The room was a fuzzy pink - or at least, that's all Effie could make out. Her body felt sore, her vision had trouble focusing. Morphling. She remembered this feeling. She could hear Annie outside the room talking - she didn't know what she was saying. Effie tried to turn her head - it felt heavy. But she could just make out Haymitch beside her. She saw him jump out of his chair when she moved.

His hands caressed her face. He was crying. Effie could feel his wet cheeks against hers.

"Rosie …" Effie muttered. "Is she -"

"Beautiful," Haymitch said, kissing her. "Beautiful, Effie. She's beautiful."

Effie felt relief like she had never felt before. "Is she?"

Haymitch nodded. "She's perfect."

"She's going to be so spoiled …"

Haymitch laughed. "She is. Annie's already started bragging."

Effie reached up slowly, resting her hand against his chest. "I want to see her," she said. "Can I see her?"

Effie had to wait until most of the small morphling dose wore off. Given her history, the healer was glad Effie responded to the morphling better than she had in the past. But she knew it also frustrated Effie, who was eager to see her daughter.

Annie brought the wheelchair into the room and Haymitch gingerly helped Effie from the bed.

"Comfortable?" Annie asked.

Effie nodded, but let one of the nurses tuck a blanket over her lap. Haymitch wheeled her down the hall behind the nurse. Effie could feel her heart almost leaping from her chest.

"Oh … Haymitch …" Effie had placed her hand in the incubator as he had, letting little hand grasp her finger. Tears slipped down her cheeks. Haymitch kissed her gently - his hand clasping Effie's free hand tight. Effie glanced at him. "I love you," she said, a smile spreading. She looked back to Rosie, her thumb gently brushing over daughter's small fingers. "I love you both … so much." She felt Haymitch's lips press against her cheek - then his thumb wiping away her tears. "She's really ours," Effie said, her voice trembling with happiness. "Really ours. Really here."

"Are you sure -"

"Just support her head, Mrs. Abernathy."

Effie nervously shifted her arms. Rosie felt so small in them - it was as if Effie could barely feel her weight.

"There we go," the healer said, adjusting the wires that were still connected to Rosie so they were out of the way.

Effie smiled, looking down at her daughter. "I can't believe I'm holding her," she said.

"She's a little fighter. We think she's going to do just fine."

Effie gently stroked Rosie's cheek with her finger. "Hello," she said in a soft voice. "Do you recognize me? I'm your mommy." Effie was startled a little when Rosie moved her arms. The healer told her to relax - the baby could likely sense her nervousness. "I wonder where your daddy went … mommy told him she needed her slippers. I think he got lost."

"Nah."

Effie looked up and saw Haymitch drying his hands after washing them.

"I just couldn't find you," he said. "Weren't in your room."

Effie tilted her head. "Your hair …"

"Yeah … Annie made me sit down and let her cut it before I left."

Effie laughed. "Look," she said, nodding to Rosie. "We can hold her."

"You can," the healer said. "But you need to relax, Mrs. Abernathy. She isn't made of glass."

Haymitch was already crouching beside the chair, tentatively reaching to touch his daughter's foot.

"Both of you need to relax," the healer said. "For seven months, your daughter is doing very well. Now, I'll be just outside the door if you need me - and that doesn't mean every time the baby moves, okay?"

Effie nodded, though her eyes never left Rosie. When the healer was gone, Haymitch leaned over and kissed Effie gently. "Sorry I took longer to get here. Besides Annie, I called and let the kids know about Rosie."

"Did you tell them -"

"I told them she was early and she was probably gonna need to be looked after for a while, but that she was healthy. Strong. Had your eyes."

Effie smiled. "And your nose."

"I left that out."

"How about your stubbornness?"

"Well, now that I had to brag about."

"Any news from Twelve, though?"

Haymitch shrugged. "Not much. Peeta offered to get the nursery set up for whenever we wanted to go back. Katniss said the boys across the street -"

"I never asked about -"

"They're fine. Katniss found 'em sleeping in our house. Got in through a window. She's gonna look after them."

"I doubt that'll make Mr. Grenning pleased."

"I don't really care what he thinks, sweetheart. Those kids …" Haymitch shook his head.

Effie leaned over and kissed him. "We'll do everything we can for them. If anything, it means we go back to Twelve the minute Rosie is cleared for travel."

"Three kids …" Haymitch joked.

"If need be, yes. Unofficially. Here - call the healer back in."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You should hold her."

Effie laughed as the healer tried to adjust Rosie in Haymitch's arms. He was worse than her - it took at least ten minutes for the healer to actually put Rosie in his arms and now he seemed to jump every time she moved or started to cry.

"Have you never held a baby?" the healer asked.

"No," Haymitch muttered. "Not that I remember - is that normal?"

"She's just blowing a spit bubble," the healer laughed. "Perfectly normal."

One of the nurses brought a chair for Effie to sit in. She sat back, letting him get settled - and getting settled for Haymitch meant sitting with Rosie and not moving a muscle.

"I'm not changing every diaper, Haymitch," Effie said.

"What?"

"You can breathe, you know."

"I'm fine."

Effie grinned and moved to kiss him but he shook his head. "Careful!"

"Oh, dear - this isn't going to be easy at all, is it?"

"Hey, princess, you weren't any better than me."

Effie bent down to Rosie. "Your daddy is a real person, I promise. Working arms and everything. You're just making him very nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

Effie gave him a look.

"What?"

Effie laughed and finally just kissed him.