34. Four Hours

"See ? It's called rain." Haymitch's voice drifted to her, lulling her out of her slumber. His tone was so soft, so gentle… Effie smiled before she even opened her eyes. "It's water. You like water? Yeah?" he chuckled. "Rain comes and go, you know? Look, it stopped already. You know how we call that? April showers. Surprise rain. A bit like you, sweetheart…"

Effie listened to that little speech, puzzled. She wasn't sure who he was talking to or why she was hurting so much. For a moment, her mind was blank and she flashed back to the hospital and ghostlike pain of whips and fists and… She opened her eyes, her breath catching in her throat, only to relax when she recognized the familiar landmarks of their bedroom. The lights were still on and it helped her ground herself, there was no darkness to cloud her judgment.

She automatically put a hand on her stomach and…

She was empty.

Her baby was…

"Hey, look… Mama's awake…" Haymitch murmured in that odd tender voice. He was standing next to the window.

She looked at him and she couldn't help the relief when she spotted the baby safely cradled in his arms. She forgot any lingering fear. She had room for only one thing in her head and it was the precious child he was holding.

"Are we going with Mama and Papa?" she asked, outstretching her arms.

"We're going with whatever you want." he shrugged. "But no Motheror Father bullshit."

"Language." she hissed, wriggling her fingers because he was taking too long complying with her request. "Give me my baby." He was very careful when he crossed the distance from the window to the bed, cautious of the child in his arms, and he was even more so when he placed the baby on her chest. She immediately breathed her in, amazed by the little noises she was making. "Hello, sweetie… Hello…" She grinned so hard it hurt. "I am your Mama. Yes, I am…" It was difficult to convince herself to stop staring at her daughter to look up at Haymitch. "How long was I asleep? Did she need anything? Did I miss something?"

"Not long." he dismissed, clearly amused by her behavior. "She didn't even fuss once. And no. She slept for a while, that's it."

She was fussing now, waving her arms, crying out a little… Effie instinctively lowered her nightgown and awkwardly got her into the right position. Once she was feeding, the baby seemed happier. It wasn't exactly a comfortable feeling but it wasn't awful either. She was hurting too much overall to be sensitive to that.

Haymitch was making a face and she rolled her eyes.

"You should get used to it." she warned.

He wrinkled his nose and settled more comfortably next to them, toeing off his shoes and slipping his legs under the covers. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against his chest, watching their daughter and fighting an urge to cry for no real good reason. Or maybe they were too many good reasons.

"I am so tired…" she whispered.

"I bet." he snorted. "You should sleep some more when she's done… It's not even six yet… I don't think the kids will invade us until dawn."

"Did you introduce them?" she asked, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.

"Briefly." he said. "Hard to, she doesn't have a name yet." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "We have to settle that, sweetheart… I need to go to the Justice Building to declare her birth… She needs a name."

He was right, of course, and not just because of legal matters.

"I cannot believe we never talked about girl names." she sighed. "We should have planned for all possibilities." She shot him a wary glance suddenly. "Are you disappointed she's not a boy?"

"You're kidding?" he scoffed. "She's perfect."

"She is." she answered smugly. She was a bit jealous that Haymitch had gotten to spend more time with her than she had. "It needs to start with an A though. Everything that isn't embroidered with Aidan is marked with an A.A. I hate to see that work go to waste. We will have to buy her more clothes but the handkerchiefs and bibs can be salvaged. It is a good thing we went for neutral colors with the nursery, I guess."

He hummed in agreement, his fingers distractedly drumming on her arm. He must have been tired too, she figured, he had been up longer than she had. And the whole baby thing was a bit overwhelming.

Their daughter seemed done feeding so she quickly covered herself and then frowned. "Aren't we supposed to make her burp?"

"Just don't make her throw up." he advised. It was obvious to her he was fighting to keep his eyes open and so she struggled to do the right thing with the baby by herself. Eventually laying her down carefully on her lap when she was satisfied she wouldn't die out of negligence. "The midwife said we should put her in her crib."

"No." she immediately refused. "It is far too soon. She stays with me."

"Could roll the crib in here." he mumbled. "That's why we got one with wheels in the first place. We can all get some sleep…"

"No." she growled. "I will stay awake with her. You sleep."

"What if you fall asleep and we crush her?" he asked, rubbing the cartoonish frog on the baby's tummy.

He had a point.

"Perhaps we should never sleep again." she suggested, only half-joking. "Perhaps we should spend the rest of our lives watching this little masterpiece."

She gently wrapped her hands around the small feet that were dancing in the air.

"Sounds like a plan." he chuckled. He softly retraced the baby's features with his finger. "She's so tiny, sweetheart…"

"She's ours." she whispered, almost in awe. "We made her."

He laughed a little. "We make really beautiful kids."

"We do." she laughed with him, turning her head to peck his lips. He deepened the kiss a little but not too much and not too long. Not that their daughter cared, she had fallen asleep, apparently content to be on her mother's lap. "I love her so much I feel I will burst at the seams…"

"Same." he confessed. "It's a bit scary."

"Yes." she confirmed. "But in a good way."

"Yeah." He rested his head against hers and, for a while, they did nothing more than study their baby, still shocked and unable to believe she was theirs. "Maybe we should just call her shrimp."

"I won't even answer that." she scowled.

"You're no fun." he complained but she thought he was joking. "I really want to see your mother's face when I tell her we're calling her Shrimpy."

"Leave my mother out of it or she will suggest an awful name like Agrippa." She brushed her fingers through the thin hair covering her baby's head. She couldn't stop herself from touching her, making sure she was real. "She is far too pretty to be called Agrippa."

"You really want an A." he mocked.

"I really want an A." she answered, absolutely serious.

They remained silent for a moment.

"April." Haymitch said eventually.

"April." she repeated, testing it out. "She almost missed it. A few more hours and she would have been born in May."

"The storm brought her." he shrugged. "I mean… April showers and stuff, you know? So… April."

April went hand in hand with spring and… It was what she was in a way. A new spring in their lives.

"April." she whispered. "I like it."

"Yeah?" He sounded surprised, probably having expected her to reject everything for a few hours yet. Well… Sometimes the first one was the right one.

"It suits her." she says. "April Abernathy. It is a good name."

"You think we…" he hesitated. "Can we have Iris as a middle name?"

"Oh, darling, of course." she whispered, reaching behind her to place her hand on his cheek. She let it trail to his neck and coiled it around his nape. "April Iris Abernathy. The prettiest baby in the world."

"Well, she's got the prettiest mother, so…" he teased. He didn't want to talk about the Iris thing, she figured. He didn't want to cloud this moment with memories of his mother because it would make it sad. And it wasn't supposed to be sad.

"Flatterer." she chuckled.

"Always got me places with you." he retorted, pressing a kiss against her inner wrist. "I'll go get the crib, yeah? We should really grab a few hours of sleep… Larcher's gonna be back soon… And the kids too…"

"I think it is a safe thing to bet my family will pay us a visit in the next few weeks." she warned but when he extricated himself from under her, she pouted. "I wish we could keep her to ourselves. They will all want to hold her and play with her and…"

She's mine, she didn't quite say.

He heard it anyway.

"We'll make it clear visits should be short." he promised. "But they're her family, we can't keep them away. Jo and Annie are gonna show up too eventually."

"I know." she sighed before flashing him her best kicked puppy look. "Are you sure we need to put her in her crib? Look how adorable she is…"

"Sweetheart, we can't keep her in bed with us." he insisted. "It ain't safe."

She supposed he wasn't just concerned about them accidentally crushing her. He didn't want risking having a night terror with their daughter in close range. And what went for him, went for her.

"Fine." she relented. She watched him go and then looked back at the sleeping baby. "You have the best papa in the world, April, you need to know that." She whispered the words, hoping the girl would hear them even in her dreams. "He thinks he won't do a good job but he is such a natural at this… I won't compare but I will try to be a good mother to you, the best I can be. I promise. I love you."

She kissed her little feet and her little hands.

That was how Haymitch found her when he came back, pushing the crib in front of him.

"Okay, so… Don't start screaming." he warned. "But… someone really wants to see you." He clucked his tongue and Snowball darted from behind him, sneaking between his legs to make a beeline for the bed. He jumped on it with obvious excitement but immediately calmed down when he spotted the baby. It was as if he knew he needed to be careful around her. "Found him lying there in the corridor, looking all miserable." Haymitch shrugged as the puppy crawled closer to Effie.

She wasn't exactly in favor of letting the dog so close to a newborn baby but it was hard to be firm when Snowball looked so happy to see her. And April.

He was so gentle when he sniffed the little romper clad foot…

And he didn't do anything more than snuggle close to Effie's side, resting his head on her hip to better nudge the little foot. It was obvious he wanted to cuddle the girl but knew he needed to be delicate.

"Do you like your new friend, my pretty baby?" she grinned, scratching Snowball's head.

"He heard you scream earlier." Haymitch explained, carefully – and a bit awkwardly – scooping April up from her lap. "The kids had trouble keeping him calm."

"Were you worried about me?" she hummed, sliding down the bed and wrapping her arms around him. Snowball looked happy about the attention. He bumped her head with his. She humored him a few minutes longer and then turned to look at what Haymitch was doing.

He didn't seem to know what he was doing.

He was standing there next to the crib – where he had placed the cat ragdoll, she couldn't help but notice – a woolen blanket in his hand. He looked up at her, completely lost. "It's not that cold… Do I cover her? She can't be cold but she can't be too warm either, yeah? That's not good. How do we know?"

It was a conundrum.

Effie didn't know. And she was certain she should have known.

In the end, Haymitch checked one of their books because they couldn't decide. And it was a good thing because at the first mention of covers and pillows maybe resulting in sudden infant death syndrome in the first few weeks, they both blanched. The blanket was tossed aside and they both stayed there, shocked still at what they had almost done.

April was fine though.

Yet Haymitch still stood there for several more minutes, hovering over the crib with uncertainty. Effie really wanted to tell him it would be alright but she didn't know. She grabbed the edge of the crib and pulled it as close to her side of the bed as it would go.

"I think she is alright." she whispered eventually.

April looked alright, clearly unperturbed by her parents' fretting. She was asleep, her chest rising regularly…

It took a few more minutes before Haymitch climbed in bed with her, chasing Snowball to the foot of the bed, never quite taking his eyes off the crib. He didn't make any attempt at switching off the lights and she didn't ask him to. She didn't even tell him off for not getting out of his clothes and into some proper sleepwear.

"I am scared to close my eyes." she admitted. "I am scared she won't be here anymore when I wake up."

The wooden bars were barely wide enough for her to slip half her hand through. Her fingers reached nothing more than April's tiny hand.

"I get it." he offered. "Fuck, I feel the same but… We won't last long if we don't get some sleep."

"You really need to watch your language." she rebuked. "I won't have my daughter swearing like a sailor."

"Lost cause." he mocked.

They kept on watching the baby sleep… Effie wasn't sure when she drifted off again but she was so exhausted it was hard to resist closing her eyes after a while.

She had never expected to wake up to growling though. Growling and baby noises.

She sat up, groaning in pain at how sore she was, her eyes immediately searching the room. April was wriggling, Snowball was standing protectively in front of the crib, fur all ruffled, crouched low as if ready to attack, snarling…

"Good dog. You know me. Be a good dog and…" Doctor Larcher was trying to appease the puppy, both hands lifted in front of him.

"What is going on?" Effie frowned. "Snowball, down." Snowball growled a moment longer, then looked at Effie who lifted her eyebrows in warning. "Down." she repeated. The puppy gave a small whine and then hopped back on the bed to curl up at her feet, staring very hard at the doctor. Once sure there would be no incident, she turned to Larcher. "Doctor?"

"Katniss and Peeta let me in." the man explained. "I am sorry for intruding but I have other patients to see and…"

"Oh, naturally. They did well." she dismissed, glancing at her side to find Haymitch deep asleep on his back, a hand on his stomach and the other tossed behind his head, snoring loud. "My apologies, we did not intent to sleep so late."

"No apologies needed. You are right to rest." Larcher countered. "You did give birth a few hours ago." He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his sleeve absentmindedly. "Which is why I would have been happier for the dog to remain downstairs for a few more days…"

Snowball let out a short warning growl.

"Bad puppy." Effie immediately chided. "What is up with you today?"

He had never minded the doctor before…

"My fault, I believe." Larcher chuckled. "The baby was fussing and since I need to examine her… I reached inside the crib. The dog took offense." She couldn't quite blame Snowball for that. She wanted to lift April up but she couldn't help a wince when she tried to sit up properly and the doctor immediately stepped in. "Let me. You really have to take it easy for a day or two, Effie. I'm serious about this. Your body needs to rest."

April had a really sweet temper. She fretted but she suffered Larcher's examination for several minutes before she started crying. Effie immediately snatched the baby back, protectively cradling her against her chest. Haymitch woke up with a start, his right hand feeling around for his knife in a never lost reflex.

He looked completely confused at finding the doctor there, at the dog growling again – having perceived Effie's reaction as a response to a threat – and at the small human being she was holding close. It took him a moment to remember.

"Everything's alright?" he mumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"You daughter needs to be changed." the doctor said, sounding nonplussed by her awful behavior. "And Effie is feeling very territorial. So is your dog."

He blinked and then shrugged. "All good then." A big smile stretched his lips and he placed a hand at April's back. "Hello, you. Why are you crying so loud? Got your mama's lungs, no doubt about that…"

"I am sorry." Effie winced. "April started crying and…" She shook her head. "It was very rude, Doctor Larcher, I apologize."

"No worries." the doctor dismissed with a small smile. "I see this little lady has a name now? Haymitch, perhaps you could take care of April while I check on Effie?"

"Sure." Haymitch smirked, obviously happy to spend some time with her. "You want some breakfast?"

She suddenly realized she was starving. "It appears the children are downstairs. Maybe you could send them up?"

It didn't take long for Larcher to examine her but she was frantic by the time he was ready to leave the room and she begged him to send Haymitch back with the baby. She wasn't quite ready for her bedroom to be invaded by two young people – one of whom was carrying a tray – and an excited dog. Haymitch came in last, April protectively cradled in his arms. And, honestly, that was all she cared about.

She forced herself to smile at Peeta and answered Katniss' question about how she was feeling, anxious to get her baby close by again. Her heartbeat only came back to normal once Haymitch sat next to her on the bed.

"Can I hold her?" Peeta asked with a bright grin.

"No." Effie snapped before Haymitch could do something foolish like hand her over. She immediately snatch the baby from his arms and held her close, barely noticing the grey and blue romper he had dressed her in. April's eyes were wide open, staring at her, and she felt herself breathe more easily.

Everybody in the room froze. The boy looked hurt. The children exchanged a glance and Haymitch cleared his throat.

"Sorry, kids, we're still kinda coming to terms with… Everything. You know." he lied smoothly. "Effie needs her rest…"

"We'll be back later." Katniss said, grabbing Peeta's arm and pulling him toward the door. It sounded more like a warning than a statement.

"Sure." Haymitch nodded.

"We can walk the dog if you want…" the boy offered, hesitant. His blue eyes darted from Effie to the baby and then to the puppy who was still hovering near the bed.

"I've got to go to the Justice Building anyway…" Haymitch dismissed. "I'll take him."

"Actually, I want to keep Snowball with me while you are gone." she cut in. "If you could walk him, dear…"

She wouldn't make the mistake of being left alone vulnerable again. Not when April needed to be protected.

"Of course. No problem, Effie." Peeta beamed.

The dog seemed as reluctant to leave April as she was. It took some coaxing before the children managed to get him to follow them.

Once she was alone with Haymitch, silence stretched. April was fussing and she automatically brought her to her breast in case she was hungry. She grabbed a toast from the tray with her free hand and nibbled on it quickly, so hungry she thought she could have eaten twice what they had brought.

"Is this gonna be a problem?" he asked slowly, after a couple of minutes.

He brushed his fingers against the top of April's head and she had to suppress the urge to protectively curl up around her daughter.

A part of her, a part she knew to be irrational, wanted to oppose things like 'what if Peeta has an episode while he's holding her?' or 'what if Doctor Larcher hurts her? He is not family and we cannot trust people who are not family.'. She knew better. Those were excuses. Because that part of her also wanted to remind him that his hands sometimes shook and that he couldn't control it and what if…

The rational part, though… The rational part knew she was as likely to have a flashback or a panic attack as Haymitch was to drop their daughter because his hands were shaking. She knew that April was reasonably safe with the two of them, with the children and with Larcher.

Yet, she couldn't stop herself from clutching the baby to her chest.

She supposed it answered his question.

And the shrimp has a name... Do you like it? One of you had guessed right :p What do you think of Effie going all tiger mama? I hope you enjoy this chapter! Do let me know your thoughts!