I am in 13's hospital, chained to a bed. I don't understand why. I find my mother and a nurse close by. My mother runs to my bedside her soft, healing hand touches my face.
"Darling, tell me what happened." She sits on the bed.
I search my mind and nothing jumps out, "Why am I here?"
My mom frowns, "Honey, you had an episode. You ran into the woods and thought you were in the games again. Peeta, Haymitch and Gale spent hours trying to find you. When they did you were convinced they were mutts and thought Peeta would kill you." She holds my hand.
I don't remember that at all, "Where's Peeta?"
"You can't have visitors right now. We don't know what set you off. I can't let you walk around with clear anxiety, post-traumatic stress problems and terrors. You need to stay here and heal."
I don't like what she has to say, "I had a fight with Gale, that's all I remember up until now."
"What about?" my mom presses.
"He said I have to go see Paylor. I won't do it. I will not talk to anyone who put me into the games. He didn't agree with me, and he started yelling."
My mom agrees to un-cuff me but only if I promise to rest. She watches me like a hawk when food comes around. She knows I have not had a meal since before I was in the cell. She makes me eat hearty meals and always has extra food if I get hungry between meals. She lets no one into my room for days, but herself and the nurses.
A new morning has dawned and they've discovered with enough sleep syrup I don't scream in my sleep anymore. No one believes that if Peeta was around me I wouldn't need the drug. My mom is on rounds checking other patients at the far end of the wing when Gale slips into my area.
"You can't be here!" I hiss at him.
He approaches my bed, "Katniss… let me say something."
"No Gale, you have to leave. You are the reason why I am here in isolation. You triggered my episode when you yelled at me. You have to get out of here before you cause me anymore pain!" I beg him.
My eyes flick to the door and I see Peeta holding his hand, with a nasty looking cut on it. He heard every word of my exchange with Gale. I see a fury in Peeta's eyes as he lunges for Gale. They scuffle on the floor in a flurry of fists and cuss words.
Peeta pins Gale to the floor and leans toward his face, "If you so much as ever raise your voice at her again I will see to it that you will never come back her."
Gale retaliates and lands a sickly punch on Peeta's face. I launch myself off of the bed and try to separate them.
"Peeta!" I yell, "Stop right now!"
It's useless as they both are set on destroying each other. I grab a hold of Peeta's shirt and tug with all my might. I feel a pair of arms whisk me away from the boys, I squirm and see it is Haymitch.
"Sit!" He tells me, it is not an option it's a command.
I sit on my bed and watch as Haymitch hauls Peeta off of Gale. My mother and a guard sprint into view.
"Boy you may love her, but you are a damn fool if you think walking in here and fighting with Gale will help her get better." Haymitch yells at Peeta.
Gale is hunched on the floor, a nurse trying to coax him to a bed. Peeta is escorted away from my bed and to a station where he can get stitched up. My mom is bustling around both of them up. I am still perched on the end of my bed, my hands shaking with adrenaline. Haymitch strides over to me, and frowns.
"Lay down sweetheart." He says, again it's not an option.
He pulls the covers over my legs and pushes my hair out of my eyes. I like this new Haymitch. He isn't the surly, drunk man anymore. He has sobered up, even in the light of the new alcohol distribution he has not turned to drinking. He is fatherly and kind to me, something I have been without in a long time.
He takes my hand in his, "Listen up. These terrors you're having are feeding off your inability to rationalize them. I let them consume me, I let them make me turn to drinking and let the anger get the best of me. You have time still, you need to fight them. Don't give up, because that boy over there loves you." He motions toward Peeta, "If you had remembered that when you thought he was a mutt you would have seen the anguish and tears on his face. I bet you mistook those for pity and disgust. You need to remember that no one is lying to you."
I nod and blink back tears, "You can cry. It's okay, sweetheart. Anyone who can survive 2 games and quell, have a given right to cry whenever they want." He hugs me tightly.
Peeta walks by and glances my way. Our eyes lock and I want nothing more than to be in his arms.
I wipe my eyes, and lay back into my pillows, "Haymitch, keep him out of trouble."
"I'll try, if you promise me one thing." He offers.
"When you are released, you are going to see Paylor." Haymitch said it again as if it is not an option, it a command.
I nod, and he nods in return, "Looks like we have a deal."