Peeta
The second I see Gale's gun my heart starts racing. I run through scenario after scenario in my head, trying to figure a way out of this. I'm not worried about my safety. My only concern is for my wife and child.
Gale's evil smirk sends a shiver down my spine.
I quickly mute my phone, making sure he can't tell the line is open. I know the police have answered from my last glance before I hid it.
Katniss glances at me, and I'm more determined to get us out of this from the look in her eyes. She darts them towards the glove box, where she knows I've started to keep a pistol since everything with Gale went down. I have no idea how to get to it without raising his suspicion, and I scold myself for not having it on me.
Katniss rolls down her window barely an inch.
"Hi Gale," she says as evenly as possible.
"Get out of the car," he orders.
Her heavy sigh breaks my heart. She puts the car in park, shuts the engine off, and unbuckles her seat belt.
I go to unbuckle mine.
"Not you," he points his gun at me.
Katniss looks panicked, but hides it when she turns and opens the door, stepping out. She purposely leaves the door open, so my phone can pick up their conversation.
"What do you want Gale? Why are you at our house? Your face is all over the news."
"You know what I want," he snaps.
She runs a nervous hand through her hair. She begins to slowly, very slowly, sidestep to try and get Gale's attention away from me.
"No, I really don't," she shakes her head, staying amazingly calm despite the circumstances. "I think you should turn yourself in before you make it any worse Gale. I once considered you a friend, and because of that, I'm telling you to do what's right and hoping you listen."
"We're way past that now."
Katniss has his full attention now, so I begin my mission to try and get to the glovebox without Gale seeing.
"If you really are innocent, turn yourself in. They just want to talk to you," she pleads.
"That's the problem," he smirks evilly. "I'm not innocent."
I pray my phone picked that up. It's almost a complete admission of guilt. I see from the widening of her eyes Katniss notices it as well.
"What do you mean?" She asks incredulously. "You - you killed Delly?"
"She didn't want me to have you," he explains, almost too calm. "She was going to hurt you."
"So you killed her!?"
"For YOU!" He screams.
That's it. I'm sitting here, five feet away from an unhinged, unpredictable murderer with a gun pointed at my pregnant wife. I don't care if he shoots me, I'm getting her the fuck out of here right now.
It all happens fast.
I simultaneously unbuckle my seatbelt as I open the glovebox. My hand quickly finds the grip of my gun, and I pull it out as I open the door. Snap-aiming at Gale over the hood, I finally speak.
"Give it up Hawthorne."
He shuffles a little so he can face both of us, his gun still trained on Katniss.
"You make a move I kill her," he states emotionless.
"Gale-", Katniss begins.
"Shut up," Gale snaps at her before looking back to me. "Put down your gun or I kill Katniss."
"Not going to happen," I shake my head slightly in defiance, steadying my arms as I aim. "You know I can't do that Gale."
"You can, and you will."
"I won't."
"Then she dies."
"That's not going to happen. If you want to kill anyone, kill me." I see the look of abject horror on my wife's face in the corner of my eye. I push it down, steeling my nerves. "I'm the one she's with, Gale. You want her you're going to have to kill me."
I realize I'm goading him, but right now I don't care. I'm just trying to buy time for the cops to get here while also trying to get him to focus on me not her.
"You know what? You're right," he grins sadistically. He theatrically swivels his gun until it's pointing at me, and we both have one another in our sights.
"NO!" Katniss screams, but, to my relief, doesn't move an inch. I'm terrified of what could happen.
"Say goodbye to him Katniss," Gale sneers. "Get ready to become mine once and for all."
"That's going to be pretty hard with that pea shooter," I tease him seriously.
"Yeah? What do you know about it?"
I roll my eyes, making his face become even angrier.
"I know that your little pistol there is only a .22," I begin confidently. "Chinese copy, right?" From the confused look on his face, I instantly know he knows next to nothing about guns. Idiot. "See mine? This is a Colt 1911. Made right here in New England in Hartford, Connecticut. .45 Caliber. One of the most reliable, powerful handguns on earth. I already chambered a round if you didn't notice. Oh, I almost forgot, I loaded it with hollow points." That's a lie, but he won't know the difference. "You know what a hollow point does to a human head? Turns it into a watermelon after being smashed with a baseball bat. And believe me Gale, I never miss. Especially when you're threatening my family."
"So you know about guns? Big fucking deal. I don't care. A bullet is a bullet."
I'm about to reply when, in the distance, the distinct sound of police sirens echoes across the lake and through the woods.
Gale panics.
The next ten seconds are all but a blur, more like a dream than reality.
Katniss
My mouth tastes like sandpaper. It's drier than the Sahara, and I have no idea why.
I can tell I'm lying down. The last thing I remember is…..Gale! He had a gun!
Groaning lowly, I try to open my eyes. They feel glued shut. I moan louder and hear rustling to my left.
"Shhh Kat."
I'd know that voice anywhere, even if it's just a whisper.
I open my mouth to talk but nothing comes out. My eyes are still shut.
"Here baby."
I feel Peeta gently inserting a straw between my chapped lips, and the cool water refreshes my mouth.
"Thanks," I eke out.
Finally, after a few tries, I open my eyes.
I know immediately I'm in a hospital bed.
"Where - where are we?" I ask.
"Portland. Maine Medical."
Peeta leans over so I can see him, as I feel unable to move at all.
"What happened?"
"Don't worry about that right now."
"Peeta," I start to panic. "The baby?"
I hear him let out a nervous breath.
"The baby is fine," he assures me. "Healthy and safe."
"Gale?"
I see Peeta's face contort with a mix of anger and what looks to be guilt.
"He's in custody. The FBI took him in."
I'm about to demand he tell me what happened when the door swings open.
"You're awake."
Prim smiles at me as she walks to the right side of my bed, taking my hand. My left one has been in Peeta's death grip ever since I woke up. I doubt he's let go for some time before I awoke.
"You're going to be fine sis," Prim smile softly at my worried look. She sees me frantically glancing at my belly. It's not that I don't believe my husband, but I want confirmation. "My niece or nephew is perfectly fine, thanks to my hero brother over here."
She smiles at Peeta and he blushes nervously, averting his eyes. He's so resistant to praise. So humble. So selfless.
"How'd I get here?" I ask. Last thing I remember is being in our driveway in Panem. "Why aren't I at the clinic at home?"
"You want to field that one Peeta?" She asks my husband. He shakes his head no. She chuckles before turning back to me. "Your amazing husband flew you here in your chopper. He basically demanded clearance to land on the helipad. I met him on the roof with a stretcher and a trauma team."
"You - you did that?"
He nods.
"I was terrified," he admits, still unable to look either of us in the eye. Instead, his gaze is locked on our intertwined hands.
"He also gave you excellent first aid," Prim adds, obviously proud. "He somehow flew the chopper while keeping you stable."
"Will somebody please just tell me what happened?" I resort to begging.
Peeta and Prim both sigh.
"I'm going to give you two some time alone," she says quietly. She leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek, a tear rolling down her face. "I love all three of you very much."
"We love you too," I give her my best smile.
She quickly goes around the bed and wraps her arms around Peeta's neck from the side, giving him a peck on the cheek.
"You're incredible Peeta. Never forget that. I'm so lucky to have you as a brother."
She leaves us, and the room falls back to silence. I just stare at Peeta, waiting for him to speak.
"How much do you remember?" Is his first question.
"I remember hearing sirens, then I woke up here."
He runs his free hand through his hair. I notice it's a mess, reinforcing the theory he hasn't left my side. My heart swells.
"When we heard the sirens, Gale panicked," he starts. He finally looks me in the eye, and I tell him with mine to keep going. I need to know. "He swung his arm to aim at you again, so - so - so I shot him."
The look of guilt on his face breaks my heart.
"I got him in the shoulder. I didn't want to kill him. But I should've."
"Peeta it's okay," I try to reassure him of my love. "You were defending us. You have every right to do what you did."
"I know. But when his shoulder jerked back from the impact, his gun went off."
Now I realize why I'm here. Why I feel like my own shoulder weighs a ton.
"He shot me in the shoulder?" I presume.
Peeta nods.
"We were lucky. He didn't hit anything vital. Prim got the bullet out and stitched you up. You're going to be sore, but you should be back to normal in a few weeks time."
"Then what happened?"
"Well when I realized he'd shot you I, um, kind of, uh, lost it."
"What do you mean?"
"When I saw you on the ground, blood seeping through your shirt, I, well, let's just say Eric had to pull me off Gale when he got there. I should've tended to you first Kat. I'm so sorry."
"You shouldn't be," I smile at him. "I would've done the same thing. How bad is he hurt?"
"Well apparently he has a broken arm, a dislocated jaw, two black eyes, three broken ribs, and, uh-.", he stumbles.
"Peeta it's okay," I keep repeating. "I don't think any less of you. Actually I've never been more proud. You saved me baby. You saved and defended me. Us. Your wife and child. We couldn't ask for a better husband or daddy. Now finish your sentence."
"Gale's going to be singing soprano for a while." Finally I get a small, albeit sad, grin out of him. "As soon as my rage subsided, I started freaking out about you. Eric had an ambulance there, but I just picked you up and ran to the hanger."
"Why come here though?"
"Nothing against the clinic, but I wanted you to have the best care. Prim's here. It's the best hospital in Maine. Frankly I'm pretty sure I got you here in almost the same time it would've taken to get you to the clinic in town."
"So you took me for my first ride in our helicopter and I wasn't even awake to enjoy it? You're in trouble, Peeta Kale Mellark," I tease.
"If it's any consolation, we'll be flying home when we spring you. Will that help keep me out of the doghouse?"
"Hmm. Maybe," I tilt my head from side to side as much as I can in my state. He chuckles. "Peeta, I need a favor."
"Anything."
"Kiss me."
He smiles his first real smile since I woke as he leans up and gently presses his lips to mine. I'm not having it though. I force my tongue through his lips and into his mouth. I feel a guttural groan from the back of my throat as his tongue reciprocates.
Prim comes back a little while later and tells us I can leave in a few hours. She gives me some antibiotics and smiles when Peeta and I both start demanding to know if they're safe for the baby. She assures us they are.
After some coaxing and a little pleading, I get Peeta to climb into the tiny bed with me. I just need him close after everything.
"What's going to happen to Gale?" I ask, a little nervous. I remember how he reacted when he thought I harbored some kind of feelings for my old climbing partner.
"Well they have the recording of the phone call I made during everything. What he said is almost and admission of guilt. Eric assured me that now that they it on tape, it's going to be fairly easy to get him to confess. Either way they're charging him with Delly's murder. They're also charging him with assault, battery, illegal possession of a firearm, evading arrest, and attempted murder."
"I can't believe that happened. I never thought he'd just show up at our house. What about the deputies at the front gate?"
"They think he came through the woods," Peeta explains. "They found a campsite a couple miles from our house. That's where they think he'd been hiding."
I nod, getting fairly sleepy. No doubt whatever drugs they have me on are causing my drowsiness. Peeta, ever observant, notices.
"Go to sleep Kat. I'm right here. I'll never let anything happen to you ever again. I love you. I love you so much. Both of you."
"We love you too," I mumble, already slipping into a deep sleep.
My last thought before I completely go is that we're safe now. We don't have to worry about Gale anymore.
Peeta saved us.
Again.