He watches Katniss leave Peeta's room, and leaves the observational glass. He grabs her arm, and she whirls around. He lets her arm go.
"Wait."
"What? He hates me. He hates me!" She realizes she's almost screaming and looks around wildly, then bursts into tears.
Haymitch pulls her in close. She keeps her hands covering her face, but relaxes slightly in his arms.
"He doesn't hate you."
"Yes, he does! You heard him."
"No, Katniss. He doesn't. He's confused. And being confused makes him scared, and scared makes him angry."
Katniss gives a weak chuckle. "Kind of like you?"
Haymitch laughs, gives her a squeeze, and then releases her.
"Yeah, something like that."
She lowers her hands and sees the look on his face.
"What? What else is wrong?"
Haymitch sighs. "Boggs told me. I think he wants you to know, but isn't cleared to tell you himself."
"Tell me what?"
"They're not taking the Mockingjay to the Capitol."
The color drains from her face and she storms away. Probably to Command, where her hissy fit will leach her anger and do little else. Sometimes it's nice, having Katniss be mad at someone else.
Johanna finally leaves the hospital and moves in with Katniss in their own compartment. He doesn't see much of either of them. They're either training, or tired from training.
He sees them at mealtimes, when he sits with either Willow or Primrose. They're rarely both off shift. All the medics are getting ready for the big push into the Capitol. And with all the districts taken, Thirteen is taking some of the wounded rebels that can stand to be transported.
Haymitch tries to leave Finnick and Annie alone, figuring they want some couple time. But after a few days, Finnick sits on his right side at the table, and Annie on his left. Primrose is listening to a story Boggs's wife is telling. She's a born storyteller, making everyone, Haymitch included, laugh about an incident with poultry production. After that, Finnick and Annie sit with him every mealtime, regardless of what table he's sitting at.
One day, Finnick is needed in Command, but Haymitch is free. He's had a lot of free time lately, with Peeta cleared for propos and out of the hospital more frequently.
He's in Finnick and Annie's compartment. She's teaching him to knit.
He likes their compartment. As a married couple, they get an actual bedroom, as well as a smaller bedroom for young babies that Annie tells him is called a nursery. In their sitting area, they've tacked the woven net they were married under to their ceiling. Finnick told him it's for good luck, and married couples keep them up for the first year of their marriage.
"Okay, how many stitches do you have?"
Haymitch holds up his needle for her inspection. Annie laughs.
"You're supposed to count them as you go. Here, let me."
She's quietly counting his stitches when there's a knock on the door. Annie drops the needle and covers her ears and starts moaning. Haymitch puts a hand on her shoulder and pats her a few times.
"Come in," he says.
A gray jumpsuit enters the compartment. They must be cleared to ship out, because their head has been shaved.
"Mr. Abernathy, you're wanted by Mr. Heavensbee."
Haymitch looks at Annie. She's rocking slightly back and forth, still covering her ears, but no longer moaning. He picks up his knitting needle and puts it on the desk. Before he leaves, he kisses the top of Annie's head. She still has her hands over her ears, but she looks up at him and smiles before closing her eyes, and putting her head between her knees.
Haymitch sees the jumpsuit staring at Annie with disgust clearly stamped on their face.
"Come on, soldier," he says, stepping forward and blocking Annie from their view. "Take me to Plutarch."
Plutarch and Fulvia are in their office. Plutarch is pacing the tiny room, making it feel even smaller. Fulvia is rubbing her temples with her eyes closed. The jumpsuit leaves, closing the door quietly behind them.
"Haymitch, you won't believe what these…these…"
"Plutarch," says Fulvia, a warning note giving her voice some snap.
Plutarch sighs and stops pacing.
"They're not letting Johanna go to the Capitol," says Plutarch, in an aggrieved tone.
Haymitch raises his eyebrows and sits down in the chair in front of Plutarch's desk. Plutarch pours himself a glass of water and sits at his desk.
He speaks, trying to keep his voice low and level, though his agitation is still evident in the drumming of his fingers against his water glass.
"They're sending the Mockingjay. They're sending Finnick. Lyme and Paylor are already out there, but they're military, they're just not that fun to watch. Coin wants propos that will dishearten the Capitol and to do that, I need victors!"
Fulvia takes a deep breath.
Haymitch sometimes forgets how even tiny setbacks can send Capitol citizens into a frenzy. A painful image of Effie, yelling and throwing her hands in the air, about a change in schedule, intrudes.
"What happened to Johanna?" he asks.
"What?"
Haymitch imagines Plutarch rising on a platform into an arena, and releases the breath he was holding.
"Why aren't they sending Johanna to the Capitol?"
"Oh." Plutarch looks to Fulvia.
"She's in the hospital," she says.
"Goddammit! Why?"
Fulvia looks startled. "I don't know. Something went wrong in training, and they sent her to the hospital." She looks at Plutarch, who shrugs. He doesn't know anything except what affects his ability to put on a good show.
Haymitch takes in a deep breath. God, he'd like a drink.
"Johanna's not one of the most popular victors. You have Katniss and Finnick, that will be enough."
"And we have Gale, Plutarch, don't forget."
"Gale?" asks Haymitch.
Fulvia colors slightly. "He's so handsome. People like to watch good-looking people on television."
Haymitch's thirst intensifies. But he gestures at Fulvia and looks at Plutarch. "She's got a point."
Plutarch closes his eyes and nods slowly. "Yes. I suppose."
"I'm going to find out what happened to Johanna. Maybe we can get her to the Capitol if she's not badly injured."
Haymitch is quickly disabused of this notion by a doctor. He watches Johanna, pale in the hospital lights, but not looking as much like an ambulatory skeleton as she did when she first arrived. He thinks of how hard she trained, how determined she was to reach the Capitol and deal some damage. He knows she wants to go out fighting, and is at war with himself – is he glad she's safe from herself, or angry that 13 won't allow her to make that decision for herself? He guesses it must be both.
He goes back the way he came, making his way to Plutarch's office to confirm Johanna won't be going. On his way, he comes upon Katniss and Finnick, standing close and speaking quietly to each other, tension in every line of their bodies. He's glad he ran into them first. Someone Johanna likes should be there when she wakes up. He doesn't want one of the light gray suits telling her she can't go to the Capitol.
"Johanna's back in the hospital," he says, and they both stop talking and look at him.
Katniss crosses her arms and frowns. "Is she hurt? What happened?"
"It was while she was on the Block," Haymitch says. "They try to ferret out a soldier's potential weaknesses. So they flooded the street."
He closes his eyes, thinking of Johanna, tortured in the Capitol and then tortured again here. There was no need for them to do that. She could have fought and tried to avoid water, just like the rest of them. And if a pod flooded the Capitol streets, Johanna likely wouldn't be the only one who became "emotionally disturbed".
Katniss looks confused when Haymitch opens his eyes a second later.
"So?" she asks.
Haymitch had assumed Johanna had told her.
"That's how they tortured her in the Capitol. Soaked her and then used electric shocks. In the Block she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn't know where she was. She's back under sedation."
They don't respond, both of them lost in thought. He needs to get to Plutarch, plan the Mockingjay's best entrance into the Capitol, sans Johanna Mason.
"You two should go see her," he says into their silence. "You're as close to friends as she's got."
Katniss's frown deepens, and Finnick nods.
"I better go tell Plutarch. He won't be happy. He wants as many victors as possible for the cameras to follow in the Capitol. Thinks it makes for better television."
Katniss looks surprised. "Are you and Beetee going?"
Haymitch almost laughs. Sometimes he forgets how terribly young Katniss is.
"As many young and attractive victors as possible. So, no. We'll be here." Sending children to their death, unable to help yet again.
Finnick claps him on the shoulder and leaves. Katniss says she needs to ask Boggs something, but she'll go see Johanna directly after. Haymitch goes to Plutarch's office, ready to talk down the Head Gamemaker.