Finn got a wheelchair and he can't push it because he got his hands broken so he's miserable because nobody will let him out of the house.
I can tell by the look on his face that Annie and everyone is driving him crazy.
Christmas is in two days. I kiss Peeta awake at six in the morning. "I'm going out with Finnick to get him out of the house." I whisper.
"Okay." He kisses me again. "I love you."
"I love you too." I go into the bathroom and shower and put in a tampon because I started my stupid period. I get dressed in a pair of light skinny blue jeans, a white long sleeve shirt and my black trench coat, the same one I wore when Peeta and I first met. I put on my boots and go downstairs and rouse Finn.
"What?" He sounds irritated.
"I'm gonna get you out of here." I whisper.
He looks at me and nods. I help him dress and then I bring him and his wheelchair downstairs and out the front door, grabbing my purse on the way.
The sun is up now. I have my phone and my purse and wallet and everything.
I walk, pushing him. He's silent for a long time, looking around at people. Everyone gives us looks of pity.
"Can we go to Central Park?" He asks. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure." I take a left and head to Central Park.
I walk quietly.
"Let's go fast." He says.
"What?"
"Run."
"Okay."
I run down the snow covered path. People are ice skating on the lake, so I stop in front of it and turn Finn towards me.
"What's up?" I ask.
"I'm about two seconds away from divorcing Annie."
"What? Why?" I sit down in front of him.
"I don't know, she's just so annoying and clingy and irritating. I am so annoyed with her."
"But you love her?"
"Yeah I love her but I want to take Ben and leave."
"Finn..." I sigh. "Don't do it."
"Why not?"
"You love her." I say simply. "She may be annoying and clingy but you love her and she loves you. If you end it you'll be making a huge mistake. Trust me, I know, I have experience. It's miserable Finn. Don't do it. I'm serious."
"Well how do I tell her that she is annoying as fuck? I don't want to see the look on her face..."
"Do you want me to tell her?" I ask.
"That would be amazing." He says.
"Let's get breakfast and then go home."
"Okay."
"To Starbucks it is." I say, and he laughs.
...8...
I make sure to slam the front door to announce our arrival.
"I'm gonna kill her! She didn't even tell me!" Annie says. Finn groans under her breath.
"Annie just back off." Peeta says.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Annie snaps.
"Then don't go after my wife. She's doing your husband a favor because you just keep him cooped up when he wants to get out. Ether you treat her with respect or you can get the hell out of my house."
"Damn Dad!" Ryan says. "Way to go!"
I wheel Finn, still in the wheelchair upstairs.
"Listen bitch," Annie starts.
"Annie shut up." Finnick says.
"This is your fault!" Annie snaps at me.
"What's my fault?" I ask, raising my eyebrows and crossing my arms.
"Auntie Annie, don't make Mommy mad." Jillian whispers.
"It's your fault that Cato took him and did this to him!"
"How the hell is it my fault?" I ask.
"Because you let Cato rape you! It's your fault Cato raped you! Since you let him all of this shit happened to my husband!"
Everyone starts yelling at her.
"It's my fault?" I repeat.
"Yes! Your a cold hearted bitch for letting Cato do this to him!"
I punch her in the face and then screaming increases, and then she punches me back and the next thing I know, we're on the floor and I'm on top of her and we're beating the shit out of each other.
"You fucking bitch! You think it's my fault? You think I liked it? You think I let him do it? You fucking bitch! Do you think I knew he was going to do that?"
"Get off me!" She screams.
Peeta hooks his finger in the belt loop of my jeans and rips me off of her. He isn't even mad I was fighting her.
"Annie, you need to back off. Fuck you for saying it's Katniss's fault all of this happened. She's my fucking sister. Don't treat her like shit."
"She just beat the shit out of me and you're going to let it happen?" Annie demands.
Finn looks from me to Annie.
"Yes."
"Fine, let's get a divorce then!" She snaps. Then, she bursts into tears and runs out the door.
…..a…
I hate waking up so thirsty that I can't go back to sleep but so tired that I don't want to get up.
I sigh into Peeta chest and gently push my way out of his arms.
"Where are you going?" he mumbles, forcing his eyes open. Of course he woke up. He always wakes up when I move.
I kiss his cheek. "I'm going to get a drink."
"Downstairs?" he asks. "You're staying in the house?" he sits up.
"Yes. I'm just going to get some water from the kitchen."
He yawns, stretches, and kisses my forehead and then nods. "Okay." He lays down and falls back to sleep. I get up and go downstairs. I flick on the light and hear someone sigh in the living room. I get my glass of water and walk out there. Finn sits awake. He's on the blow up mattress, staring at the flames in the fireplace. Elizabeth is sleeping on the floor.
"What are you doing?" I whisper.
He jumps and looks at me. "I can't sleep."
I finish my water, refill it, and hand him the glass, and then I pick up Elizabeth. She lifts her head up, looks at me with her tired eyes, and then she goes back to sleep with her head on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I sit down on the floor.
Slowly, he shakes his head. "No. I don't want to divorce Annie. I love her. I'm scared she already filed for divorce."
I start rubbing Elizabeth's back.
"I don't think she did." I whisper.
"I'm so scared. I don't want to lose her. God, what have I done?" he looks at Ben and sighs.
"It's not too late. It's never too late." I whisper.
"Well what am I going to do?" he whisper shouts. "I can' exactly go after her!"
"I'll get her to come over tomorrow and you can talk it out in the sunroom where nobody will bother you. Just be reasonable and level headed and everything will be fine."
"Fine. He better apologize to you."
"I need to apologize too, Finnick. I'm not exactly innocent."
"I beg to differ." Johanna mutters. "If you didn't punch her, I would have."
I laugh. "I'm going to bed. Love you guys."
"Love you too." They say together.
I get up and shift Elizabeth. I go downstairs and put Elizabeth in her bed, and I check on Jillian, Ryan, Addi and Rose, and then I go upstairs, check on Juliette, Caden, and Cody and then I go into Peeta and I's bedroom and crawl into bed next to him. He wakes up right away and opens his arms. I lay down in them and drift off again.
…..a…..
I wake up to the doorbell ringing. I throw the covers off of me, change into a long sleeve shirt and bra and jeans, and I go downstairs, braiding my hair.
"Is Katniss Mellark here? I need to speak with her and her family and anyone associated with her."
"Yeah, come on in." Johanna says. I tie off my braid.
She comes upstairs with a police officer and rouses everyone, my children and husband included. Everyone comes into the living room looking grumpy, but concern replaces their faces.
All the little ones start crying though.
"Your not in any kind of trouble." He says to me. Everyone sighs in relief. He looks at Finnick. "How are you doing?"
He shrugs. "I'm great."
Annie's is here, I notice, and she has her hand on Finn's arm.
She probably came here and they made up.
"But…" he sighs. "Cato got away."
"How did he get away!" I blurt angrily.
"Katniss." Peeta whispers. I bite my lip.
"That's a good question. Unfortunately, we don't have an answer. We do know, however, that he is back in the city. We also know you shot him in the arm, but he went to a doctor for it. We have searches everywhere in the entire state of New York that he could have possibly gone to and nobody has seen him, not even at pharmacies. My guess, is he's after you now, or one of your kids, or Peeta. Possibly Prim, or maybe even Jennifer. Actually, I think he's going for Elizabeth. Simply because she is your first biological daughter."
Nobody says anything for a long time. He is not getting Johanna. "If he comes I'm going to kill him." I say firmly, and I cross my arms. He sizes me up. "I don't care if I get locked up for life. He's put me and my family through hell. No matter what the jails and prisons try to do, he can't be contained."
"Oh, I agree with you." He says. "While nobody deserves to die, some people earn it, and he has definitely earned it." He sighs. "Well, I must go. It is Christmas Eve, after all."
He walks out.
"I'm scared." Rose says.
I rock back and forth. "I hope he comes."
"What?" Rose asks.
"I think it's time he gets a taste of his own medicine."
I'm skipping Christmas.