Her fuse is running short. She had woken up with another terrible nightmare and it's barely sunrise. She's been living with Haymitch for a week now and the nightmare is getting worse. After her release from the hospital, her bottles of pills mysteriously disappeared in her apartment and she's certain it's Plutarch's idea. On one hand, she's glad that Haymitch didn't see those but on the other, she's just downright pissed at Plutarch. Now, she finds herself rummaging Haymitch's cupboard in search of alcohol…anything she can get her hands on but somehow, his bottles mysteriously disappeared too.
"What are you doing raiding the kitchen at this hour? Are you hungry or something?" Haymitch asked from behind her.
He's brushing the sleep from his eyes, obviously woken up by the sound of her slamming the cupboards.
"Where the hell is it?" she asked him back with a raised tone.
"Where is what?" he's confused.
It's too early to deal with a very pissed Effie and he's still sleepy. He spent yesterday fixing the geese's pen and he just wants to rest.
"The whisky! The wine! Anything stronger than coffee or tea!" she exclaimed.
Another nightmare…he mused. He must have been sleeping deeper than usual because he had not heard her screaming. She usually screams when having a nightmare. Each time she would wake up, she would crave for alcohol and for a few days, he let her but slowly removed the bottles when she's not looking until now…there's none left.
"I ran out of stock, sweetheart. Come back to bed. I'll stay with you or we can watch TV", he suggested.
He did not run out of stock. He threw them away. It's a waste, really, but he is determined to make it work.
"We can request for a special delivery. I can call the Capitol right now", she said making her way to the phone.
Haymitch intercepted her and ushered her away from it.
"Effie, it's barely six. Ease of with the whisky for a moment, okay. Let other people sleep. Besides, express delivery is damn expensive", he said.
The glare she sent him could cut flesh.
"I am not going to spend your money, Haymitch. I got my own", she snapped.
He never asked her about that. When he became her guardian, she got no penny to her name and yet she was able to afford a spacious apartment and sustained herself for two years without any job. It's odd.
"Yeah? I thought the rebels confiscated your money", he baited.
She knows it too. She knows he didn't find any money to her name. She knows how guardianship works. He's privy to her assets and information.
"I got…I have another bank account, okay? It's not under my name. It's something I did before they dragged me and became an escort. I didn't know it will come in handy but it did", she revealed.
He is actually impressed. He knows she's smart but that's really smart. It kept her floating even after the rebellion.
"That's a good move actually but you don't need to spend it on booze, sweetheart", he sat next to her and held her hands, "I threw the bottles",
"What?" she shrieked.
"I know what it's like to depend on it to escape the nightmares. You know what I'm talking about. In all those years you told me to cut it down, I never listened because I wanted everything to go away. Well, many years later, it's still here. It never went away because I never faced it. The only way to get rid of the hurdle on your path is to move past it, not to avoid it. Before you can tell me that I am a hypocrite, I'll do this too. We're going to dry ourselves out together, yeah? It's going to be hell but at least, we won't be alone", he said.
She stared at him in disbelief. She has been a witnessed to his drinking days for years. There had been many times and many fights that happened because of it and not once he stopped. He did during the rebellion because he was forced to when he was in Thirteen but he went back to bottle afterwards. Now, he's willing to cut it all down…for her?
"The last two years made you all wise all of a sudden…" she muttered.
Haymitch laughed.
"I'm never wise, princess. I want us to do things together. I told you we'll be fixing ourselves. This is it. Getting rid of the booze is the first step. We'll figure out some other way, some healthy way to cope with the nightmares together. It's going to be tough but I am not afraid because you're here. I hope you know that I am here for you as well", he responded.
The thought of having no coping mechanism against her demons scared the hell out of Effie. She does not have her pills. Now, there's no alcohol and she's sure she ran out of cigarette as well. All of her vices were gone. It's like she's jumping straight to the cliff with no parachute on.
"I don't know how to do this…" she breathed out.
He cupped her face and placed a kiss on her forehead that almost took her breath away.
"Together…that's the only way", he whispered.
Katniss and Peeta supported Effie and Haymitch's road to sobriety by feeding them. They also made sure to stay away from the house to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Effie and Haymitch in withdrawal are worse than Effie and Haymitch being drunk. They're constantly at each other's throats. The bickering has escalated into a full fight which included flying mugs, plates, and vases. When their energies had been zapped and they crashed and fell asleep, Peeta would sneak into the house to clean up the mess.
It worried Katniss that the two might kill each other but Peeta got a lot of faith. Back in the Capitol, all Effie was pretend in front of him that she's alright. Being with Haymitch allowed her to confront her demons and work on dealing with it the proper way. Meanwhile, Haymitch went down the rabbit's hole when he returned without Effie and picked up the bottle again. Now that Effie's back, he's willing to be sober for her. Peeta thinks there's nothing more poetic than that.
It took two weeks for the withdrawal to pass and by that time, Effie and Haymitch are already sharing one bedroom. It's the coping mechanism they both found with each other. Sleeping together keep the nightmares away and even if some would sneak past their defenses, the other would wake the other one and they'll go back to sleep in each other's arms.
"Where's Effie?" Katniss asked one morning.
She just got back from hunting and brought some of the meat she caught in the woods.
"Getting ready in the bathroom. Don't wait up. That woman takes an hour in there. I have no idea what she's doing", he answered while making a cup of coffee for the two of them.
Coffee is better than whisky.
"She's doing better. I haven't heard her scream at night in quite a while", she mentioned.
She watched him closely as he tasted the coffee in Effie's mug before tasting his.
"It's not like before but she still gets the nightmare, as we all do. She's getting there", he confirmed.
There are days where she just wants silence but she got good days. She is trying to live, to survive. Drying out together helps because she can see that she's not alone in her suffering.
"Good. She can come with us to Peeta's bakery then", Haymitch frowned. "It's the opening of Peeta's other bakery, the one next to his first one. Please don't tell me you forgot", she reminded him with a groan.
Peeta's bakery was a success so he purchased the land next to his bakery and built an extended one which will showcase cakes and other pastries. It's not that he forgot about it. It's just that going through withdrawal is taxing, but yeah…it did slip his mind.
"That's good but I don't think she's ready to go to town yet", he muttered.
Effie in a crowded place, he just got that bad feeling in his stomach that it will not end well.
"Why not? She's getting better. It will do her good to see places other than the walls of your house. If you're worried about the people, they're not going to hurt her, not with all of us with her. She'll be fine. Being cooped up in here is not good, Haymitch. You told me that", Katniss insisted.
He sighed. Now, the girl is using his own words against him. He knows she got a point but he also cannot ignore that feeling in his guts that kept him alive all these years. Something is bound to happen. He just knows it.
"Fine. I'll tell her but if she says no, then it's a no. I am not going to force her, alright?" he proposed.
Katniss smiled, having won that round.
"Deal", she accepted.
Effie is in the middle of combing her golden locks when Haymitch came in the room with her cup of coffee. She beamed upon seeing him. The curtains are all open to let the sunlight inside the room. Effie does not like dark and any room without windows. It's something he learned a few days back when she woke up one night and saw nothing but pitch black. He thought it's alright to turn off the lampshade. She went hysterical until he turned on the light. He's still learning her triggers but a room without windows can send her straight back to flash backs in a snap. She said it reminds her of her cell so he bought white curtains and he lets her opened them all during daytime.
"Was that Katniss I heard you were talking to downstairs?" she asked as she took the cup from him.
"Yeah…she brought her daily hunt", he answered.
Effie hummed while taking a sip.
"That's very thoughtful of her. I would have cooked her something but I am afraid working the kitchen is not one of my skills", she muttered.
Haymitch scoffed.
"No kidding. Wouldn't let you touch the stove even if you beg me to. You'll burn the house down", he commented.
She glared at him through the mirror but did not protest. She knows it's true. Cooking is not for her.
"By the way, Katniss asked if you would like to come to Peeta's other bakery's opening in town. It's today. I told her I'll ask you", he relayed.
He saw her stiffened when he mentioned the town. For a moment, he braced himself for a panic attack but it didn't come. He knows she's close but she controlled it. She's getting better at it too, much better than the three of them combined actually.
"Well, it would be rude to decline such invitation and it's Peeta. Of course, I'll be there and you as well", she answered.
With her tone going up a notch a little, he's not sure whether she meant it or she's just pretending.
"You don't have to if you're not feeling like you're up for it. The boy will understand", he said.
Peeta will. He knows it. He understand what Effie went through probably much better than he can. They were together inside the prison along with Johanna and Annie. He's not going to be upset if Effie doesn't make it to the opening.
"I want to go. I want to support Peeta and besides…you're going to be there, right?" he detected the hesitation in her voice.
This is her trying. He knows in her head, she's dreading to go but she wants to make an effort, to take the first step out of the house and maybe someday, she can do that without fearing to breakdown every step of the way.
"Of course, I'll be there. Katniss is going to shoot me if I don't show my face", he answered.
She sighed in relief and smiled.
"Then, it's going to be fine. I'm actually quite excited and proud. Peeta's business is booming! Oh dear…what am I going to wear?" she abandoned her coffee to check the closet.
He failed to hold back his laughter. Times like this that they both forget what they went through and they slip back to their old selves. It feels good.
"Sweetheart, as long as there's no wig, you'll be fine", he muttered.
Still, she started digging for something to wear.