Hey, Everyone! It's 11:56 pm! So I still updated again today! Sorry it was so late. There was a storm and our power went out! :P Well, I'll let you read now since I'm sure you're all anxious to see what shall happen next. *Evil grin* Disclaimer: I do not own THG.


Chapter Fifty-Two

Peeta's POV

Haymitch has finally calmed down. Effie, Haymitch, and I are all sitting on the couch, catching out breath.

"Sorry 'bout that," Haymitch says gruffly.

"Don't worry about it," I tell him. That's when I notice that Katniss is not in the living room. "Hey, where'd Katniss go?" I ask. Haymitch and Effie just shrug.

I get up from the couch and head into the kitchen. She is not there, nor is she in the dining room. I poke my head out the back door, but do not find her. I check in the front yard. She isn't there either. I trot up the stairs.

"Katniss, are you in there?" I ask as I knock on the bathroom door. I do the same with our bedroom door. Where could she be? I ask myself. Just then, I hear my daughter's cries from her nursery.

My heart stops at the sight I am faced with when I enter the nursery. My beloved Katniss is crumpled on the floor, unconscious. There is blood pooling around the bottom half of her body.

"Help," I call loudly, hoping the Haymitch and Effie will come to my aid. I pick Ivy up and put her in her crib.

Next, I quickly knelt down next to Katniss and placed my hands at the pulse point in her neck. Her heart was still beating, but it was beating way too fast. She had already lost a lot of blood.

"Help," I call again as I tried to sit Katniss up.

"What's wrong?" Haymitch asks as he rushes into the room. "Oh, god, what happened?"

"I don't know. We have to get her to the hospital." I tell him.

"I'll call 911," Haymitch says as he bolts out of the room as fast as he came in.

"Oh, dear, what's happened?" Effie asks as she enters the room.

"I don't know," I say, choking back tears. "Effie, I need you to take Ivy and Phoenix for me. Haymitch is calling 911. I need you guys to me-meet me at the ho-hospital." I stammer my request.

"Oh, of course," Effie replies instantly and takes Ivy from the room.

I manage to sit Katniss up and pull her into my arms. When the paramedics arrive, Katniss' head and upper body are lying in my lap. My face is wet with tears. They get her onto a stretcher and load her into the ambulance. I sit in the corner of the ambulance and watch silently as two of the paramedics work on my wife.

As soon as we got into the ambulance, they hooked up a heart monitor and a baby monitor to her. Then, they proceeded to place an oxygen mask around her nose and mouth, as well as start a blood transfusion. The ride to the hospital is mostly a blur for me. I just stare at Katniss' face the entire ride to the hospital.

I can't lose her. Not now. Not after everything we've been through together. She's the love of my life. There's no way I would have been able to get through everything I got through without her. She's everything to me. She's my best friend. She's my wife. She's the mother of my children.

We arrive at the emergency room and Katniss is quickly rushed into the hospital. The doctors give her more blood and hook up an IV before sending her upstairs to labor and delivery. I trail behind, still completely confused.

"Peeta Mellark," I hear Dr. Monroe call and I pull my head out of my hands long enough to make eye contact.

"I'm sure you're anxious for some information," She begins. "Well, it seems that Katniss has had a placental abruption. Now, there a several factors that could have caused this. Katniss is in her thirties and she has had hypertension during her pregnancy. The fact that she is having twins also adds to the scenario and, of course, the stress she's been under.

"Now, since the placenta has been detached from the uterine wall, the babies are not getting vital oxygen and nutrients. Katniss is currently being prepped for a Caesarian-section, but we need your consent first to do the surgery." Dr. Monroe explains. This whole situation has my heart beating three times its normal rate. I nod and, once Dr. Monroe has handed me a pen and the consent form, I sign.

"Would you like to be present for the surgery?" Dr. Monroe asks me.

"Please," I reply. I can't stand the thought of something going wrong and Katniss dying all alone in the operating room. No, she deserves to have someone there who loves her.

"Alright, well, I need you to change into some scrubs and then a nurse will bring you into the operating room." Dr. Monroe says.

Ten minutes later, I am standing in the operating room as they wheel Katniss in. Once she is wheeled closer to me, I can see that she is actually conscious.

"Peeta," She chokes out, reaching her hand out to me.

"Hey, sweetheart," I reply, taking her hand in mine. "You're going to be okay." I tell her.

"I'm scared," She tells me, tears welling up in her beautiful, eyes.

"I know, sweetheart." I reply. "But the doctors are going to take good care of you." That is all the time we have for conversation, because it is time for the surgery to begin.

I sit down next to Katniss and hold her hand. I can't imagine how afraid she must be; for both herself and the babies. They babies are barely seven months along, which is too early for them to be out in the world. Their lungs may not be fully developed and they will be very, very small.

The sudden, rapid beeping sound coming for Katniss' and the babies' heart monitors pulls me from my thoughts. Katniss' and the babies' heart rates are dropping dangerously.

"Nurse, could you please hang another bag of O-negative. She's losing a lot of blood." Dr. Monroe says, a lot more calmly than I would have been able to.

"Alright, Peeta, it's time to meet your newest baby girl." Dr. Monroe says as she holds a very tiny, squirming, pink baby girl up for me to see. I can no longer choke back my tears, tears of joy. I have another daughter! The nurses take her to the side to clean her off and check her over. Ten minutes later, I hear the cry of my next child.

"It's a boy, Peeta. Congratulations," Dr. Monroe tells me. More tears of happiness stain my cheeks. Another son! This is definitely better than I could have ever imagined. I now have two sons and two daughters. The nurses take him off to the side to clean him off and check him over.

The shrill, long beep of Katniss' heart monitor pulls my mind away from the happiness of having two new babies to the fact that something is very, very wrong. Katniss is unconscious and her heart monitor is a straight, horizontal line.

"Mr. Mellark, we need you to leave now, please." Dr. Monroe tells me. "Your wife's heart has stopped beating."


*GASP* What will happen next? Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see . . . Sorry bout the cliffhanger, but it keeps things interesting! Please review! Thank you all for reading! :)