A/N- This is theeShadylady updating I.W.N.S.G (which is this story.) Who's ready for Chapter 7? I am too! And I know it's been forever since I last updated, I apologize. So without farther delay here it is.
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Hunger Games.))
Ch. 7:"Nightmares"
I wake up in the morning and see Gale lying next to me on the couch. Guilt rushes through me. What happened to Peeta? Doesn't he wonder where I am? I debate on whether or not to wake Gale up, but decide against it. As I lace up my shoes, I hear Gale roll over. I check to make sure he's still sleeping and then tiptoe to the door. Before I leave I look back at Gale again. He smiles in his sleep, it's a smile I haven't seen in over four years, seeing it makes me realize how much I have really missed Gale. I smile a guilty smile and walk out the door.
It's still early, so I assume Peeta is sleeping in our train car. I jog most of the way there, one thought over takes my mind, I am a cheater. Even the sounds of my steps accuse me of what I am. Left foot: "Chea." Right foot: "ter." "Chea-ter. Chea-ter. Cheater." I stop when I notice car twelve's lights are all on, and everything falls silent. He's awake. I creep up to the door and as a touch the handle, the door slides open. Peeta looks down at me disappointed and puffy face. He's been crying. "I'm glad your back," but there is something in his eyes that lets me know, that he knows. I look down feeling ashamed.
He backs up to let me inside. I see a suitcase next to the door and I panic. "So, you're just going to leave? After everything we've been through?"
"Well, what else can I do? Tell me what I should do, because I don't know!"
"We could act like it never happened... Nothing's changed when it comes to the way I feel about you. I love you, Peeta."
He leans on the counter pressing his fingers to his temples and squeezing his eyes shut. "Peeta, I—"
"Shut up!" he snaps, "Just let me think!" Eventually, he lets out a long sigh. "Fine. Let's do this..." And the quietly adds, "Like it never happened."
He's just forgiven me for the unforgiveable, yet another thing to add to the list of things that make him much too good for me. "You should get some sleep," he says taking my hand. I go to the bedroom and he goes to the couch.
I try to fight it, but inevitably sleep overtakes me. And it's no more pleasant than it's ever been. Within an hour I wake up screaming and like I dreaded he would Peeta rushes in on instinct and crawls in next to me. He puts one arm behind my head and strokes my hair soothingly. The same way he did when I had my first nightmares, but it's not the same. I sigh knowing no matter what we say, nothing will ever be the same.
It's nearly noon when I wake up next. He still has his arm around me and now his head is resting on mine. "Peeta," I whisper nudging him with my shoulder. He yawns and rolls away. "Let's go," I say as I look for a new set of clothes. I find a clean pair of white pants and a greenish-blue striped top. I throw a black pair of pants and a white shirt at Peeta. He kicks away the covers and starts to pull off his pants to change. I look away feeling strangely embarrassed.
"Ready?" he asks heading towards me.
"Yeah," I say taking his hand after he offers it to me. It feels strange when he intertwines his fingers with mine, but I force myself to smile and walk outside with him. We already slept through all of today's events and soon we'll have to get back on the train and go back home.
An hour later, Effie, Haymitch, Peeta, and I are getting ready to board the train. We say goodbye to Johanna, Annie, and some of our other friends. Gale comes over, but Peeta pulls me away by my hand possessively when Gale starts to get too close. But, Gale doesn't take the hint. Even though there are a couple people still in between us, he talks over them. "Hey."
"Hi," I reply, holding back a smile. We just look back at each other, saying nothing else. Peeta lets out an agitated huff to reestablish his annoyance. I walk away thinking, he didn't even say goodbye.
"Catnip."
"Yeah?" I stop again. Will he say it?
"See you soon." I knew he wouldn't say it. Peeta's grip tightens on mine and his nails dig in as we walk away.
"Peeta, you're hurting me."
"Am I?" he says, but he doesn't loosen his hold on me.
The train ride takes around six hours and the entire ride is silent, except for the sound of Haymitch filling up his glass and shuffling his bottles of alcohol. I sit on the ground, pressed against the wall watching Peeta as he paces nervously around the car, the same way he always does.
I step off the train at District 12, glad to finally be back home.
The tiles feel cold on bare arms and face as I lie on the floor. My throat burns and my stomach feels like someone is squeezing it, I feel a lump in my throat and I know what's coming. I reach up and hoist myself up so that I'm facing the toilet bowl. This is the third—or maybe the fourth—time I've thrown up this morning.
Is it possible? "Peeta?" I call to him through the door.
"Can you bring me the phone?"
"Yeah, hold on" ... "Where is it?"
"In the kitchen... on the counter."
"Here," he says as he cracks open the door and slides the phone across the floor to me. I dial the number I memorized so long ago.
"Hello?"
"Mom, it's me." I say shakily. "Can you come over here?"
"Yeah, is there something wrong?" she asks, her voice full of concern.
"I don't know."
Ten minutes later, my mom is helping me up onto the bathroom counter. She does a few tests, including checking my heart rate and blood pressure. Then she has me pee in a little plastic container. She brings it to my kitchen table and then pours a clear chemical that looks like water into the container. All the liquid inside the dish turns blue. She gives me a look of confirmation and I know my worst fear has come true. I'm Pregnant.
Peeta comes in to check on me as my mom packs up her equipment. "Congratulations!" my mother says to him.
"For what?"
"Katniss is pregnant!" she exclaims.
"That's not possible..." Peeta starts, but in a moment of realization the color drains from his face.
My mother looks confused and opens her mouth to argue. "It's not Peeta's, mom."
"What?"
"It's Gale's."
~theeShadyLady~
((A/N- I know it's short, but I thought this was a good place to end the chapter.))
