Chapter 37
Survivors
Katniss
I wish my mother were here – she would know what to do for the wounded. I crawl to Peeta's mother and do the best I can – I tear off some cloth from the hem of her dress and use that to try to clean the wounds and apply pressure. She's unconscious but breathing – I hope that lasts the night. Peeta's sitting in the corner of the room, shaking from his own wounds.
We wait for hours, with the bombs dropping every few minutes at first and then several a minute as time goes on. The bombs rattle the whole structure ominously, but I'm hoping it stays intact. Once I've done everything I can for Peeta's mother, I crawl to him and try to help him. "Oh Peeta," I say softly, worried. I do my best once again but there's nothing I can give him for the pain or the possible infection, and I don't have anything to soothe the burns or the shrapnel cuts.
"I saw Clint," he says when things get quiet for a very brief moment. I try not to react – I don't want him to have hurt feelings on top of everything. "He looked pretty bad but I think he's going to be okay. He wanted to know about you and the others …"
"What did you tell him?"
"Just that you and most of the others were okay – we gave him the bad news about Rue. He took it pretty hard." Of course he would – if you don't count the days I was unconscious he was with her for longer than I was. He clears his throat and speaks again. "Katniss … when I said what I said in my interview … it was just an angle for the Games." I should be angry that he lied to everyone and used me – but it's a weight off my chest to think it really was just an act for both of us. "I thought it would help me win or help you if I was killed. I care for you, but … not like that." I nod because I don't know what else to do.
"You just … Just focus on getting through this," I say lamely.
"I want to be closer to my mother," he says, and I help him go to her.
At some point a few hours in, she just stops breathing. Peeta starts to cry – of course he does. She was his mother, no matter how she was to him. I hold him close and remind him his father and brothers are okay – but every bomb that drops makes me wonder if he'll see them again, if I'll see my sister again. I wonder how many bombs the upper levels can take before they collapse.
Finally, the bombs stop. We wait for several hours, afraid to move, but then we hear footsteps and I cautiously get to my feet. I stick my head out of the classroom and find a plainly dressed medic. He kneels by Peeta's mother for all too short a time, then shakes his head and moves on to Peeta.
Gale follows shortly after. I practically jump to my feet to greet him. "Katniss I'm so sorry – I carried some of them down to the shelter and they wouldn't let me come back."
"It's okay," I say honestly, just so glad he's safe. "I knew it was something like that …"
"How many did we lose?" he asks.
"Gale I don't know … I don't know … people scattered and I don't know how many people made it in …" I shudder when I think about the people we had to walk through … blood and pieces and ashes …
Gale sees me finally break down and he catches me – he wraps his arms around me and I sob into his shirt for just a moment before I get it together. "What can I do to help?" I ask.
"You've done enough, Catnip," he teases softly. He sits with me on the floor, and I rest my head on his shoulder and listen as the medics tell Peeta he's going to be fine.
I finally sleep.
Author's Note
This was also very hard to write from a shipping standpoint because I'm very much a Toast (Everlark) shipper, but the crossover shipping muses must be appeased – and also Peeta is totally the kind to make this kind of sacrificial "I just want my beloved to be happy" move (spoilers I guess but you probably already guessed that's what's going on).