault. I pound on the glass that separates us, screaming angrily. "Don't tell him that!" It's no use. He can't hear me through the glass.

Peeta's whole body begins shaking with sorrow. He hides his face in his hands, but I can still see the tears dripping through his closed fingers. He lets out a pitiful sob that shatters my heart and soul. "I tried, Haymitch. I tried so hard to get back to her." He has to stop as another sob racks through his body. "I want to hold her in my arms and tell her I'm so sorry." Peeta wraps his arms around himself, unable to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks.

I drop to my knees with my hands pressed against the glass, crying softly. I can't take much more of this. Why is Haymitch making me watch? Is it so I know how to comfort him? "I want to hold you too, Peeta."

Haymitch's face softens when he sees the emotional turmoil that Peeta is in. "She never blamed you for it. She knew it was Mel who hurt her, not you."

"But," Peeta mumbles through sobs, "it was my body that did it. She must have been in so much pain. I never wanted that for her. I wanted to be by her side everyday and show her love, but just look at what I've done! I... I..." It's a long time before he can force the words out. "I showed her a horrible act of violence!"

Haymitch seems to realize that he's gone too far. "You didn't do anything, boy. It was Mel. You're not even capable of doing something so violent."

Peeta grabs at the place where his heart is. "I deserve this pain. Let me live with it forever, as a reminder of what a horrible person I am." His body loses all sense of balance and he falls to a heap on the floor, curling himself into a ball.

That's it! I don't care about this stupid plan anymore. I need to get to him, or else we will both die of broken hearts. I rush to Peeta's room and bang on the door with enough force to bust it. Someone grabs me from behind and shoves me to the ground.

"Let me give him the pill first," Rosemary says softly.

Peeta's sobs get louder and louder as she opens the door and walks inside. I can hear her telling Haymitch to hold him down so that she can give it to him, but he doesn't resist when she tries to feed him the medicine.

Haymitch joins me in the hallway and kneels down to pick me up. I can't help feeling a strong hatred for him stir inside me as he takes me into the room. Peeta isn't looking at me. He's still curled up on the floor, crying his heart at. I'm barely aware of being set down beside the sobbing boy, who still has yet to notice me.

"It's okay, Peeta," I say softly.

My voice makes him jump. "Katniss?" He stares at me for a long time, trying to decide if I'm real. Peeta reaches out to gently touch my face. "Just look at what I've done to you. Your eye..." He touches the bandages with his thumb. "And your fingers." He gingerly lifts my injured hand to his lips, kissing my broken fingers. "And those bruises." He whimpers as he counts every bruise on my body.

I shake my head. "You didn't do any of this." My arms coil around his shaking body and bring him close to me. He rests his head on my shoulder, and I kiss his neck.

"Why?" he whispers in my ear. "Why did Haymitch tell me all that? He said that you were dead, and that I could have prevented it."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want him to put you through that." I rock him back and forth, whispering soothing words to him.

We stay like this for a long time, holding each other tightly. Rosemary tries to break us apart so she can examine Peeta, but I won't let her get near him. No one can have him, not after what they did! I won't ever let him go again.

There will be only one more chapter. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far! Stay tuned for the epilogue.