A/N: Here it is, the final chapter of Everything Grows! Even though there is still an epilogue to write, this concludes the actual story. I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and added this story to your alerts. It is your interest and dedication to the story that got it this far.
I can't stop looking at her. So small, but so perfect; she eased her tiny frame into Katniss' arms, swaddled tight in the towel her grandmother wrapped her in. She has been content ever since, making delicate, high-pitched sounds when she exhales.
"She sounds like she's snoring," I note with a smile. Her small mouth is slack, but every so often I notice her bottom lip tremble when she inhales – Katniss notices it too. The light chuckle she allows to escape is such a relief to hear.
"Do you think we'll ever sleep again?" Katniss asks, staring down at the baby in her arms. I observe the way her dark hair – the same color as Katniss' – overlaps the top of her ear.
"Probably not," I reply. "I bet the sleep you got earlier today is the most you'll get for a while." There is a light knock on the doorframe and I look up to see mom standing there, looking at us.
"Katniss are you comfortable?" she asks. I motion for her to come in and she walks across the room, holding a glass of water and a bottle of pills.
"I'm alright for now," Katniss nods.
"Well here is some water and pain medicine if you start to feel uncomfortable," mom says. The baby begins to fuss again, squirming in Katniss' arms and crinkling her eyes shut before letting out a high pitched wail. "She's probably hungry. Has the medical center instructed you on nursing?"
"No," Katniss shakes her head. She looks worried. "Was that something I should have done?"
"It's fine," mom smiles. "I can teach you."
I sit up then, moving down to the bottom half of the bed as mom comes to sit down next to Katniss and the baby, who is now crying loudly again.
"She's just hungry?" Katniss asks. "Are you sure that's all it is?"
"She's an hour old and she still hasn't eaten, and that's a hungry cry," mom answers loudly to be heard over the screams. "Now, why don't you try nursing her on your side?"
"On my side?"
"Just lie down on your side and put the baby next to you," mom begins to explain. "I always nursed you lying down on my side with you close to me - it was when you were the calmest."
Katniss reluctantly sets the baby down on the bed and scoots down to face her, resting on her side. Without being told she lifts her shirt up and waits for her next instruction.
"Now pull her close to you, and keep your hand on her back to keep her on her side." Katniss does as she's told, positioning the baby flush with her body.
Mom explains to Katniss how to get the baby to latch on, and Katniss lets another laugh slip when the baby first does it. It causes her to stop nursing, and Katniss apologizes for laughing. I'm not sure if she's apologizing to her mother or the baby.
"It's alright, it's a strange sensation at first," mom assures her. "Just try it again." She watches as Katniss silently goes through the steps her mother walked her through before and gets the baby to latch on. "Good job." She gets up from the bed and slants her head in Katniss' direction, silently telling me to go back to the spot I was in before she came in. "I'll be back in a little while to check in."
"Wait," Katniss says. The sudden boom of her voice scares the baby, her small arm shoots into the air and she stiffens before beginning to cry again. Katniss seems to lose her train of thought and immediately turns her attention to the baby, going back through the steps to get her to latch on once more; when she is confident she's got it, she speaks again in a softer tone. "How will I know when she's done nursing?"
"Let her guide you. If she stops only to start crying again, she's not done."
"Okay." Katniss looks down at the baby, and then back to her mother. "Can you tell Haymitch he can come up here when I'm done nursing her?"
"Sure," mom says with a smile. "I was just going to make him some dinner. Do either of you want me to bring something up for you?"
"I'm fine," I answer, looking to Katniss.
"No," she replies, not taking her eyes off the baby. Mom smiles at her again and then nods to me before leaving the room. I know what the nod meant. Things are alright now; Katniss is alright.
"Do you think Haymitch will come up here?" I ask, lying down on my side. The baby is now between us as she nurses, and finally Katniss shifts her gaze from the baby to me before she shrugs.
"I don't know, but if he wants to see her he'll have to," she replies. "She's not leaving this room tonight."
"He waited all day," I remind her.
"I know," Katniss says. She brushes her thumb over the baby's cheek. "I just want to keep her right here for a while. He can come up here."
"I'll make sure he does," I tell her. We fall silent then, and our eyes fall back down to our daughter. She is still nursing; her eyes are shut tightly and her arms are pulled up to her chest while her tiny hands hang in front of her. "She looks like a bunny with her hands like that," I laugh.
"Look at you, Bunny," Katniss whispers, smiling. At the sound, the baby finally stops nursing and yawns. "Do you think she's done?"
"I guess we'll find out." We wait a few minutes, staring at her to see if she'll start to fuss again, but instead she opens her eyes wide and stares. "She's probably wondering what we're staring at."
"Look at her eyes, Peeta," Katniss murmurs. I shift forward and look down and see two big blue eyes staring back at me.
"Do you think they'll change? Didn't the book say most babies' eyes change color after birth?" I ask.
"I don't know," Katniss shakes her head. "But those are your eyes." She sounds so overcome when she says it, that I can't help but let myself revel in the beauty of the moment. It's at this moment that it finally hits me – we have a daughter, and she's perfect, but there's one thing missing.
"I think Baby Bunny needs a name," I whisper. "Do you have anything in mind?"
Katniss is quiet for a few minutes, staring down at the baby intensely while brushing the pad of her thumb over her forehead. Finally, she mutters two words.
"Beautiful Zuri."
"Zuri," I test the name. "Do you like that?" Katniss nods.
"When Dr. Aurelius sent the books from The Capitol, he also sent a book of names," She explains.
"Why didn't you show me that one?"
"When you first came home, it didn't feel like the right time to show you a book of baby names," she says. "I didn't think it would help you, but I read through it a lot and I saw the name Zuri, and I read that it meant beautiful, and when I look at her, that's all I can see."
"I like it," I reply. "I've never seen anything more beautiful." I set my finger on the palm of her tiny hand, and she closes her own fingers around it. "I think she likes it too."
"Zuri," Katniss says again, louder this time. "She looks like a Zuri."
"Then Zuri it is," I announce. Katniss smiles and begins to situate the towel that Zuri was wrapped in, exposing her tiny body that is in nothing but a diaper.
"We should put clothes on her," Katniss says. "Maybe she's getting cold." I smile at her concern.
"I'll get something from her room and tell Haymitch he can come see her now," I offer, pulling my finger from Zuri's grasp.
"Get the white pajamas," Katniss calls after me. "The one from the basket Effie sent, with the frogs on them. And a clean diaper."
I leave the room and head for Zuri's nursery, opening the drawer of her dresser that we designated for pajamas. I find the one piece outfit quickly – it has small frogs dotting it from head to toe, complete with a place for her feet that look like green frogs smiling; before I leave the room, I swipe a diaper and packet of wet wipes from the pile of Capitol items that Effie has been sending us for weeks.
When I leave the room, I make a quick trip downstairs and find mom in the kitchen washing dishes.
"Haymitch is in the living room," she says. "There's left over food for you and Katniss if you get hungry."
"Thanks," I smile, before heading into the living room.
"Hey," I announce, letting him know I'm in there. "You can come up and see her if you want." He looks down at the outfit in my hand and then back up to me with a smirk on his face.
"So that's your life now, huh?" He asks. "Clothes with frogs on them?" I chuckle at his observation and hold up the tiny outfit.
"Yeah, I guess it is." I motion for him to follow me as I turn around and head back toward the staircase; he hoists himself off the couch and silently joins me.
"You know that's pretty impressive what she did," Haymitch says behind me.
"What?"
"Katniss' mother," he says. "Delivers a baby, and then makes dinner for everyone."
"I guess I never really thought about it like that," I reply. He's right, it is impressive – I'm not sure I will ever be able to thank her enough for any of it.
I walk back into the bedroom and sit down on the bed, noticing that Haymitch has stopped in the doorway. Katniss has Zuri lying in the middle of the bed on top of the towel that was once wrapped around her, and I hand her the pajamas and clean diaper; she looks over to the doorway and see Haymitch.
"Hey, Sweetheart," he says moving forward when Katniss motions for him to come in. His voice is so soft and so tender; the last time I remember hearing him talk like that was the night of our toasting. He stands at the foot of the bed, looking at Zuri who is fast asleep on the towel.
"You can sit," I tell him. He nods and sits on the corner of the bed, keeping his eyes on Zuri.
"You can hold her after I change her," Katniss says. She sets the pajamas down on the bed and then opens the old diaper, setting it down next to her.
"Have you ever changed a diaper?" I ask.
"No, but it can't be that tough," Katniss answers with a shrug. I watch as she cleans the baby with a wipe and lifts her legs, setting her back down on the clean diaper, pulling the front up over her and securing it closed.
She then picks Zuri up, setting her down on top of the outfit I brought in. She pulls one arm through, and I take the other, doing the same with her feet before Katniss zips up the outfit and picks Zuri back up.
She moves Zuri in Haymitch's direction, and he stiffens a bit, looking nervous at the idea of holding her.
"Just support her head with your elbow," I advise. "And cradle her, just like Katniss is doing." Odds are Haymitch has never paid attention to a baby this small – why would he?
Katniss transfers Zuri into Haymitch's arms and though he looks uncomfortable, he keeps her cradled close to him.
"Why didn't I think she'd be this small?" Haymitch asks. Like Katniss, he speaks while staring down at her. She begins to squirm at the sound of his voice, stiffening her legs. Her eyes pop open and she blinks a few times before squinting up at the face in front of her. "Hey, Bright Eyes." He looks up at me then and nods his head in approval. "Those are your eyes, kid." He looks back down at Zuri then. "But Sweetheart's hair."
"Her name is Zuri," I tell him.
"Zuri, huh?" The longer he holds her, the more comfortable he seems to become. "You've got a nice set up here, Zuri. Make sure you let them know who's boss, they can be stubborn sometimes."
The room grows silent after a while; Haymitch finally seems content with Zuri in his arms, and she doesn't seem to have a problem with him holding her, either.
"I'm going to teach her to call you uncle Haymitch when she starts to talk," I tell him. He rolls his eyes at me, but when he looks back down to Zuri in his arms, I can see the slightest hint of a smirk on his face.
"Alright," Haymitch says to Zuri. "I'm going to give you to your dad now; you three need your rest." He shifts toward me and sets the baby in my arms, then stands from the bed. "You guys did a good job," he says before walking out the door.
"I don't think he likes her very much," I joke. Katniss stifles a laugh and nods.
"He clearly hates her," she replies.
Mom knocks on the door some time later, softly padding across the room after I wave her in. Katniss is just finishing up nursing Zuri again.
"You're getting the hang of that, quick," mom says to Katniss. "I knew you would." She sits down on the bed to look at Zuri. "Hey, baby girl," she coos.
"We named her Zuri," Katniss tells her. "It means beautiful."
"Very fitting," mom says trailing her fingers across the wisps of hair at the nape of Zuri's neck. Katniss doesn't ask before moving Zuri to her mother, setting the baby in her arms just as she begins to hiccup. Mom laughs at the sound. "Did you eat too much, Zuri?"
"I used to feel her hiccup a lot," Katniss says. "Maybe that's her thing."
"Our daughter's claim to fame is that she's gassy," I deadpan.
"She's cute too," mom adds. "Look at this little nose." She sets her finger on the tip of Zuri's nose and rubs it lightly; causing Zuri's to twist her face and open her eyes at the sensation.
"Do you think her eyes will change color as she gets older?" Katniss asks. "I read that they can change."
"I'm sure they'll change a little, but I don't think they'll change much," mom answers. She hesitates, opening her mouth as though she wants to say something, but isn't sure if she should.
"What?" Katniss asks.
"I was just thinking that Prim's eyes weren't even this blue when she was born," she explains. "I thought she'd have gray eyes too for a while, but then they changed."
"Really?" Katniss asks. She sounds interest, but also a little sad at the mention of her sister.
"There's so much I've never gotten to tell you," mom says, her voice just as sad.
"We have time for that," Katniss assures her. "I want to know."
"Thank you," mom says. It's a simple statement, but her tone indicates there is much more behind it, and Katniss can hear it too. She nods at her mother and traces Zuri's ear with her fingers. "I will leave you three alone now, I'm sure you want to sleep, it's getting late." She gives Zuri back to Katniss and moves from the bed, grabbing the bassinet from the corner of the room and wheeling it over to Katniss' side of the bed. "For when you want to put her down."
"Thanks, mom," Katniss smiles.
When she's left the room, Katniss moves back up against the headboard, resting Zuri on her legs with her hands under the baby's head.
"Come closer," Katniss says to me. I move over and set myself against the headboard as well, shoulder to shoulder with Katniss.
"I'm really happy," I tell her, turning my head and placing a kiss to her temple. Katniss nods at my statement and runs her thumbs over the sides of Zuri's head.
"So am I," she says. "For a while, I wasn't sure, but now that she's here, I already can't imagine what it'd be like without her."
"We can do this. You know we can do this," I tell her.
"I know. We have each other," she repeats the words I've told her countless times, and I nod.
"Your grandpas would be so in love with you," I say to Zuri. "I think you would have even made your other grandma smile." I look over to Katniss and see a tear slide down her cheek. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned our fathers so soon. "I'm sorry," I whisper, kissing her temple once more.
"I wish she could have met them," Katniss says.
"We'll tell her all about them one day," I assure her. "She'll know who they are."
We sit in silence for a while, content to stare at the sleeping newborn. My stomach growls, but I ignore it – I have no interest in eating right now; when I ask Katniss, she doesn't either.
"Can you help me put her in the bassinet?" she asks. I get out of bed and take the baby from her arms, rocking her for a few extra seconds before I set her down. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Katniss struggling to get up from the edge of the bed; I put my hand out for her to grab on to and pull her up. I help her walk the rest of the way to the bathroom, but close the door to give her privacy to wash up. While I wait for her to finish up, I change into fresh pajamas, check on Zuri in the bassinet and take a pain pill from the bottle for Katniss.
We repeat the steps to get her back into bed and I hand the glass of water and pill to her – she takes it without protest.
"Thank you," she says, setting the glass of water back down on the table next to her.
"Are you ready to try and get some rest before Zuri's ready to nurse again?" I ask.
"Yes." She lies down and I grab the comforter from where I threw it the night before, throwing it on top of the bed before climbing in and pulling it over us.
"You were amazing today," I tell her as she nestles herself close to my chest. "Now get some rest."
Last summer, the frustration of not getting pregnant was beginning to consume us. This summer, we have the very thing we were trying so hard for, healthy and beautiful. And even though the journey to get here was riddled with frustration, fear, and unknowns, we still did it, together. And Zuri was worth it.
THE END
