Lizzy helps me get dressed in my uniform. The television in the hospital room is turned to live news coverage of a monumental event that everyone in the country is glued to…except for the two of us. Despite, it's significance, I pay it little attention. Something far more important is about to happen.
"There we go," Lizzy says fitting a black patch over my left eye. "I think it will grow on me."
"Do you think it will scare him?" I ask nervously.
"He'll have to get used to it either way," Lizzy says softly. "Besides, it makes you like a pirate. He likes pirates," she says as we both enjoy a laugh. I lean on the bed for support as I wobble over to pick up my new cane.
"I could have used a little more time to practice with this," I say leaning on the black piece of wood as I take a few labored steps around the room. Lizzy walks over and pins the Mockingjay over my nametag.
"They'll be plenty of time for that, I'm afraid. But you're still the same man I married and the same father to him." She pulls out a handkerchief and polishes the golden Mockingjay to a bright shine. "As long as you remember that, we'll all be fine."
The news begins to pick up as three o'clock in the afternoon strikes in Germania. Our attention briefly turns to the screen as President Holmes and Angus walk down a red carpet towards a table that has been set up in front of the remains of "The Heart." Five TEC officials and high-ranking military officers in their shiny dress armor watch the approach of the victorious entourage with a mix of humiliation and dread. Air Brigadier Valderoun, Rear Admiral Flannigan, Brigadier LaSalle, and Seamus the Highlander march proudly behind the leaders of their nations as thousands of allied soldiers stand proudly at attention in the same square that once hosted Grosfrere's propaganda parades.
"Do you wish you were there?" Lizzy whispers in my ear as I gaze at the screen. I look back and stare into her gorgeous green eyes. "There's nowhere on the planet I'd rather be than right here, right now," I say softly. "But I'd probably be less nervous if I were there…" I say trailing off.
"You'll be fine," as she kisses my cheek reassuringly.
President Holmes and Angus approach the table. Two TEC soldiers appear carrying a huge sheet of parchment bound in leather. They place it on the table in front of the TEC officials and hand the head of the defeated delegation a pen. He looks up to the unyielding glares of Driva and Angus one more time, before he sighs and signs his name to the parchment. One by one, the other TEC officials and officers do the same. Finally, Angus and Driva march around behind the table and sign their names with a broad flourish.
Silently, Driva walks around to a podium set up next to the table, pulls the microphone close to her mouth, and sends her voice echoing around the entire planet.
"The war between the Trans-European Commonwealth and the allied powers of Britannia and the United Districts of Panem is over!" An incredible cheer erupts from the soldiers around them. I hear that cheer echoed in the streets of the Capitol outside my hospital window. Our world is finally at peace.
President Holmes continues her speech, but I barely listen to her plan about how the Trans-European Commonwealth will be dissolved and an interim government will be established under Brigadier LaSalle until a permanent, democratic government can be established by the various resistance groups.
"Another kid from District 6 ruling an entire continent. Not bad, LaSalle," I think with a smile. I know that Driva didn't recommend him solely on the fact that she and him grew up in the same place, but knowing her, it probably didn't hurt.
Angus speaks next about how Britannia's days of isolation and hardship are over and that the little island will finally be able to rejoin the other European nations in peace and harmony. No disrespect, to my old friend, but I don't even listen to the end of his speech because Finnick appears in the doorway of my room.
"He's ready," Finnick says stepping inside. He walks over as Lizzy helps me get to my feet.
"Finnick," I say turning my good eye towards him. "I haven't gotten the chance to thank you for everything you've done for us."
"No, brother," he says reaching out his hand to mine. "Thank you."
The three of us slowly make our way to the elevator. As the door closes, Finnick presses the button for the rooftop garden. The following seconds are some of the longest of my life.
The door opens and the brilliant morning sun shimmers off the flowers and plants of the garden. I slowly walk out onto the grass, leaning heavily on my cane. Lizzy and Finnick step out behind me, but stay back and hold their breaths.
I look out and see the small boy playing with a teddy bear who was just a baby when I last held him. His back is to me, and he pretends not to notice my presence. I take a few more steps toward him, and with a tremendous effort I kneel down behind my son.
"Hello, Octavian," I say softly as he keeps ignoring me and playing with his bear. "I'm sorry I've been away so long, but I'm back for good now. The bad guys are gone." He still ignores me. I start to get very nervous. If he refuses to talk, I don't know what I'll do.
Finally, he speaks and I hear his voice for the first time in person.
"You promised you wouldn't get hurt," Octavian says without turning around.
"I know I promised," I reply softly, "but Daddy made a big mistake and he's really sorry. I know you're probably not up for another promise, Little Man, but this time, I mean it. I promise I won't leave you and Mommy again."
Suddenly, he turns around and looks right into me with his sea-green eyes.
"Do you really mean it?" he says with resolve beyond his years as he clutches his bear to his chest.
"Yes, I do," I say with the same integrity as when I made my oath to Panem all those years ago and my vows to Lizzy after that.
"Then, I forgive you," he says running up to me and throwing his little arms around my neck. "I love you, Daddy." I instantly choke up and tears begin to stream from my only eye.
"I love you too, Little Man."
Three days later, Amelia, Lizzy, Katniss, Octavian, and I stand in the hangar at the new Ministry of Defense. Octavian is in little boy heaven as he runs around the rows military equipment.
"Octavian, be careful!" Lizzy shouts to him as he checks out the landing gear of an attack hovercraft. "I swear he gets into everything these days," she mutters.
"They usually do at that age," Katniss says.
"He'll be fine," I say to Lizzy. "Don't worry, I'll keep…an eye…on him!" Lizzy, Katniss, and Amelia just look at me and shake their heads. "What?" I say shrugging my shoulders. "Tell me that wasn't funny?"
"That wasn't funny," the three of them say simultaneously.
"Don't worry, I'll watch him," Katniss says walking over to Octavian. Amelia looks over to me with a smile.
"It's good to have you back, Sir," she says bashfully. I reach an arm over her shoulder and pull her close to me.
"It's good to be back, Amelia." Lizzy just smiles understandingly.
"I cannot believe that President Holmes didn't invite you to be part of the delegation," I say letting Amelia go.
"She did, actually," Amelia says. "But I told her that someone had to stay behind and run things while she and her Chief of the Defense Forces enjoyed themselves," she says with a smirk.
I look over and see that Katniss is still distracted by Octavian.
"What about Mr. Hawthorne, our esteemed Chief of Special Defense?" I ask curiously. "I haven't seen him around in a while.
"He resigned and went back to District 2 just after the invasion, Sir. Refused to tell anyone why. When President Holmes demanded an answer, he just said, 'he didn't belong here anymore and it was a different world.' Any idea what he meant by that?" I look over to Katniss as she plays with my son, laughing and joking around with the toddler like all the ghosts and demons of past battles never existed.
"No, but I can guess…" I say trailing off. Suddenly, alarms ring out through the hangar and the large landing doors start to slide open. Katniss picks up Octavian and carries him over to us. Octavian covers his little ears as a transport hovercraft bearing the Presidential Seal flies inside and touches down a few yards in front of us. I walk forward with my cane as the pilot cuts the engines and lowers the ramp.
President Holmes walks out first. As she nears me, I snap to the sharpest position of attention I can hold and offer her a salute.
"Welcome Home, Madam President," I say with a grin.
"I suppose I can say the same to you, General Snow. Relax, Man. You're wounded for Heaven's sake" she says as she sees Lizzy, Octavian, and Katniss. "How are you feeling, Ares?" she says concerned.
"With them, I'm getting stronger every day, Ma'am," I say with a smile.
"I'm sure that's true," she replies smiling back. "Chief McFadden sends his best to you and wishes for a speedy recovery."
"Thank you, Ma'am. I'll call him tonight to let him know he doesn't have to drink alone." My thoughts turn to him and Maggie. Hopefully, she hasn't neglected her promise to him now that the war is over.
"How are you doing, Lizzy?" Driva asks as she walks up to my wife and gives her a warm embrace.
"Just fine, Ma'am," Lizzy says hugging her back.
"Please, your husband has to call me that, but when you say it, it just makes me feel old. Call me, 'Driva." Her attention then turns to Katniss. "Mrs. Mellark, so good to see you again."
"President Holmes," Katniss says with a polite nod. I can still see she hasn't developed a trust for politicians, and I can't really blame her.
"And look at this little gentlemen," Driva says reaching out and grabbing Octavian's little hand. "He's getting so big," she says turning back to me and Lizzy.
"I know," I say gently. "Time flies…"
President Holmes then goes to Amelia and the two of them greet each other warmly. However, I'm distracted by the voices now coming down the ramp. I admit, they're probably the real reason I'm here.
"Hello Panem!" Tiller shouts as he runs down the ramp and throws his duffel bag to the ground. He drops to all fours and kisses the floor.
"That's disgusting," Doc says walking down the ramp just after him. "Do you know how many germs are probably on that?"
"Yeah, brother, but they're Panem germs."
"Well, look at these guys…" I say limping up to them with my cane.
"Sir!" Tiller shouts as he jumps to his feet again. He runs over and shakes my hand. "That's badass, by the way," he says pointing to my eye patch.
"I definitely think it adds some flair to my image," I reply sarcastically.
"How are you doing, Sir?" Doc says gently.
"Real good, Doc. Yourself?"
"Fine Sir….I'm just sorry that I couldn't do more for you," he says with a lot of guilt.
"What are you talking about?" I say with a smile. "If it weren't for you, I'd be lying right next to Grosfrere's cold corpse." This reassures him, and he finally smiles.
"It's good to see you back to your old self, Sir." Suddenly, he gets a look in his eyes that surprises me because I've never seen him with it before: affection. I look over my shoulder and realize he's staring right at Amelia as she talks with President Holmes.
"Well, would you look at that," I think to myself. "Things might work out better than I'd hoped…"
"It's a good thing you're only in this chair another week, or else I might put you in it permanently!" I hear another set of voices coming down the hovercraft ramp.
"Yeah babe, it's been a real treat for me too…"
"You better get on your feet real quick, Grease Monkey. I'm not taking care of two babies."
"They've been going at it since we left Britannia," Tiller says turning back to me.
"It's how we know they're still in love," Doc adds. As I see Hatchet emerge from the hovercraft pushing a less than thrilled Ratchet in a wheelchair, I look back to the others. I grin from ear to ear as I think:
"My entire family is finally back together again…"
"Sir!" Hatchet screams as she sees me. She lets Ratchet go and dives straight at my body. I gasp as she throws her arms around me and hugs hard. I look down to see that her uniform shirt bulges a little bit as her stomach is starting to show.
"Hey, Hatch," I say as I squeeze back. Ratchet wheels himself over to the rest of us.
"Sir," he says with a salute. "It's good to see again. Can't believe that you're back on your feet before I am, but the medics we had over there apparently aren't as good as the ones back here," he says flashing Doc a mocking fake scowl.
"Don't blame me," Doc says with a slap to Ratchet's shoulder. "Blame the guy who shot you." I take the four of them over to Lizzy, Octavian, and Katniss and make the warm introductions. Just as Lizzy hands Octavian over to Hatchet to let her know what she's about to get into, I see Hatchet's eyes grow wide.
"What are they doing here?" she demands as she stares at the entrance to the hangar. I look over and see Johanna Mason and Thom walking towards us.
"I asked them to come," I say firmly. "I think they have a right to welcome their daughter home from war…and I think there's some things you need to talk to them about," I say looking first to Ratchet and then to her pregnant belly.
"President Holmes," Johanna says flatly with a respectful nod as she joins the party. Obviously, a distrust of politicians is not unique among survivors of the Hunger Games. She then turns her attention to her fellow Victor. "Katniss," she says with the closest thing to a warm smile I think Johanna Mason can muster.
"Hello, Johanna," Katniss says. Hatchet hands Octavian back over to her and she expertly balances him on her hip. Somehow, I think the sight of the child calms Johanna down, even if he is a Snow.
"Is Peeta here or back in 12?" Johanna asks.
"He's in 12 with Prim and Haymitch," Katniss says trying to sound warm but still a bit defensively.
"You know, we really need to get together more than once every thirty years," Johanna says with a giggle. "There's only three of us left and I need someone else to reminisce with besides Thom here. Between you and me, he's not much of a conversationalist," she says playfully as she leans over and covers her mouth with her palm like she's telling a secret. Johanna keeps smiling at Katniss who immediately begins to let her defenses down. She can tell this is a genuine olive branch and knows she should accept it.
"I'd think we'd really like that."
"Good," Johanna says. "I even promise to keep my clothes on in front of Peeta…though it's not easy with him." Hatchet buries her head in her hands and Katniss blushes, but not surprisingly, Thom stays stoically still. I guess he's used to this from his wife.
Then, Johanna walks right over to me. She leans over and whispers just loudly enough for her daughter to hear.
"When I talked to you at the train station, I didn't think you'd be able to do it, but thank you for bringing her home safely to us," she says glancing over to Hatchet. I smile back at her.
"She did most of the work…but you're welcome all the same." I whisper back. I look over to Hatchet with nod. Suddenly, she seems to remember just how much her parents really do care for her.
"As I remember it," Johanna says walking toward her daughter. "You weren't very happy when I forced you to learn how to use this," she says reaching down and grabbing Hatchet's axe from her belt. Johanna begins effortlessly spinning it around her finger.
"It came in handy over there," Hatchet says as the beginning of a smile starts to creep across her lips.
"I bet it did," Johanna says to her. Both of them are obviously happy right now, but neither of them wants to be the first to admit it.
"Are you gonna teach this one too?" Hatchet says rubbing her belly.
"I was hoping we'd teach that kid together, Livy." A tear runs down Johanna's cheek.
"Mom!" Hatchet can't take it anymore and throws her arms around Johanna's neck. "Hi, Daddy," Hatchet says hugging Thom next. As Hatchet introduces her mom and dad to her husband, I walk back towards Amelia, Lizzy, and Katniss.
"Glad, that worked out so well," Amelia says as she sees Ratchet shake his father-in-law's hand.
"Thanks for getting in contact with them for me," I say to Amelia.
"Like I've said a million times before, Sir, it's my job." I grin a bit as I finally realize that I'm about to pay Amelia back a little for the countless wonderful things she's done for me.
"Doc!" I shout. He immediately runs over. I look at Amelia's eyes, hoping beyond hope that I see the same look in hers that I saw in his. Thankfully, I see the hint of a spark as she finally looks him over.
"It's perfect," I think as I introduce the two of them. "Both of them make a living out of helping people. Maybe, they can help each other now."
"Major Flagg," I say to Amelia who still hasn't taken her eyes off of Doc. "I can't believe I haven't told you yet about how Sergeant Goldflower here saved my life…"