Chapter Twenty Nine

It was only a couple of weeks ago, we were strangers. We knew the basics about each other, but we didn't know each other. We were taught, to assume because of a place where you live, is how a person is. It is only a couple of weeks ago, and now today, we are victors.

I pull her by the hand to the lake.

"You didn't swallow any?" she asks me

I shake my head no. "You?"

"Guess I'd be dead by now if I did," she says.

We flush our mouths out with water. Making sure that our hands are clean of the berries, we wash our hands feverishly.

"Are you ok?" I ask her.

She can't hear me because of the crowd's cheering through the speakers.

She points to her ear and nods no.

I lean in, and tell her in her ear. "Thank you for coming to find me. For before today, I was lost."

The hovercraft appears before us, and two ladders come down. Katniss helps me to the ladder. The electric current freezes us and I can still feel her hand on my arm. The hovercraft lifts to the air, and the sudden rush of the change in altitude, that with the lost of blood, and I am almost losing conscience.

The whole forest starts to spin and I know that soon enough it won't matter, if the blood isn't stopped. The door closes and everything goes dark.

Flashes, of light come in and out.

"He has lost a lot of blood."

Darkness again.

Can feel the wind, and someone banging.

The next hours, or maybe days, I don't know.

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling, at the white clean ceiling. Can't move, or feel anything. Almost like I am trapped in my own body, it is a horrible feeling. I can hear someone approaching me. Someone in a white coat leans in to my field of vision.

"Sleep Peeta, your body needs to recover and adjust to the treatment." He says.

He turns to someone, "adjust his meds, I need him out."

Suddenly without notice I feel cold in my arms, and my eyes closes without strength. There are no thoughts, they are no dreams, and nothing comes from being asleep. It makes no sense, but it is like I can hear, but my mind doesn't register what the words are. It is like they are speaking in another language.

How many hours have passed, I don't know. There it is again, the same ceiling. This time I can feel my fingers, and my hands. I can feel my feet although something is off. I try to wiggle my toes and yet I know I am doing it, but it feels different.

I hear the foot steps and see it is the same person in the white coat.

"Peeta, can you hear me." He asks.

"Yes, I can hear you. Where is Katniss? Is she ok?" I ask.

"Yes, Peeta, she is fine. How are you feeling?" He asks.

"Like I fell out of the Training Center from the top floor." I say.

"Okay, Peeta, one more time." He says. "Nurse, last treatment, let's start with LX987."

The rush of heat goes through my legs. The sensation is the first, but if you could think of someone burning your feet, it is the same sensation, but all over.

It only takes a couple of seconds but my eyes close and this time I am dreaming of home. Just think, I get to see everyone soon, and even welcoming the stale bread.

I feel a hand caress my hand. I feel peace, it has to be Katniss. I open my eyes, and see that it isn't Katniss, but Portia. She smiles.

"Just know that I had no say in what you are wearing." She says.

"Well I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing." I say with a smile. "Is she ok?"

"Yes, Peeta, she is ok. She asked about you." She says.

"When can I see her?" I ask.

"Soon. But Peeta we have to talk about something first." She says. "The doctors worked for hours and they did their best, but they were unsuccessful."

"Unsuccessful?" I ask sitting up.

That is when I see the blanket and can see my right foot, but not my left.

"Peeta, they couldn't save your leg." She says. "I am sorry."

I remove the blanket to see that my left leg had been cut off right below the knee.

"I can still feel it. How is that possible?" I ask.

"The doctors call it a ghost sensation." She says. "Are you ok?"

I shake my head yes. "Can I be alone?" I ask her.

"Of course Peeta," she says.

It feels like it is right there. I can see the prosthetic leg there on my left next to the bed. Well just one more thing I guess. I scoot over to the artificial leg, and feel it. The Capitol sure knows how to make them, it feel remarkably like the real thing.

I slip it on and steady myself before standing. I close my eyes; pretend I am back at home, like that morning of the reaping. I place my feet on the ground, and instead of the warm wooden floor, I feel the cool marble flooring on my right foot.

You can do this. You can master this. I my weight on the right and move the left leg forward. It takes me a while but after finding out how to move around, I can almost master walking. I think to myself if I have to run, I am goner. I limp forward to the door, and find that Haymitch is sitting on a sofa right outside my room.

"They wanted to give you a cane. Said that you would need it." He says. "I told them, he will do just fine without it, probably end up using it as a weapon."

I walk towards him and without warning, strike him across his face.

"That's for leaving me to die in the stream, when Katniss needed me."

He massages his chin. "Don't think that just because you are a cripple that I won't hit you." He says smiling. "In fact…"

He makes a movement to start to swing, when I move to the left and dodge the fist. Too late for the right though, and he hits dead center.

Before long, the doctors are out holding both me and Haymitch, before we start laughing.

"You would have to work on protecting your right. The leg has now become your tell. You can't guard with always on your left, you have to learn to adapt to your right." He tells me.

"When would I need to learn how to fight, not that many Careers in District 12." I tell him.

"Well that little woman of yours is a fiery one. She cracked two protective glasses one in the hovercraft when they were trying to save you and the other in the training center when they were transporting you." He says. "It was easy to sell the star cross lovers when one is really in love."

"Wasn't a game for either of us in the arena," I tell him. "Just remember that passion sometimes has a funny way of showing itself."

Odd. Almost like Haymitch is talking in code.

"So when can I see her." I ask him.

"Soon kid, they want to do it in a reunion show. It is the first time that the Games have a love story. The Capitol wants to capitalize on that." He says.

"Portia and your prep team are waiting for you in the other room." He says.

I walk towards the next room and find myself going to the right more than to the left. I look down at a straight line, and force myself to walk in a straight line until the door. The door slides open and I see that Portia welcomes me with arms opened.

"Come, Peeta let's eat." She says.

We walk towards the dining room where a meal has been prepared for me. The portions however have been measured.

"Your body has to get re-acquainted with regular food, so we cannot give too much because then you will return the favor a little bit later and we wouldn't want it on national television." She tells me.

"Well don't you worry Portia, I spent days without eating, and so eating smaller portions are not an issue with me." I tell her.

Once finished we go to the changing room where an outfit is laid out for me.

It is a simple yellow with long black pants and boots. Nothing too flashy and nothing too plain, but it has the hint of our District.

My District. It is the first time I think about Home and it feels as real as the clothes I am now wearing. I wonder if my father is celebrating me coming home. The first thing I know I will do when I get home is finally hug my Father, and ask him how I did, and of course introduce him to the little girl with the red plaid dress, although he already knows who she is.

Finally move my entire family out of our little house, although the bakery would still be run by my father. We wouldn't need for money ever again. He can run the bakery because he wants to and the way he wants to. Who knows probably I will take up painting or learn to hunt from a new neighbor?

Portia walks out and comes back with a box. Is it flowers?

"What's this?" I tell her. "You really shouldn't have gotten me anything, it is you who I should be thanking."

"I know that you don't want to think about it Peeta, but until your right leg gets strong enough you would need to walk with this." She says, handing me a cane.

"So a cripple huh?" I say looking at the cane in my hands.

"No, a hero." She says. "You saved her, you sacrificed for her. This is your badge of honor Peeta. We don't see a cripple, we see a hero."

They all nod in agreement. My prep team, they are always there to build me up even when I don't deserve it.

"Okay, just until my leg gets strong enough," I tell them.

"Have you seen her?" I ask Portia.

"No, but Cinna tells me that she is anxious to see you." She tells me.

"So how do I look?" I say.

"You look very handsome," She says.

We walk towards the elevator to the level where we trained for the Games. The thought of the place changing into a celebration leaves me a little uneasy. "Just remember Peeta, it is just you and her, forget the cameras. It is just and her, in the cave." She says.

What was all that about. She has never given me advice.

"Thank you Portia." I tell her.

"Well we are off to get ready. You stand there on the plate here and wait." She tells me.

"If I step off the plate, nothing will happen no?" I ask her with a smile.

"No, nothing will happen, but you might not get to see who is behind this wall." She says pointing at the new makeshift wall.

Just to think behind that wall probably thirty feet away is the girl with braid, those beautiful grey eyes. I look down and see the cane. What would she think of when she realizes that she couldn't save my leg?

I can hear the roar of the crowd above us. The platform that I am to stand on is below the stage of where we had our interviews. First our Stylists and then our prep teams, and finally us.

I straighten my shirt and tug on my pants. The moment is almost there and I feel a little bit nervous. Not really because of the post Games interview, but because this would be the first time where we are outside the Games.