"I know Mom." I took a deep breath in as she rambled down the other end of the phone. "I am eating healthy, I promise, Peeta's making sure of it." I replied to her probing questions, knowing she was just as excited as we were when I'd given her the news of another grandchild just a few minutes ago. "I'm having appointments every week, we're keeping on top of everything. Don't worry. We're monitoring my blood pressure from the start this time; it'll all be okay."
It felt strange to listen to my mother worrying through the phone and bombarding me with healthy recipes and herbs to try in teas to prevent all that we'd been through the time before. It was a nice kind of worry though; it was comforting. It had only been a few days since we'd found out we were having a boy, and I'd told Delly immediately after we found out. I even went round to Haymitch's to collect Eve one afternoon and he had figured it out, just like Delly had, before I could even say anything. It was a relief now that most people knew. Haymitch had seemed genuinely happy for us, even if he did still feign annoyance at Eve's nickname of "Grampa" for him, I think he was content with the thought of another child to babysit.
Just then the line buzzed indicating that there was another call coming through. I looked at the number and it was Delly's house. My heart beat hard in anticipation.
"Mom, I really have to go, someone's on the line. I promise we'll come and see you soon. I'll give you a call in the next couple of days. Bye." I said rushed and punching the next call button as fast as I could.
"Delly?" I asked eagerly but another voice came through.
"Kat, it's Thom. It's happening!" He excitedly shouted through the phone. I jumped up and down on the spot feeling a warmth of happiness spread through me.
"This is so exciting! What do you need us to do?" I questioned, hoping I could be of help to my two best friends. Just then, Peeta's head emerged through the door as he gave me a curious look, wondering why I was so enthusiastic. I motioned for him to come in.
"Well, the thing is we have to go to the hospital right now, but Hazelle's on the other side of the District running errands for people. Can you please watch Mika? It will be for just for a little while, we'll make sure Hazelle comes to get him from your house." Thom's voice wasn't calm like it usually was. This was probably the first time I'd experienced him not being relaxed and laid back. I felt tears come into my eyes from all the excitement.
"Thom, we're coming over right now. We'll be there in two minutes, I promise. Tell Hazelle not to worry, it's no problem, Mika can stay here." I all but shouted down the phone as Peeta sensed what was happening and went to get Eve ready to leave, as well as himself.
"Thanks Kat."
"See you in a minute!" I replied, slamming down the phone and running to get my shoes on. I grabbed the house keys and saw Peeta leaping down the stairs with Eve on his shoulder, cardigan on and a bag ready to go.
"It's happening!" I reiterated Thom's words as I beamed a wide smile. Peeta gave a bemused look at my eagerness and something in him seemed happy that I was reacting this way. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and held the door open as I grabbed Eve from him and he locked up once we were outside.
We practically sprinted towards our friends' house; thrill building up each step we took closer to it. It was wonderful that it was happening for Delly and Thom, and I couldn't wait to meet their new child. I think over all the excitement, I forgot that this would be me a few months down the line. I tried not to think about that now, this day was about Delly.
By the time we reached the door, we were all hot and sticky from the summer climate in 12. Thom was already there to open it before we could knock and hurried us inside as we saw Delly sitting on the sofa taking deep breaths. Her face lit up as she saw us, and she tried to stand up to greet us before pain struck her, sending her back onto the sofa again. Thom was by her side and holding her hand in no time. I put Eve down on a nearby chair and Peeta went to grab Mika who'd been told to wait in the kitchen by Thom, in an attempt to reassure him. Despite the pain she looked in, Delly looked ecstatic. I couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked as she almost emitted a glow of happiness. I myself hadn't been through a natural birth per se, so the natural contractions of labor were a first for me. Mine had all been so rushed and early and terrifying. Delly however, seemed to be oddly enjoying hers.
I kissed her on the forehead before helping Thom to assist her up to a standing position. Peeta came back in with Mika and put him down next to Eve on the chair, stroking their heads. Peeta smiled widely at them both.
"I can't believe this is happening." He said excitedly and Thom beamed back.
"You next mate." He replied and looked at me slightly chuckling despite the faint tone of panic in his eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and walked Delly to the door as Thom picked up their bag off the floor and grabbing his car keys.
"Thank you so much you two, I can't thank you enough!" Delly rambled as Thom tried to get her out of the door.
"C'mon you, we have plenty of time to thank them later." He said jokingly. Just before he closed the door behind them he turned to us and waved.
"I'll give you guys a call as soon as I can, I promise!" He said before shutting the door on them and the excitement. Peeta was at my side before the door even shut; his arm wrapped around my shoulder. I nestled into him, and knew that Thom's comment had reminded us both that we weren't far behind.
I paced the kitchen as Peeta fed Eve and Mika their dinner, and after that ice cream as a special treat due to all the excitement. I couldn't help but feel nervous for them, even though it wasn't happening to us yet. We'd been waiting six hours so far and although I knew it could be more than double that, I couldn't wait for the phone to ring to know that they and the baby were okay and healthy. Peeta looked sympathetically at me.
"Katniss, sit down honey, you don't want to make the kids nervous." He said, the last part slightly quieter so that they couldn't hear, although they looked too absorbed in throwing sprinkles onto their dessert to care about the situation.
I did as he said, and took a spot next to Mika, stroking his head and kissing it. He looked up and gave me a toothy smile.
"Aunty Katniss?" He said, drawn out in question. I looked down at him.
"Yes sweetie?" I replied, knowing that I was about to be bombarded with questions.
"When will Mommy and Daddy bring the baby home?" He asked, sucking ice cream off his finger. I rubbed his back caringly.
"As soon as the doctors say it's okay to Mika. I'm sure it won't be long after Mommy's had the baby, but that could be a while yet. They'll ring as soon as we can go over and then we can see your new sister or brother!" I said, trying to make it simple and reassuring for him to understand.
He seemed content with this and went back to laughing at Eve with ice cream smeared unknowingly on her nose. Peeta laughed too, and fetched a towel to wipe her face.
"In the mean time, we'll be looking after you, so you have to be brave so Mommy and Daddy can do this, okay?" I added on, but he seemed perfectly happy without them so far, although Peeta had been playing games with them nonstop all day to keep him distracted. Eve seemed a little too young to understand that Aunty Delly was having a baby too right now, but she would get the gist when the baby was brought back home. She too, seemed happy to have a permanent play buddy in the mean time.
"Okayyy." Mika replied. I looked happily to Peeta and he winked at me. As we sat around the table as a four, I realized that soon it would be our family number. It added to my happiness.
The kids had been put to bed a couple of hours ago, in the mean time Peeta and I had been enjoying some much-needed rest as we lay on the sofa. My ankles felt swollen and my feet sore, so Peeta was propping them up on a cushion on his lap whilst he read. I felt relaxed despite waiting for the call from Thom and longing to see Delly. I couldn't help but think of how far we'd all come from even ten years ago. Back in those times I doubted that any of us would even make it back alive to 12, let alone be married and happy and starting families. I felt truly blessed despite the constant reminders every day of our losses that had been burned onto my skin. This sparked another thought inside me.
"Peeta?" I asked tentatively. I didn't know how to approach this situation; it wasn't something we talked about much.
"Yeah?" He replied, putting down his book and stroking my feet. I took a breath in, thinking of how to phrase it.
"I don't want you to get sad from this, I just need to know because you don't talk about it a lot." I started, and he frowned, wondering what was coming but remained silent so that I could finish. "Do you ever think about your family? What your parents or brothers would say if they could see your children?" I questioned, already fearing it was too much. Of course he would miss them. No matter what happened, family was family and it was familiar. He'd never properly seemed to grieve for their death. At the time, I suppose, his main concern was to first fix himself.
He thought about it for a moment; searching his mind for the buried answer that was somewhere hidden in there before replying.
"I think about them all the time Katniss. I'm not sure it would make much difference if they were here, as awful as that sounds." He said somberly, but continued rubbing my ankles and giving me a sad smile.
"Why?" I asked confused and ashamed that I'd brought it up.
"Well, as you know we weren't particularly a close family. There are some things that I think about, when I remember my mother especially, that make me glad that she's not in our childrens' lives. Maybe she would have been different with grandchildren, but I always got the impression she was secretly glad when my name got picked out of the bowl that day." He chewed his lip as he went silent again; a habit he'd picked up from me.
I looked sadly towards him and took his hand as he moved it up my leg towards my extended one, giving it a squeeze.
"One less mouth to feed, you know. One less reason for trouble. I'm not sure about my brothers either. My oldest brother was too old to volunteer for me like you did for...Prim-" He spoke the last word with a hesitant lump in his throat. "- but my other brother wasn't. He was seventeen. He could have. But he stayed silent." He finished and there was a flicker of anger and regret in his eyes that made me feel pity. I took my other hand off my bump and placed it on top of his, and stroked it.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I just always wondered. You don't talk about your family much." I said so quietly, I wasn't sure he'd heard. He looked away from whatever mental image he had been staring at for the last few moments, and back at me.
"There's not really much to talk about." He shrugged and the anger in his eyes was gone, replaced by a more content spark. "You, Eve and bump are my family now; you're all that matters." Peeta said with finality, and I looked down at our unborn child, hoping that I would get to meet him soon.
A shrill ring snapped me out of my groggy sleep. Peeta was up before I was though, and straight to the phone. I looked at the clock on the mantelpiece in front of me. It was just past one in the morning. I heard Peeta answer the phone, and I rubbed my eyes knowing that only Thom would ring at this hour to let us know the news. I suddenly felt wide awake, and my heart pounded just like it had before.
"A boy?!" Peeta repeated excitedly and looked towards me happily as I walked to him to hear the conversation. A boy! Delly's instincts and mine had both been right. I couldn't believe it. Mika would have a brother.
"What's his name?" Peeta asked, wrapped up in the baby buzz. I waited a moment while Thom talked down the other end and heard a sound from upstairs. Mika must have woken up from the phone ringing.
"Felix! I love it!" Peeta exclaimed and just then I saw Mika wandering down the stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he clutched his favorite teddy, wondering what all the havoc was at this hour. I picked him up, thinking he would be lighter than he was, and cuddled him excitedly, telling him the news that he had a baby brother. His eyes lit up immediately and he waved his arms in the air. Peeta looked over to us as he continued talking and congratulating and smiled. Eventually he hung up the phone as I rocked Mika in my arms.
"They said we could wait until morning to go and see them as the doctors want Delly to rest for the next few hours. The baby is perfectly healthy and Delly's good too. Seven pounds two ounces." He informed me, and I felt a huge weight lift off my chest.
"I can't believe it. That's so great! I'm an aunty again!" I said happily as I rubbed Mika's back. He had seemed roaring to go a few minutes ago when he first heard the news, however sleep was taking over him again. I hadn't heard Eve crying so she had probably slept through all the commotion.
"We'll go see them first thing when you wake up tomorrow okay baby?" I said to Mika and he nodded contently as I walked him back up the stairs and tucked him back into his bed, before checking on Eve, only to find her fast asleep.
I wandered back downstairs to see Peeta sitting back on the sofa, wearing the same smile I did.
"I can't wait for it to be us now." He said lovingly, as he pulled me in close to him and kissed my cheek. I stroked his face as I went for his lips, feeling us both grinning as we did.
"I know me too." I replied.
"Let's try and get some sleep before the morning okay? Then we'll take the kids down and stop off and get some flowers for Delly too." Peeta suggested. I murmured a reply, but my mind was already busy whirring out images of when it was going to be me. And although it terrified me, I also couldn't wait for all the excitement to be ours too.