Chapter 28
(Madge POV)
It hits me with a rush. So much so it leaves my head aching and my heart weeping with joy. One moment we're just sitting here talking and the next, Gale's holding out my book and everything comes flooding back to me. Literally, everything. All the memories, all the forgotten moments. I close my eyes because it doesn't feel real to me and it's almost overwhelming. It's my book. The one I lent to Rory before I left for the games. The one that Gale found a quote in that he sent to me the night before the games began. Tears of happiness flood from my eyes and before I can open them again, Gale's hands fold around my arms and his lips cover mine. This kiss is so much more than just a kiss. It holds all the things that were missing, all the emotion, all the love that was temporarily forgotten.
"You remember." He breathes against my lips. "You remember."
I nod rapidly as the happiest of tears keep flowing down my cheeks. "Yes."
His lips press urgent kisses all over my face and his hands never release me from his grasp. When his face pulls back again, I see tears glistening in his own grey eyes.
"I don't know what happened. It was just…it was like all of a sudden…everything…it just hit me all at once. Like it was never gone. As if I'd never forgotten." I try to explain through the tears and the kisses.
"All of it? It's all back?" He asks, hope resonating in his voice and on his face.
"Everything." I tell him.
He holds me tightly against his chest and buries his face in my hair. "Oh my God. I've been waiting so long for this. Wanted you to have your memories back for so long now. It's almost too good to believe."
"It's real. Believe it. It's just like Ren said it might happen. An ordinary moment and then wham, everything gets woken up and all makes sense again." I gush.
We stare at one another, our faces mere inches apart, as we take in this moment. Both of us have waited for it. Longed for it. Prayed for it to come. And now, it's here. Everything has come full circle and we're both slightly at a loss as to what to think or say about it. I reach down to the book and flip through the pages until I find the quote Gale sent me. I dog-ear the corner of the page so I can always flip right to it. It'll always be my favorite.
"I never even thought that the book would bring back your memory. I just knew it was yours and wanted you to have it back."
"Where on earth did you find it?"
"Katniss had it in her room when I went to visit her tonight. She'd gotten it from Peeta who had borrowed it from Rory. And I have no clue how Rory managed to get it here to 13. Must've had it on him or something when we arrived and they let him keep it or something."
"You were with Katniss? I thought you'd been at work." I ask in confusion.
"No, I was at work but then I wasn't sure about some stuff and went to see Katniss before I came home."
"What stuff?" I ask as a feeling of dread begins to overtake my happiness.
"About a mission that's coming up. I wasn't sure if I should tell you about it yet because it's not fully developed and I didn't want to get your hopes up just in case something changes."
"What mission?"
"The one that could very well save your family. All of them. Your father, you mother, even Mabel. We're going to try and rescue them and bring them back here to 13."
"Alive?" I ask, stunned as I try to process what he just said. They're going to try and rescue my family? Hours earlier there was a plan in place to end my father's life and now they're trying to save him?
Gale smiles a little at my question. "Yeah, alive. It's a longshot, just as your rescue was and things might still not work out the way we want so try not to get your hopes up too high just yet, okay?" He says gently as his fingertips trail alongside my cheek.
"How? How are you going to manage that? I thought it was impossible to get to my father?"
"We found a loop hole sort of. Something we can try that gets us a tiny window of opportunity to grab him. We're going for it. We think we can do it. I think we can do it."
"And my mother and Mabel? You're getting them too?"
"Mmhmmm. There will be three simultaneous rescue missions occurring. One for each of them."
"Are you working one of them? You are aren't you?"
"I'm working on your father's rescue. Don't know what exactly my role is yet though. I may be here and I may be actually out there when we bring him in."
"You want to be there for it, don't you? That's what you've asked for?" I ask him even though I know him well enough to know what the answer is without having to ask the question.
"Yeah. I wanna be there. Want to help bring him home for you. Haymitch hasn't said yes yet though."
"It's not really safe to have you out there in the Capitol. What if someone sees you?"
"I know you're worried and I understand the risks are extra high when I get involved but I can't not be a part of this."
"I'd like to come to work with you tomorrow. I want to hear the details of the rescue plans firsthand. Can you arrange that for me?" I tell him. I have no idea if they'll let me come down there and be a part of the planning or not. Everything is so top secret when it comes to that part of 13. But if Gale's determined to do this mission, then I want to know every sorted detail of the plan.
"I'll talk to Haymitch. See what he says about it. It'll be his call, not mine. But Madge, you did hear what I said about not getting your hopes up? It's hard, I know, but it's really important that you try, okay?"
"I heard you and I'm fine. I just want to come down and hear details is all. And you never know, maybe I can be of some help with the planning."
"We'll leave it up to Haymitch but even if he lets you listen in on the planning under no circumstances are you helping out with this mission. It's way too dangerous for you to be a part of it."
"Gale, I'm only asking to come watch and listen. Nothing more, okay?"
"Okay. Just checking." He says leaning in and quickly kissing me.
"You should probably get some sleep. Bet you have a long day tomorrow and it's already really, really late." I tell him as I rest my forehead against his.
"Yeah. Probably so. Hard to think about sleeping right now though." He whispers back.
"Why's that?"
"Because you're so distracting." He says as he lays back on the bed, pulling me with him as his lips close in on mine.
"So this is my fault?" I tease as he continues kissing down my neck.
"Completely." He teases back, his voice muffled by my hair. His hands pulling my nightshirt upward. I slip out of it and toss it aside. His hands pull me against him and he rolls us so that he's over me, staring down at me.
"I can't believe I have you back. All of you now. Every part of you."
"I was always yours, even the parts that couldn't remember for awhile." I whisper back to him just before we come together, consumed with need for one another. To be together, to feel whole again.
(Gale POV)
My fingers intertwine with hers as we lay entangled with one another beneath the blanket of our bed. To have her back with me, really, fully, one hundred percent cognitively with me, it's almost overwhelming and it feels more incredible than I ever imagined it would. She really, truly remembers us now. Every second we've had together, every thought she ever had, its all there.
"You should really get some sleep my love." I whisper when I realize that her eyes are still open and she's still awake.
"I'm scared to fall asleep." She whispers. "What if it goes away again? What if I wake up and it's all forgotten again?"
I pull back so I can look directly at her. There's a look of fear or panic or something of the both covering her face. "Hey, don't be scared about that." I tell her aloud, but in my head the same fear is now beginning to grow. What if she's right? What if this was a fluke thing and she goes to sleep with a perfectly functioning mind only to awake tomorrow with missing pieces again?
"I don't want that to happen again. I never want to feel that lost again, Gale. Never." She tells me, her chin quivering as tears begin to pool in the corners of her eyes.
"Well, here's what we do then. We get up and get dressed and we go down to Medical and have them check you out first." I say as I climb out of bed and start gathering our clothing from the floor.
"But it's the middle of the night." She protests.
"So what? You think those doctors of yours haven't been waiting on pins and needles for this moment? They'll be nearly as happy as we are that your memory's returned. Now c'mon, get dressed." I say as I toss her a pair of pants and top.
"But what if…" She begins.
"Madge stop it. We're going down there and that's all there is to it. I suggest you put some clothes on before I'm forced to drag you down there naked." I teasingly order her.
She scowls at me but climbs out of bed and begins dressing in the clothes I gave her. As we walk down to the Medical Center, we're quiet and I think it's from exhaustion, overwhelming emotion and the fear that it's all too good to be true. Too good to last.
I squeeze her hand, trying to reassure her but inside I recognize those same fears. Because if there's anything I've come to learn over the years, it's that when things are just as you want them, they never stay that way for very long. It's a cynical way of thought but a thought nonetheless. Hopefully, Madge's doctors will be able to put all our thoughts and fears to rest on the subject.
It's quiet in the Medical Center and the woman working the front desk seems surprised to see us.
"May I help you?" She asks, peering over her glasses at us.
"Yes'mam. This is Madge Hawthorne. She's a patient of Dr. Castellion and needs to speak with him right away." I explain.
"I'm afraid Dr. Castellion won't be in for several more hours. Is this an emergency? If so, you could speak with one of our doctors currently on duty."
"No, it needs to be Dr. Castellion. If you'll send for him, I'm certain he'll want to see her immediately." I insist. I know that Madge only wants her own doctor to reassure her right now. Someone who really knows her case. This night worker couldn't possibly understand that.
"If it's not an emergency, perhaps you could come back in the morning to meet with him when he's on duty?" She replies with reluctance.
"Mam, I'm from the Defense Department and I'm insisting you send for Dr. Castellion now, please." I tell her as I wave my badge in front of her.
She gives me a look but picks up her phone and murmurs into it, having a quiet conversation with whoever is on the other end of the line. When she hangs up the phone, she quietly clears her throat and then stands.
"Follow me." She says and leads us to an exam room.
"Dr. Castellion will be with you shortly." She says as she leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.
Once she's gone, Madge turns to me a gives me a look. "You shouldn't have done that Gale. This isn't official business."
"It's official to me." I shrug.
She gives me a look and I just shake my head at her. "Relax, would you? It's fine." I tell her as I pull her to sit down on my lap.
We don't wait long before a very tired looking Dr. Castellion and several of his staff appear before us, curiosity sparked by the middle of the night awakening.
"Mrs. Hawthorne, what seems to be the problem?"
"I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed you in the middle of the night and I do appreciate you coming down right away. My memory came back tonight and I just...I mean, it's silly but I wanted you to check me out before I fell asleep again just in case it disappears again." Madge explains apologetically.
"Your memory is back in its entirety?" He asks her, his eyes looking much more awake now.
"Yes. It came back suddenly and all at once. Just a little while ago."
"Well this is excellent progress Mrs. Hawthorne. And you made the right decision in coming to see me right away. I'd like to conduct a full exam and evaluation. Your case is one of much value to the medical profession and I think it's important that we document everything."
"You want to do the evaluation right away?"
"Yes, I think it's important. Shouldn't take more than a few hours and then we'll have you back home for some much needed rest."
"Gale, this is going to take awhile. Maybe you should go on home and go back to bed. You have work in the morning and there won't be anything for you to do here while they document everything."
"I don't mind waiting for you." I tell her.
She shakes her head. "I know but it's not necessary. You need to be rested for tomorrow. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay." I tell her, kissing her forehead and then her lips. "I love you."
"Love you too." She tells me with a smile that melts my heart.
I leave and head back home to get some sleep. I only have a few hours until I need to be back at work and I'm completely exhausted. I let myself fall face first into our bed and I'm asleep before my face even hits the pillow I think. When I wake up, it's from someone pounding at my door. I stumble out of bed and open the door to find one very serious looking Haymitch waiting for me.
"Sorry to wake ya kiddo but I need ya to come with me right away."
I glance at the clock and it's still half an hour before I was supposed to wake up so I haven't overslept or anything. "Something going on?" I ask in alarm.
"I'm sending you out on a mission and it's gotta happen right now."
"What?" I ask in astonishment as I hurry alongside him down to the elevator.
"Rescue mission to 12 to check for survivors. We've got an unexpected window and we have to move now. You know those woods around 12 like the back of your hand so it has to be you." He explains once we're alone in the elevator and on our way to Defense.
"I can't go anywhere without talking to Madge." I tell him.
"You have to kid. We received word that satellites were down temporarily because of some storm they had near 12. It's our chance to fly a craft in there and rescue anyone who's managed to hang on waiting for us. We don't have time for you to go clear things with the Mrs."
"No, you don't understand. I'll go, it's fine. But I have to talk to her. I have to say goodbye to her first."
"You got mud in those ears of yours kid? Are you not hearing me? The time to move is now." He barks at me as we enter the Defense Department where a whole team of people are waiting for me.
I freeze in my tracks. There is absolutely no way I'm leaving without talking to Madge. She has to know where I'm at and what I'm doing.
"Look, I'll send for her. I'll let her sit and listen in from the Communications Bay so she knows what's going on but in the meantime, I need you to move your ass!"
My mind is all over the place as I feel myself getting shuffled towards the loading dock where a hovercraft is already waiting. This is so much to take in at once.
"You'll have to get dressed during flight. No time for it now." A man says as he shoves an armload of gear at me.
"Your Pilot and Communicator are already aboard doing their preflight work. We don't have time for me to say this twice so listen up. When you land you'll be in the woods just outside of 12. It's the only place where we believe there may still be survivors. You are to search the surrounding area of the woods only. Do not for any reason go into the actual district. Wear all of the protective gear, even if you think you don't need it."
I nod and taking in his instructions before adding "She's in the Medical Center. You'll go get her and keep her in the Communication Bay the whole time, right?"
"I'll send for her right now. Make sure she knows how much of a stink you threw up about leaving without seeing her first." He says with an annoyed huff. He understands, but he's no less annoyed with me right now.
I climb aboard the craft and start pulling on my gear as I hear door close behind me and the engine roar to life. I swallow down the guilt I feel about not saying goodbye to Madge because I can't think about it right now. Right now, I just need to get geared up and get my mind ready to complete this mission. I feel us begin to move and the communicator hands me a headset.
"Haymitch wants to give you more instructions." He says before turning back to his control panel.
I slip the headset on and instantly hear Haymitch's voice crackle in my ears. "Hawthorne? You there?"
"Yeah, go ahead with instruction."
"You'll have about an hour to search the ground for survivors. Don't take extra time down there because truth is we just don't have it to spend. Cover what ground you can in that time. Our intelligence tells us that there's a only a slim chance you'll find anyone still alive. At best your craft can bring back 50 but there's no way you'll find that many so don't worry about that. Be prepared to find remains but leave them be if you do. We don't have medical on your craft because there just wasn't time to round them up. If you need it, there's a first aid kit aboard that you'll have to make do with until you can get back here and Medical can take over. All said, you should be back home, mission completed within a few hours."
"Understood. Did you send for Madge yet? Is she on her way?"
"Princess is on her way."
Relief washes over me. "Thanks, I appreciate that." I hand the headset back over to the Communications guy and finish gearing up.
Now that I know Madge has been sent for I need to really focus on the task at hand. I can do this. I know those woods through and through. If there's anyone out there still hanging on, waiting to be rescued, I'll find them. I'll find them and bring them back to safety. And then I can get back to work on getting Madge's family back for her. I can do this.
A/N: I love, love, loved all your messages and reviews with excitement over the return of Madge's memory! Thanks so much for the enthusiasm you guys!