The Peackeeper begins to unbutton my coat and I finally am able to get ky mind working again. I inhale to scream but he covers my mouth with his hand, giving me the perfect moment to bite him, hard. He swears and slams me up against the hard wall. It hurts and makes me dizzy but I fight to stay conscious.
I push him back and finally find my voice to yell, "Help!" It's so desperate and I keep yelling for help until the Peacekeeper is able to silence me by stuffing a handkerchief into my mouth and then putting my hands down to my side.
"Do you want to die?" He asks and I shake my head, feeling the tears sting my eyes. "Then I would stop if I were you."
His hand then goes back to slowly unbuttoning my coat and I close my eyes. There's a brief moment of silence before the pressure of the Peacekeeper is ripped away from me. I hear a thud of a fist landing into someone stomach and I open my eyes to find Gale, holding the Peacekeeper by his collar.
Gale is a good foot taller than him and in better shape because he works in the mines. The Peacekeepr doesn't stand a fighting chance, especially since Gale caught the guy off guard. He has a steely grip on the Peacekeepers collar and then lands a good punch into the man's face. There's a sickening crunch and I know Gale's broken his nose.
Gale lets him go and the Peacekeeper stumbles backwards, teetering and attempting to stay upright, but I know the blow to his face was hard enough that he's dizzy and most likely trying to stay conscious. "You have no right to touch my wife or anyone like that. Now if I were you, I would get out of here before I decide to break your neck."
The Peacekeeper takes Gale's threat seriously but not before turning around and saying, "Just you wait Hawthorne." He then spits blood onto the sidewalk and I can't help but wonder how many teeth Gale knocked loose with that one punch.
"Norah? You ok?" He asks before walking slowly over to me like I'm some kind of injured animal. I nod my head and struggle to button up my coat again. "Do you want me to help you?" I shake my head and sniffle, my fear really starting to get to me.
"He's not coming back." Gale says reassuringly and I look at him, the tears starting to break and slip down my cheeks. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but I couldn't help it.
"He threatened you. He knows and they'll come back." I say and Gale takes a step towards me.
"Don't worry about that right now. Are you ok?" Gale says before reaching out for me and even though I was still upset at him. The fear of the Peacekeeper returning is too much for me and I slip under his protective arm.
He holds me close to him and we walk quickly home. "You're not hurt are you?" He asks when we're safely inside. He makes sure to lock the front door and then the window in the kitchen. When I don't answer right away he looks at me and says, "Norah, talk to me."
"I'm fine." I say even though my voice quivers. I sit down on the couch and curl into a little ball, leaning my head against the arm rest and watching him move swiftly around the kitchen. He heats up a small bowl of soup for me and then pours a steaming cup of mint tea.
"You need to eat something." He says before sitting next to me and I shake my head, "Please Norah, just have a few bites and then you can go to bed." I feel like he's treating me like a small child but I'm too confused to really say anything. My head and back hurt too much from the Peacekeeper slamming me against the wall.
"My head hurts." I say and Gale slips his hand gently to the back of my head. His hand feeling gently and I cringe when he brushes over a bump.
"You've got a pretty big bump." Gale says and he stands up showing me his fingers that are covered in my blood, "I'm going to go get Mrs. Everdeen."
"You can't go back out there Gale; they'll be looking for you." I say trying to stand up and Gale pushes me gently by the shoulder to sit back down.
"You're hurt Norah. I don't know what to do, this could be serious. It's a head injury and-"
"I'm fine Gale." I say and he seems unsure, "I'll go see Mrs. Everdeen tomorrow since I can't work for the rest of the week."
"How are your hands?" He asks and I spoon some of the stew into my mouth.
"Better than my head." I say and Gale looks towards the door like he wants to leave and I stop him, by putting a hand on his. "Please just stay here. I don't want them to get you too."
"Fine, but I'm staying up with you." Gale says and I make a face at him.
"You have work tomorrow." I say and Gale shakes his head.
"I think I can afford to miss a day."
The night is terrible, my head hurts throughout the night and my back hurts too much for me to get comfortable. Gale tries his best to make me comfortable but I can't sleep because my head is throbbing in the back. I finally drift off into a light doze, my head pounding even in sleep.
I wake up way before it's time to get up in the morning because of a biting pain in the back of my head. It's freezing even though I'm wrapped up in all the blankets. Gale isn't in bed and even though I am angry at him I let him sleep in the bed because the couch is lumpy and he has work. He's not here though and I can't help but feel a little nervous because where could he possibly be at three in morning?
The Peacekeepers could have got him, or he's with Katniss. The vicious voice in my head hisses and I sit up, shaking my head in an attempt to silence the voice.
I crawl out of the bed, my teeth beginning to chatter from the cold air from the stupid broken window. My feet feel as if they're going to freeze to the floorboards and I pull the top quilt off the bed and wrap it around myself tightly. I walk slowly to the living room and try not to step on any of the creaky boards. I don't want Gale to hear me but since he has super human hearing the second I take a step into the living room his head snaps up and his eyes meet my gaze.
We stare at each other for a few moments before he turns back and looks at the dying fire in our fireplace. "Why are you awake so early?" I ask and he continues to stare at the fire.
"Couldn't sleep. Why are you up so early?" He asks and I pull the quilt over my shoulders more.
"It's freezing." I answer before shivering violently. He scoots over, making a place in front of the fireplace for me. He turns to look back at me and I think about returning to the bedroom but it's so warm in here that I can't bring myself to leave so I suck in a deep breath and sit next to him, as far away as I can manage.
Since I'm still angry and I'm sure he is too we just sit in silence watching the embers in the fire die out slowly. The fire glows a burning red, but it's warm even though I'm still freezing it feels nice to thaw out a little. I shiver for a second and Gale gets up, grabbing the blanket off the couch and draping it over my shoulders, "It's just going to get colder." He says and I groan, causing the corners of his mouth to turn up a little at me.
I stay silent, the only sound in the room is the sputtering and popping of the fire. It crackles for a few moments before Gale finally says, "I'm sorry. I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable or feel like you're not wanted here. I never planned to kiss Katniss and it just kind of happened and I wished I could have told you instead of you witnessing it."
"Would you have told me though?" I ask looking at him and Gale continues to stare at the fire, "Because you had all day to tell me, but I was still the one to bring it up."
"I know and I'm sorry. I really am Norah and I-"
"I appreciate your apology Gale but I can't forgive you, not yet." I say cutting off whatever he wants to tell me. "The only thing I really want is to be happy here and I want my children- our children to be happy with parents that actually get along and it'll be really hard for me to be happy if I know that you're seeing Katniss behind my back."
"The kiss was and will be a onetime thing. I feel terrible about it, like I lost your trust before you even really let me have it. I also never meant to tell you that I could never love you, because I'm sure I could grow into loving you but it's just going to be hard."
"I understand, because how could you ever love me like you do Katniss. I'm nothing like her, I'm not independent or brave like her. Compared to Katniss I'm actually kind of dull." I say and Gale smirks at the fire.
"I don't think you're dull and you shouldn't be comparing yourself to Katniss anyways. I don't think I could even love a girl if she was exactly like Katniss." Gale says with a sigh before poking the fire, "I guess that's confusing."
"No, it's because I'm not Katniss and I understand that. I don't think I could ever really fall for you the same way I did for Sinon, even if you were as happy go lucky as he was. You wouldn't be him, and it's not the same." I say and Gale nods his head slowly.
We sit in silence again and I work up the courage to say in a hushed whisper, "I could never love you like I did Sinon, but I can love you for being Gale. I'm willing to do that, but you have to be willing to love me for being Norah."
"How can I love you for being Norah, when you're not even really sure who she is?" Gale says and I swallow the lump building in my throat.
"And how can I ever love someone who is such a pessimist and makes everything in the world seem so ugly?" I ask as I turn to face him. He licks his lips and leans back from me, tilting his head. "I'm willing to try though and I think that's what makes us so different. I'm accepting the change that is happening in our life and you're still trying to hold on, but you can't please everyone Gale."
"Are you giving me an ultimatum? That it's either you or Katniss?" He asks and I shake my head.
"I would never make you pick me over your best friend. That would never be fair, but I just want you to remember that at the end of the day I am your wife. That it's going to be me in the bed that you sleep in and me making sure your household runs smoothly. I'm also going to be the mother or your children and Katniss, she'll be gone in two years. Married in another District and that will be it, she'll be gone and I'll be here."
"And you're calling me a pessimist." He says sarcastically and I roll my eyes.
"No I'm being a realist." I say and Gale slouches his shoulders, "I'm really trying here Gale and I want to grow to love you but you're so damn stubborn and I feel like you don't even want to try to make this work."
"Of course I want to make this work, but I feel like your shoving this whole marriage and love and children crap down my throat. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I have a wife and that I live in a house without my siblings. I want this work out, but I want it to happen naturally I don't want to force myself to fall in love with you because I have to, because the Capitol is breathing down our necks. I want to fall in love with you on our own terms and really fall in love with you, like how Sinon fell for you or how I fell for Katniss. I want it to be real, like how my parents loved each other and how I'm sure your parents do." Gale says and I look at him, kind of not believing what I hear but I can see the honesty in his eyes.
"I didn't mean to shove everything at you. I'm scared because I know what happens to those who don't obey what the Capitol wants." My voice cracks and I think of Elise and the gun against her head. I think of the gunshot echoing through the town square and Persi screaming into my chest. I think about my friend lifeless on the ground and I cover my face with my hands.
"I know what they can do to people, trust me. I'm not scared of them though because I haven't done anything to make them suspicious." Gale says and I bring my face out of my hands and look back at the fire.
"What about the quota? The law states that you have to have your first born or be pregnant with your first born by the first year." I say and Gale puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes me reassuringly.
"We'll figure something out, for now don't worry about that and lets just worry about us, ok?" He asks and I nod my head, still feeling the stress of everything in the future weighing down on my shoulders.
"So where does this leave us?" I ask and Gale shrugs his shoulders.
"I have an idea, what are you doing next Sunday?" He asks and I shrug my shoulders.
"Work." I answer and he chuckles.
"I want to take you somewhere." He says, "And I promise I won't be late."
"And you won't be kissing Katniss?" I ask and he smiles a little.
"I promise, no more kissing Katniss." He says and I nod my head, looking back towards the fire and smiling a bit. He chuckles and nudges me with his elbow, maybe things could work out for us.
When it's finally morning, I get up and Gale walks me slowly to the Everdeen household.
I'm not hungry and Gale seems worried. As we walk he runs into Thom and tells his friend that we had an accident. The way Gale growls the word though I know Thom catches on right away that this wasn't an accident. Thom's eyes darken like Gale's and he licks his lips, "Let me know if I can do anything for you."
The Everdeen household is warm when we walk inside and Mrs. Everdeen seems surprised when she sees us. "I didn't expect you back so soon Norah." She says as Gale sits me on a chair and her eyes narrow on the spot on my head. "What happened?"
"Peacekeeper." Gale says before looking at her with emotionless eyes.
Mrs. Everdeen looks at me with panicked eyes as she traces my body, "I found her before he could do anything." Gale says with disgust in voice and Mrs. Everdeen cups my face into her hands.
"Let see what the damage is ok." She whispers to me and I nod my head as she begins to feel the back of my head. She works on me for a while and I continue to cringe each time her fingers touch the tender spot on my head. "Was it bleeding a lot last night?"
"No, only for a bit. I was able to stop it with a washcloth." Gale says and Mrs. Everdeen nods her head. "Is she ok?"
"She's fine Gale. I'm just going to wrap it up and give her some herbs for the pain." Mrs. Everdeen says before moving slowly back to her medicine cabinet. I smile at Gale sheepishly and the corners of his mouth lift a bit, but he looks so worried.
It's just in Gale's nature to worry about the people in his family. He has a big heart even if he doesn't open it to many people, at that moment I could see it more clearly. Our moment is broken when the bedroom door is open and Katniss and Primrose file out. Primrose looks at me questionably and tilts her head when she sees the bandages.
"Are you alright Norah?" She asks and I smile at her. I didn't want to nod my head because the movement hurt and I didn't want to talk because the pain from the back of my head was radiating to my jaw now.
"She's fine Prim; she just had a little accident walking home last night." Gale says, "She isn't very graceful on her feet like some of us." Gale teases trying to keep the mood light and not directed to what really happened to me.
"That doesn't surprise me." Katniss says before jumping up on the counter and shooting a look in my direction.
"Katniss." Gale says in a low voice and she directs the look at him. "Let's try to be nice today."
I feel my cheeks turn pink at the idea that Gale is sticking up for me in front of Katniss and I'm glad he is. "Gale, don't you have work?" Katniss asks and Gale licks his lips, staring at her.
"I'm taking the day off for Norah." Gale answers and Katniss lifts a brow before getting up and grabbing her school bag.
"Come on Prim." She says at the door before walking out. Primrose follows after her quickly and Gale watches her go. He seems conflicted, but stays at my side and I'm grateful because I'm starting to feel a little dizzy.
"I think that's all I can do for her right now. Just keep an eye on her Gale, let her sleep but wake her up every hour." Mrs. Everdeen says and Gale nods his head, reaching his hand out to help me up from the chair.
I lean against him so that I don't topple over from dizziness.
I figured the Peacekeepers would come after Gale that night, but they don't. The week actually passes pretty silently with just Gale and me trying to work out things that have happened in the past two weeks. I'm not angry at him anymore, because how could I be when he saved me. Gale doesn't act like I'm a nuisance anymore to him either and we seem to be getting along a lot better.
"Can you help me?" I ask him as I try to stand on the wobbly stool to hand up the wet clothes I had just washed. Even on the stool I'm not tall enough to reach the clothesline that Gale strung rom one wall to the other in front of the fire place.
He clips the clothes to the pins with ease, not even needing the stool and I role my eyes when he smirks playfully at me. I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow.
"What is that smell?" He asks and I hold up my hands.
"The lotion Mrs. Everdeen gave me. It's terrible." I say and he crinkles his nose, causing me to smile.
"I was thinking about just having leftovers for dinner. We have a lot of stew left." Gale says before walking back to the kitchen. He always seems to break away from the little moments we have, like he's scared to have them with me, like he's still not ready to open up to me just yet.
I stoke the fire and turn back to find Gale looking out the window. His brows are furrowed heavily and he bites his lip, "I'm going to need you to go Thom's house ok."
"What?" I ask and Gale looks at me, a weary smile on his face like he's trying not to freak me out.
"I'm going to need you to go to Thom's." He says just as the Peacekeepers burst through our front door.
They grab him and gale doesn't put up a struggle knowing that it's going to make things worse for him. The Peacekeeper from that night looks at me and then strikes me across the face with the palm of his hand. Gale wasn't struggling before, but he is now. He breaks free from the Peacekeepers for a split second, giving him just enough time for his fist to make contact with the Peacekeeper who's nose is already broken from that night in the ally.
The Peacekeepers grab him again and one of them lifts their club and hits him hard on the back. "Stop it!" I shriek, trying to get to Gale but the Peacekeeper from that night holds me back and the other two Peacekeepers lead him out of the house.
"You better keep your mouth shut. Your husband will be back tomorrow." The Peacekeeper says and I wait a few minutes until running to Thom's house.
I don't bother knocking on their door and don't feel the least bit bad when I burst in on their dinner. "They took him." I say surprisingly evenly and Thom gets up, his chair making a scraping noise against the hardwood floors.
"Stay here Norah." He says before pressing a kiss to the top of Bristle's head and then putting on his coat.
"Be safe Thom." Bristle says as her husband disappears out the door and into the night, "Sit down Norah."
"Where is he going?" I ask and Bristle hands me a plate so that I can eat even though I'm not the least bit hungry.
"The men know what to do when the Peacekeepers turn into big bullies. They'll find him, I wouldn't worry about it." Bristle says and I cover my face with my hands.
"This is all my fault." I say and Bristle puts a hand on my shoulder.
"No it's not. The Peacekeeper's have no right to lay a hand on you and Gale has every right to make sure that they don't hurt you." Bristle says and I keep my face in my hands.
"They also have no right to take him." I say and Bristle sighs.
"I know Norah, but this is how it is. He'll be fine, believe me. This happens more than it should." Bristle says and I sigh into my hands, feeling the tears prick my eyes. We were having such a nice evening too.
Thom brings Gale in through the front door around midnight. I had let Bristle go to bed because she's just so pregnant and I didn't want this to dress her out, it wasn't fair for her. Gale is leaning against Thom with his arm slung over his buddy's shoulders and his other arm on his midsection.
I jump up from the couch and help Thom move Gale to the couch I had just been sitting on. Gale groans and I barely recognize him, he's beaten up so bad. I brush his hair back gently, trying to ignore the blood that's caked in his hair. I try to keep my face brave but I couldn't believe that the Peacekeepers that were surprisingly so tolerant here could do this much damage to him.
"I need to go get Mrs. Everdeen." I say and Gale lifts his hand up to me to take my hand into his.
"Just stay here with me." He says like I had told him when it was me attacked by the Peacekeepers, afraid that they would find him.
"You're in a lot worse shape than I was Gale." I say and his brows furrow together.
"I'll be fine." Gale says and I look over at Thom who nods his head in agreement.
"I think it's best for you to just clean him up and then we'll bring him to the Everdeen's tomorrow morning." Thom says before heading to a closet in the hallway to pull out blankets and pillows for me.
"Thank you Thom, for everything." I say and he grins at me.
"He would do the same thing for me." He answers before pointing to the cabinet and then at the bathroom. "You'll find everything you need for him in there."
I nod my head and watch him go to bed because he's still got work in the morning. Gale's eyes are closed and I watch his chest rise and fall slowly, making sure he's still breathing. I can't handle looking at him right now and just need a moment.
I walk to the bathroom and close the door, staring at myself in the mirror. I look so tired from everything that keeps happening and I can't help but think that this was not the marriage I wanted, not the life I wanted. There was nothing I could do though, so I splash some cold water on me, put on my brave face and go back out to Gale with a washcloth to see how I can make him comfortable for the night.
I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm going to start focusing on Norah and Gale's relationship again, but we will see Katniss in the next few chapters.
Let me know what you think!