Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this fanfic thus far! I am honestly still amazed by all of the interest in this story! I also want to give a special shout out and thank you to JWMellark, christyjosh4eva, Charlotte, Suze18, Dell-Indilwen, ilovepeeta4ever, The , Booklovz, TheNightlockInUs, omg, Adri, SilentMockingjay, MrsMellark74, Girlonfire5360 and the two guests that took the time to leave a review over the last two weeks. This was the most reviews I ever had in a one week period! I absolutely love reading your comments and reviews! Please continue to let me know what you think of this fanfic so far! I really do appreciate it!

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**VERY IMPORTANT**

In this chapter there are a lot of consequences of war. War is not pleasant or peaceful. There isn't anything real gory or graphic in this fanfic but there are war injuries mentioned. If you have any questions or concerns about this please ask me before reading! I will answer all questions!

In this chapter there are also medical topics and procedures discussed. While I do my best to be as accurate as possible, I am not a doctor and I do not work in the medical field. There may also be a few things altered slightly from reality based on what works for the characters in this story.

**JUST A REMINDER**

As I have mentioned before, there are many characters in this story that are in the military. While much of what I talk about that these characters go through is based off of my knowledge (I am part of a very large military family and I have nothing but the utmost respect and honor for those who are currently serving and who have served in the past), due to the fact that this is a work of Fiction, some things have been altered from reality to accommodate the characters and the story, as well as the names of some places. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know!

Thank you for reading and I hope that this chapter answers a lot of the questions left unanswered by last Sunday's cliffhanger!

In a cold night
There will be no fair fight
There will be no good night
To turn and walk away

So burn me with fire,
Drown me with rain
I'm gonna wake up
Screaming your name

~Lyrics from We Remain, by Christina Aguilera

Three years ago, the accident which claimed both of my parents' lives, severely injured Prim and irreparably changed all of our lives forever nearly broke me in every sense of the word. It was knowing that Prim would need me to be there for her and to take care of her that prevented me from hitting my breaking point. This time I feel as if there is nothing in the world that can keep me from that point. Finnick's words "its Peeta" are all it takes to break me.

As soon as I hear those two words I literally collapse. If Gale and Johanna were not sitting on either side of me I would have fallen to the floor. Gale uses his arm that is not holding onto his phone to grab me around the waist and pull me into his side while Johanna wraps both of her arms around me. I am sobbing uncontrollably and my heart feels as if it's been shattered into a million little pieces. Out of the corner of my eye I notice that Rue has gotten up out of her chair and is quickly walking back towards the spare bedroom. I know that she is going to wake Prim up from her much needed sleep, but I am glad that I have Prim here with me right now. I need her with me.

It isn't long before I begin to hyperventilate from breathing so quickly. "I…can't…breathe!" I gasp through rapid deep breaths.

Johanna realizes quickly what is happening and moves from where she was sitting to get down on her knees in front of me. She grasps my left hand with her right and uses her left hand to cover my mouth. Then she instructs me to try to take slow breaths through my nose and she starts saying reassuring things in and calm, slow and relaxed voice such as, "You are going to be okay" and "you are not going to die."

As my breathing begins to return to normal, Johanna takes her seat next to me once more and tries to calm me down by talking to me about how we don't even know what's happened and how we might be jumping to conclusions. Once I realize that what she is saying is true, I try my best to stop crying and calm down so that I can find out what has happened to Peeta. Prim and Rue join us in the living room and Rue pushes Prims chair so that we are face to face. Since Johanna is still holding on tightly to my left hand, Prim takes my right hand and holds on tight.

With one arm still wrapped tightly around my body and the other holding his phone, Gale informs me that Finnick is still on the line and that he is ready to tell me what has happened as soon as I am ready to hear it. Once I realize that he has heard my reaction over the phone I start to worry that he won't want to tell me the whole truth out of fear that I won't be able to handle it. But as soon as Gale turns his speakerphone on I realize that Finnick isn't going to hide the truth from me.

"Katniss, I am really sorry that I have to be the one to tell you all of this, but the Air Force doesn't usually contact the victims' families until after 0600 hours local time, which would be after six in the morning where you are, and I didn't want to wait. You have a right to know what has happened and Annie and I would never be able to forgive ourselves if we didn't tell you right away. Alright, are you still with me Katniss?"

"Yes." I reply as calmly as I can. My voice is still very shaky and Gale lets him know that they are all surrounding and holding onto me and will be with me through it all.

"Alright Katniss, I am going to do my best to explain everything I can to you. Annie's shift at the hospital was just ending at 8:00 am here, which is midnight there, when the hospital received word that an Air Force chopper was on its way in with three victims. All three were said to be VSI which means that they were very seriously injured. The head doctor told Annie that she was still free to go since they had enough help on the morning shift that had just started at 7:00 am. Annie was waiting to get on the elevator on her floor when the doors opened up revealing the first victim on a stretcher. She could tell that this victim was gravely injured from just glancing at his body. It was hard to miss the pallor of his skin and how much he was bleeding out. As soon as she got a glimpse of his face, she nearly panicked when she realized that the first victim was Peeta."

I can feel the tears building back up in my eyes and my breath catches in my throat as Gale, Johanna and Prim tighten their hold on me.

"Katniss, are you still with me?" Finnick asks with obvious concern.

"Ye…yes. Keep going." I answer him.

"Okay. As soon as the head doctor on the floor realized that Annie knew Peeta on a personal level he couldn't let her be one of the people who would be taking care of him, but he told her that she could stay with him if she wanted to. She's actually up with him on the surgical floor right now. She left for a few minutes to call me to come to the hospital and then she went right back up to be with Peeta."

"Surgical floor?" I ask as the tears begin falling again. If he's on the surgical floor he must still be alive, I think. I refuse to accept the alternative. Rue grabs the box of tissues and brings them to me along with a cool washcloth for me to hold on the back of my neck. "How bad is it? What kind of injuries does he have?"

I hear Finnick take a deep breath before beginning and I immediately know that he's in bad shape. "Katniss, he's still alive, but he's going to have a long road of him. Annie told me that right now they are just hoping he will survive the surgery."

When I break down crying into Johanna's shoulder, I feel Prim reach out and begin to rub small circles on my back. Finnick continues after they have calmed me down once again.

"I don't know all the details of what happened over in Afghanistan, but from what Annie described to me he has a lot of second and third degree burns, he has suffered a massive amount of blood loss and…" Finnick pauses, seeming unsure of whether or not he should go on.

"Please…" I beg him to continue knowing it's going to be bad either way.

"Katniss, part of his left leg is gone. That's why he has lost so much blood. They've already given him multiple blood transfusions and his heart…" Finnick stops to take another deep breath. "Annie told me that his heart stopped twice on the chopper ride from Afghanistan to Mockingjay Air Base."

"Oh…My…God!" I choke out between sobs.

"Katniss, I know this isn't easy for you to hear, it isn't easy for any of us, but as long as Peeta's heart is beating right now, he is still fighting to make it back to you. He hasn't given up on you; please don't give up on him. Getting yourself too upset can also become dangerous for you and your baby. You have to take care of yourself and the baby right now. Peeta has the best team here taking care of him. If I know Peeta, and I do, he's going to make it through this. He is strong; he's a fighter just like you. You two are made for one another, and that little one is going to have two of the best parents in the world."

Finnick's reminder that Peeta is still alive and fighting to come back to me gives me a little bit of hope in this otherwise hopeless situation. I know that he cares a lot about Peeta. They have been friends for a long time just as Finnick and I have been friends for a long time. Peeta and I both knew Finnick all through our years of schooling; we just never spent time with Finnick at the same time.

I also know that he is right about my needing to take care of myself, especially for the baby. If something were to happen to this baby because of me I would never be able to forgive myself.

Once Finnick has explained all that he knows at the moment to us, he tells us that he wants to get back up to the surgical floor to find Annie and see how Peeta is doing. Finnick hangs up after promising to call back within the next few hours with an update on Peeta.

As soon as Gale sets his phone down on the coffee table, Prim grabs her cell phone and dials our home number to tell Haymitch what has happened. She explains to him what Finnick has just told us and he tells us that he will come over right away. He wants to be with us, and I have to say I am grateful because I know that he truly cares about Peeta too. Before hanging up, he asks to speak to me. When I take the phone from Prim, Haymitch informs me that he will stop by the bakery on his way over and explain to Peeta's father what has happened. He has a right to know just as we do and waiting until morning to tell him would not be right with all of us knowing already.

While we wait for Haymitch to arrive, Prim shifts herself out of her chair so that she is next to me on the couch. She wraps one arm around my back and takes my right hand in hers while Johanna does the same thing on my left. Gale and Rue take seats near us and the five of us sit in uncomfortable silence for a while. No one seems to know what to say at the moment, especially while we are waiting on an update of information from Finnick, so we all hold a private vigil as we wait to hear if Peeta will survive the operation.

By the time Haymitch arrives with Peeta's father, I am practically in a state of shock. My eyes are staring straight ahead but my gaze is not fixed on anything. As Haymitch approaches me, Johanna scoots over so that Haymitch can take the seat next to me. When he wraps his arms around me, I break down into his chest. The last time I remember breaking down like this was right after I found out about the accident that took my parents' lives.

"I…I…I can't lose him Haymitch. Not…not like them." I choke out through my sobs.

"I know sweetheart, I know." He tells me as he tightens his hold on me and begins to rock me back and forth.

As my crying intensifies and I begin to cross the line from extremely upset into hysteria, Peeta's dad gets down on his knees in front of Haymitch and me and begins pleading with me to calm down and listen to him.

"Katniss, I've known Peeta his entire life, and while he has so many amazing and admirable qualities about him, two of them that make me the most proud are his determination and his strength, physically, mentally and emotionally. When Peeta sets his mind to something, he is determined to follow through. He is one of the strongest people I know."

"His heart…" I begin panicking at the thought that it might never beat again, but he stops me before I go any farther with the thought.

My father-in-law takes a deep breath before beginning. "Haymitch told me that his heart stopped twice already, but it's beating right now and that means that Peeta is fighting for his life. My son is not going to give up easily and if I know him as well as I believe I do, he's going to be more worried about you and your baby when he wakes up than he will be concerned about himself." When I pull my face out of Haymitch's shirt I notice that Mr. Mellark looks like he is fighting to hold back his own tears. The news of what has happened to Peeta isn't just affecting me; it's affecting everyone around me in a different way. Knowing how this is breaking me, I can't even begin to fathom what it must be like for Peeta's dad.

Yet, as hard as this whole situation must be on him, he continues on. "I know it's difficult knowing that Peeta is so far away and that you can't be with him while he is fighting the most difficult battle of his life, but I think there is something you can do that will help both of you."

"Wh…whats that." I ask.

"I think it will help Peeta tremendously if he knows that you are okay. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but he's going to need you to be strong and take care of yourself and the baby you two have created together. If he knows that you will be okay, he will be okay, and he will be able to concentrate on his own healing and coming home to you. Katniss, I've only known you for about ten months, but in that time I've realized that you are strong and brave just like Peeta. I believe with all my heart that you are going to make it through this together and come out of it even stronger than you are right now, as both individuals and as a couple. He needs you just as much as you need him."

Deep down I know that what he is saying is true, but since I cannot manage to get the words out to tell him so right now, I nod my head in understanding instead.

Eventually the combination of exhaustion and crying must cause me to fall asleep because the next thing I know, I am lying flat on my back on the couch with a blanket covering my body and Johanna is kneeling next to me on the floor while she gently shakes my shoulder.

"Katniss darling, we need you to wake up for a little while." Johanna says calmly.

I wake up with a start as the events of the past few hours flood my mind and sit up quickly shoving the blanket off of me. "What's going on? Have you heard anything else?" I ask quickly, the growing panic evident in my voice.

Johanna quickly places her hands on my shoulders, indicating that I should remain sitting. "Calm down Katniss. We're all about to find out what's going on. I woke you up because Finnick is on the phone again and he knows more now than he did hours ago."

After everyone has taken a seat around me in the living room, Gale turns his speakerphone on and tells Finnick that we are all listening and that he can begin telling us what he has found out.

"I've been upstairs in the waiting room since I called you earlier. Annie was just able to come and fill me in less than thirty minutes ago and I know a lot more about the situation than I did before. The most important thing is that Peeta has survived the surgery and is now recovering in the Intensive Care Unit." Everyone in the room lets out a breath that I didn't realize they had been holding, including myself. "They've controlled the bleeding, but he is not out of the woods yet, not by any means. It may be a while before he wakes up. The CAT scan didn't show any signs of brain damage, but they won't know the full extent of how the massive loss of blood has affected his body until he comes to. Annie said that when she touched his skin he felt cool, but that it is to be expected given that he lost a little over fifty percent of his blood volume before they were able to get it under control and start giving him blood transfusions."

"How long will it be before he wakes up?" I ask as my voice begins to tremble.

"Annie wasn't sure, but she said that it could be at least a couple of hours. As soon as he wakes up I will call you back, I promise." Finnick responds.

"Please…please tell him that I love him Finnick." I choke out as the tears begin to fall again.

"Oh Katniss, Peeta knows. But I will, I will tell him." He assures me.

"Thank you."

"I also know a bit about what happened yesterday in Afghanistan. Two of the PJ's who were with Peeta were also brought here with serious injuries. Thresh has second and third degree burns covering over twenty percent of his body and Hopper suffered a mild concussion and has some serious third degree burns from where the fire licked his skin. When Thresh woke up, he told the doctors what he could remember about the attack. Apparently the tank they were riding in was hit in the front with an RPG. The two men sitting in the front, Marvel and Cato were killed on impact. Peeta was sitting in the middle with Thresh, and when the RPG hit the tank part of his left leg was blown off. According to Thresh, Hopper pulled him out first and together they were able to get Peeta out. Hopper was sitting in the very back and therefore he wasn't injured by the attack as much as he was injured trying to get Thresh and Peeta out of the burning tank. The doctors believe that Hopper hit his head when the RPG hit the tank resulting in the concussion and that he was burned during the rescue of his fellow PJ's. Less than sixty seconds after the three of them escaped the tank, the fire spread to the fuel supply and the entire thing erupted in flames. So from my understanding, if it wasn't for Thresh and Hopper, Peeta probably wouldn't be alive."

I remember meeting Thresh during the family weekend at Panem Air Base back in April, but I don't remember Peeta saying anything about anyone with the name Hopper. I wish that I could say I know both of them because strangers or not, Thresh and Hopper are the ones who helped to save Peeta's life and for that I will be eternally grateful to both of them. I'm glad that they are both alive because I know that I need to thank them. But how do you thank someone for saving the life of a loved one? I honestly don't know if there are enough words in the English language to express what I need to say to the two of them.

Before Finnick hangs up he informs us that both Peeta's father and I will be receiving the official call from the Air Force sometime after six in the morning. Due to the fact that I am listed as Peeta's PNOK, or Primary Next of Kin, on his emergency contact card I will be the first one to be notified and Peeta's dad will be the second since he is listed as the SNOK, the Secondary Next of Kin.

He then has to go, but promises to call back as soon as Peeta wakes up.

Just as Finnick had said, a little after six in the morning my cell phone rings and the caller ID on the screen displays a number I do not recognize. The man that is calling identifies himself giving his name, position and rank before he apologizes and explains basically what we all already know from talking with Finnick. A few minutes after I end the call on my phone, Peeta's dad's cell phone rings and he is informed of the same things. While we realize that under normal circumstances this would be the first we would be hearing of this, we are both glad that we heard it first from someone we know like Finnick.

Comforted by the knowledge that Peeta has survived the operation and is recovering in the ICU while Annie remains by his side, the seven of us decide to try to get some sleep while we can. Rue and Prim take the bed in the spare room, Haymitch and Peeta's dad lie down on the sectional in the living room, and Gale insists that I lie down with Johanna in their bed. He uses blankets and pillows to create a makeshift bed on the carpet of their bedroom floor. Surprisingly, it doesn't take me very long to fall back to sleep, but a short while later the horrible nightmares begin and I start seeing Peeta just like I do my parents sometimes. In the nightmare he is dead, gone from this world before he ever gets the chance to witness his child being born and gone before I ever get to see him one last time.

I am startled awake when I hear a blood-curdling scream. I open my eyes to find out who it is and realize that I am the one who was screaming. Johanna is next to me brushing the sweat drenched hair off of my forehead and attempting to calm me down by pulling me into her arms and cradling my body against her chest. I realize that Gale has joined us on the bed when he wraps his arms around both me and Johanna and pulls us into his chest. They continue to hold onto me while I cry and attempt to calm down from the horrific nightmare.

"It was…" I get out, but I find that I cannot even say the words.

Johanna knows me better than most people though, and it isn't hard for her to guess what my nightmare was about. "Who was it this time Katniss, Peeta or your mom and dad?"

"It was him, he didn't make it." I say as I continue to cry.

"Katniss it's not real, Peeta is alive. He has survived the surgery and will be waking up soon." Johanna assures me.

"The dream seemed so real though. I thought he was…"

"I know, I know but it's not. Peeta is going to wake up soon; you have to try to stay positive. Just think, maybe he has already woken up and Finnick just hasn't gotten the chance to step outside and call us."

"Maybe…" I say trying to sound hopeful. "I just…I…I want…" My voice trails off as I try to figure out what exactly it is that I want.

"Katniss, what is it that you want?" Johanna asks. "We'll do anything you need us to."

"What I want…what I want is to have him back!" I exclaim as fresh tears roll down my cheeks. The baby chooses this moment to begin kicking again and I start crying even harder. Crying for Peeta, crying for myself and crying for our unborn child because as of right now there is a very real possibility that he or she will never get to meet their father.

"Katniss, Peeta is going to come back to you, we just need to be patient right now and wait for him to wake up and be stable so that the Air Force can make the arrangements for Peeta to be transferred back here." Gale reassures me as he rubs small circles on my lower back.

"It's just that it's so difficult knowing that I cannot be there with him right now. He's going to wake up and I won't be there for him." I say as the tears continue falling down my face.

"Oh Katniss, don't you see. You are there for him, just not in the physical sense, at least for the time being. Peeta knows that you are here in Panem waiting for him to return to you, and that alone is going to make him want to continue fighting even harder to get better so that he can come back to Panem and to you." Gale explains.

When we hear Gale's ringtone coming from the dresser, Gale jumps out of the bed and races across the room to grab his phone. "It's Finnick." He tells us right before he swipes his finger across the screen to answer the incoming call.

The timing of Finnick's call couldn't have been better. It's almost as if they could hear us talking from halfway around the world at Mockingjay Air Base.

"Hey Finnick, how is Peeta doing? Has he woken up yet?" Gale asks immediately.

"Speakerphone!" Johanna shouts out seeing the worry on my face.

"Oh that's great news, but can you hold on for a second Finnick. I need to put you on speakerphone and gather everyone together in one room. We have all been trying to get a few hours of sleep since your last call and we are spread out in different rooms all over the house."

Once we have all gathered in the living room Finnick begins. "I have some really good news for all of you. Peeta has woken up."

"He's really awake?" I ask as though I'm uncertain that I have heard him correctly.

This announcement causes me to begin crying again, but for the first time since last night, they are tears of happiness and relief. I didn't know if Peeta would make it through the night and now that he has I begin to allow myself to be hopeful about the future. I don't want to get my hopes up too high though until I know more about his current condition.

"Yes Katniss, he is really awake. He opened his eyes about forty-five minutes ago, but I couldn't leave his side right away to step outside and make this call. When Peeta woke up he was very confused about where he was and why Annie and I were with him. He is still intubated so he can't talk yet, but the nurse got him a dry erase board so that he could communicate with us. Katniss, your name was the first thing Peeta wrote down. Annie and I did our best to reassure him that you are okay. We told him where you are right now and who all is with you. He's still very worried about you, but he's glad that you are where you are and he is grateful that you are all together. After that he asked about the baby. We assured him that the baby is okay and well taken care of."

As I turn my head towards my father-in-law I can't help but smile when he gives me a knowing look. He was right. Peeta is more concerned about me and our unborn child than he is about himself. He is truly the most selfless person I have ever met.

"The next thing Peeta wrote down on the dry erase board was the names of the four men who were in the tank with him, Marvel, Cato, Thresh and Hopper. I believe he remembers some of what happened in Afghanistan, but not all of it. He eyes started tearing up as we started telling him about the fates of the four men, but we won't know more about what he remembers until the doctors can extubate him."

"Is he awake in his room right now?" I ask.

"No I'm sorry he's not." Finnick replies. "After we talked to him for a few minutes his head doctor came in the room and told us that we needed to let him rest. But he should be awake again in a couple of hours because the doctor said that as long as his blood oxygen levels stay up and he is breathing okay on his own, they will be extubating him within the next two or three hours. After that he will have a nasal cannula in his nostrils supplying supplemental oxygen to his lungs. Between the fire and the smoke and toxins he inhaled before they got him out, the extreme loss of blood and the trauma he endured he will need to receive oxygen therapy for a while."

Finnick pauses for a moment before continuing on. I hear him take a slow deep breath and at that moment I realize how hard this has to be on him too. Peeta and Finnick have been friends for a long time, and so for him to be seeing Peeta like he is right now has to be difficult for him.

"Finnick, are you alright?" I ask with concern.

"Uh yeah…yeah I'm alright. It's just hard seeing him like this, you know. Peeta is always so strong and brave. We've been friends for as long as I can remember and I guess I am more shocked than anything. We all know that war is dangerous going into it, but you just don't expect something like this to happen, especially to someone you know."

Listening to Finnick's reaction causes me to start crying again, but not only for Peeta. I am crying for Finnick and Annie and Peeta's fellow PJ's as well. When my father-in-law wraps his arms around my shoulders, I lean into him. Both of us are grateful that we have each other for support and thankful that Peeta is alive.

"Katniss, I told Peeta what you said to tell him and when I did he started to cry. Then he cleared the dry erase board and wrote in all capital letters 'TELL HER I LOVE HER SO MUCH AND I'M COMING HOME!' You know… he loves you more than life itself."

I do know, and it feels like I should tell Finnick something really meaningful to take back to Peeta, but all I can manage to get out in a tear filled whisper is "I know."

Peeta amazes me more and more every day. I still don't know what I did to deserve him.

"I need to get back upstairs to Annie and Peeta, but I have one more bit of information to share with all of you first. Don't worry its good news. After Peeta fell asleep, Annie and I stepped out in the hallway with his doctor. According to him, if Peeta remains stable over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours and he is breathing alright without a lot of support, arrangements will be made to transfer not only Peeta, but also Thresh and Hopper back to the hospital on Panem Air Base. He will be able to continue his recovery there where his family and friends can be with him for support. His doctor believes that he will be a lot more comfortable in Panem, especially since he is so worried about Katniss."

Words cannot begin to express how excited I am to hear this. Within the next two or three days Peeta and I may be back together again. This is more than I would have dared to hope for just twelve hours ago.

When I hear my phone ringing four hours later, I pull it out of my pocket wondering who it might be. The number displayed on the screen is unfamiliar to me so I answer it expecting another update call from the Air Force.

However, instead of a voice greeting me, all I can hear on the other end of the line is the sound of someone breathing into the phone and a faint beeping noise coming from something in the background. My heart begins to race as the realization hits me of who might be on the other end of this call.

The seconds begin to tick past and just as I am about to say his name a faint whisper comes through the speaker on my phone. "Katniss?"

Broken and weak or not, I know that voice anywhere. "Peeta? Oh my God! Please tell me that's you!" I get out as my eyes begin to fill with tears of overwhelming joy.

"Yes, Katniss. It's me." His voice is really quiet and extremely hoarse, but it's him.

"Oh…my…God!" I choke out as the tears fall down my face. "Peeta! I thought I was losing you when Finnick told me that your heart stopped twice!"

"Katniss it's okay. I'm injured, but I'm alive and I'm coming home. Are you alright?" Peeta whispers slowly and deliberately. He is determined to talk with me despite the fact that it's obviously difficult for him to speak right now.

"I'm…I'm okay. I just can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you either! Please...take care of yourself Katniss and don't make yourself sick worrying about me." Despite the fact that he can only whisper, I can tell that he's pleading with me.

"I will. I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that you called. Finnick has been doing a great job of keeping us all updated, but it's just not the same. I needed to hear your voice. I love you Peeta!"

"I love you too Katniss. So much." It's hard to be sure, but I'm almost positive that he is crying as well.

"Just concentrate on getting a lot of rest and your recovery, and I'll be at the hospital waiting for you when you land back in Panem. I'll talk to you soon Peeta!" I say sensing that our time is up for now and that Peeta needs to rest.

"Yes, very soon. Annie…" He whispers before I hear a shuffling sound and Annie's voice greets me from where Peeta's voice had been only moments ago.

"Hey Katniss!"

"Hey Annie! I cannot even begin to thank you enough for staying by Peeta's side through all of this. Even though I wish it was me, I'm grateful that he has you there with him." I tell her.

"There's no thanks needed Katniss, really. I'm just glad that I could be here with him. He shouldn't be alone; no one should be going through something like this. Besides, I know that if the roles were reversed, you would do the same thing for Finnick without hesitation."

"Oh, definitely. Umm…Annie, how is he doing now that he is awake?" I ask because I need to know the truth and I know that Peeta will hide the truth from me of how he really is to protect me and our baby.

"Katniss…" I hear her sigh into the phone. "It's probably a good thing that he is asleep because he would kill me if he knew I was telling you any of what I'm about to tell you, but the truth is that he has a long road ahead of him. Now, don't get me wrong. Peeta is a fighter and I have no doubt that he is going to recover and come out of this ordeal even stronger than he was before this happened, but the truth is that the blood loss and the fire did a lot of damage. He is really weak right now and is in a lot of pain, but it's like...I'm not sure how to explain it exactly. It's like you are the best medicine for him. I've never seen anything like it before. He's fighting and bearing the pain because of you. He is determined to get back to you as soon as possible."

"Will we be able to talk to each other again, even if it's just for a few minutes?" I ask hoping she will say yes.

"I'm not sure, but I will definitely have him call you again as soon as his doctor will allow it. He wants Peeta to rest his voice as much as possible. His throat is really raw and irritated from being intubated and from all of the smoke and burning toxins he inhaled before they were able to get him out of the burning tank. It will be a few days before he will be able to talk normally again."

"Oh alright, I understand. As much as I want to talk to him, I don't want him to do anything that might make his throat worse." I tell her.

"Katniss, the main reason I wanted to speak with you is that I wanted to be the one to tell you that I have arranged to take off work for a week so that I can stay with Peeta. I don't want to leave him alone until he is safely back in Panem with you so I spoke with my commander and I am going to be flying back with Peeta, Thresh and Hopper. It has all been approved. As soon as his doctor feels that he is stable enough to travel across the Atlantic, we leave for Panem. Both Thresh and Hopper have been cleared for the flight already, so we are just waiting for Peeta."

"Oh Annie, thank you! It means a lot that you would do that for Peeta. You really are an amazing friend!"

"You're very welcome Katniss. That's what friends are for. There was no question in my mind of whether or not I wanted to fly to Panem with the three of them. I knew immediately when the doctors began discussing getting Peeta, Thresh and Hopper back to Panem Air Base that this was something I wanted to do."

"Will you be staying in Panem for a bit or are you going back to Germany immediately?" I ask.

"Since they gave me the whole week off work, I am going to stay in Panem for a couple of days before I have to fly back. It will give me a chance to spend time with my family and Finnick's mom Mags as well. I also can't wait to see you, Johanna and Gale; I only wish it was under different circumstances. It's hard being so far away from all of you. If it wasn't for Finnick, I don't know how I'd survive being so far away from my loved ones for such extended periods of time."

"Yeah, I can't imagine what it's like for you to only see your family once a year. It's been difficult having Peeta so far away and it's only been a little over four months since he left. If that RPG would have…" I trail off as I feel the tears forming in the corners of my eyes at the thought of what could have happened to Peeta, of what came so very close to happening.

"Please don't do this to yourself. Peeta is alive and in serious but stable condition. You can't keep thinking about what could have happened, it's not healthy for you or your baby. Peeta is fighting the battle of his life in order to get back to you and he needs you to remain strong, for him, for your child and most importantly for yourself. I have to go but either Finnick or I will call you back in the next couple of hours with an update on Peeta. And hopefully by this time tomorrow we will be ready to go or even better, on our way back to Panem Air Base. Stay strong."

"Alright. I'll do my best. Thanks again Annie. For everything. I'll talk to you soon."

"You're welcome and I'll talk to you soon."

The next twenty-four hours are basically a recurring cycle of trying to get some rest in between update calls from Finnick, Annie and officials from the Air Force. My family also does their best to try and get me to eat, despite the fact that I tell them that I'm simply not hungry. Haymitch reminds me that I need to keep on eating and keep my strength up in order for my child to grow big and strong, so I try to eat enough to satisfy them. Rue has to leave after dinner to go home and babysit her younger brothers and sisters while her mom goes to work, my father-in-law has to check in on his business and his employees at the bakery and Gale has to work the Sunday afternoon shift at the bank, but everyone else stays with me at Gale and Johanna's townhouse.

At four o'clock Monday morning, we get the call from Finnick that we've all been anxiously waiting for. The final procedure Peeta needed to have done before he would be cleared to travel, having the fluid drainage tube removed from his remaining limb was a success, and since Peeta has been stable for over thirty-six hours and is breathing alright with the supplemental oxygen, he has been given the okay to make the flight home.

According to Finnick, they will be arriving at Panem Air Base around 9 pm our time and since we won't be getting anymore updates until the plane lands in Panem, I decide that I want to go back to our house and clean up before we have to head to the hospital. I haven't been home since Friday afternoon before Prim and I left for Gale's and I would like to get some of Peeta's and my things together to take to the hospital since I don't plan on being home much until Peeta is ready to come home with me. I have made the arrangements with my manager at the aquarium to start my maternity leave early so I won't have to worry about leaving Peeta to go to work. I intend to stay by his side as much as possible.

At eight o'clock, I take the duffle bag I have filled with clothes for Peeta and myself, our toiletries, and a few personal items out to the van. Once Prim and Haymitch are ready, we leave to pick up Gale, Johanna and my father-in-law on our way to Panem Air Base. Since we still have some time before the plane will be arriving at the base, we stop at the commissary and get some flowers, get well balloons, three get well cards and three teddy bears for Peeta, Thresh and Hopper.

About ten minutes after I park the van in the hospital parking lot, my phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. When I pull it out, the screen is lit up with a text message from Annie.

ANNIE: Just touched down on the runway. Will be arriving at the hospital by ambulance soon!

Not as major, but another cliffhanger! Katniss and Peeta are both together back in Panem now though! I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter, despite the fact that we haven't gotten to the reunion yet!

If you have a minute, please leave me a quick review! Thanks again for reading!

As Katniss said in the beginning, life never seems to turn out the way we expect it too!

Just remember, "…Whatever Happens Here, Whatever Happens Here, We Remain!" Christina Aguilera