(Point of View: Peeta)
I watched my wife from across the room as she dressed for the day. There's something incredibly sensual about a woman carrying your baby. Walking up behind Katniss, I brushed her hair to the side, and kissed her neck. She stopped fussing over how her maternity clothes were fitting and grinned. The changes in her body from the pregnancy made her exquisitely sensitive to every gesture of affection. Her eyelashes flitted together as she closed her soft gray eyes. It is true that women have a glow about them when they're pregnant, and Katniss certainly did. I knew she was waiting to see what I would do next. I put my hands on either side of her body, and she sighed deeply. Her skin was softer than ever, and she smelled like vanilla soap. I closed my eyes too and wrapped Katniss in my arms I felt her lean her head to the side, giving me more access to her neck. Then she turned around to face me and began kissing me. She couldn't help but bump her growing belly up against me as she did so. I smiled underneath the kisses and leaned slightly down and sideways so it was easier for her to reach me. She seemed just as captivated by the moment as I was until she pulled away.
"Peeta," she said softly, "I have to get to town this morning."
"Oh," I said as I backed away; I gave her one more kiss. "I'm glad you are going out. It's good for you and the baby."
"Yes," she smiled. "I think it is too."
Curious, I asked, "What are you doing in town?"
"I'm meeting Delly." She answered.
She'd been spending time with Delly more and more. I was delighted that Katniss and Delly had become friends. Delly was usually bright and cheerful. She was good for Katniss.
"Alright, have fun." I said. I kissed Katniss goodbye casually. Had I known what a momentous day in our lives this one would be, I would have held Katniss tight and not let her go.
(Point of View: Delly)
Katniss had become increasingly apprehensive as she got further along in her pregnancy. I encouraged her to tell Petta about her feelings, but she wouldn't.
"I'm afraid to tell Peeta." She said. "He's already so anxious about the baby and me."
"You can talk to Peeta, Katniss. He's your husband. He can handle much more than you think he can too." I told her.
"No, Delly. I don't think you understand fully how much Peeta has been through just to be with me. I can't burden him any more than I already have. I need to let him have some peace for once." She explained.
I thought that attitude was a mistake, but I was hardly an expert on marital communication. My own husband and I could not even mention the baby we lost without our grief degenerating into an argument. Actually, the argument was mostly one sided. I usually didn't say much. The core of the issue was that he wanted me to forget about our baby, and I couldn't do that.
"I can handle these fears on my own." Katniss added, bringing me back from thoughts of my own pregnancy and baby.
"Well, you aren't really on your own. You have me." I said.
Katniss smiled. "Well, it is good to have a friend."
Gradually, Katniss leaned on my friendship more and more. She told me she was afraid when she thought about giving birth and had terrible nightmares. I had strange dreams when I was pregnant too, but mine were not scary like the ones Katniss had. I tried to reassure her that she would be fine, but I knew that even brave Katniss would be scared when she delivered her baby. She'd be in pain. It would be hard. That was only natural. Worrying would not change any of that though.
"I'll help you while you're going through your labor and delivery if you want me there." I told her. "Sae would be willing to do the same Katniss, and she's very kind during times like that. I don't know how I would have gotten through my delivery without Sae and the midwife. You'll be right there in your own house where you've made a life with Peeta. You'll see."
"Oh, Peeta will be so nervous." She said.
"We'll take care of him too." I giggled.
Katniss told me about some of the people she lost in the war. I knew some but not others. She rarely went into detail. I got the sense that she wanted to tell me more, but she didn't want to make me upset. Talking about Finnick was hardest. Both of us had loved and respected him. I talked to Katniss about the baby I lost and what the bombing of District 12 was like. Katniss asked about the bombing. Otherwise I would not have burdened her with that. I chose not to share some details of the story to protect her. There were also some atrocities that I'd witnessed on the night of the bombing that I refused talk about with anyone. Besides, I felt that Katniss did not need any more suffering in her life.
I was really glad that I'd been selective in telling the story of the bombing when Katniss told me one day, "It's my fault that they died, Delly. Peeta's family, our friends, and our neighbors were killed by me! I don't know if I can ever get past that."
I was stunned that she felt the bombing was her fault. "No, Katniss" I reassured her. "Nobody thinks that. The bombing wasn't your fault. The Capitol bombed District 12. It was their fault!"
Katniss was really an amazing person. Back in District 13, I was rather starstruck by the fact that I knew "Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay." So many in District 13 were impressed that I knew her, even though I barely knew her. I realized I'd been unfair in judging her for her difficulties after the war. When Katniss and I truly became friends I started to appreciate the inner strength Peeta saw in her for the first time. She became a real person in my mind and not just a media image.
Despite the fact that we were often talking of serious matters, we had fun too. I liked to be in town and visit friends. I loved to be at the marketplace just to see what was new. Katniss went with me. She loved to be in the woods, but Peeta would have frowned upon her going into the woods alone as she progressed in her pregnancy. Really, anyone would have! So we planned some outings in the woods together. We didn't tell Peeta though. Katniss thought it best not to worry him.
One day we brought some food and planned to have a picnic. It was already getting warm by midmorning. We stopped early to eat and drink some water.
"I want to show you something, Delly." Katniss said after the picnic.
We walked further into the woods than usual. We crossed several small hills and a couple of steeper ones. Then Katniss pointed to a rock ledge.
"From that ledge you can see across the valley. The mountains look so beautiful. That's the place where I was the morning of the reaping. I took the memory of the view from that ledge with me into the games. It represented home to me – a home I thought I might never see again." She explained. "Now it's a place where I go to gather my thoughts."
Katniss took a few steps towards the ledge.
"Don't even think about it Katniss! You can't climb up there. Your balance is really poor at this point. Believe me. I remember." I warned.
"I'm not going to climb up there. I wish I could though." She turned and gave me a mischievous smile. "Why don't you? Trust me, it's worth it."
Climbing a rock ledge in the woods was not something I would normally do, but Katniss seemed very excited about sharing this place with me. I decided to try. My foot slipped only once and very briefly. Once on the ledge I turned my self around I was astonished at the view.
"Katniss, you're right! It's lovely! I can't believe I've never been…"
"Damn it!" I heard Katniss say loudly.
I turned to look at her.
She was sitting on the ground holding her ankle and rocking back and forth.
"What's wrong?" I called down.
"Just get down here!" She screamed back.
I felt shaky climbing down the rocks of the ledge. What could be wrong? I thought. Maybe she fell.
When my feet finally hit the ground I ran over to Katniss. I could see blood on her ankle when I got close. Katniss continued to hold her ankle while rocking herself back and forth.
"A copperhead*." She said, looking terrified. "I must have stepped on it. I can't even see my feet anymore! My high boots don't fit, and I have to wear these low ones."
Then Katniss looked up at me, her eyes wide with increasing fear, "Delly, the baby!" She said it like she'd just then remembered that she was pregnant.
Katniss let out a few more moans of pain, so I knew she was hurting badly. Katniss was very tough. She took her hands off her ankle for a moment, and I could see the fang marks.
"Are you sure it was a copperhead?" I said my heart pounding.
"Delly, I know what a copperhead looks like! It was a big one too."
Katniss moaned and rocked a little more. I started to panic.
"Katniss, stop rocking! Stop! It will make it worse. It'll spread the venom. Be still." I told her. I grabbed her shoulders and held them firmly.
I pulled up the hem of my dress and ripped the thread with my teeth. It took my trembling fingers a few seconds to release the threads. Fortunately, the dress was old and I was able to rip the fabric easily. I tore off a strip and tied it around the leg above the bite. Katniss watched me, still whimpering.
"Delly, what about my baby?" She said, starting to cry.
"I know, Sweetie. I know. I'm going to get help. I'm so sorry I have to leave you here, but there's no other way. You have to stay calm, and you have to stay still." My voice cracked. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders hoping to comfort her.
I ran as fast as I could toward the meadow and town. I thought about where I could go. Where would Peeta be? Haymitch? I had to get someone to carry her out of the woods. I decided it would have to be the first able bodied person I found! I knew about copperhead bites. Everyone in District 12 did. They could kill. The caused breathing problems, fainting and shock! Even if they didn't cause life-threatening symptoms they could make a person very ill or cause them to lose a limb. I knew Katniss and the baby were both in serious danger, but I knew the baby was probably most vulnerable. The baby was totally dependent on Katniss for life, and if Katniss went into shock…well…I didn't want to think about what would happen to the baby. I couldn't save my own baby, and I was determined to save Katniss and Peeta's no matter what it took. I knew first-hand what the loss would do to them if I failed. Worse than that, if Katniss succumbed to the symptoms of the bite then the baby would die too. Peeta would lose them both. I ran faster and faster.
(* Copperhead – venomous snake common in the eastern United States)