Chapter 2
A week later the nurses were talking in hushed whispers, wrongly thinking I couldn't hear, Clarence, the one in charge was saying "I don't think it's a good idea, it's hard enough to get him to talk as it is, and this last week he's barely said a word."
Julia, I like Julia, she's nice, she's the only one who doesn't treat me like I'm some useless broken thing, she replied "But Madge, it's helped her so much, and even Gale, it's a good silence, not just hiding from the world, more accepting, I think."
"Silence is bad, Nurse, silence means more time figuring out what he needs, and less treating patients."
This made me frown, wanting my voice; I said softly "Are you taking me to see Madge?" making Clarence jump slightly and turn around to look at me. "Mr. Hawthorne, it would be bad for your health."
I sat up in my bed and turned to get off it, "I'll go myself, then." I said, making Julia laugh quietly as the blood rushed to my head and I swayed momentarily. Rushing over to my bed, Clarence exclaimed "Lie down this instant!" I didn't bother to reply; just let my feet reach the floor and stood up shakily. Clarence tried to push me back into the bed "Mr. Hawthorne, I must insist." But I just pushed her hands away and started walking very slowly down the corridor. My years of hunting had given me a brilliant sense of direction, so it wasn't hard to find my way back to the room we had used last week. Stumbling through the door, I just managed to make it to the couch before I collapsed, grinning from ear to ear, "I did it!" Madge laughed and the two nurses standing around her chair looked at me in shock. "I told you he was coming, now, if you will leave us be." Madge dismissed them quickly.
When I'd caught my breath, I asked "What'd they tell you?"
"That you didn't want to come, but I knew you'd be back."
"And how did you know that?"
"You want to know my story, Man on Fire, even though I'm not going to tell you."
Smirking at her new name for me, I remembered something, a vague memory of the woods, a Sunday with Katniss, where she told me about Madge and the pin. "You think I'm intrigued, do you, Mockingjay?"
Smiling at the nickname, she shook her head. "I heard about their idea, they knew you could walk, silly, but you're too stubborn to do what they tell you."
"So these meetings were a snare. You should try it in the woods someday; you'd catch all the squirrels in a morning."
"I'm not all a gorgeous face and pretty dresses."
"Certainly not the dresses anymore."
"You think? Next week. We'll dress up. I'll show you my pretty dresses."
"It's a date."
Which made her laugh. "Oh, Mr. Hawthorne, you certainly know how to charm a girl." And she blew a kiss across the room.
"Only the Mockingjays with pretty dresses. Now, how about we make your ruse work even better?" And I stood back up and offered her my arm.
"Man on Fire, you are incorrigible! I doubt they'll let you near me next week, in case you take advantage of me!" But, never the less, she stood up and linked her arm with mine, before we walked out the door to the astonishment of the four nurses arrayed outside.
