Chapter 13
Peeta calls my name as I sprint towards the wood's edge. But I do not stop or turn to look back. I want to get as far away as possible from him. I do not want to speak to him. I do not want to see him.
I make it to the sanctuary of the tree line, the rain now pelting it down and soaking me through. I can just about hear Peeta's voice calling me through the downpour, indicating that he has chased after me and I plan to lose him amongst labyrinth of gnarled and mossy trees. My nimble feet easily navigate the tangle of tree roots on the forest floor and I leap over the growing puddles.
His voice still calls me and I shake my head to try and block out his cries. Why does he have to be persistent? Is it not obvious that I do not want to speak with him? I want to be left alone with my heartbreak.
But suddenly his calls of my name changes. A sharp, agonising cry pierces the air instead. It is so loud that even the mockingjays sheltering in the trees take off and scatter into the bleak sky in fright. This noise is enough to stop me in my tracks and I whip my head round to see what has happened. I try to peer through the raindrops to spot any sign of Peeta but I struggle to find one. He is no longer chasing me, that is for certain, but he seems to have disappeared completely.
Anxiousness grips my heart as my eyes scan the surroundings, confused over what has happened. I did not imagine that cry of pain. Something happened to stop him from chasing me. I cautiously retrace my steps, craning my neck to look round trees and behind bushes, not sure if I am hoping or dreading catching a glimpse of him.
And then finally I hear a low moan and my eyes snap towards a large gooseberry bush. I spy a leg sticking out from behind it but there is something wrong about his ankle. It does not seem to be sticking out in the right direction. The moaning continues and with alarm I dash to his side.
I find Peeta trying to sit up behind the gooseberry bush but every time he moves his ankle he hisses in pain. My eyes widen as I get a closer look at his ankle and notice just how much of an odd angle it is sticking at. Any pain I had from seeing him earlier is replaced instead with fear. Ankles should not look like that.
"Oh my goodness, Peeta! What happened?" I say, dropping to my knees and helping him to sit up.
He sucks in a sharp breath as I cradle him into a sitting position and I winch when I hear the noise. I have never been good at seeing people I care about in pain and even though I am angry at him, I do not hate him enough to enjoy seeing him in agony. Concern is the only feeling I have space for.
"It was my own fault. I was trying to catch you up and I tripped over that tree root," he says pointing to a root nearby. "I kind of twisted as I fell and hurt my ankle."
I glance down at the ankle again and it looks worse every time I look at it and the fear takes a greater grip in my heart. I have seen enough people in Seam suffer similar accidents on the farms where the only treatment was to take a saw to the damaged limb.
"I'll be fine though. If you just help me back up I can get back to the house," he adds.
"You're not fine, Peeta! You've broken your ankle!" I exclaim, hysteria rising in my voice.
He hurt himself because of me. He tripped because he was chasing me. I am the reason he is hurt. I sniff back tears and my cheeks are wet. But I am not sure if it is because of the rain or my tears.
I sniff loudly again and Peeta's eyebrows knit together in concern. He reaches out to cup my cheek in his hand and then lets his thumb rub against my cheek to soothe me.
"I will be fine. Just help me back to the house," he replies.
He looks so sure as he says the words that I have to believe him. I nod my head, pushing my worry aside, and wiping my nose with my sopping sleeve. I carefully get back to my feet and then bend to try and lift Peeta up.
"Try not to put any weight on your ankle. We do not want to make it worse," I say.
Peeta nods obediently and then grits his teeth as he prepares for me to hoist him up. I bend my knees and use all my strength to lift up his broad frame. Instantly he calls out in agony and his pain cuts right through me like a knife. I wish I could cover my ears to block the sound out but he needs me to keep hold of him. Peeta tries to blow through the pain once he is upright and almost his whole body weight is resting on me. He clasps onto my shoulders tightly and I threaten to buckle under the weight of him. But my determination keeps me from doing so and I turn to look at him before we start to move.
"I apologise. This is going to hurt. But we'll get you back and fetch a doctor," I say.
Peeta tries to smile through the pain as he nods his head.
"I have faith in you," he replies.
I nod my head too and take a deep breath before we start to walk. Every step causes Peeta to either grimace with pain or yell out in agony. All I can do is offer words of reassurance in his ear as I try to carry him back to Trindale.
Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch must have been watching for us through the windows because as soon as we are back in sight of Trindale, four footmen rush out and scoop Peeta out of my arms. I should be grateful for their help, my arms burning from the pain of trying to support him but my anxiety of being parted from him overtakes that.
"Please be gentle. He's in a lot of pain," I plead as they take him off me.
"We will, Miss Everdeen. Someone has already been sent for the doctor," one of them replies.
I feel a little relief at this news but Peeta is still moaning in pain and I pray that our journey back to the house has not made it worse.
"They need to hurry. His ankle should not look like that," I say.
"Mr Mellark will be taken good care of, Miss Everdeen. You should dry off yourself," the footman says.
I had not even noticed that I was still wet. I had not time to think about anything else but getting Peeta back here but as soon as the footman mentions it I shiver and I try to rub some warmth into my arms.
As we enter the house, my aunt and uncle eyes widen in alarm as they catch sight of Peeta and he continues to let out yelps of pain.
"Oh my goodness! Take him straight to his room. Bonnie! Get some hot water and dry clothes. It's a good thing we sent for the doctor already!" Aunt Effie exclaims.
Bonnie nods her head before scuttling off to fulfil my aunt's orders. The footmen then slowly try to carry Peeta up the stairs but he groans in pain with every step they take.
"Careful!" I call out and Aunt Effie snaps her eyes in my direction.
As soon as she sees the distress on my face, she dashes to my side and wraps her arms around me.
"He will be fine, Katniss. We've sent for the best doctor in the District. He even once worked for the King's brother and his family," she says.
I nod my head as I grip onto her tightly and watch with agony as Peeta is taken to his room up the stairs.
"It's my fault, Aunt Effie. I could not face him when he came out the carriage, so I ran away. He tripped because he was chasing me," I reply. "He's in pain because of me."
My aunt nods at me reassuringly as she rubs her hands up and down my arms.
"I can understand why you ran away. The news this morning hurt you," she replies.
I sniff loudly before wiping my nose with the back of my hand.
"That does not mean he deserved to break his ankle. What if it so bad that they have to amputate it?" I ask.
"You are thinking the worse, dear. Peeta is strong. He will fine," she reassures. "But right now we need to get out of these wet clothes and give you something warm to eat."
Reluctantly I nod my head and let her lead to me my room. I can still hear Peeta's cries of pain though I walk towards it.
The doctor eventually arrives and I have to sit outside with my aunt and uncle as he examines him. I have a book in my hand but I cannot focus on any of the words on the page so instead pace up and down outside Peeta's room. Every so often we hear a yelp from inside the room and my pacing stops so I can snap my head towards the door. I stare at the door for a few moments, ensuring another cry does not follow shortly before reassuming my pacing.
After what feels like a lifetime, the doctor finally emerges. Everyone rises quickly to greet him and the doctor gives us a small smile.
"It was a bad break but I have managed to reset it in a splint. He'll need to wear the splint for several weeks and he may always walk with a limp afterwards but otherwise he should be fine," he says.
Aunt Effie lets out a loud sigh of relief but my heart drops when I hear that he might not ever walk properly again.
"He was in a lot of pain so I gave him a sleeping draught. Hopefully when he wakes tomorrow the pain will have lessened," the doctor adds.
Uncle Haymitch nods his head and sticks out his hand to shake the doctor's.
"Thank you so much. We are very grateful," he says.
The doctor smiles pleasantly at us.
"It was no problem. I will be back to check on the patient tomorrow. Make sure he gets lots of rest," he says.
"We will," Uncle Haymitch says before showing the doctor out.
Aunt Effie turns to me with a relieved smile.
"See. I told you, he would be fine," she says.
I try to smile and nod my head. But I cannot quite shake the guilt of being the cause of his pain. A limp will be a permanent reminder of how he hurt himself chasing me.
"I am tired, Aunt. Will you excuse me and let me retire to my room?" I ask.
She smiles sympathetically and gives my arm a squeeze.
"Of course you can, dear. You have had to deal with a lot today," she says.
I nod my head before saying goodbye and retiring. This day has been the worst since I arrived in Trindale.
The next morning I wake to discover Peeta has woken and is asking after me. I am nervous as I approach his room. I still blame myself for him getting hurt yesterday but I also remember the contents of the letter from Mr Undersee yesterday. I may have hurt him as he chased me but he also hurt me by marrying Madge. Now the drama of yesterday afternoon has cleared, my heartbreak has begun to seep back into my bones.
I tentatively knock on his door and his voice sounds a lot brighter than it did yesterday as he calls me in. I slowly peek around the door and am pleased to see him sitting up, his blond curls now dry and sitting messily on top of his head. He eyes light up and he smiles warmly as soon as he sees me and I wish that my heart did not skip a beat at the sight. He is married to someone else. I should not feel delight at him smiling at me.
I give him a small smile as I step into the room and sit down by the side of the bed. His eyes do not leave me as I enter the room and the smile stays on his face.
"This is not the reunion I had being planning," he says. "Only I could be stupid enough to break my ankle by tripping over a tree."
He's making fun of himself but I shake my head.
"It's my fault that you broke your ankle. If I had not run into the forest you would have not tripped. I apologise," I say, ducking my head.
"Katniss, you have nothing to apologise for. The only person to blame for this is me and my big feet. You did always scold me for not looking where I was going in the forest," he replies.
A little bit of my guilt eases at his words and I gain the courage to bring my head back up to look at him.
"And you were the one that got me back to Trindale. I can't thank you enough," he says.
I shake my head.
"You do not need to thank me," I reply.
Peeta nods his head and then there is a short silence. There is so much I want to ask but I do not know where to start.
"I have to say, I imagined arriving back in Trindale every day I was away, but chasing you through the rain was not how I pictured it. That is the thing I do not understand about yesterday. Why did you run when you saw me?" he asks.
"I couldn't bear to see you. Not after the news from the Undersees," I reply.
Peeta's eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"What news from the Undersees? Do you mean the news of Madge's marriage?" he asks.
"Of course that is what I mean! You must have known that your marriage to Madge would upset me. I thought I had made my feelings for you clear," I reply.
Peeta's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
"My marriage to Madge? Of Katniss, you have got it so wrong!" he says.
My heart does a little flip at his words and a tiny bit of hope rises inside me. He reaches forward to clasp my hands in his and looks me straight in the eye.
"I did not marry Madge. Marvel did. I went with them across the border to be their witness," he says.
Relief floods through my heart as so many of my confusing thoughts over the past few days begin to make sense. Aunt Effie was right about there being another person. I had jumped to all the wrong conclusions.
"Marvel and Madge? I did not realise there were any romantic feelings there," I reply.
Peeta sighs as he rubs his thumb back and forth across the back of my hand.
"It is a complicated situation. Marvel has always had feelings for Madge but as a second son he was not worthy enough for Madge's hand," he begins.
I am surprised by this piece of news. How could I have not known Marvel's feelings before now? Surely I have been a bad friend for not noticing.
"But the situation was made even more complicated by his brother. It seems Cato Reynolds got closer to Madge than any of us realised," Peeta says sadly.
"Just how close?" I ask, suddenly very concerned for my female friend.
I had witnessed how charming Cato Reynolds had been towards Madge but I always thought her responses to him were born out of politeness rather than actually enjoyment over these interactions.
Peeta looks grim as he replies.
"As close as a man and a woman can get. Cato broke his marriage vows to his wife and then left Madge with child," he replies bitterly.
"She's pregnant!" I say in astonishment.
Peeta nods his head.
"I am mad at myself for not noticing things between them sooner. I could have warned Madge. I could have warned him off. But by the time I found out it was too late," he says.
He hangs his head and I know that he blames himself. But just like breaking his ankle yesterday, there was nothing any of us could have done to prevent it.
"Obviously Cato cannot leave his wife for Madge and her reputation would be ruined if she has a child out of wedlock so we came up with a plan with the help of Marvel. Like I said, he's been in love with her for a long time and was happy to marry her and claim the child as his own but Madge did not want her parents to find out the truth so.." Peeta says.
"…so they did not give her permission to marry Marvel. That's why you had to go across the border," I finish, it all finally making sense.
Madge's family would never approve of her marrying a second son and man of the church. As heiress she was expected to marry rich and as she was not yet one and twenty she needed her parents' permission to marry.
"I wanted to tell you everything in my letters but I could not be certain that they would not be found and read by someone else. I am sorry for not explaining everything sooner," he says.
"It's alright. I understand it all now," I reply, squeezing his hand.
But Peeta shakes his head.
"I am sorry that you ever thought that I had married her. I cannot imagine how much that would have hurt to believe that," he says, squeezing my hands tight. "You must know that I am completely and utterly in love with you, Katniss Everdeen. There is no one else. I love you with every fragment of my soul."
I smile as the words come pouring out of my lips and he looks at me with a mixture of such passion and affection that I wonder how I could have ever doubted him.
"I love you too, Peeta. So very much. Even if I cannot tell you as eloquently as you can," I reply.
Peeta's smile splits into an enormous grin and he leans his forehead against mine and his hand reaches up to caress my cheek.
"As soon as I can walk again I am going to ask you to marry me," he sighs happily.
I smile as I bring his hand up to kiss his fingers.
"And I cannot wait to say yes when you do," I reply.
I spend the entire day in Peeta's bedroom, each of us swapping stories of what happened while he was away amongst me feeding him pieces of bread and spoonful of soups. He complains that the bread is not as good as his own and I scold him for being a bad patient. Visitors, including my aunt and uncle and the doctor, come and go throughout the day but they are only momentary distractions as we reacquaint ourselves with each other.
I feel so much lighter today, secure in the knowledge that my feelings for him are reciprocated and nothing has changed between us. Giddy with contentment we sneak kisses and I am bold enough to nestle beside him on the bed as we finally start the plant book we talked about making months ago. Only his drooping eyelids as evening draws in force me to leave his side.
I plan to send the next day exactly the same as I did the previous one but I receive a letter from the new Mr and Mrs Reynolds at the rectory and I know I must visit to offer my congratulations. The knowledge of their recent marriage has finally spread through the District. Aunt Effie has been smug ever since she discovered the true identity of Madge's husband and declares how she was right at every opportunity.
"I knew there was more to the story! I just knew it could have not been Peeta who had married her. I always knew he did not love her!" she exclaims at least five times a day.
I always just smile and nod my head. But my aunt does not know the full story of why their marriage came to be. That is a secret they are not willing to share and I am more than happy to keep.
I decide to walk to the rectory and there is another carriage outside the house when I arrive. I instantly recognise it as Lady Donner's and immediately quicken may pace to reach the door.
The maid opens the door for me and I can hear Lady Donner speaking loudly in the next room.
"I just cannot understand it, Madge! Have you completely lost your senses! He has no money. He is a clergyman! How could you marry such below your station!" she exclaims.
"The Reynolds family is very respected in the District, Aunt and I have enough money for the both of us," Madge says more passionately than I have ever heard her speak before.
I raise my eyebrows impressed and Lady Donner huffs.
"You would have never dared answer me back before! You have brought so much shame on your family!" she says.
"If you have nothing nice or kind to say to me or my wife than I am going to have to respectively ask you to leave our home. I will not put up with your insults," Marvel replies.
The old lady glares at them both before sticking her nose up in the air and turning away.
"I will never forgive you for this. You will not be welcomed at Underhill in my lifetime!" she declares, before striding out the room.
I step aside to let her past and her eyes narrow as she almost knocks into me.
"I can only assume this is your influence on my niece. I knew you were trouble the moment you arrived in the District," she says.
"I apologise that you find women who speak their mind so offensive, Lady Donner," I reply. "But excuse me. I have some friends to congratulate."
I then turn without looking back at her. Lady Donner huffs again before ordering the footman to help her back into the carriage.
When I enter the small living room, Marvel has his arm around Madge as he comforts her from her aunt's visit. He holds her so tenderly that I wonder how I did not spot his affection for her before. I smile at the sight and cough lightly as I enter to draw them to my presence.
"Are you alright?" I ask. "You have to know that everything your aunt said is not true. I think you have been very brave."
Madge gives me a grateful smile and moves away from her new husband to greet me.
"I am so glad to see you," she says, pulling me into an embrace. "So much has happened in such a short space of time."
"It has indeed. I have to offer my congratulations," I reply.
Marvel smiles as he steps forward and places a hand on his wife's waist.
"Thank you, Katniss. I assume Peeta has explained it all," he says. I nod my head. "Well then thank you for your congratulations even if our marriage came in strange circumstances."
"I have faith that this will be a good marriage," I reply. "At the very least you are very good friends."
Madge smiles as she twists her head to look at Marvel, while placing a hand on her still flat stomach.
"That is true. I hope you are right," she says.
Marvel gives her a small smile before placing a soft kiss on her head and stepping away.
"As much as I would like to stay, I am needed at the church. We must arrange for you to come to dinner at another time," he says.
"I look forward to it," I reply.
He gives us another smile before tipping his head and saying goodbye. Once he is gone I turn to Madge and she lets out a loud sigh.
"I have so much to tell you," she says as we both take a seat. "But first how is Peeta? Is he still in pain?"
I had written about Peeta's accident in my reply to her invitation here and I am happy to tell her that the pain is improving. She listens carefully about how it all came about and shakes her head when I tell her I believed it was Peeta she married at first.
"Oh no! I feel even worse! I never wanted you to worry about Peeta's feelings. You must know he adores you," she says.
"I forgot for a moment but I am sure of it now. I did not expect to love him so much," I reply.
Madge looks relieved and her hand rubs against her stomach.
"I have been so stupid, Katniss. I knew Cato was married but I still let myself fall for his charms. I believed him when he said he loved me," she says.
"He can be charming when he wants to be," I reply but Madge just shakes her head.
"But you always saw right through him. You always knew he was a bad person. But I let his good looks, his aimable conversation and extravagant gifts seduce me. But I was just a game to him. Something to play with while his wife was sick," she says.
"How long did it go on?" I ask.
"Too long," Madge replies. "It started just after the croquet tournament at Trindale. We used to meet in one of the farm cottages on his estate. But as soon as he found out that I was pregnant he pretended he did not know me. He called me a whore who must be sleeping with dozens of men. It took me that long to realise he was not a good person."
I reach out to clasp Madge's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.
"He had no right to say those things about you," I say.
Madge sighs.
"I hate that I have brought Marvel into this mess. He has been one of my closest friends since I was a child and I always suspected he had feelings for me. He was only too quick to offer his help but I am scared that I will not love him like a real wife should do. I worry that in marrying him in these circumstances it will hurt him in the future," she says.
"You do not know what will happen in the future. You can only focus on what is happening right now. Focus on the little baby growing inside you and making a happy home for it. If you do that I think everything else will figure itself out," I reply.
Madge gives my hand a little squeeze in gratitude.
"I want to fall in love with him, Katniss. He is such a good man and he loves me so much. And I know he will be a good father to this baby," she says.
I smile. We both know all those factors do not guarantee that she will fall in love with him but I have faith that their friendship is strong enough to at least make their marriage happy.
I draw my hand back so I can take a sip of tea.
"Where is Mr Reynolds now? Has he gone back to the Capitol yet?" I ask.
This will be a lot easier for my friends if he is not in District 12. But Madge just sighs.
"Not for another fortnight. The quicker he returns the better. Marvel got very angry the last time he saw him," she says.
I nod my head in understanding before I move the conversation onto her life at the rectory and other news she has to share. I notice the fondness she has in her voice whenever she brings up her new husband and I think, now she has permission to do so, she might just fall as in love with Marvel as he has with her.
I leave the rectory after a couple of hours, eager to get back to check on Peeta. The leaves on the trees have turned into a brilliant array of oranges, golds and reds and I cannot help but think Peeta would be inspired by the leaves dropping for his paintings.
I am so engrossed by the falling leaves, and trying to create an accurate mental picture of them to share with Peeta, that I do not see the horse approaching. I almost bang into it but sidestep just in time. The rider of the horse looks down at me with a sneer.
"It seems that people from Seam cannot even walk properly. You could have scared my horse and had me thrown off," the rider says.
I look up to catch sight of Cato Reynolds sitting atop the fine horse. He looks even more annoyed than usual and there is bruising around his left eye.
"What a pity I did not then," I reply with a smile. "You are perhaps the worst man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."
Mr Reynolds scowls at me but I have nothing else to say to him so I turn away and carry on walking. The smile spreads across my face further as I think about the black eye he is now sporting. I can only hope that his younger brother gave it to him.
A/N: I hope you are all satisfied with the answers in this chaper. I knew quite a few of you guessed what was actually going on!
We only have one more chapter left! See you next week!