"Amazing." booms Plutarch, "Just amazing."
I'm back in HQ with Plutarch, Coin, Effie and Beetee.
"The footage we got from District 8 is just what we needed for a propo. The mockingjay is here to fight with the people!"
We had just watched the propo that Beetee had edited. The images of the hospital are still fresh in my mind.
"I've gotten into the Capitol's TV broadcast system." says Beetee "It should be easy for me to now play the propo for all the districts to see."
"Excellent." says Coin cooly, not sharing in Plutarch's loud celebration. "We shall wait to see how the districts respond before any further actions." She turns towards me. "In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea if you took care of Aiden."
"Ahem," interjects Effie "President Coin, I believe that that is asking a lot of Ms. Everdeen. As her personal care assistant, I believe that it is my right to say that it will be a lot of added work for someone who is already leading a rebelli -"
"No, I'll do it." I say firmly.
...
As I make my way down to my living quarters, I think about the responsibility that I had taken up. Was I really able to take care of Aiden?
As I round a corner, I see Libby standing in the hallway with the baby tucked under her arm. She is smiling from ear to ear. "Hello!" she cries, "Aiden's been waiting for you."
As I move closer, I see what she means. In her other hand, she is carrying two bottles of milk and the weird contraption.
I roll my eyes and sigh silently. But despite this, I feel a willingness growing inside me.
I enter the room and Libby hands me a set of instructions along with the little machine. "You'll figure it out."
I smile and nod, closing the door leaving me alone inside my living quarters with Libby and Aiden waiting patiently outside.
Sitting down on my bed, I quickly skim over the instructions which seem pretty straightforward. The whole point of the contraption was to simulate the intimacy of breastfeeding. The milk would be coming from the two bottles Libby brought. I quickly attach the necessary pieces to my body and hook up the tube to the mouth of the bottle.
"Ready?" says Libby.
"Eerm, yeah."
Libby steps in with the baby and hands him to me. "Let him latch on like before and it should work out." she says quickly, adverting her eyes.
Awkwardly I wait for Aiden to latch on and start suckling. I manage to cover myself up before Libby turns around. She is now sitting on my mother's and Prim's bed, looking kindly towards me.
"How old is he?" I ask quietly over the small suckling noises of Aiden eating.
"Let me see now," contemplates Libby, "about two months."
I nod and we sit for a while in silence.
"Aiden means 'little fire'." says Libby, breaking the silence. "It's quite fitting."
"Who named him?" I ask, looking up from the baby in my arms.
"Snow did."