Once again, thank you for all the support! Hope you're enjoying so far!
The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.
Thank you to Chelzie, my most awesome beta, for her support!
One
Part Seven: Twenty-Three Weeks
"MOM!" Katniss yelled, rushing toward her mother and Prim in the waiting room. She threw her arms around the older woman before examining the woman's colorless face and watery eyes. "What happened?"
"I don't know." Her mother shrugged and her eyes filled. "We were having breakfast and he just went pale." Laurel slowly sat back down in her chair. "I was so scared, Katniss—still am."
"They're doing some diagnostic tests right now," Prim told her quietly as they embraced. Her younger sister looked like she had just scrambled out of bed, wearing a bright fuchsia hoodie and sweats, her hair in a sloppy bun. "We've been here for about thirty minutes."
Turning when she heard the quick footsteps, Katniss spotted Peeta approaching them with concern in his eyes. He had dropped her off at the ER entrance so that she could meet her family and had gone to park the car. Their eyes met and she could see that he was trying to figure out how to comfort her.
He didn't realize that just being there was enough for her.
Katniss usually pushed people away during situations like this. Maybe it was the doctor in her that would suddenly make her so clinical, but she didn't want to be that way around him. She also knew herself well enough to know that she was often cold towards people. It bothered her now more than anything because she didn't want her child seeing her that way.
"Laurel." Peeta went to her mother. "Are you okay?" The older woman rose and he gently pulled her into his arms.
"I'm fine; nervous but fine," she reassured him. "These are bad circumstances for all of us to reunite under." Her mother suddenly turned to Katniss, eyes wide in realization. "Oh my God, honey…I didn't even realize—Happy Birthday."
Katniss' eyes were suddenly full, but she shook her head and gave them an easy wave. "I-I'm fine—" Soon she was crumbling, hormones and exhaustion taking over as Peeta's arms wrapped around her.
"Baby…" He caressed her back, meeting her mother's eyes worriedly. "…It's going to be okay."
"Mrs. Everdeen?"
They all turned to see a tall, mocha-skinned man wearing a white coat over his button down shirt and slacks. He gave them all a kind smile. "My name is Dr. Beetee Latier and I will be the surgeon during Mr. Everdeen's bypass surgery. Please follow me."
"So he'll need surgery?" Laurel asked as they began to walk.
"There are blockages in two arteries," he explained.
"Two that you've seen in the angiogram," Katniss added as she approached him, wiping her eyes as she did. "Was this an actual myocardial infarction or angina? And will you be stopping his heart during the procedure?"
"You're a doctor?" the man asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet."
"It was angina," the doctor continued. "However, the blockages are significant enough to draw concern that it could have caused a massive heart attack. We will stop his heart, of course, but use the CPB pump in the interim."
"What's that?" Prim asked as they made a turn down the hallway.
"It is a machine that will maintain blood flow and oxygen while the heart is stopped," the man explained. They stopped suddenly in front of a closed door. "This is his room, and he has been given some medication for the pain." The surgeon looked at them, seriousness in his eyes. "I would like to get him into surgery as soon as possible—the reason I waited this long was because I wanted to check the angiogram just to confirm my suspicions. I'll give you a few minutes and we would like it to be family only."
His eyes met Peeta's.
"Peeta is my fiancé," Katniss said quickly.
Peeta's face warmed seeing Prim's eyes go wide. Laurel looked quickly at Katniss' ring finger before beaming at the couple.
"No, it's fine," Peeta told her. "You go on ahead—I'll wait here." He looked at Laurel and Prim. "Did you need anything or did you want me to call anyone?"
"No, son," Laurel said affectionately, her eyes watery again. "I think we're fine."
"I'm okay," Prim replied before rushing over to throw her arms around him. "Congratulations." She pulled away and gave him a small smile. "I was there from the beginning, big brother."
"You were," he agreed and looked over at the blushing Katniss. "Make sure that she's okay in there."
Prim nodded and went to her mother. Together, they opened the door and went inside.
Peeta went to Katniss. "Tell your Dad that I'm praying for him," he told her as his arms encircled her waist to draw her close.
"Do you believe in prayer?" she asked softly.
"I believe in having hope," Peeta replied. "Situations like this give you the opportunity to hope, you know."
"I never thought about it that way." Katniss met his lips with hers briefly. "Thank you for telling me that."
"I guess that's why you're marrying me."
Katniss grinned. "I guess so." She looked over at the door and turned back to look at him somberly. "I should go in."
"Go on," he urged and she nodded before opening the door to go inside.
"Smart girl, you got there." Peeta turned to look at Dr. Latier.
"She got into Johns Hopkins," he responded proudly. "We're supposed to leave right after the baby is born."
"Looks like that's coming up. Do you know if she applied to any schools here?"
Peeta shook his head. "Not that I know of," he said.
"Shame," the doctor remarked. "We're a teaching hospital, too." He looked at his watch. "I should begin my prep—a nurse should be coming in shortly to administer the last of the medications before surgery."
"Thank you, Doctor—good luck."
The man shook his hand and gave him a nod. "I've got hope on my side today."
Katniss quietly closed the door behind her. She could hear the hushed tones of her mother speaking as she approached the curtain.
"I've already notified the staff at the store about your absence," her mother said quietly. "Aiden will be the manager on call for now."
Peeking in, she saw that her mother was sitting on one side of the bed as Prim stood by the window, her eyes focused on the machines connected to their father. The quiet beeps of the monitors broke through the heavy air every few seconds and Katniss felt her belly react.
Her hands went to her stomach—the baby didn't like the noise. Neither did she.
"You've grown." Her Dad's hoarse voice broke through her thoughts and he gave her a weak smile. "Hey, honey."
"Hey, Dad." Katniss' eyes watered. "These are pretty shitty circumstances to reunite under."
"Tell me about it," he replied easily and held his hand out to her. "Come here." Her mother got up from her chair so that she could sit next to her father. Katniss took his hand and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's going to be okay."
"I know." She swiped her eyes quickly and sighed. "I just hate that we've been ignoring each other. There have been times when I just wanted to tell you something—and then I realized we weren't speaking. It hurt to be reminded."
"I know, sweetheart," he replied. "I'm sorry—I was being stubborn. I just forgot that sometimes the plans we make can go astray—as you can see." Her father gave her a sad smile. "But you've handled it well, you've flourished, and you fell in love, so I'm told." He felt her finger where the empty prong ring rested. "He is saving for the diamond, isn't he?"
Katniss nodded and he nodded back understandingly.
"That's good. Both of you know how it feels to work hard for something you want; it will make you better together."
"It has," she said softly.
"And my grandbaby?"
"Moving—I just felt him or her this morning," Katniss told him. Taking his hand, she let it settle on the swell. "It was the first time for me."
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Her father looked up at her and Katniss sucked her tears back as she nodded. "I felt like that, the first time I saw you."
"Dad—"she began. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. Nothing seemed right at all, so she just said what came to her. "—I love you. Just wake up as soon as you can."
"Of course, Katniss," he told her.
There was a knock on the door and a pretty nurse with dark, curly hair walked in swiftly holding a kidney shaped container.
"My name is Rue and I'm going to be your pre-op nurse. I'm here to administer your medications," she informed Katniss' father as she walked over to where the box of gloves hung on the wall.
After pulling a pair on, she walked over and placed the container on the side table. "I'm going to flush out your IV with some saline, and then I'll be administering a pain medication, followed by one more saline flush. After our transport, I'll be taking you to the operating room," Rue continued as she took out the syringe from the tray along with the bottle of saline to fill it. "I'm going to give you a few minutes after I'm done. I'll also write down my name along with extension number for you at the nurses' station on the white board next to the door. But now I'm going to start your first saline flush."
Her father nodded and then turned to Katniss. "Tell me how Peeta proposed."
She looked over to where Rue was pushing the saline through his IV line slowly, then back at him. "Are you sure?"
Katniss watched her mother take her other father's hand and her eyes caught the glint of their wedding rings. She had remembered looking at their wedding photos when she was little girl as she planned her own dream wedding to her teddy bear.
They had a simple outdoor wedding; her mother was barefoot during the ceremony and she wore a simple wreath of flowers on her head. Her father opted for a simple button down and slacks as well as a pair of loafers. They looked like polar opposites in the photo but here they were—still happy and very much in love.
"Go on, Katniss," her mother urged, her eyes encouraging. Prim sat at the edge of their father's bed and nodded at her, the shine of her tears swimming in her blue eyes.
She realized just how much they all needed to hear something good despite all the bad going on.
"It was just this morning," she started. "I woke up because the baby started moving, so I woke Peeta up—"
Katniss paused, realizing that she had revealed that they were sharing a bed. On the other hand, she was pregnant—so obviously she and Peeta had clearly skipped the formalities of waiting.
"—He didn't think that he would feel anything, but then it happened again and this time—he felt it," she continued, a small smile emerging from her lips. "I found this ring in his drawer a few days ago, but the ring he tried to give me was a different one—his grandmother's. It was beautiful, but I knew it wasn't mine." She looked down at her ring proudly. "I decided that this was my ring, so this is the one I asked to have—the one I asked him to propose to me with. So he did."
"Good man," her father remarked quietly as he gave her a drowsy smile. "Just remember that I get to walk you down the aisle."
"Then you'd better walk out of here as soon as you're okay," Katniss told him with a watery smile.
Gabe nodded at her. "That's a promise."
"How is he?" Katniss rushed over as Peeta pulled her in, her head falling against his shoulder and lips brushing his neck.
"He's in good spirits," she told him, surrounding herself in his scent—a combination of sugar and sweat. "I told him about our engagement and he promised to walk me down the aisle."
"Sounds promising."
Together, they went to where Mrs. Everdeen and Prim sat tiredly. The two women were clearly on the verge of falling asleep.
"Do you think we should go home?" Katniss asked. "It might be hours before we hear anything."
"I don't know," her mother said worriedly. "I just don't want him to be alone."
"Mom, you need to rest," Prim told her. "We have Rue's number just in case."
"She's right, you know." They looked up to see Rue walking over to them. "I just wanted to give you my information again and the hours I will be here. I think with the way the schedule is planned, I will be Mr. Everdeen's post-op nurse, too." She held out a card for Mrs. Everdeen, gave one to Prim, and the last one to Katniss. "It will definitely be a while before you hear anything, so go home and get some rest."
Her eyes flitted over to Katniss and Peeta and she smiled at them. "He was bragging to the transport team about his grandbaby."
Peeta felt Katniss's hand tighten around his. He could tell that she was desperately trying to hold it in.
"Thanks, Rue," Katniss said shakily.
"I'll contact you once they're done." With a final wave, she walked back through the double doors to the restricted area.
"I'll drive Mom back to the house," Prim told the couple. "Will you be following us over?"
Peeta nodded. "I want to show Katniss something before we leave." He had already told his roommates to not expect him back tonight.
"We'll see you at home," told them. "I'll set up Katniss' room for you."
Once her mother and Prim had left, Peeta ushered her over to the elevators.
"Where are we going?" she asked, her hand resting on her belly. The doors to the elevator opened and they walked in quickly. Katniss watched him push the button to the fourth floor and she looked over at him. A small smile played on his lips. "You're up to something."
He looked over at her with bright eyes. "Me? Never."
The doors opened and taking her hand, Peeta led her over to where a series of window were.
"Take a look," he told her.
Through the windows, Katniss saw the series of glass cribs where the newborns were kept. It was river of pink and blues in front of her.
"One day, we're going to have one of these." Her voice was hushed in disbelief. She looked down at her stomach. "This is one of those—just not fully baked."
Peeta chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "They're all pretty cute. Well, except for one or two of them."
Katniss swatted his arm. "All babies are supposed to be beautiful." Her eyes caught one of the babies spitting up. "Okay, maybe not."
"Spit-up baby judges you," Peeta retorted with a grin before looking over at the window again. "Most of them have the same birthday as you."
She turned to him amused. "Oh, yeah?"
His arms wrapped around her waist, and he began to sway them back and forth.
"Happy birthday to you…" he sang quietly into her ear as she leaned back against him. "Happy birthday to you…happy birthday dear Katniss—and new babies…happy birthday to you…"
Katniss opened her eyes, feeling Peeta sigh into her neck in his sleep. It had been a tight squeeze in her bed, so they had settled into a comfortable slumber spooning against one another the night before.
He had fallen asleep quickly with his hand resting protectively on her stomach, but she had been restless. Her mind remained on the surgery before she fell asleep at around midnight; her birthday had come and gone. The good thing was that their night had gone uninterrupted, which meant that there were probably no issues with the surgery.
She knew Rue would have called if anything had happened, even if it had been the middle of the night. There was something inside that told her to trust the young nurse.
She pressed against Peeta and he groaned in his sleep, pulling her tighter to him. Katniss gasped, feeling her lower half tighten into that pleasurable coil and she couldn't help but push her bottom against the morning erection that Peeta was sporting.
"This is definitely a good way to wake up." She turned her head to find Peeta grinning tiredly at her. "Good morning."
"Morning," she said and kissed him softly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Maybe we should get a smaller bed—I like the tighter fit," he joked.
"I'm only going to get bigger, you know," she warned softly. "Give it a few weeks and you'll change your mind." Katniss took his hand and unconsciously pressed her lips to his fingers.
Peeta hissed quietly, his eyes trained on the woman in front of him. "What are you doing?"
She straddled him carefully, her eyes almost rolling back at the sensation. "Haven't you ever had a fantasy of messing around in your girlfriend's old bed?"
The craving to have him had only grown over the past week and came at random times. Two days ago, Katniss had spent an entire dinner just staring at his neck wanting to put her mouth to it, just to taste his skin.
"What guy hasn't?" he replied as he guided her hips, letting her press her damp core against his hardness. "Should we really be doing this? I almost feel like I'm taking advantage of you."
Katniss shook her head, her core throbbing. "I promise that you're not," she told him in a rushed voice. "I have a million hormones running through my body and it was my birthday—"
"Since it was your birthday…" Peeta's hand moved to undo the top buttons of her pajama top and reached in to caress a full breast—a benefit she was beginning to appreciate. Not to mention with the amount of blood coursing through her, every touch was like electricity and her body hummed in gratitude.
RING!
"FUCK!" Katniss reached for her phone and looked at it irritatingly. "It's Johanna." She promptly ignored it-
RING!
This time it was Peeta's phone and he looked over at it. "It's Sae. I told her about your Dad."
Then the knock came on her door. "Katniss?" It was her Mom.
She moved off of him and he groaned at the loss of contact.
"I owe you," Peeta told her as he picked up his phone.
Walking to the door, she turned to him with a smile. "Over and over and over again..." Opening the door, Katniss met her mother's joyful eyes.
"I just got a call from Rue," her mother told her excitedly. "The surgery went well and he's in recovery."
"Thank God—we'll be ready in a few minutes."
Pulling the door open, Katniss and her mother embraced as Peeta spoke quietly on his phone.
"Hey, Katniss?"
"Yeah, Mom?"
"You realize that your top is unbuttoned, right?"
"Hey, friends."
Peeta looked at the rows of cribs in front of him. He understood that Katniss and her family needed privacy, so after they had gone to see Mr. Everdeen in his room, he found himself wandering back up to the maternity ward.
He spotted some familiar ones. The 'spit-up' baby was still there but snoozing away. Next were the newbies, or the ones lined up in the first row—and they were the tiniest, of course.
The one in front of him was a little girl, five pounds and eight ounces, and she yawned before opening her blue eyes, trying to focus.
"Now don't try stealing one, Peeta." He turned to find Effie grinning at him in bright blue robes, her hair in a paper net. "Just arrange a tour of the place."
"Hey, Effie!" He reached over to give her a hug. "I didn't know that you worked in this hospital."
"Just one of the three that I work in," Effie replied easily as she took the net off her head to reveal her messy ponytail. "What are you doing here?"
"Katniss' dad had bypass surgery," he informed her. "His room is two floors down and since I'm not family yet, I'm just hanging out."
Effie's face fell hearing his news. "I'm so sorry—I'll be sure to keep a look out for her Dad. And poor Katniss, I know that they were fighting—make sure that she's getting a lot of rest."
"Thanks, Effie. I definitely will." He was appreciative of her concern and they went back to looking at the babies in contemplative silence.
"Wait…" She looked at him again. "You said 'yet'. What do you mean by that?"
Peeta blushed. "I proposed to Katniss on her birthday—and she said yes."
The older woman squealed and threw her arms around him. "Congratulations!"
"Hands off my girl!" As Effie pulled away, Peeta turned to see Haymitch walking over to them. "Hey there, godson."
Peeta gave him a look of mock seriousness. "Thanks for telling me that you're dating our obstetrician."
Haymitch returned the look. "Thanks for telling me that you got engaged."
"Don't tease, sweetheart," Effie admonished the man next to her. "Katniss' Dad just had surgery. That's why Peeta is here."
"Sorry to hear that," Haymitch responded. "How's Katniss?"
"She's doing her best to remain optimistic," he replied honestly. "Surgery went well and they're all downstairs."
"So what the hell are you doing up here?" Haymitch glanced over at Effie as he put an arm around her. "He's not trying to steal a baby, is he?"
"Very funny," Peeta told him. He looked between the couple. "So really—you're dating? Or is this something else?"
Effie pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. "And what do you mean by that?"
"You know, like a late-night-I'm-feeling-kind-of-lonely thing?"
She crossed her arms under her chest and raised her eyebrows. "Like a booty call—with Haymitch?"
He held his hands up in surrender. "Forget it—I just don't want to hear the words 'booty call' and 'Haymitch' in the same sentence ever again."
"I'm not the one trying to make it that way," Haymitch argued. "I keep on proposing and she keeps saying no!"
"Peeta!" He turned to see Katniss rushing towards him. She looked over at window. "Hi babies." Then she looked at the couple, her eyes widening. "Hey Effie…and Haymitch. Yeah—that's weird."
Turning to Peeta, she gave him a quick kiss. "My Mom is wondering if you want to come down to my Dad's room since they've moved him from recovery."
"Really?" He looked at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"Rue gave her the okay. Plus, you're family now, according to her," she told him with a smile. "Well—you will be." Katniss happily held up her hand, displaying her ring.
"What happened to your grandmother's ring?" Haymitch asked suddenly.
Katniss turned to him, her eyes challenging. "I didn't want that one."
"It's probably best that you don't argue with her," Effie told him, then looked over at her patient worriedly. "Katniss, you've read about preeclampsia, right?"
"Of course," she responded, somewhat irritated. "High-blood pressure that can cause pre-term labor thus endangering me and the baby—I know that." Effie was suddenly on her knees and reaching to touch Katniss' ankles. "What are you doing?"
"Slight but normal swelling," Effie mumbled. "Katniss, please come see me next week—just to double check on your blood pressure."
"Okay, but please, get away from down there!"
Effie looked up, her eyes serious. "Trust me, I've been in much more awkward positions."
They held hands anxiously as they walked down the hallway to her father's room.
Peeta was nervous—and for several reasons.
One being that his last encounter with Gabe Everdeen had not been a good one; the memory of the man's words to him brought up his own feelings of insecurity. He knew that he was not good enough for Katniss, but it had still hurt to hear.
Another reason was that Peeta had never been around anyone who had been this sick. His own family was healthy as far as he knew. He honestly had no idea how Laurel kept it together, or how Prim and Katniss kept themselves in check.
He reminded himself to make sure there was no additional stress on Katniss' part; he wanted to be strong for her.
At the moment, however, he felt the weakest that he had ever felt.
"Hey, Katniss?"
She turned to him as they stood in front of the door. "Yes?"
"Are you okay?" he suddenly asked.
Katniss thought for a moment before looking at him. "I don't really know," she answered honestly. "It seems like we've been on this long emotional rollercoaster. I'm happy and sad at the same time—is that possible?"
He shrugged. "I don't know," he told her. "I don't know how to feel myself."
"At least we're in agreement about that." Katniss gave his hand a squeeze. "Let's go."
Inside, they found Laurel sitting next to the bed. Prim sat on the other side and she turned, giving the couple a small smile. Rue was writing notes on the tray table in the corner; she gave them a quick nod before going back to work.
Prim stood up quickly to join them. "They're slowly weaning him off the anesthesia," she told Peeta. "We've been communicating through hand squeezing. He's groggy, but he understands."
"Honey," Laurel said to her husband. "Katniss has come back with Peeta—just like you asked."
Peeta looked over at her. "Mr. Everdeen asked for me?"
"Before surgery," Rue informed them from where she stood and gave him a smile. "He said that he wanted to look into the eyes of the man who would be taking his daughter away from him—in the most non-threatening voice, I might add."
"You'd be doing him a favor," Prim said jokingly and gave her sister an adoring smile as she put an arm around her. "I mean—look at her—blech!" she jokingly grimaced. "All pregnant and glowing…"
Peeta kissed Katniss' hand before letting go, and walked over to sit in the seat that Prim once occupied.
He couldn't lie—the machines scared him. Peeta felt himself falter at hearing the beeps of the heart monitor as well as the hissing of the oxygen that was flowing through the mask across Gabe's mouth. Peeta looked down for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.
When he looked back up, Peeta found Gabe gazing at him.
"Hello, sir," he greeted him. "I guess we'll have to hold off on the old-fashions from now on." Peeta swore that he saw a small flicker of a smile on the man's face. "As you can see, Katniss is as beautiful as ever—being pregnant only added to it. That's not the reason why I love her so much."
Peeta looked over at his fiancée, who stood listening to him with Prim before continuing. "Obviously, we know she's smart, but she's also strong—Katniss knows what she wants and she's not afraid to let people know. A few weeks ago—she really gave it to my Mom. And that's not an easy feat." He smiled at the man. "I know that she is going to be incredible mother because she cares so much. She takes care of me—and I'm a better man because of it."
He took a deep breath. "I would like to ask your permission to marry your daughter," he said to the man. "Because I am madly in love with her."
The two stared at one another for a moment. He knew that once Gabe was okay, they would have a real talk, but for now he just wanted to let the man know that he was trying to be the best person for Katniss—and the best father for his grandchild.
Then Peeta saw it-the small, almost imperceptible nod of consent from the man and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you."
Katniss closed the bedroom door behind her. They were spending another night at the Everdeen house, and in her tiny bed. Peeta sat against the headboard leafing through the baby book that had been on her bedside table.
At the click of the door, he looked up and gave her a small smile. "Are you okay?"
She nodded as she walked over to the bed before sitting next to him. "I'm better. Thank you."
"For what?"
She took the book from his hands and placed it back on the table. "For what you said to my Dad—it meant a lot to me." Katniss placed a hand on her stomach. "To us."
"I meant every word," he told her simply. "You are all those things and more, Katniss."
Her chin trembled, and Peeta reached over to lift it, revealing the tears in her eyes. "Am I?"
"Yes, I'm not a liar—I just need you to believe in yourself and to believe in us."
"I do." Katniss crawled onto the bed, straddling him as she did. "Sometimes, it's scary to think about the way our lives have ended up. I never thought that I would be a mother…or engaged…or even in love." She met his eyes. "But here I am and I have no idea what the hell I was doing before then."
Katniss wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly, coaxing out his tongue to move languidly against hers. Her hands moved down to the hem of his shirt and she pulled it off quickly, her mouth suddenly on his neck to suck on his soft skin.
His mouth went to her ear and the vibration of his voice caused a spike of pleasure to hit her. She groaned at the way his voice deepened whenever he wanted her badly.
She met his eyes shyly. "I'm not good with words, so I think I'll just show you how I feel."
Peeta didn't need to go any further in asking before she began slowly undoing her shirt. Pushing it off her shoulders, Katniss revealed her nude form—her full breasts with the darkened, hard nipples and the smooth, full stomach that held their child.
Her mouth met his again and Peeta felt himself under the spell of her kiss—so teasing, always making him want more to the point of begging. She had no idea of her power, her effect over him. He found his head sinking into the pillow as her hands went to his wrists, entrapping them. Her clothed pelvis ran over his hard member and Peeta arched up at the sensation.
"Oh God…" There was something in the air, every touch seemed heightened, and each kiss made him want more—the heat was between them unbearable. "What are you doing to me?"
"Making love to you," she whispered as she bit his ear. "Isn't it obvious?" One of her hands began to push off his pajama bottoms and he arched up to help her along. "Eager, are we?"
"How can I not be? Look at you—you're beautiful."
"No—we're beautiful." She managed to push his pants and briefs off completely with a single hand. Now she was using the lone hand to take off her cotton panties. "Me and you and him or her—we're beautiful."
Katniss took him in her hand, guiding him to her soaking core before slowly sinking onto his aching cock.
His eyes widened at the sensation. There was something different about this time. It might have been the way she restrained him, her hands holding his wrists so that his arms were over his head. Or even the slow, sensual move of her hips as moved at a painfully slow but achingly pleasurable pace.
Or maybe it was the way she couldn't keep herself from staring into his eyes.
Katniss couldn't stop herself from looking at him as they made love—she wanted to memorize every look, promising herself to catalogue every move that made him moan a certain way; the way that made her ache somewhere deep inside.
"I love you," she whispered as she gazed down him and he pushed up pleadingly. Her core began to ache as he hit that secret spot inside of her. "I love you," Peeta moaned, his hips starting to move at a frantic pace. She felt her climax approaching; Katniss pushed down as his hips plunged up, her forehead pressing against his. "I love you…"
Peeta let out a desperate groan as he came. She watched him—the way his mouth twisted in the offset-circle as he cried out her name and how his pupils dilated as he filled her, his hips pushing up harshly. It was enough to have her coming suddenly, her insides squeezing his cock repeatedly as her orgasm took over her body.
She could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears as they began to come down from their high, ready to fall from the after-effects of their lovemaking. His hand found its way to her bare back as she moved off of him and curled up against him, enjoying the slow movement.
This time was definitely different.
It was her promise to him—her own vow that she would love him that way for the rest of their lives: quietly yet powerfully and always unrestrained.
They were surprised to find Haymitch waiting for them when they got to the hospital entrance. He seemed nervous, his hands in his pockets as he approached the family.
"Haymitch? Back again?" Katniss gave him a bright smile. "I know you're in love with Effie but this is laying it on pretty thick."
He gave her grim smile. "If only the stubborn woman would listen to me—" Haymitch looked over to Laurel and Prim, giving them each a friendly nod before walking over to shake their hands. "I'm Haymitch Abernathy—Peeta's godfather."
Laurel smiled as she took his hand. "I'm Laurel Everdeen. We've heard a lot about you, Mr. Abernathy— "
"—Haymitch, please. We're practically family now." He shook Prim's hand and then looked over at Katniss before smiling at the blonde. "Primrose, right?" The girl nodded. "You look nothing like her."
Prim gave her sister a teasing smile. "Thank God—those dark, mysterious looks only cause men to fall to their knees."
"Or at least one man to fall to his knees," the man quipped, laughter in his voice.
"So you want to tell us why you're here?" Peeta asked, exasperated.
"Let's go to the waiting room on Mr. Everdeen's floor first." Haymitch led them all in, and he looked over at the couple. "Now don't be mad."
"You're freaking us out," Peeta told the man as he took Katniss' hand. "Remember what Effie said about stressing Katniss out—"
"Hello!" Effie rushed over to them and looked over at Haymitch. "Did you tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Katniss asked as they reached the elevators. "One of you better say something."
The ding of the elevator door sounded and Haymitch ushered the group in. When the doors closed, he turned to them.
"I didn't mean to do it," Haymitch informed them suddenly. "It had been a long night—" He turned to Peeta. "—And you know that when your mother wants to know something…"
Peeta winced, realizing what Haymitch was telling him. "You didn't."
Katniss went over to the older man, her grey eyes blazing. "You're so lucky that you're in a hospital right now…"
"Honey, calm down," Laurel said calmly. "So he told Peeta's family, it's not a big deal—"
"The thing is Laurel—they're here." Haymitch fidgeted. "They're in the upstairs waiting room, actually."
"Does that mean Cal and Will are here, too?" Prim asked, her cheeks suddenly turning crimson. Haymitch nodded and she began to look through her purse. "Of all the days to not wear any makeup—"
"Priorities, please!" Katniss exclaimed before looking at Haymitch. "Why would you tell them to come?"
"I didn't!" Haymitch argued. "But Anna gets that look her eyes like she is going to rip your beating heart out from your chest!" Katniss glared at him. "It's similar to the way you're looking at me right now."
"Don't kill him," Effie said. "It takes too long to break another one in—" She looked over at Prim. "Are his brothers as hot as Johanna tells me?"
"Oh, good God, yes," Prim purred. "You practically need a cigarette after looking at them."
"Gross," Peeta responded. He took a calming breath, trying to get a handle on the situation. Finally, he turned to Laurel. "First, I'm sorry that this was sprung on you. I know this isn't an easy thing to be doing at the moment—"
"It's okay, son." Laurel laughed and touched his cheek affectionately. "I remember having to do this with Gabe's family."
Peeta turned to Katniss. "I promise to try and make this go as smoothly as possible."
She nodded seriously. "I will try not to lose my temper, but no one mentions anything about baby showers or my engagement ring." The door suddenly opened and Katniss turned to Haymitch, her feet halfway out the door. "Remind me to punch you in the nuts later."
"Is she really going to punch me in the nuts?" he asked Laurel.
She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Probably. Gird your loins, Haymitch."
Peeta joined hands with Katniss as they turned the corner and spotted his parents, along with Cal and Will, sitting in the waiting room.
The Mellarks stood up anxiously as they approached them.
Behind her, Katniss could hear her sister sighing along with Effie at seeing the Mellark brothers.
Will winked as Cal stuck his tongue out at her, trying to ease her obvious tension and she tightened her hold on Peeta's hand.
The Everdeens and the Mellarks were finally meeting.
This chapter starts at twenty-three weeks and ends at the twenty-fourth week of Katniss' pregnancy.
This has been a bit of a more serious chapter, but I did want to showcase this couple really trying to stick together through this tough situation.
The surgery is a real eye-opener for everyone. We'll definitely get a less groggy Mr. Everdeen next chapter.
If you're wondering how I know about bypass surgeries, it is because my Mom actually had a double bypass surgery when I was about Katniss' age and I was in charge of all medical decisions. I also got to know a lot of nurses in the ICU, not to mention my Mom was one, so I know a lot of ins and outs of hospital life both before and after surgery.
Preeclampsia occurs when there is a high amount of protein in the urine, which can essentially cause high-blood pressure. Of course, this is never good in any case and can cause pre-term labor. A symptom is abnormal swelling in the ankles, face, eyelids, etc.
A little bit of Hayffie in there for you—as you can clearly see, Effie holds the reins in this relationship.
Greetings, reviews, and feedback are always welcome on Tumblr, FF, and AO3!
Next: Twenty-Five Weeks—the meeting of the Everdeens and Mellarks continues, Mr. Everdeen's recovery, an Effie appointment, and wedding plans?
Until then, JLaLa