"I knew I would find you here." Peeta says. I don't reply, I just keep stirring my coffee with my straw, watching the water funnel come back and disappear again. I went to the Starbucks in the hospital. This is strictly a cancer hospital, called Mofitt. He sits down across from me. "Listen," he begins, but I cut him off before he can start again.

"Yeah, I'm really not in the mood for a lecture."

"Well that's too bad," he snaps, and my eyes snap up to his in shock because he never says that to me. He normally just…says okay.

"Peeta-"

"No. Katniss Joy, you've been best friend with Finnick since you were fifteen, and Johanna is your own blood. I get you have priorities honey, but I'm not going to let me and the ids make you a recluse who only leave the house for work. We're young still, kids or not, and I get that you have kids and we're married, but I want you to make time for everyone. How about say…Fridays? Some day that works for all of you, you go out and I take care of the kids?"

"What about you and your friends?"

He shrugs. "Don't worry about me."

"Peeta that's not fair!"

"Katniss," he says. "I'm fine."

"Peeta…"

"Katniss…" he mimics. I scowl and he grins. "Most of my friends live in France."

"Well you go to France once a week."

It's his turn to scowl. "No. But anyways, I want you to spend time with them. I want you to make time for everyone."

"I'm only human Peeta. I can't do everything. I may seem strong, but I'm human. I bleed when I fall down."

"I know that baby." He reaches for my hands. I place them in his and he kisses my palm. "The rest of my family is here. You haven't seen some of them since Elizabeth was born. Justice and Kegan are currently teaching our kids many different swears." I put the cap of my coffee quickly and get up. He laughs and follows me, slings his arm around my shoulder."

It's true though, that most of the people in Peeta's family has only met Elizabeth, not the other seven of our children.

As matter of fact, the only people that have met our kids are Peeta's parents and brothers.

"They better not give me shit." I stop as we walking into the waiting room and turn to Peeta and cross my arms. He laughs.

"Honey, its Justice and Kegan, they're going to give you shit. Your talent is singing and sex. Their talent is giving you shit."

"Sex?" I ask as he starts pulling me towards everyone.

"And the bitch is here!" Kegan starts banging his fists against his chest and Justice joins, and of course, Rye and Graham. I ignore them.

"Well of course." Peeta says. "You should know that."

"Boys." Portia says desperately. Ryan is laughing his ass off, and so are the rest of my kids.

"Four ears and you guys are still annoying as hell." I say.

"What? That's all I get? At least give me a fucking hug." Kegan says.

"Watch your mouth and I'll consider it." I say, and then I point to my kids.

"Oh come on, what about Ryan and Rose? Let them swear." Justice says.

"No."

"Why?" he demands. "You know they do anyways. You cursed at fifteen."

"I know they cure, but I better not hear it."

"When can I curse?" Ryan asks.

"When there isn't sensitive ears around." I reply.

"Hey Katniss," Kegan says. I look at him and Justice snatches my coffee and drinks the whole thing.

"I spit in that." I say.

He pauses with his mouth full. I don't even laugh, or smile. My lips don't eve twitch in the lie, my face just stays bored and straight.

"Bull." He says.

"She did." Peeta backs me up. "She started choking on a muffin and everything, chunks and all, went right back into that cup."

Justice spits the drink in his mouth into the garbage and then he drops my coffee in, too.

I high five Peeta.

"Wait…" he frowns. "You tricked me."

"Yeah, I did."

Jillian comes stomping over to me, her pigtails bouncing. "Mommy, we are hungry! Can we eat? I'm going to die."

"You just ate an hour and a half ago. You're not hungry, you're just bored."

"No." she says. "I'm hungry!"

"No you aren't."

So what does she do when she doesn't get what she wants? She sits down on the floor and starts throwing a tantrum. I pull her off the floor and squat down in front of her.

"Stop it. You are going to be a big kid. Start acting like it. You are bored. You are not hungry okay?" I reach into my purse and hand her a ton of coloring books and four boxes of crayons. "Now go color and stop crying."

…..a…...

Finn and I made up and now we're all sitting around the waiting room. My eyes keep flicking to my notebook, and then the piano, and then I sigh. I don't know how many times I've done this. I just wrote a song because I got bored and it was on my mind and I need a piano and I don't want to wait till I get home.

"Why do you keep sighing?" Haymitch blurts. "It's getting really annoying. You're a musician and there isn't a damn person in this country that doesn't know it. The piano isn't there for decoration. Go and fucking use it so we can tune out the annoying beeping."

I simply shake my head, flip my notebook to a clean sheet and write, 'draw something for me?' and drop it on Peeta's lap. He frowns and picks up the pencil.

Like what?

I reach over and take the pencil from him, resting my chin on his arm and write surprise me

He writes, okay. I love you.

I take the pencil again. I love you too.

He taps on the paper with the eraser of the pencil and then he carefully squares our small conversation and begins drawing. I rest my head on his arm and watch. He starts drawing a line, and then the line turns into the most detailed tree with every leaf in it, but through it, I can still see through the leaves and see the branches.

He draws many more trees and then starts sketching the sky and the clouds. He doesn't let the tiny conversation on the paper that's boxed in interfere with his work.

He starts another tree but then we all look up from our distractions to the sound of someone, female, presumably Rose and, sobbing her eyes out.

"Mommy? Mom? Mom wake up!" The girl cries. "Please? I need you! Dad's gone! Not you too! Please, I need you to wake up for me. I want to have my Mom back! Please Mommy." I hear a hollowing sob and then, "you promised me."

The pain in this girls voice is so great, and the thought that she doesn't have a shoulder to cry on...it breaks my heart. I swallow the lump forming in my throat and get up.

"Katniss." Dad warns.

But I ignore him and walk away. I walk toward the sound of the girls voice and find her. She's younger than Rose and Ryan. She might even be a little bit younger than Addi. She's probably ten. She looks at me, and there's so much pain in her green eyes. Her ashy blond hair falls in her face and she brushes it away. Nurses are making her leave. I see her emerald eyes dart to a magazine that my face is on and back to me. She doesn't say anything, she just keeps crying. I open my arms and after she hesitates for a long time, she walks into them. I let her sob her eyes out into my shoulders, slowly pulling her out of the room. I run my fingers through her hair. I hold her for the longest time, until she stops crying. It think it's been a good two hours before she can talk.

"She was only thirty two. My dad died. My sister, she's twenty one, but other than that, I have no family to go to."

"Well maybe your sister will take you in?"

"No. She won't do that." She whispers. "She had leukemia. She was getting the spleen surgery and after they finished I was sitting in there and she left me."

"Oh honey." I whisper.

"Your Mom has the same thing." She whispers.

"My mom is getting the same surgery your Mom got."

"Well..." She doesn't finish her sentence. "Thank you." She whispers. "For calming me down."

"You don't need to thank me honey." I whisper.

She smiles and walks away.

Still, I can see the pain behind her smile.