Peeta Bread
Chapter 8 : All Cried Out
Authors Note: Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting, especially after that gigantic cliffhanger. Between the holiday's and Covid, life has been rather hectic. I hope every had a safe and happy holiday with their loved ones, no matter which holiday you celebrate (or don't)
'Everything hurts, what has happened to me? Why does it feel as if my body has been hit by a truck?' Katniss thought to herself, her eyes still closed as she lies in the hospital bed. Listening to the familiar beeping of a heart monitor, she inhales slowly, a strong whiff of what can only be described as disinfectant fills her nostrils. She is in a hospital.
'Think . . . What happened. I was . . . I was standing outside the bakery, getting ready to go . . . no, someone was coming to pick me up and then . . . and then what?' Her mind went around in circles trying to recall the last events but kept coming up blank.
Katniss clenched her hand and felt something warm. No, not something, someone. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open to meet the most beautiful, the most exquisite, bright pair of blue eyes staring back at her; and for a moment she wondered if she was dead. Those eyes are much too striking to be real.
Her head was foggy, everything was a blur. This man; whoever he was, his eyes shone with nothing but love and pure adoration. For her.
"Oh my God, you're okay Katniss." Peeta said, bringing their linked hands to his lips and placed a kiss to her hand.
The worry was evident in his voice, it was hoarse and raspy, as if he hadn't slept in days. But that was all it took for her to realize who he was. Peeta. She could never forget someone as amazing and pure as Peeta.
"I'm sorry . . . who . . . who are you?" She asked, trying to contain the grin for a moment, feeling a sudden need to lighten the mood. The air was heavy with . . . sadness and she meant to rectify the situation.
"You don't— you don't remember . . . what is the last thing you remember?" Katniss scanned the room, looking for something else to focus on to keep the smile from erupting, but she couldn't cause this beautiful man anymore pain than he had already endured throughout his life and allowed the corners of her mouth turn up.
"I could never forget you Peeta." She told him and he wrapped his arms around her neck and began sobbing.
"Ow, ow!" Katniss cried, feeling the pain of her injuries. But the pain from her guilt overpowered any physical pain and she clung even tighter to Peeta. Quickly, Peeta returned to her side, never releasing his grip on her hand. He wiped his face and looked into her eyes. Guilt flooded her for causing him pain, that was never her intention.
"Oh my God Katniss, I thought— I thought I lost you, and then—"
"What happened?" She croaked out in her raspy voice. "Can I— could I have some water? My mouth—"
In a flash, Peeta zoomed to the overbed table and filled a small Styrofoam cup with water and placed a straw into it. Instead of handing Katniss the cup, Peeta held it for her as she sucked through the straw. "Thank you." She coughed.
"Better?" Katniss nodded after gulping down another mouthful of water.
"You don't remember? Like you actually don't remember?" Peeta asked, smiling at her dry humor.
"I remember—" Suddenly, Effie and Haymitch entered the room. Haymitch sported a concerned scowl on his face and Effie; her face red, puffy and swollen. They all were clearly exhausted, upset and Katniss noticed Haymitch looked like he hadn't eaten anything substantial in days. She wondered how long she'd been unconscious.
"Oh darling, I am so relieved that you are okay! You had us just petrified! I must implore you to never put us through that agony again young lady!" Effie scolded her. 'Yes, Aunt Effie, I did that intentionally, to cause you strife.' Katniss thought sarcastically to herself. 'Well, at least my sense of humor is intact.' Katniss quipped silently.
"I'll try . . . I'm sorry— I . . . they . . ." Katniss apologized and began to explain her actions but couldn't seem to get the words out.
"I'm just glad you're okay." Haymitch said, pulling a chair up next to her hospital bed.
"What do you remember?" Katniss shared a look with Peeta before returning her gaze to Haymitch.
"I remember, um . . . I got a call from Detective Coin; she said you guys were at the station and she had some questions. Said she would have a car pick me up. Then— then I was locking the bakery door and . . . I . . . and then—" Katniss scrunched her face up trying to recall the memories but was drawing a blank.
Haymitch noticed another curious look between Katniss and Peeta. "Why the hell are you looking at each other like that? What are you not telling me?"
"I uh . . . I sorta played a trick on Peeta when I woke up. He just looked so sad and I wanted to lighten the mood—"
"She asked me who I was and pretended not to know me." Peeta finished, his lips forming into a firm line.
"Well, that is not particularly funny, but yes, I suppose I see why you might do such a thing." Effie chuckled. Effie walked closer to Katniss and leaned down next to her ear. "It's the kind of thing Arden would have done pre-Cato." She whispered. Katniss smiled, knowing her aunt is right.
"No more jokes. Do you remember anything after that? Anything at all? Did you see who took you? Did you see . . . Cato?" Haymitch interrogated her.
"No, I was blindfolded the whole time. I woke up once, but when they noticed I was waking up, I felt a prick in my arm; I guess they injected me with something to knock me out again. How long was I—" Katniss explained, trailing off with more questions.
"Not long at all, thanks to this brilliant, amazing, incredible woman that is my wife." Haymitch boasted, hooking an arm around Effie's waist to draw her closer.
Katniss quirked an eyebrow, meeting Haymitch's eyes. Haymitch recognized the expression and began to explain. "So, you know the earrings Effie bought you?"
Katniss nodded, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue remembering the beautiful diamonds that she was so hesitant to accept. Her aunt was constantly buying her expensive jewelry that Katniss never felt comfortable wearing, but since they were tiny little studs, she had made a spur of the moment decision and put them on the day before. Being tiny as they were, she had forgotten to remove them the night before.
"Well, sneaky woman she is, she had the jeweler plant a tracking device in them. Had a damn app on her phone and everything. Once we realized you were missing, we had you back in custody in a matter of hours."
"Why does everything hurt so much?" Katniss groaned, noticing the strange looks her loved ones were sharing.
"That fucker—" Haymitch began. He balled his fist up and Katniss could see his knuckles turning white. "He got you good honey; when we got to the hospital they already had you in surgery. A few broken bones . . . but none of that matters anymore, the important thing is that you're okay." Katniss reached her hand out to her uncle when she saw the tears glistening in his eyes.
"Uncle Haymitch, I'm okay." Haymitch refused to meet her eyes.
"Look at me." Katniss demanded. Haymitch looked up at his niece, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm okay. I've been through worse; the important thing is I'm okay now. Speaking of, when can we go home?"
"Katniss, it's not safe at your apartment, and the bakery is out of the question—"
"Uncle Haymitch, PLEASE. You know how I detest hospitals."
"Effie and I are coming up with a plan. The doctor's want to keep you for one more night for observation and then you and Peeta will come home with us until we figure out what to do next." Haymitch explained.
"Come again?" Peeta coughed, raising an eyebrow.
"Kid, you're not safe either. After everything you've done for our girl, Effie and I are not about to let that fucker get his hands on either of you. So, until we find a safe house for the two of you, you're coming home with us. Effie has already been in contact with your friend at the bakery, I think his name was Thresh, right?" Haymitch turned to Effie looking for confirmation.
"Yes, what a pleasant young man indeed. And Peeta, I am sorry for the invasion of privacy, but I had him go into the apartment and pack some of your things, for it is just not safe at this time for either of you to return there."
"Yeah, Thresh is a good guy." Peeta smiled.
"So, it's settled. Once the doc releases you, we will have you discreetly leave this damn hospital.
"Thank God." Katniss groaned.
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"Peeta, I'm so sorry about all of this, I—" Katniss began, looking into Peeta's eyes from the bed they were sharing. She was surprised Haymitch and Effie were so casual about them sharing a room, but considering everything they had been through the last few weeks, it didn't come as a total shock.
"Stop it. I am exactly where I want to be; where I belong. Katniss, when I thought I would never see you again— and then when I saw you lying unconscious in that hospital bed— I . . . it— Katniss, you are my everything, there is no reason for me without you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Katniss averted her eyes from Peeta's intense gaze, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. "Peeta, I—"
Using the pad of his thumb, Peeta tilted Katniss' chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "I love you Katniss. I thought I loved you before, but when losing you was at the tip of my fingertips, I— it made me realize how much, how deeply— how I—" Peeta stuttered, struggling to get his words out; which was a first for him and decided to show Katniss what he was trying to say. He slammed his lips against Katniss' and plunged his tongue into her mouth. He was not gentle about it because he needed her to realize how deep his feelings ran. Katniss locked her arms around Peeta's neck and welcomed the heated kiss. She returned his feelings tenfold and couldn't imagine a life without Peeta either.
She always wondered why this happened to her, why she met Cato, why he hurt her so much. She always thought the world was being cruel to her, that the universe was out to get her. But maybe going through everything with Cato was the only way for her to meet Peeta. Without the pain from Cato, she would never have changed her identity, never moved to the small town and gotten a job at the bakery. Never would have met Peeta and that is a life she couldn't imagine anymore.
Peeta's kisses sent a surge of electricity surging through Katniss, deep in her belly. She wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him closer as he began trailing kisses along her neck. She slipped her hands under his t-shirt to feel his skin against her hands and began massaging his lower back.
"Oh . . . Peeta, you feel so . . . incredible." She moaned, breathing against him. Her moan of pleasure jolted Peeta back to reality and he suddenly realized where they were. He backed up, looking deep into her eyes, slightly out of breath.
"We should . . . slow down. I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
Katniss nodded, although it wasn't what she wanted. Peeta slid next to her, scooping her into his arms and resting her head on his chest. "I want you Katniss. I want you more than anything I've ever wanted before, but not here. Not in your aunt and uncle's home, and especially not when they are in the next room."
Katniss nodded as a tear fell from her eye. She knew Peeta was right, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She was used to the feeling of rejection from Cato. Peeta was kind and gentle . . . and perfect. If he was anything remotely close to the jerk Cato was, he would have taken her right here and now, whether she wanted it or not, and not caring in the least about respecting her family.
Sensing her pain, Peeta scooted out from under Katniss and hovered over her, their noses almost touching. She closed her eyes, too ashamed to meet his eyes.
"Katniss, look at me." She shook her head, knowing if she looked into those beautiful, brilliant blue eyes of his she might not be able to hold the tears at bay.
"Look. At. Me." Peeta demanded. She couldn't help it, she looked at him. In his eyes, she saw everything. She saw her entire life; her future. She saw love, she saw a man desperate to prove his love is true. A man who loved her. His lips briefly met hers with a small kiss.
"I love you Katniss Everdeen, or whoever the hell you are. I am never leaving you; you will have to throw me out if you want to get rid of me. I love you and I am not going anywhere. Please tell me you know this. Please tell me you trust me, that you know I would never ever hurt you. I want to give you the world, I want you to have everything that your heart desires. You know this, right?" He whispered to her, pleading with her.
She couldn't speak as the tears fell so, she simply nodded. What did she ever do to deserve this man?
"When I make love to you for the first time, it is going to be perfect. It's not going to be hiding out in your uncle's spare bedroom. It will not be in a sleazy hotel. It will not be in the back of a car. But wherever it is, it will be perfect; do you know why?"
She shook her head, still too afraid to speak.
"Because it will be with you, and anything with you is perfection."
She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and let the dam burst. Peeta cradled her in his arms, rubbing circles on her back and running his fingers through her chestnut locks. He knew she wasn't crying because of him, she was crying all the pain away. She was letting go of all the pain from her past to make room for him.
Peeta knew this because once she was all cried out, she finally spoke the words he had longed to hear for so long.
"I love you, Peeta."
A/N: Happy New Year to everyone! Let's hope this year is better than the last. Don't forget to leave a review if you have a moment. Stay safe, wash your hands and practice social distancing. Until next time!