Companion
AN:
There is life again.
Special thank you to my dear friend, GinnyGinervaWeasley, for betaing my story.
P.S. I love the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins owns everything!
CHAPTER 14
Peeta's team of doctors start reducing his anesthesia for the next two days, and Peeta is due to wake up in the following twelve hours. Katniss doesn't leave Peeta's side, wanting to be the first person he sees when he wakes up. She's nervous and excited to see his bright blue eyes again.
The swelling in his face has died down substantially, and his eyelids are normal in size. The bruises have turned into a ghastly green, but it's a good sign that they are healing healthily. His dark blonde facial hair is growing, and Peeta looks a little older at first glance. When his bruises reduce further in a few more days, Katniss deems that she could give him a gentle shave. Peeta is breathing on his own now. Only monitors are attached to his body.
Closing the book that she is reading, Katniss leans over to kiss Peeta good night. His cold, chapped lips bring bitterness in her mouth. She rubs on a gel to help them heal, remembering what her stylists used to do during her victory tour. She never thought that she would pick up one of their tricks and actually apply them. Peeta's eyes move under the lids, and Katniss waits carefully to see if he will open them. He breathes out then his eyes settle down. It's two in the morning. Exhausted from days filled with waiting and lack of sleep, Katniss succumbs to the heavy pull of her body.
She's in the meadows again, Annie sleeping by her side in the wide, yellow blanket and her baby taking shallow breaths in her arms. A meal is spread on the far side, untouched. Katniss looks at her children, one who has no physical resemblance with her and the other carrying her grey eyes and snub nose. She studies Annie, and despite their lack of physical likeness with her red hair and sea-green eyes, she has fire within her like Katniss. Annie is full of energy, bouncing around the house even in the early mornings. She can be stubborn when it comes to things that she really wants. She's creative and clever, and most importantly, she's generous with her love. Her capacity to love is all Annie's own. Katniss studies her daughter's face, soft and angelic, with a hint of mischief. She will have boys pining after her when she comes to her teens. But for now, she has Katniss wrapped tightly around her fingers.
Katniss still finds it hard to believe that Annie is her daughter now. A year and a half ago, she was still in the orphanage because she was too scared of adopting her. Katniss knew she loved Annie fiercely, but she had allowed her fears to run over her life. It took her five years to come to terms with accepting that she was good enough for Annie and that she couldn't possibly live without her. She will protect her, support her, care for her, and love her until her last breath.
She looks at the bundle nuzzled in her arms and smiles as she finds her features in him, his eyes are stark copies of hers, and it brings her pleasure. He stirs a little, then whimpers for milk.
"Ssssshhhh, you're always on time for your feeding," she says, smiling at him. She opens the front of her dress and positions him on her left breast. He latches right away, suckling his mother's milk hungrily. "Slow down, little one," she beckons him.
She recalls her pregnancy. Only five months ago, her baby was inside her. His little heart, beating under her belly, forging their connection for life. He had been the size of a peanut and grew so fast in nine months that Katniss was showing even at just twelve weeks. She didn't think that she would love her pregnancy the way she did. She had always thought of the idea as being so invasive and terrifying. She likened having a living thing, no, a human being growing inside of her to the experience of being enveloped with black tar as you slowly suffocate to death. But her experience was wholly different. She loved being pregnant. Feeling her body change and grow more curves was exhilarating for her and her husband. She loved trying out all kinds of food, determining which ones the baby likes. She loved taking long baths, soaking in the tub while singing to her belly. She loved her constant companion, the bump that was always in front of her. The person that is half hers and half her beloved. She was mesmerized seeing his face in the ultrasound machine and had the print framed right away when she got home. His first kick scared her, thinking that something was horribly wrong. She called her mother right away, holding back tears, and fearing the worst, but her heart was soothed when she learned that he was just moving. He is exercising and learning to use his limbs while still inside her. Like Annie, he was full of energy too. He flipped and kicked and elbowed, sending Katniss to the rocking chair when he moved. She smiles at her stomach and tells him to take it easy, after which she sings to him. How he loved her singing.
Katniss glances at her two perfect children and sneaks a soft kiss over Annie's forehead. She shifts the little one to her other breast, and he eagerly takes in more milk. She radiates at her capacity to provide him nourishment.
She looks around the meadows, the sun is beginning its descent, and the food has gone cold. Where is my husband? she thought to herself. She looks to her left where the trees line. Maybe he's out picking berries? She searches to her right, in the direction to town, and recalls if it was a workday and if he was just running late. She looks to the vast field in front of her where she usually finds him, playing with Annie under the golden sun. Maybe he had fallen asleep hidden in the tall grass? She waits for him, and a delightful feeling of warmth grows in her belly. She looks at the sun. Maybe he's behind it? Gathering sunrays for their humble home, preparing for the coming winter. He had always been part sunlight, part human. She smiles at him, at the life-giving sun, turning the sky to various shades of orange, and absorbs his radiance.
A light flicker of a finger rouses Katniss, and she's returned to the sanitized hospital room. Peeta is waking up.
"Hey," she immediately says, then brushes the soft curls on his forehead. "You're safe. It's okay."
He opens his eyes, flickering slowly, heavy from the haze of being under anesthesia for days. He closes his mouth, feeling the two cuts on his lips. It's strange feeling things again. His throat is dry, and his tongue feels thick in his mouth, he tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Pain starts to radiate from different parts of his body, making it hard for him to breathe. His eyes search the blur in front of him and vaguely registers dark hair and olive skin before being pulled back again to sleep.
The doctor comes in and takes Peeta's readings. She adjusts his morphling, noting how Katniss saw the pain in his face when he woke up. She teaches Katniss what to do when he comes to again, instructing her to give him some water to soothe his dry throat.
Two long hours had passed, and he began to stir once more. Katniss is by his side straight away, planting an encouraging kiss on his forehead. He opens his eyes, this time they are clear and able to focus. He tries to speak, and Katniss helps him to some water. It's otherworldly, the sensation of water on his throat and mouth, and he drinks the spoonfuls like parched earth. Katniss paces him, telling him to take it gradually. His stomach had been empty for days, and even water could cause discomfort if given too fast.
"Kkk ...," he begins with difficulty. Speaking is like an insurmountable ordeal.
"Katniss," she helps him. "It's me, Peeta. I'm here." He nods slightly. A small curl at the edge of his lips is forming. He couldn't be any happier waking up to her presence.
"I'm," he says in one breath. "I'm," he says again.
"I'm"
"Ssso ..." His voice is hoarse from unuse.
"So," Katniss helps. Peeta nods again in affirmation.
"Soooorrryyy," he finally lets out with a tired breath. Gaining the movement of his hand, he feels for hers and squeezes it lightly.
"Oh, Peeta," Katniss answers with a whimper, a pained look covering her face. "You have nothing to apologize for."
"Hmmm ..." He searches for words. "I missed the train ... " He stops to swallow nothing. "I kept you ... waiting ...," he rustily replies.
"Oh Peeta," she says again before letting her tears fall and showering him with tender kisses.
"Come here," Peeta calls Katniss from his white hospital bed. He's been recovering very well and had received an implant to help heal his bones.
Katniss looks over to him from behind the book that she is reading. "I don't want to squish you," she replies playfully.
"I don't think you can." Peeta invites her, patting the empty space on his side. The corners of his lips are still bruised, but his radiant smile trumps them.
Katniss puts down her book on the cushioned chair and lifts Peeta's blanket to let herself slip in. She moves methodically, lifting the IV line and monitor wires first before laying sideways on the bed. Peeta lifts his right arm to accommodate her, releasing a low grunt as the pain in his ribs radiates from his sudden movement. Katniss stills him before settling her head over his shoulders, it's familiar and one she missed very much.
"You should go to sleep," Peeta commands after they have both found a comfortable position. Katniss hasn't been taking care of herself well. She sleeps intermittently and eats very little. She's always ready for his every need, especially in the middle of the night when horrid nightmares haunt him. The image of the radicals plays games with his mind, making him instinctively curl up his body in his sleep. His ribs retaliate painfully, and he wakes up in a cold sweat from distress and excruciating pain.
"I'm okay, Peeta. It's you who should sleep," she says softly while rubbing his chest.
"Then let's rest together," he pleads.
"Okay"
"Okay"
"I could go home!" Peeta surprises Katniss as she returns from getting clothes from his house. It's been three weeks since the incident, and they are more than ready to leave the hospital. Peeta's brain scans are clear, and his bone will heal with time. Katniss drops the duffel bag on the floor and runs to his side, sharing a chaste kiss before hugging Peeta tightly.
"I hate this place," she abruptly proclaims. The words are like lashes coming off of her tongue. She hates hospitals as much as she hates riding the train.
Peeta laughs lightly. "You should have told me. We were here for so long."
"I love you more than I hate this place," she says while still hugging him. She didn't realize her word choice.
Peeta pulls away to look at her. She's looking at the edge of her shirt, playing with the seam nervously. "You love me?" Peeta asks intently.
"Buttercup told me you love me too," she teases with a soft voice.
"I knew you were listening!" he says with glorious laughter. "Come here," he adds and pulls her body to him fervently.
"I love you, Katniss Everdeen," Peeta says thoughtfully, leaning his forehead on hers.
"I love you too, Peeta Mellark."
"Let's go home."
"Let's go home."
What do you think about dream-Katniss' pregnancy? I really wanted to write her pregnancy as being a happy one. I know it's written in Mockingjay that she had a difficult pregnancy, but I wanted to explore the what-ifs. The Katniss in this story is OOC since she worked on herself quite a lot while working in the orphanage. Children need a stable adult to thrive, I thought. She's not perfect, of course, but she is much improved from the war.
As always, thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think. Katniss and Peeta are finally going home!