Chapter 54

Berenice stayed beside Katniss at her hospital bed all night. The doctors gave her morphine to numb the pain of the bullets that struck her. Her son stayed with her mother and brother.

Just then, Johanna Mason pulled back the curtain, awakening Katniss and scaring Berenice. "Well there she is! The Mockingjay! I saw your speech from District 2," Johanna said and pulls out Katniss' IV. "It send chills down my spine. I still have goosebumps."

"What are you doing?" Berenice demands, ready to take back the IV.

"Mind if I steal some of this morphine, they cut off my supply. There's this head doctor that comes in and sees me every day, trying to help me adjust to reality," Johanna said and places the IV in her vein.

"If they want to adjust you to reality, you should consider it," Berenice said, but Johanna just laughs.

Johanna looks at Berenice and replies, "Like some guy from this rabbit's Warren actually knows anything about my reality. At least 20 times in a session, he tells me that I'm totally safe. Safe from the Capitol. Safe from Snow."

Johanna looks back at Katniss and asks, "What about you Mockingjay? Do you feel safe?"

Katniss gave a smirk and answers, "Until I got shot."

Johanna laughs and says, "Oh, please. The bullet didn't even touch you. Cinna saw to that. Of course, your costume would be bulletproof."

Berenice never liked Johanna's attitude, but she understood. Johanna survived the Games twice, much like Katniss and Peeta. Johanna had a deep hatred for the Capitol, but she was still a good person, even though she was damaged.

"So what are your injuries?" Johanna asked.

"Bruised ribs, bruised lung," Katniss replied and Johanna nods.

"I'm surprised they haven't found you a new lung. I mean, I've got two. Do you want one of mine?" Johanna asks and adds, "I mean, it's everybody's job to keep you alive."

Katniss then asks, "Is that why you hate me?" Johanna smirks and replies, "Partly. You're a little hard to swallow. The whole tacky romance drama and the "defender of the hopeless" act. Even though it's not an act."

Berenice could sense that Katniss was getting irritated and Berenice says, "Feel free to take any of this personally. I think Katniss would've liked it if you were the Mockingjay. Nobody else would tell you what to say."

Johanna looks at Berenice and replies, "But nobody likes me. They are more afraid of Katniss. Maybe here, but in the Capitol, she's the only thing that they're scared of."

Johanna then looks at the items on the bedside table. There was the framed picture of Katniss' father, the golden locket, and the pearl that Peeta gave to Katniss in the Quarter Quell.

"You know, the Capitol messed us up. They messed us all up pretty good, didn't they?" Johanna said, referring to the three of them. "I mean for you Miss Berenice, you got to see Snow every single day," she adds.

Berenice knew what Johanna was talking about; Snow was like a two face individual, he would hide his true nature from his family, and Berenice did wonder if he did care for her or her son.

A while later, Katniss' bruises were covered with a wrap and Haymitch came as Katniss wanted to see Peeta. "I don't know Katniss, it's risky," Berenice said, but Katniss rubbed her friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Peeta will be strapped. We do want him to remember Katniss and hopefully the tracker venom has whined down a bit," Haymitch replied and lead them out of the hospital room to the room where Peeta was held.

Berenice watched as Katniss entered the room and looks at Peeta. She could see confusion and possibly anger in Peeta's eyes. Peeta watches as Katniss stops before him and they begin to talk.

"You look terrible," Peeta said.

"You've looked better," Katniss replied, but Peeta didn't like what she said.

"You're not even remotely nice to say that to me now," Peeta said.

"Well, I was never the nice one, you were," Katniss replied and the tension seemed to ease a bit.

"When I saw you die, I remembered something, about the bread. I remembered you in the rain and I burned it on purpose to give it to you. I remember my mother hitting me, I was suppose to give it to the pig. Why would I take a beating like for you?" Peeta asked.

"Because you were generous," Katniss said, "And people said you loved me."

"Did people say you love me?" Peeta asked, rather hostile, "Snow says everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. All I know is that I would've myself a lot of suffering if I gave that bread to the pig."

Berenice's stomach dropped to the floor, Peeta still hated Katniss, but at least the tracker jacker venom was whining down. Yet Berenice wondered if the Capitol used something else besides the venom to torture him.

Katniss left the room and Berenice could see the hurt in her eyes.


From the author: A big thank you to my readers for being patient. I recently watched Mockingjay Part 2 and hopefully I will remember most of it in order to finish this.