Chapter Three: Influence

A/N: Thanks to RoryFaller and Belle 543 for their betas and all of their great suggestions. As always, thank you to Swishy Willow Wand for her brilliant initial idea.

Disclaimer: I do not own the HG trilogy or any of the characters created by Suzanne Collins, although I sure wish I did.

The word Influenza comes from the Italian language, meaning "influence" and refers to the cause of the disease; initially, this ascribed illness to unfavorable astrological influences. Changes in medical thought led to its modification to influenza del freddo, meaning "influence of the cold."

**LGIAS**

When Mona the Miserable actually WAS sick, it took cajoling from the entire staff of the medical center to get her to actually seek treatment. It was pneumonia that sent her packing, so severe that it scared even the professional hypochondriac. Mona resigned soon after she recovered, stating, "I can't be around all of those sick people." She was promptly hired for telephone triage at the Mental Health Hotline. Madge and the rest of the staff promptly removed that particular phone number from the list of community support services that they provided their patients.

Mona's replacement was a soft spoken, high strung man in his late forties named Tan. Before the war, Tan had been a motivational speaker who espoused something called "the power of positive thinking." What he lacked in charm and skill, he made up for in dogged determination and he still had a small group of devoted followers. Everyone had to have a job in D-13 and purveyor of positivity didn't quite cut it in the new government of Panem. Tan was assigned to the medical wing and he relished the challenge of "infusing optimism" in to such a "pessimistic space."

Madge didn't think that Tan looked like he could influence anyone to do anything, except maybe run away from him. Tan was an emaciated little man with bad breath and crooked, yellow teeth. Tan's pale, pasty face contrasted with his shock of curly, red hair and he was never without a tight, slightly insane looking smile. The man was constantly mumbling things like "I produce wonderful work" and "I radiate tranquility." "I know what I want," was his current favorite. Madge knew exactly what she wanted: a receptionist that didn't make her nuts.

It was the beginning of flu season and the medical center was THE place to be. "I am calm and in control," was Tan's newest mantra, but it didn't seem to be helping. Tranquil Tan was nowhere to be seen on this particular morning. It turned out that Tan didn't handle the fast-placed environment that was the front desk in the midst of flu season well and appeared on the verge of a complete and total nervous breakdown when Madge arrived for her shift. The fact that Tan was long past due for a haircut didn't help matters, as his hair took on a life of its own and Tan looked like a wild man. Madge was inspired to avoid the front desk at all costs. She grabbed her assignment and headed for her locker.

**LGIAS**

When Madge actually looked at her assignment, she groaned when she saw the name "Hawthorne, Vick."He was 12 years old, so he would most likely be accompanied by his eldest brother, as had his two siblings. She had not seen Gale Hawthorne since his last visit with Rory, and it wasn't for lack of trying.

Spurred by one of Tan's quotes of the day, ("If you do what you've always done, you always get what you have always gotten.") Madge had reached out to Gale with a note to thank him for comforting her on her father's birthday and his surprising gift of the silk ribbon. The ribbon touched her more than anything else and she thought of both her father and Gale when she fixed her hair each morning.

When she received no response to her note, she impulsively went to his office. It was a bold, forward move for Madge, totally out of character for the reserved young woman. Madge was crushed when she was told by another officer that Captain Hawthorne was far too busy to see her. The disgust in his voice told her that Gale really wasn't busy and that he thought Gale was an idiot. She left before the underling could get her phone number, which she suspected wouldn't be for Gale.

Madge wasn't exactly surprised when she heard nothing from him in the days following. Initially, she was hurt and angry. Now she was almost relieved. The last thing she needed in her life was a mass of contradictions like Gale Hawthorne. Madge didn't need any more chaos in her perfectly ordered world. Maybe she would let Phoebe set her up on a date with her brother, the cook. Madge briefly toyed with trading off the assignment to Juno, but decided against it. Madge Undersee was not a coward and she was going to face this head on. She would politely thank him and get on with doing her job.

To say that Madge was shocked when she saw that it was Hazelle Hawthorne who accompanied Vick that morning was an understatement.

"Honey, it's so good to see you," Hazelle gushed, as she enveloped Madge in a warm hug. Madge thought it felt like Heaven. "You've cast quite a spell over my children, my dear. Vick actually ASKED to come here to get his flu shot from you, instead of having it at school," she whispered in Madge's ear.

Madge momentarily struggled to construct a coherent sentence as she suddenly remembered the last time she had spoken to Hazelle. It was after Gale was whipped and Madge had delivered the morphling on the cold, winter night. Madge had told herself that she had done it for Katniss, because Gale was so important to her. Madge had told herself that she helped Gale because she was simply trying to right a wrong; the thought of a 16-year-old boy being punished for simply trying to feed his family didn't sit well with her. If she was totally honest with herself, there was more to it than that, although she wasn't sure what "something more" was. Hazelle had always been kind to Madge, even before the morphling and she never failed to give Madge an update on Gale's progress in those scary days after the whipping. Madge wasn't one to forget a kindness.

As Hazelle released Madge, Vick made his presence known. "Posy and Rory said you're nice and that you give good shots. If I gotta get one, I want it from you," he said. Vick left out how pretty they said she was, or that Rory said that Madge had actually made Gale smile. Making Gale smile these days was a miracle in and of itself.

Once again, Madge was gob smacked as she looked at her young patient. A 12-year-old boy asking to get a shot? That was unheard of. "Well, I try not to hurt anyone, Vick," Madge mumbled and she quickly looked at his chart. "It looks like you are caught up with all of your other shots, so all we have to do is the flu shot," she said. This would be a quick visit, because the supplies were already in the room. This made Madge sad.

Vick looked so much like Gale, minus the scowl. The similarities ended with their appearance, because Vick had a friendly, carefree air about him which Gale never possessed. He chatted easily as Madge asked him about school and how he was adjusting to life in D-13. Vick had inherited his mother's beautiful, ready smile and Madge instantly liked him.

"That's a pretty ribbon, Madge," Hazelle said. Madge was in the process of injecting Vick and she briefly paused. "Thank you," Madge said, in a voice that was stronger than she felt at the moment. Does she know it was from her son, Madge wondered.

**LGIAS**

"I think the person who gave it to you must care about you a great deal," Hazelle said. "Some people send out mixed messages because they are going through a rough time and they need us to be patient with them," she added mysteriously.

Hazelle Hawthorne was not a woman to interfere in other people's lives, but she was tired of watching her eldest son push everyone who cared about him away. Gale needed his family and he needed Madge, whether he would admit it or not. When Posy and Rory told her about Gale's interaction with Madge during their visits, her interest was piqued. When she found the note from Madge in the pocket of his jacket, she was encouraged. But when she heard Gale telling Rory that he refused to see Madge when she came to the barracks, Hazelle knew that she had to do something. "She doesn't need to get mixed up with the likes of me," Gale had said, when Hazelle broached the subject. "I'm no good to anyone right now," was the sentence that spurred his mother to action.

It was no accident that she made the appointment for Vick at the same time Gale was meeting with his counselor for the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He was working through his troubles and was making good progress. Hazelle wanted to encourage Madge to not give up on Gale. But how would she accomplish this without betraying his trust?

**LGIAS**

"Are there any chairs in this district that are NOT meant for children?" Gale groused, as he lowered his tall frame in to yet another too-small chair.

Dax Jefferson's aged face bore a bemused smile. "So I hear you saying that the chairs are too small? How do you feel about that, Gale?"

Gale glared at him, although his annoyance quickly faded when he realized that the counselor was teasing him. Jefferson was a retired fellow soldier and Gale grudgingly smiled at the old artilleryman. If he had to do these counseling sessions, Gale was glad it was with a guy like Jefferson.

"So what's on your mind, Gale?" Jefferson inquired. He found it best with Gale to let him start the sessions.

"I've been spending more time with my family lately, trying to get to know them again," Gale started. It has been rough. Initially, he lost his temper over the smallest things, but that got better once he stopped drinking and started sleeping better. His nightmares were still there, but they were less frequent. He wasn't on edge all of the time now that he was seeing the counselor and Gale had to admit that he felt better.

His mother, Posy and Vick were the most tolerant and forgiving. Gale knew that he still had a lot to make up for, but he was seeing real progress on that front. Posy and Vick saw Gale as a hero and Gale never wanted to let them down. Jefferson had made Gale realize that it was OK to be their brother and that he didn't have to be their father. Gale felt as if the weight of the world had been removed from his shoulders.

Rory, on the other hand, had been a challenge initially. Once Gale stopped trying to be Rory's father and started opening up to his younger brother, they became closer than ever. Rory was surprisingly intelligent for a knucklehead. They had bonded again over a tetanus shot and a girl from home.

"A young lady?" Jefferson's eyebrows rose. He could tell from Gale's body language that this wasn't just any girl. "Go on," he encouraged.

Gale tentatively told Jefferson about his visits to the medical center with Posy and then again with Rory. For once, Gale was unguarded and he just kept going. He told the counselor about how he comforted Madge, about the time he spent with Rory scouring the market area for the frivolous blue silk ribbon and about how good it felt to help someone else. Then he stopped.

"There's more, isn't there?" Jefferson probed. He knew that this would be a turning point for Gale. He was like an animal about to step in the snare, only this snare would save Gale's life, not end it. He just had to lead Gale a little bit further.

"She wrote me a note, saying how grateful she was," he started. "Then she came to my office to see me," he whispered. He told Jefferson how he froze, hiding in his office behind the paperwork. How he sent Leech out to send her away. "The miscreant probably got her phone number and a date with her," Gale laughed, bitterly.

Jefferson knew they were in uncharted territory now. "Why do you think you did that Gale?" he started. "If she came to your office, she obviously wanted to see you, not Leech. Why did you really send her away?" he asked.

"Because she's a nice girl and she deserves better than the likes of me! She's a nurse, she's a good person and I'm…not," he finished helplessly. His self-loathing was back in full force. "I'm a craven coward, a killer of women and children, a bitter and angry waste of space, a drunk," he spat.

Jefferson hadn't seen this Gale since the early days of their counseling sessions. He had to bring Gale back from this, or he would spiral into the darkness again. Jefferson had an idea, but it was risky. This was going to be a make or break moment in his therapy.

"Well, I can see why you wouldn't want to get involved with her," Jefferson started. "She's obviously unbalanced and incredibly unprofessional. I mean, what kind of a nurse brings her personal issues in to the examination room and forces them on her patients? And then showing up at your office? Sounds like a stalker to me. You probably should report her," he said with all of the indignation he could muster. "And Rory, what kind of an idiot steps on a rusty nail and doesn't have the sense to get it check out right away?" he continued, until Gale interrupted him.

Gale was stunned. "No. Wait! You're wrong—it wasn't like that at all," he sputtered. "Rory is just a kid, he's just 14. And Madge didn't do anything wrong, she was having a bad day, that's all. She had lost her father, did I tell you that? It would have been his birthday and the ribbon…" Gale faltered, as a ghost of a smile reached Jefferson's lips.

"I know that Gale and I don't think that a bad person would have even known all of that about someone he hadn't seen in several years," Jefferson said. "If you cut Rory some slack and even Madge, why can't you do the same for yourself?" he asked. "Let me ask you something. When you saw that this young woman was upset, why did you comfort her? Why didn't you collect your brother and just walk away? You don't have to answer me. I just think that there is something there for you and maybe for her too."

With that, the timer dinged and the session ended. "Think about what we talked about Gale. You deserve to be happy, but you have to get out of your own way first," Jefferson said as he shook Gale's hand.

**LGIAS**

It was Vick who asked Madge to give Gale a chance, not Hazelle. After he received his shot, Vick asked his mother to leave the room because he wanted to talk to the nurse "in private." Hazelle graciously left the room, casting a worried glance over her shoulder. Madge steeled herself for answering questions about masturbation or some other uncomfortable adolescent topic and prayed her own embarrassment wouldn't show.

"Look, my brother is an idiot," Vick started, as he launched in to his tirade. "I'm talking about Gale now, not Rory, but he's an idiot too. Gale's head isn't right after the war. He has nightmares and he's seeing a counselor. Gale says he did some bad stuff during the war, but he's trying to make things right again. He's a good person and he's my brother. He's my BIG brother, Madge. He needs a friend and I think he likes you-we all like you. I think you can help him be like he was before the war. Will you try and help my brother? Please?" he ended, breathlessly.

Madge was taken aback. Gale was suffering from post-traumatic stress? She knew she shouldn't be surprised, because so many of the soldiers returning home did. She thought of another one of Tan's quotations: "You will soon break the bow if you keep it always stretched." Gale had carried the burden of supporting his family since he was Vick's age, he was bound to have trauma. At least Gale was getting help, although she suspected it wasn't entirely voluntary. "Of course I'll be his friend, Vick," she said. "And I like all of you too," she whispered. "Now let's get you back out there to your mother," Madge said, as she collected Vick's folder.

"When you see Gale, will you tell him that I took it like a man and didn't flinch?" Vick asked, as they entered the waiting room. "Why don't you tell me yourself, Big Guy?" came a deep voice around the corner. It was Gale, who was sitting in the waiting room next to Hazelle. Gale immediately stood up and crossed the room to where Madge and Vick stood. "Good job, Vick. I'm proud of you," Gale told Vick, as he ruffled the boy's hair. Vick basked in the praise and winked at Madge. "Come on ma, I gotta get back to school," he said, as he dragged a shocked Hazelle away.

Gale then turned to Madge and said "Hello, Madge." Madge could only smile back at him as he took her small hands in his large, calloused ones. "I'm really sorry that I couldn't see you the other day and that I didn't contact you sooner. I'm an ass. Can you forgive me? If you don't already have plans, can I make it up to you with dinner tonight?" Madge nodded and she was suddenly struck by the clarity of his beautiful grey eyes.

It was Tan who answered for Madge, loud and clear, "She's done at 5:30—that's 1730 soldier—and don't be late." Tan then returned to his attempt to impart some order to the chaos that was the front desk, effectively ignoring the curious stares he received.

"I'll see you then, Madge," Gale said, as he kissed each hand gently before leaving.

As Madge floated over away from the front desk with her next assignment, she felt the collective stare of the entire office staff. "What? He's a friend from home," she said, hoping that her face wasn't entirely crimson at this point.

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