A/N: Hey guys! Just a little warning this is the second chapter I have posted tonight so don't get confused. If you have not read chapter 18 go back and read it! Thanks! Make sure you review!
I took one step out of my hospital room but was immediately stopped.
"Woah, woah!" Prim says. "Where are you headed?"
"Gale," I answer quickly. "He's back."
"No, Katniss," she says sternly. "He will come visit you after the medics look him over. You aren't well enough to leave the room yet."
"I am to well enough," I protest like a child. But the minute I stomp my foot I almost fall to the ground.
"See?" Prim gloats. "Come on. You need to lie back down."
Prim takes my arm and leads me back to my bed. She gives me some pills to help the pain in my head.
"I'm sure he's fine, Katniss," she answers when I ask if she has seen him yet.
"So you haven't seen him," I state.
She shakes her head, "No."
"I need to see him!" I exclaim.
"I know you do, Katniss. When the medics say that he is well enough I'm sure he will come running down here to see you," she replies.
It's two hours later when my door opens again. And the sight before me is bruised and beautiful. Gale.
He's still in his soldier uniform and he has a black eye.
"What happened?" I exclaim as I jump from my bed.
He walks to me and I fall in his arms. I take his face in my hands. "What happened?" I ask again.
"Boggs decided to give me the toughest pair," he replies. "Of course he didn't know that they were both from District One. They fought me until I finally convinced them to come with me. That's why I was the last one the hovercraft."
"My god! I'm so glad you're okay," I whisper and fall into his arms once again, my head on his chest.
"I was so worried," I whisper.
"What happened to you?" he asks. "Why are you still in here? Your mother told me, before I left, that you would only be in here for a couple of hours."
"Someone pushed me on the stairs on our way to The Underground. I have a concussion and some bruising on my back. Then when we lost the connection to you all I fainted. Mom made them bring me back here. She thought it was something with my concussion but it turned out to be you. But she doesn't know that I know that."
"Me?" he asks.
"I thought you were dead, Gale," I whisper. "I completely lost it."
He sighs, "Katniss, I will never leave you again. I promise!" He places his forehead to mine. And that's when I knew it was time. He deserved the words that I was about to say to him and it shouldn't have taken him almost dying for me to say them.
"Gale," I sigh. "Gale I lo-"
But I'm interrupted. The door swings open and my mother sprints into the room.
"Sorry if I interrupted! But I just thought you might want to know. Paige is on her way over here," she says, her voice breathy.
"Why?" I ask a little too forcefully.
She turns to Gale slowly. "She has something to tell you."
Just then Paige bursts into the room.
"Oh, Gale!" she exclaims dramatically. I roll my eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay."
She throws herself into his arms ignoring me completely. Her actions almost make me fall to the ground when she bumps into me to get to Gale. She looks up at him with huge eyes that are far from the innocent look that she is trying to portray.
"I need to tell you something," she says. "Gale. I'm pregnant."
I exchange a glance with my mother. The pain that is immanent in my heart at that moment must be written on my face as well. My mother crosses over to me, grabs my arm, and leads me to a chair.
"Are you sure?" Gale asks, his voice cracking.
It's my mother who replies with a sigh, "I examined her myself."
I look over at Gale and Paige, and find a smiling face and a horrified face.
"No! I mean are you sure it's mine?" he asks.
"How dare you! How dare you even consider that this baby is someone else's!" Paige explodes.
"Well is it?" I chime in. "Is it possible that it's someone else's?"
"No, of course not!" she replies.
"You're lying," Gale says calmly.
"What? No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are," I say. "Your eye is twitching and every time you say you're pregnant your voice cracks."
"That's not true!" her voice cracks and I snort.
"Oh! So you do that every time you lie," I state.
She just glares at me and I begin to nod slowly.
She sighs and turns to Gale. "It's Witt," she says.
Gale snorts. "How did I know that that was what you were going to say? Oh, I know! Because Witt is the only real friend I've made here. You always go after my friends."
"That's not true!" she exclaims, pleadingly.
"Oh, just cut the crap!" I yell.
She glares at me. "Glaring isn't gonna get you anywhere, hon," I say.
"You know," my mother says for the first time in a while. "I have an idea. It came to me when Gale said that Paige always goes after his friends. Katniss, will you please lift the back of your shirt."
I look at my mother strangely but stand and lift my shirt.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Paige huffs.
My mother looks over my shoulder at Paige and back to my back.
"Gale come here for a minute," my mother says.
Gale crosses the room and stands behind me by my mother. He gasps when he sees my back.
"Is that-" he begins.
"Yes," my mother replies. "Hand prints."
"Hand prints?" Paige exclaims. She crosses the room while saying, "There's no way! I didn't push her that hard!" Then she freezes when she realizes what she has just said.
My mother crosses over to her and grabs both of her wrists. She drags her to my backside and lightly places Paige's hands to the bruises on my back.
"A perfect match," Gale mutters.
"You little bitch!" I exclaim.
"I can promise you that I'm not the bitch here," Paige replies.
"Well you fuck like one," I retort.
"Okay!" Gale exclaims. He turns to Paige, "It's time for you to go."
"Why do I have to leave?" Paige yells.
"Uh, it's my room, dimwit!" I reply.
My mother sighs, "Come on, Paige. I'll escort you to your grandmother."
They walk to the door but before they exit Paige turns. "When this kid is born with all of your features, you won't be able ignore it or deny it then. This baby is yours. The sooner you accept it, the better."
"I guess we'll find out when it's born, then," Gale replies.
They leave.
"Witt?" I ask.
"The only half way decent person I've met while in District Thirteen," he replies.
I sigh, "I told you, Gale. I told you from the beginning that that girl was trouble."
"No, you didn't," he retorts. "You told me that you didn't like her. That you were jealous of her. Speaking of jealous, what was that you were about to say before your mother got here?" he grins.
"It's not important anymore," I snap. "I know that you know what I was going to tell you. But that was before you were a possible candidate for 'Soon to be Father'."
I sit down in the chair that I was sitting in before and kneels down in front of me.
"Katniss, please," he begs. "You were ready to say it. You actually felt it."
"I do feel it," I confirm in a whisper. "I need to lie down. My head hurts."
Gale sighs and takes my hands. He leads me over to my bed and helps me into the bed although I don't need the help. He climbs in beside me without my permission.
Wrapping his arms around me he whispers, "Please, Katniss. Just say it. I need to hear you say it."
My eyes are getting heavier and as my mind falls into blackness, I whisper, "I love you, Gale."