A/N: Thanks to Allikirby2!!!
(16)
The screams seep into my ears and consume my entire brain capacity. All thoughts of my escape plan are covered by the continuous call of "Katniss!" My eyes flash open and search for light. The only source is coming from the small crack under the door. I don't dare turn on the light in the closet, but I do risk opening the door slightly to get a peak of the commotion that is going on right outside.
I don't see anyone, but by the volume of the voices, I guess that my pursuers are near. I recognize the voice of Finnick. It is nice to hear him again. For a second, I almost let my thoughts wander, but then I catch myself and channel them back to my plan.
I wait for a few minutes and the voices grow more distant. Very carefully, I open the door and pear out both sides. The hallway is empty. I bite my tongue and suffer another contraction. All through the night I've been having really bad stomach pains. After each one I managed to fall asleep again, but they really made the night miserable. I realize I should be timing how close they are together, but I really don't want to bother. My baby will come when it's ready.
They rescue squad is not entering the arena until four in the afternoon, so the first thing I do is find a clock. It's six in the morning now. "Katniss?" I hear from just around the corner. I know that it's my father. I slip into the nearest room and lock the door from the inside. The room is empty, but I see that it has been used within the past few hours. I slowly walk over to a table in the center of the room and examine the plans that have been carelessly left scattered over the tabletop.
My heart starts beating quickly when I note that they are codes for things to happen in the arena. These papers must belong to Beetee or Plutarch. I'm afraid their owner is near, so I wait a minute before leaving the room the same way I came. It's such a relief my father is gone.
"Ah, there you are," a voice says from the end of the hallway.
My heart sinks. I've been caught. I turn around to face a very tall, skinny woman with curly black hair and jet black eyes. They pierce me in a strange way.
"Katniss," she smiles and motions me over to her. Do I really have any choice but to follow her?
"Who are you?" I ask.
"Jezarra Jutlet," she extends her hand for me to shake it.
"Jezarra?" I repeat to make sure I have the pronunciation correct.
"Yes. Now, you're trying to get into the arena, aren't you?" Jezarra questions.
I shouldn't lie, "Yeah. I am."
"So you can see Peeta and Prim, right?"
"Yep," I exhale.
"You do realize that you are extremely pregnant, right?"
"Um, yes…"
"And you understand that you could give birth in a few hours if you're having contractions right now?"
"How'd you know I was having contractions?" This lady seems like she knows everything.
"I have six children," she replies, "so I can tell when someone winces, the way you just did now, that they are having contractions."
"Ok," I raise my eyebrow at her.
"And you still want to go into the arena?" she returns my glance.
I nod.
"Be my guest," she says, laughing at me. "You're such a brave girl."
"I know," I can't believe she's just going to let me go.
"You want me to let you in now?"
Now this gets my attention. Didn't she get some kind of rule to keep me on the hovercraft?
"Who are you?" I ask again.
"I already said. I'm Jezarra Jutlet."
"Yes, but who are you?"
"I'm the hovercraft's main doctor."
"And you're just going to set me loose into an arena where the Gamemakers can unleash anything and kill me in an instant while I'm hours away from birth?" The idea is improbable.
"I'm also a psychologist," she touches my shoulder. "Now come on. Let's get this baby born."
Reverse psychology. What she's just done may actually save my life.
I follow her into the hospital wing and she lies me down on a bed. Other doctors surround me and try to say things but I don't really listen. At first, it isn't so bad, but then the contractions get closer together and more powerful. Jezarra holds my hand for awhile before I begin to give birth. It's the scariest feeling in the world. The only thing I can say is that the pain is unreal.
"Come on, Katniss, you can do it!" Jezarra keeps yelling at me. She's telling me to breathe in and breathe out. So all I do is concentrate on my breathing. In… out… in… out. It continues on like this for what seems like hours.
And then, it's over.
I lay my head back on the pillow and Jezarra says with jubilee, "Katniss!"
I moan in response.
First, I hear the cry. The sound of a newborn baby. A wail I thought I'd never hear. The joy of it is that it's my baby. My very own. Next, Jezarra announces, "It's a girl!"
I feel my heart miss two beats. "A girl?" I manage. "Lemme see 'er!" I put out my arms.
Jezarra carefully hands me my sweet baby girl. "Oh my goodness," I whisper. I take note of all her features. She has one wisp of black hair on the top of her head and Peeta's dazzling blue eyes. Her face looks just like his. Their noses are the same shape and size in proportion. Their eyes are the same shape. Their mouths are also identical in shape. The one thing that represents me is her hair. Maybe her ears are like mine, too. I stare at Peeta's female replica thinking about the miracle of her birth. Holding her gives me a sense of warmth, in fact, I almost forget the pain. Then, it sinks back in as Jezarra takes my daughter away.
"You have a name for her?" Jezarra gives me a warm smile.
"No," I quiver, "I want Peeta's opinion."
"Oh, alright," Jezarra's smile fades.
"When are they coming?"
"Well, the rescue crew just went into the arena," she starts to wrap my baby in warm clothes.
"Are they still broadcasting the Games?" I wonder aloud.
"No. Plutarch shut off the cameras," she finishes my daughter's bundle and hands her back to me. The warm feeling of security returns.
For awhile I just stare at her, trying to think of what to call her. Then, there is a loud noise over the hovercraft intercom. "One tribute has been secured. I repeat: one tribute has been secured."
"Who is it?" I ask, touching my baby's face.
"You want to find out?" Jezarra turns to go get something.
"Yes, please," I say, calling out in her direction.
"Alright, come on," Jezarra brings in a wheelchair and she helps me into it. It takes so much effort just to move. I cradle my daughter in my arms.
She wheels me around for awhile and the hovercraft intercom returns. "Two tributes have been secured."
Jezarra finally comes to a hallway where the "secured" tributes are. It's Annie and Effie. Both are filthy so Jezarra makes sure they stay ten feet away from my baby.
"Oh my goodness, Katniss. You're alive? And you have a baby?" Effie squeals and jumps around. "I've never been happier!"
Sometimes I can't believe Effie. She just got out of a dangerous arena and she's covered in dirt. Plus I bet she still has some pretty bad burns. But somehow, this is the happiest she's ever been.
Annie looks from my feet to my face, inspecting me for the first time. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you Miss Everdeen."
"Mrs. Mellark," I correct her.
"Uh, yeah, Mrs. Mellark," she looks away from me.
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Cresta," I give her a funny smile.
"Well if you want to get technical with me and the last name situation, I should be Mrs. O'Dair. But I don't really care enough to correct you," she shifts from foot to foot.
"How'd you get here?" I ask Effie who is taking off her shoes.
"Your cousin helped us in," she winks at me. "Can I get cleaned?" Effie asks Jezarra.
"Be my guest. The bathroom is over there. Go take a shower," she points down the hall.
"Thank you," Effie awkwardly walks over to the bathroom.
The three of us wait quietly. I hear water start to hiss as Effie turns on the shower. Then, the door to the outside of the hovercraft opens and Johanna and Morrison come in accompanied by my father.
At first, they look all happy to be saved. Morrison is carrying Johanna in his arms. Then, she spots me and screams, "Katniss! Oh my God!"
Morrison puts her down and Johanna comes running to me. Jezarra cuts her off explaining about the baby. Morrison just stares at me, taking in the fact that I'm alive. My father looks alarmed for a minute about me being on the hovercraft and he only gets a small peak at his grandchild before he disappears out of the hovercraft again.
Johanna seems to have changed a little bit. I suspect Morrison has done it to her. Somehow, his quiet and moody ways have brought out the life in her. She says my baby is beautiful. Morrison steps up behind Johanna and says his first words to me, "So this is why Peeta's so fat."
I raise my eyebrows and say, "Fat? Peeta's not fat."
"Sympathetic pregnancy weight," Morrison says with intelligence.
"Uh, Morrison, you idiot! The father has to be with the mother during the pregnancy to gain weight. He sees her eating more, so he does the same. Peeta just wouldn't gain weight randomly because Katniss did!" Johanna rolls her eyes at him.
"Oh," he frowns at me. "I know you don't know me," Morrison says, "but I know a lot about you. For the past ten years, I've heard nothing but 'Katniss, Katniss, Katniss' from my brother. It's actually sorta of obnoxious that I know your ears aren't pierced."
"How'd you know that?" I ask him.
"Peeta said in 8th Grade that all the girls in his class wore earrings for picture day except for you. He said that he thought you were more beautiful than all the other girls anyway. You didn't need earrings to make you look pretty," Morrison recollects.
"Really?" a small tear forms at the bottom of my eye.
"Yeah, and he-"Morrison is cut off by the door opening.
Coming in through the doorway is Cinna and Finnick. When Annie sees Finnick, she screams and runs for him. They call out each other's names and when they meet, it's rather disgusting to watch their interaction. I look away to give them some privacy. Johanna and Jezarra do the same, but Morrison watches and yells at them, "For goodness sakes, get a room!" Finnick and Annie do just that. They run away from the group and Morrison rolls his eyes at them. Cinna shakes off this awkward experience and steps around Morrison, who was blocking his view of me.
"Katniss?" Cinna sees me and can't believe his eyes. "Oh my goodness, it's you!" The flecks of gold in his eyes twinkle.
"Cinna!" I call out to him, "I'm so glad you're alright." I wish I could give him a hug. Just then the continuous hiss of water stops. Effie is finished with her shower. Johanna mumbles something about taking a shower and leaves for the bathroom.
"I thought you had died," he lowers his voice.
"No," I smile and show him my baby.
Another announcement is made and the door opens. Haymitch leads in Prim. When I see the joy in the face of my sister, her blond hair rippling as she runs toward me, I lose all my worries.
Jezarra takes my baby and lets Prim hug me. I hold her face in my hands and kiss her forehead, hugging her to no end. "Katniss," she whispers. "I thought…"
"Yeah, I know. You thought I was dead," I say.
"I did," she starts to cry.
"You thought dad was dead too," I wrap my arms around her back and pat it.
"Dad is dead," she chokes on her words.
I stop patting her and hold her out at arm's distance. I look her in the eyes with a smile and say, "No, he's not."
"What?!" she yells.
"He escaped to District 13," I explain.
She lets go of me and jumps for joy. "Really?"
"Yes," I can't stop smiling. Maybe what Leanore said was right. Maybe everything will be alright.
"Whose baby is that?" she points to my daughter.
"Peeta's and mine," I say.
"What?!" she yells again.
"Yes. I'm waiting for him to come so I can name her. Now go wash up and you can hold her," I shoo her into the bathroom and she runs to quickly wash her hands.
Then I hear Haymitch's voice call out to someone outside the hovercraft, "Come on, lover boy. We don't have all day."
Lover boy. Peeta steps on the hovercraft. Everyone backs out of the path between us. He sees me.
I can't describe what it feels like to hear him call my name, to see him go through the process of not understanding to processing I'm alive, to feel him hold me again. He puts his arms around me and we kiss for the first time in forever. The feeling starts at my lips and searches all the way down to my toes. It's like a fire. It spreads rapidly, destroying all other emotions but happiness. It engulfs my soul. He stops kissing me and asks, "How the heck did you gain forty thousand pounds?"
"First," our noses touch, "kiss me like that again." He does as I ask. "Now, look up to your right."
He looks up and sees the baby. The pieces begin to fit together, but incorrectly. "You and Gale? Seriously?"
"Peeta, seriously? You think that's Gale's daughter?" I kiss him again.
He looks at the baby for a second time and notes her features.
He pauses for a long moment then looks back at me. "That's… our daughter?"
I nod.
For a moment, he just stares into the distance and then he looks back at me. "Katniss… this is… this is great!"
He kisses me one more time. "Can I hold her?"
"Go wash your hands," I reply.
He gives me the warmest smile possible and heads to the bathroom at the same time that Prim is coming out.
"Katniss, she's the most beautiful baby in the world," Prim sticks her finger in my daughter's mouth.
"Thank you," I smile at her.
Gale comes into the hovercraft and takes a look at my baby. "Very nice," she says.
Haymitch is the next back. My father shortly follows. "We have to leave," he runs toward another part of the hovercraft and Haymitch goes after him.
"Leave?" I ask. "Mr. Mellark isn't here yet."
Gale gives me one of his looks, "I'm sorry, Katniss. He didn't make it."
"Oh," part of my happiness diminishes.
Morrison seems too shocked to say anything. He disappears into another room.
When Peeta returns, he takes the baby from Prim and touches her face. "You haven't named her, right?"
"No, I wanted to save that for us to decide," I say as he hands her back to me.
"I don't want you to think that I thought about this too much, but when I told the world that we were having a baby, I thought of names just in case I had to say something in public," he says. "Every one of us rebelled in some way. Haymitch rebelled by using part of the Games to win. Cinna rebelled by making that mockingjay dress for you. You rebelled, of course, by threatening to eat those berries. So I thought of a way I could rebel. Our daughter's name can have a meaning."
"What do you think of the name Revelyn?" he asks me.
"What does it mean?" I look into his eyes.
"Rebellion."
"Then that's just perfect," I take my daughter from him.
"Revelyn Rue Mellark," he says, kissing my head.