Finnick and Johanna
The moment Finnick sees Annie, he feels like he's breathing a fresh ocean breeze. They both run towards each other and embrace each other. It's not until she's in his arms that he notices how physically deteriorated she is. She has lost an impossible amount of weight. She's taller than most girls and so she always appeared lengthy and slim. But she is wasted. Her hair is longer than he has ever seen it. It reaches the back of her thighs. Her eyes are that beautiful blue-green that makes him think he's staring into the ocean. They both collapse to the ground as they hold on to each other.
"I am never going to let you go, I swear it." Finnick tells her.
She smiles at him as she looks at him adoringly, gently running her fingers along his face. She kisses him softly and it suddenly feels like they haven't taken a breath of air in a year.
A doctor interrupts them. "Excuse me. Annie, Finnick, we need to examine you." The doctor smiles at her and Annie just stares at her blankly with a smile in her face. Finnick smiles.
"She's ready." He tells the doctor and he ushers her into an examination room.
The doctor is a petite woman that seems extra gentle. She urges Finnick to sit apart from Annie, in a chair on the corner. He does, but he can't take his eyes off her. She stares right back at him, she seems completely unaware of the doctor. She lets the doctor touch her, remove her top, even take blood samples. She stares at Finnick with a big smile on her face. The doctor examines her body. When she's done she removes her gloves and tosses them in the waste basket. She turns to us.
"Annie" She calls to her but upon seeing that Annie is in her own world the doctor turns to me instead. "Finnick – we're going to admit her to the hospital. We want her to stay here for a few reasons, she is badly malnourished, dehydrated, and she'll need a strong dose of antibiotics. We'll know more when we get the blood work. Plus, in the hospital we'll be able to do more examinations."
They are moved into the hospital wing and Annie is taken into the bathroom for a shower. Finnick waits patiently and he doesn't take his eyes off her. She's finally in bed, wearing warm cotton clothes. She is still silent but just stares adoringly at Finnick. She reaches for his hand and brings it to her face to kiss it and cuddle it. The doctors then proceed to set up IVs. They tell her what every bag is for, ultimately all to make her feel better. Finnick helps her eat a bowl of soup. The doctors then tell them that she will have a sleep aid, that part of her recovery will have to consist of rest.
"Of course." Finnick smiles at her. The doctors inject medicine into one of the many bags dripping all sorts of medications and supplements into her body. She instantly looks drowsy. He leans over and kisses her lips. "I love you so much."
She looks up at him wide eyed now and smiles. "I love you too."
Just like that, she's sleeping soundly and peacefully. Finnick can't believe it. Just yesterday, and every day before that , he feared the absolute worst, and now she's here. Sleeping safely like a child without a care in the world. For some reason he starts sobbing because he can't help but think of the torture that she has somehow blocked. A part of him wants her to express the pain but she's incapable. The same doctor that treated her in the clinic walks back inside.
"Hi Finnick." She pats his shoulder. "I know this is difficult. When she's physically better, we will have her work with a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Was she ever treated in District 4?"
"No – Snow didn't allow it." He tells her.
The doctor looks angry. "I'm so sorry. But, alas, she's here now far away from him." She looks back at Annie. "Comparing notes, she's in much better physical shape than the other two."
Finnick's stomach sinks and he feels a fresh set of tears burn his eyes.
"Other two?" He whispers to her.
"Yes. Peeta, who has suffered a complete nervous breakdown, physically…" And she can't even finish. "He tried to kill Katniss. We just confirmed that at the very least he didn't break her neck."
"What!?" he screams.
"Finnick, it's okay she's stable." He's about to turn around and go look for her but the doctor keeps talking.
"Then there's Johanna, something is terribly wrong her vitals are starting to slip and we can't get her body temperature to rise, now her blood pressure is slipping." Finnick instantly turns to look at her.
"Johanna is alive?" He can't believe it.
"I'm sorry Finnick I thought you knew, yes they brought her in. Finnick, the prognosis doesn't look good. I'm sorry."
"Where is she?"
"A few doors down but you can't see her yet, the doctors are working on her now."
Finnick storms out and sees Haymitch standing by the door. He looks like he's desperate for a drink.
"Can I see Johanna yet?"
"I don't think so man, they're still in there working on her" He pulls him towards a seat.
"How's Annie?" Haymitch asks.
"She's fine, which is disturbing, but she's fine." And he can't take his eyes off the door keeping him from Johanna.
"Is Katniss okay? The doctor told me." He pulls his eyes off the door.
"I can't even think about it. What did they do to him?" He stares into Finnick's eyes in horror. "How can He want to kill Katniss? – The doctors told me that were doing experiments on him. They were injecting trackerjacker venom and who knows what else into his brain. He's brain damaged…" He starts to cry. Finnick reaches out to him and squeezes his shoulder. "He's gone Finnick."
"No Haymitch, he's here. Just like Annie, and Joh…" But he can't even say her name anymore he needs to see her. "I need to see her, I can't take it anymore. I thought she was dead.." He begins to cry again. He stands up and starts to pace around the door.
"Finnick, I'll stay here and keep you posted on her condition, why don't you go rest with Annie."
"No, I'm not leaving until I've seen her, until they tell me that she's okay, until I can hold her…" He begins to cry again. "I can't believe I gave up on her…"
Haymitch eyes him curiously and he stands up. "Finnick, we had no way of knowing. We know why they kept Peeta and Annie alive. Johanna had no ties the way Annie and Peeta had to you and Katniss." This statement only makes Finnick cover his face with shame and he forces himself to hold it together because Johanna needs him now. The doctors finally come out. They look tired and frustrated.
"What's going on? Is she okay?" Finnick demands desperately.
"Yes – Finnick, we've stabilized her. But, her body is just… I don't know we've done all we can do. She hasn't regained consciousness. On the plane ride over she had to be sedated because she tried to kill Peeta."
"What?!" Finnick and Haymitch say in disbelief.
"The soldiers intervened and she was sedated. After, Peeta and Annie told them that Johanna had almost died earlier that day. She was drowned and left for dead but Annie was able to resuscitate her doing CPR. Had we known that, they probably wouldn't have given her such a powerful drug. Her heart is in bad shape. And I'm only telling you about the recent trauma. Clearly she was electrocuted very recently, possibly yesterday. The trauma on her body signals all sorts of torture…"
Finnick can't take it anymore so he interrupts her. "can I see her." He practically cries out.
"Yes of course."
He walks slowly into the room and he sees a petite body, still laying naked as the doctors and nurses finish attaching devices to her. Haymitch walk in behind him but a sob escapes him upon seeing her. Then Finnick hears him walk out. She is nothing but skin and bones. Her body is completely bruised, cut, and oozing with either puss or blood. Her head is shaved and there isn't a single trace of Johanna Mason left in her. Finnick now rushes to her side and he gently presses his forehead to her. He lets his hand caress her small head. He begins to cry.
"Please don't leave me." He falls to his knees.
The remaining doctor stands by him when he finishes. "Finnick, I'm the doctor that accompanied them on the mission. You can call me John. I treated her on the plane." Finnick looks up at him. "We've stabilized her and by that I mean we've managed to get a healthy blood pressure again. We had to give her medicine for that. Two things need to happen next, in order to sure that she's moving in the right direction. Her body temperature needs to go back to normal. Second, she needs to wake up. I'm not going to lie, she slipped into a coma. The sooner she wakes up the better. We're treating everything physical that we can to make sure she wakes up." He covers her in a special blanket. "Finnick, when we were on the plane ride over, Peeta helped us by laying with her and just holding her. Do you think you can do that? I was going to myself since it worked on the plane but you can do it. Clearly you two are close." He smiles kindly at Finnick and it means the world to him.
"Yes, of course."
"Great. Just take off your shirt." John tells him. Finnick follows his instructions and he climbs into the bed with her. He can't believe how gentle and carful he has to be to hold her. When she finally lays in his embrace with John's help, Finnick begins to sob, upon feeling her frail body. "It's okay Finnick. She's a fighter. Soldier Hawthorne told me that she fought her way out of that center better than anyone expected."
Finnick nods. "She's so cold. Johanna, please you have to hang on and come back to me. Please." He looks down at her little frail face. He leans down to breathe her and gently kisses her lips.
"I'll leave the two of you. I'll be sure you're told if Annie wakes up, but that won't be for a while. She needs a lot of rest." John tells Finnick. As Finnick watches him leave, he sees Haymitch standing in the doorway staring at him hold Johanna, he looks shocked.
"I had no idea." Haymitch tells him, referring to Finnick's closeness to Johanna. Finnick just looks at him, feeling exasperated. He closes his eyes and kisses Johanna's temple.
Hours go by and in that time Finnick has talked to her, sung to her, and just focused on sending her warm thoughts. Haymitch sporadically comes in to tell him that Annie is fine and sleeping soundly, while Finnick begs Johanna to wake up. The good news is that her body temperature is back to normal and John comes into check on her every thirty minutes. Finally she stirs a little. Haymitch runs to get John. Finnick smile and calls to her. He bends down and kisses her softly again.
"Johanna, please wake up." A sob escapes him again. He leans down to kisses her again. As he pulls away he actually sees a small smile stretch on her lips. "Oh – Johanna, just stay put but please open your eyes." He kisses her again.
"Peeta." She smiles at Finnick as he pulls away.
"Johanna it's me, Finnick. Please open your eyes."
She makes a real effort to open her eyes and she looks confused. "Finnick…" She smiles. "Peeta – Finnick, you can't let Peeta anywhere near her, near Katniss." She says as her eyes close again.
"Shhh – I know, I know. Just try to stay calm okay the doctor is coming. Stay with me please." Haymitch and John come running in. The doctor goes over to examine her vitals and she opens her eyes to see him. She eyes him curiously with a scowl on her face.
As he listens to her heart, his eyes meet hers and he smiles at her. "Hi Johanna, I'm Dr. John Thrive. I can' tell you how happy I am that you're awake."
Her scowl fades away into her mischievous smile. "Hello gorgeous." Finnick and Haymitch start laughing.
"I take it this is a good sign." John says.
John continues to examine her. He tells Finnick that he doesn't have to stay in bed with her anymore, that her body looks like it will hold its own.
"I'm not letting her go." Finnick says and Johanna reaches for him and pulls his lips towards hers. When John leaves Johanna starts asking questions.
"I need to see Peeta. It's imperative that I see him." She demands.
"Johanna no one can see him now. He's lost it. He's a danger to everyone including himself." Haymitch painfully explains.
"You don't understand – he has bad episodes but I can calm him down."
"Can you? We were told you tried to kill him on the plane. Why would you do that?" Finnick asks her.
"Finnick, I panicked and I saw total madness in his eyes. He was gone, and he confessed that he was going to kill Katniss when we got here. He wanted me to promise that if he lost it completely , that I would kill him." She begins to cry. "But I couldn't promise that, but then, when they came for us. What he did with those people – he killed every torturer that laid a finger on us. All of them, he didn't even have to think about it. I wanted to do it too, but to see him do it… It's Peeta. You have to understand what that means. He had to turn back to save Annie, she froze. Once he was on the plane and he set her down. We were in the air and on our way out. He ran to me and kissed me. When he pulled away, his eyes - Peeta was gone. Then he whispered that he was going to kill Katniss. I was so afraid, this is not the Peeta he wanted to become. I thought…" she starts to sob now. "The realization hit me that I could kill him, for his own good, because he deserves that much."
"Please try to stay calm." Finnick tells her.
"I regret it now. I need to see him please."
"Johanna not tonight. He's unreachable. You need to get strong first, then you can help him."
"Did they restrain him?" She asks panicked.
"They had to Johanna." Haymitch explains.
She starts to cry again. "You don't know what that means to him, to me, to Annie…"
"Johanna he tried to kill Katniss, he almost strangled her to death and almost broke her neck while trying." Finnick explains.
She stops crying instantly. "The hell with her Finnick! I don't give a fuck if she's the mockingjay, you have no idea what they did to him! He needs me. Promise me that tomorrow I can see him." She pleads to Haymitch.
"If the doctors tell you it's okay to move around, we'll take you to see him. But I need to remind you that he's a danger to himself and to everyone around him." Haymitch explains again.
"He's not to me." She tells him sternly.
Finnick is finally able to help Johanna eat and hold down a bowl of soup. He even has the pleasure of sleeping with her, well, she sleeps and he was unable to take his eyes off her. The next morning she wakes up without any problems. He sits on a chair next to her as she eats breakfast. Then a doctor enters holding Annie by the hand. Finnick jumps to his feet and he can't quite explain the mix of feelings that consume him. He looks at Annie and he notices that she's smiling at Johanna. He turns to look at Johanna and she is smiling back at her. He's unsettled by it because the three have never shared the same space. Johanna stretches her hand out to her.
"Hello my beautiful starfish." She calls out to Annie. Annie smiles and runs to her bedside and hugs her. They both look happy.
"we're free Jo!"
"I know. I can't believe it. I haven't had a chance to thank you for saving my life yesterday. Thank you my beautiful girl." She embraces her again. Annie turns her head and she sees me staring at them and her smile fades. She pulls away from Johanna stands up and stares at the two of them.
"Annie, what's wrong?" Johanna asks.
"It can't be like it was before Finnick." Annie tells Finnick.
"I don't know what you mean?" He answers her.
"Things are different now, Jo and I are…"
Finnick interrupts her. "Friends. I can see that, I'm so happy about that."
Johanna stares at and she understands what Annie is referring to.
"Finnick, Annie knows about us. She told me that you would call out to me in your sleep sometimes. We hurt her, and for that I'm sorry Annie." Johanna tells Annie wholeheartedly. Annie nods to her. Finnick is flabbergasted, she never once questioned him about Johanna.
"Finnick – Johanna, Peeta and I… we're more than friends. We're family, if it hadn't been for them, I would have given up and wilted, died in there. We were each other's life lines and I'm not going to let you get between us. And Johanna, I'm not going to give him up. I know I'm sick and that I'm confused a lot, but I'm not going to let him go."
Finnick can't believe what he's hearing, he doesn't know what to say.
"Besides, Jo – I know there is something between you and Peeta…" Annie continues and Finnick turns to Johanna is disbelief.
Johanna looks angry and she interrupts her. "Annie – you are assuming a lot. I love Peeta, as much as I love you, but there is nothing more happening between us. We are all connected now, bound to each other, that is it. But you are right, things are never going to be like they were before." She stares painfully at Finnick. "Annie, I have to put all my efforts into my recovery, I'm in bad shape, and after that I plan to fight with the rebels to free Panem. That is all I have room for in my life."
Annie runs to her again and hugs her. "I love you Jo."
"I love you too Annie." She stares at Finnick over Annie's shoulder as he stares back at her sadly. "It's strange that I was dragged to that cell completely alone, and I gained a family as a result of it. I'm not going to give you up." Johanna tells Annie with tears running down her face. She pulls Annie away and holds her by her shoulders. "And I'm not going to get between you and Finnick. That's done. You don't have to worry about that." She then turns to Finnick. " I should get more rest. Finnick why don't you go back to Annie's room." He nods and he grabs Annie by the hand and helps her to her feet. He feels a strange mix of emotions. A major decisions has been made about his life without any consideration of his opinion. They have every right to do decide what they want for themselves but there was no consideration for him. Besides, how can Johanna end things with him so easily, and what was Annie talking about regarding Johanna and Peeta. He decides that he'll back off but he will have to talk to Johanna. Before they leave her room Annie turns back.
"Jo, when can we see Peeta?" Annie asks.
"Soon Annie, he needs us, desperately. I'm going to find out."
A week goes by before Johanna is stable enough to see Peeta. She is taken to a different wing in the hospital, she has to get around on a wheel chair, which she doesn't mind. The nurse taking her explains to her that Peeta is under constant observation due to his state of mind. She is taken into a room that is really an office, there is medical staff standing around looking through a window. They stop talking when they see Johanna. The nurse pushes her wheel chair towards the glass window. When she arrives she rises to her feet and leans against the window to look in. She sees Peeta, strapped down to a bed as he struggles to free his hands and leg. The frustration on his face is heartbreaking. She closes her eyes and tries to calm down.
"Johanna." A doctor calls to her and she turns to look in his direction. "Hi, it's me John. Do you remember me?"
"Yes." She turns back to Peeta. "I need to see him."
"Johanna he doesn't want to see anybody. He's not cooperating and…"
"He's not cooperating because you are torturing him."
"Johanna, we're tying to figure out how to help him."
"You can start by removing those straps. He'll cooperate then."
"He's suicidal, we can't do that."
Johanna closes her eyes feeling exasperated. "We're not going to agree on your approach." She turns to look at him. "Tell me other news."
"He needs sleep, he's not sleeping. What he's doing is refusing food , he's not even talking he won't communicate anything, and he's stressing himself out until he passes out for short periods of time. But that is not sleep."
Johanna hurts just to hear him say this. "Please let me see him. He can stay strapped down, I can calm him down. I promise. It won't kill him, if I try. I know these episodes, he had them in the cell too."
The doctors look at each other and one woman agrees to let her. They proceed to unlock the door and let her walk in.