Fishhook
"Dammit, dammit, dammit." I hear Finnick mutter from outside.
"Mommy why is Daddy using bad words?" Our daughter Amelia asks.
"I dunno sweetie." I say confused. Finnick isn't one for swearing. The only reason Amelia knows those are 'bad words' is because Johanna would curse around them when they were younger. She's been around them long enough to know not to swear.
"Why don't you go to your playroom. You can play with your brother."
"Okay." She says sadly and leaves.
I go out to the back door to see why Finnick is yelling.
"What are you doing? Oh my god." I say and go over to help him.
"It's fine Annie." Finnick says tugging on the fish hook that is stuck in his thumb.
"Don't touch it." I say.
He pulls on it and curses again.
"You need to go to the hospital." I say. "And how did you put a fish hook through your thumb?" I ask.
"I wasn't paying much attention while I was cleaning the fish." He says truthfully.
I roll my eyes.
"This is why we are waiting until Nick is ten." I say. Finnick wanted Nick to learn right away but I was against it. I was afraid something like this would happen.
He smiles.
"Let me see." I say and reach for his hand. "It went right through your thumb."
"I'm well aware." He says.
"You need to go to the hospital." I say again.
He sighs.
"There's no way we can pull this out." I say.
"I'm not going to the hospital." He says.
I roll my eyes.
"Well you can't stay in the backyard swearing. Amelia could hear you from inside."
"Sorry but it's not like Aunt Jo Jo hasn't said those words around them." Finnick smiles.
I think only Nick and Amelia could get away with calling Johanna Jo Jo. Our son couldn't say her full name when he was little so her name became Jo Jo and it stuck. I can't tell if she likes it but she likes seeing their cute faces.
"Finnick." I scold.
"Fine I'll go to the hospital." He says.
"Okay let's go-"
"Annie, I can go by myself and someone needs to stay home with the kids." He says.
"I don't trust you to actually go to the hospital. Knowing you, you would just leave and try to knife that thing out of your finger."
"Well I think that would-"
I raise my eyebrows.
"Just come here." I say and we walk inside.
I get him a dish cloth to try and stop the bleeding.
I hear Amelia scream loudly. She's in the kitchen at her coloring table.
"What's wrong sweetie?" I ask and hurry over to her.
"Daddy's bleeding!" She says worried and hurries to him.
"He's fine sweetie." I say and kiss her cheek. It looks like she is going to start crying.
Finnick comes over making sure the fish hook in his hand is covered. I think we both know that will make her cry.
"I'm fine Ames. I promise." Finnick says and kisses her forehead. She wraps her arms tightly around Finnick.
He pats her curly brown hair which is in pigtails.
"Don't die Daddy." She whispers and hides her face in his chest.
"Don't worry, I won't." He says and kisses the top of her head.
"Come here Ames." I say and pick her up. "Nana is gonna come over and take care of you and Nicky while Daddy gets fixed up." I say and kiss her.
She looks at Finnick worried.
"I'm fine sweetie." He says and kisses her cheek.
"Promise." She whispers and leans into my chest.
"Promise." He says.
I take her to the playroom.
"Here we go sweetie." I say. "Go play with your brother." I kiss her forehead.
"But Mommy, Daddy-"
"Daddy's fine."
"What's wrong with Daddy?" Nick asks unamused.
"He was bleeding." Amelia says.
"Cool." He says and goes back to playing.
"That is not cool!" Amelia says and runs after him.
"I bet he was doing something cool."
I hear Amelia whimper.
"Ames, Daddy is going to be okay." I say. "Okay?"
She nods and wipes a tear away.
"Okay." She whispers.
"Nana will be here soon." I say.
She nods and sits next to her brother.
I go back downstairs and see Finnick pulling on it.
"Finnick you're just making it worse." I say and take his hand away.
"I'm pretty sure if I-"
"No, no Finnick you're capable of many things but healing people is not one of them." I say.
He sighs.
"Did you call my Mom?" I ask.
"Yes she said she would come right over." He says.
Which means she will be here in roughly ten minutes.
"You're acting like your five year old son." I say because he keeps tugging on it.
Finnick just rolls his eyes.
I hear a knock on the door and see it is my Mother.
"Mom." I say and open the door. "The kids are upstairs in the playroom."
"Okay." She says.
"Can you make them dinner if we're not back by then?" I ask. Although I know the answer.
"Of course sweetie and don't worry about it." She says.
I sometimes feel guilty when she takes care of our kids.
"Okay." I say.
I go upstairs to say goodbye to them.
Nick doesn't seem to care but Amelia is holding her teddy bear close to her chest.
"It's okay sweetie." I say and kiss her cheek.
She hugs me.
"Tell Daddy I love him." She whispers.
"Okay." I say and kiss the top of my head.
I walk downstairs and see Finnick still picking at it.
"Finnick." I say using my Mother tone when the kids are being bad.
"That doesn't work on me." He says with a smirk.
"Stop stalling." I say.
"Thanks for coming Jenna." Finnick says to my Mother.
"Don't worry about it." My Mother says and we leave.
We head to the hospital and wait.
Finnick keeps chewing on his nails.
"You do realize District 13 people don't work here." I whisper in his ear.
Finnick hasn't liked hospitals ever since the war. He was in one for awhile because he was attacked by an army of mutts.
"I know, I just don't like waiting especially since I can fix this myself."
I roll my eyes.
"Are you always this stubborn?" I ask. "Or have I just not noticed before."
He smiles.
"I can't answer that for you." He says.
After what seems like forever a doctor comes to see Finnick. It doesn't take that long although he did need stiches.
"I watched the doctor so I will be able to do it next time." Finnick says as we walk home.
"And how would you stitch yourself up?" I ask.
"You have needle and thread." He says.
"I think if you fixed it yourself you would just end up getting an infection." I say. "Which means we would need to go to the hospital anyways." I say.
"There weren't always hospitals around." He says with a smile.
I shake my head and roll my eyes.
"You're crazy." I say. "Besides I don't think Ames would like seeing you pull a needle through you thumb." I say.
"Perhaps." He says.
We make it home and Amelia is waiting in the living room looking at the door.
"Daddy!" She yells and runs towards us.
"Hi cutie." He says and picks her up.
"Are you better Daddy?" She asks and leans into his chest.
"Yes." He says and kisses her cheek. "Daddy will always get better."
"Unless he tries to fix himself." I mumble to myself. Amelia didn't hear but Finnick did because he gives me the very funny sarcastic look. Although I think deep down Finnick knows I'm right.