Chapter 37

I walked Rory back to our family's compartment after dinner. He didn't ask why I didn't want to come in. We'd spent enough time meddling in each others' personal lives for one night. As soon as Rory closed the door, I bolted toward the hospital wing to meet up with Finnick and Annie. I found them waiting for me with Haymitch at the nurse's station.

"Hey kid," Haymitch greeted me. "It didn't feel quite right barging into your little abode here without you, so we waited."

"Thanks Haymitch," I grinned. I was growing accustomed to the mentor's blunt speech and rough sense of humor.

Prim spotted us gathering from down the hall and rushed over to help.

"Are you all here to visit Peeta?" she asked me. I nodded. "And you all want to go in at once?"

"Yes please, if that's all right," Finnick said politely.

Prim nodded curtly. "Okay. Just make sure that you don't crowd him." She led the way over to the room that I shared with Peeta and knocked softly on the door before poking her head inside.

"Are you feeling up for visitors, Peeta?"

He must have given his assent because Prim held the door for us to enter. Haymitch strode over to the chair to Peeta's left, but Finnick and Annie lingered in the doorway. I slipped past Finnick and into the room.

"Prim didn't tell me that all of you were coming," Peeta said uneasily. He was still strapped firmly to his mattress with restraints over his wrists, ankles, and chest. From the tray of dirty dishes on the counter, I gathered that he had just been fed his dinner, and my heart sank. I knew that having to be fed left Peeta feeling vulnerable, and having to face four visitors while fully restrained probably wasn't a very comfortable follow-up. Sure enough, Peeta was shifting his gaze nervously between Haymitch and Finnick, as though the presence of so many men in his room put him on high alert.

"Peeta," I said softly, "do you think you would be okay if I unfastened your restraints?"

Peeta smiled gratefully. "Please do."

Haymitch gently ruffled Peeta's overgrown blonde hair as I unbuckled the straps on his wrists, ankles, and chest. Then Haymitch and I helped Peeta up into a sitting position and tucked his blanket around his waist.

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder and glanced up to find Annie Cresta standing beside me.

"Let me," she said softly. I stepped aside so that she could sit down next to Peeta on the edge of his cot. She snuggled up against him and threw her bony arms around his emaciated shoulders. Peeta smiled weakly and let Annie hold him. "Almost free," she reassured him. "You're almost free. Just be brave, one day at a time."

It was more than I could ever remember her saying at once, and when I saw the tormented expression on Finnick's face, I knew that I wasn't the only one who had recognized the change that had come over her. Finnick pushed past me and knelt down beside Annie to place his right hand on her thigh and his left on the small of her back. He gazed up at his bride-to-be with concerned and sorrowful eyes.

"Annie," he whispered as if trying to keep her grounded. Annie gave him a sad, reassuring smile. "I'm okay," she mouthed silently to him.

Peeta rested his head on Annie's shoulder. "You're right, Annie," he said. "One day at a time. Almost free."

This seemed to make Annie happy. She reached into the pocket of her sweater and pulled out a small sketch pad and two pencils.

"These are for you," she told Peeta as she set the gifts in his lap. "To help you be brave."

Peeta's eyes grew wide as he looked at the gifts. Then he smiled sadly and hugged Annie. "Thank you," he whispered, his words loaded with a weight that I didn't understand.

I shot Finnick a questioning glance. He hesitated before leaning over to explain the significance of the gift to me in a hushed voice. "In the Capitol, Peeta scratched images from District 4 onto the cell walls to comfort my Annie. When the peacekeepers found out, they beat him unconscious and moved him into solitary confinement."

"Peeta," Annie continued on with confidence, "as you might have heard, Finnick and I are getting married. We would be so honored if you would decorate our wedding cake for us."

Peeta beamed. "I'm the one who would be honored," he insisted. "What would you like on it?"

Annie reached up to stroke her thin fingers along Peeta's neck, just behind his left ear. As her fingertips trailed down his skin, I realized that she was tracing a thick, pink scar. Peeta closed his eyes and inhaled a long, ragged breath.

"Annie..." Finnick called her back softly. He took her hands in his and guided them back into her lap, where he warmed them between his palms.

"I can put District 4 images on it," Peeta told her gently. "Annie... no one is going to do... that... to me here."

"That would be perfect, Peeta," Finnick said. "It'll be the highlight of the party."

Peeta grinned. "Thanks, Finnick, but we both know that Annie will be rightfully stealing the show."

It was another hour before Finnick, Annie, and Haymitch left Peeta's side. I could feel the effects of the amaranth wearing off and was grateful when Prim entered and quietly hooked up my IV drip. I sat patiently on the edge of my bed, waiting for the pale pink liquid to cool the rising pain in my back while the visitors made small talk with my roommate. Annie curled up in Finnick's lap with her head resting on his chest, secure in his embrace. Haymitch gradually took over the conversation as Finnick and Annie slipped into the mute comfort of each other's company. Finally, Prim returned and gave the order that it was time for Peeta to get some sleep. Finnick and Annie bid him goodbye, but Haymitch waited by Peeta's side until they had left the room.

"How's your therapy going?" Haymitch asked.

Peeta shrugged. "It's okay. We've taken a bit of a break this week, with everything that's happened..."

"That's to be expected," Haymitch acknowledged. "But you feel comfortable around your doctors? Everyone is treating you right?"

"Yes. I'm as comfortable as possible, I think. The video sessions are really hard. I can usually make it through those now without sedation or restraints, but my mood sinks and I just don't feel like myself. Meeting with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder therapist is exhausting, but usually feels refreshing a few hours after we meet. We've talked a lot about the first Games so far. I think she's saving our discussions on my imprisonment in the Capitol until the video sessions start get easier for me to handle. Physical therapy is going well, though. My new prosthetic is manageable and I think they're done with surgeries. They want to get me into the Capitol for cosmetic surgery after the war... we'll see about that. I'm not sure if I want it. Snow had them leave my face alone most of the time, so it's not too hard to keep my scars covered.

Haymitch nodded slowly as he processed Peeta's report.

"I'm going to speak with Dr. Lewis about getting a nutritionist on your team as well. I know that they starved you in the Capitol, but you ought to be a little more robust by now. It's this damn District 13 food."

"Haymitch," Prim reminded him from the doorway. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Sometimes, sweetheart, you're just as stubborn as your big sister."

"He needs sleep, Haymitch."

"All right. If it's best for him, I can't argue with that. Goodnight, kid," he said gently to Peeta, placing his hand reassuringly on Peeta's shoulder for a long moment before standing to leave. "Hawthorne," he acknowledged on his way out of the room.

Prim was about to close the door when Peeta called after her.

"Prim, wait..."

"What is it, Peeta?"

"Can you...?" he gestured to the unused restraints that lay fastened to his mattress.

"I was going to let you sleep without them tonight. You seem to have a pretty firm grasp on reality right now, and you handled your visitors very well."

"I don't want to stay here with Gale if I'm not restrained."

I glanced over at Peeta, surprised. He hates those restraints.

"Don't give me that look, Gale. I don't want to hurt you."

Prim sighed as she walked over to Peeta's cot and motioned for him to stretch out his legs. She fastened and locked his ankle restraints.

"How's that?"

"I can live with that," Peeta said. "Thank you."

"Call if you need anything," Prim reminded us before leaving. "That goes for both of you now."

"You didn't have to do that to yourself, Peeta," I told him as soon as Prim was gone. "You would have been fine."

"Maybe," he agreed. "But the longer I spend in therapy, the more I realize how broken I am. I'm taking things one day at a time."

Thank you so much for reading! The wedding is almost here! Don't forget to follow Gale's Amaranth for the many, many updates still yet to come. And if you would be kind enough to leave your thoughts on the chapter or story as a review on your way out, it would make my day. Thanks again & best wishes!