My mom has grounded me from the internet so I should be able to get something done. Well, hearing all of your guesses about what the heck is happening is very interesting. Although I'd have to say no one has got it right so far. But there was one guess that was so completely AWESOME that I juuust might go with that instead of my original idea. If that's okay with her, of course. But never mind. Chapter 76!
I was halfway to the hospital, when Peeta fell in step at my side, startling me. "Where are you going? What happened in there? Katniss…?"
I gritted my teeth and kept walking in the direction of the hospital. "My mother lied to me and Primrose is being overemotional. I'm getting surgery."
Peeta stifled laughter. "And that is going to fix things?"
"Why are you acting so giddy?" I snapped, glaring at him. "This is a very stressful point in my life and you are making cracks at my needed surgery."
"I'm sorry." Peeta amended and wound his fingers through mine. "You told your family what happened and not me."
"You're my family." I mumbled, unsure whether it was a good thing to tell Peeta what happened.
"So what happened?"
Fighting back anger and frustration the whole way, I gave Peeta a rough version of what happened there in my room. Gale's funeral and my family's opinion of Alexis. Peeta kept hold of my hand, gazing in front of him as we walked.
To my disappointment, the end of my rant I began crying. Not exactly horrible emotional crying, but just dry sobs. "I am only going to the hospital to get my mind off things. Maybe the doctors will give me extra-strong drugs for the surgery so I won't have to be worrying about anything."
Peeta stop walking, and surprised me by pulling me into his chest, locking his arms around me gently. After only a second of hesitation, I allowed him to hold me as tightly as my hurt arm would allow it.
Most of the times Peeta has hugged me, it wasn't really personal; it didn't mean anything. He was upset, I was upset, and he put his arms around me. This time, it seemed like more. I was seriously hurting, and Peeta was visibly worried. Not worried like "I think you have a fever" but the kind of worried almost as if…he was worried for my life. And I was right.
"Katniss, no matter how stressful and horrible things get for you, please…" His face contorted against my hair. "Please don't ever think about ending you life. Promise me."
So that was it. Peeta was worried I would commit suicide or something. But the horrible thing was that the thought actually crossed my mind once before. I felt awful. "I promise."
We stood for a second more, my body folded into Peeta's arms. When we broke apart, Peeta took me by the shoulders. "Do you think we should go back and get your mother and Prim? They should be there with you during your surgery."
"Good idea." I wanted to make it up to them, for my puerile behavior. Letting them be with me during my surgery wasn't very good for making up to people, but it was a start.
My mother and Prim seemed to forgive me easier than I forgave myself. Of course, Primrose was still upset about the whole deal with Alexis, but she didn't bring it up at all. We walked together to the hospital in silence.
When we checked in at the front desk, the receptionist frowned at me. "A bit late, aren't you, Ms. Mellark? That's okay. Nurse Baron will escort you to the day surgery ward."
A dark skinned man materialized directly in front of us. "Please follow me." And he spun around, leaving me, Peeta, Mother, and Prim jogging after him.
The last time I had been to the day surgery ward I was on heavy drugs. But now that I was conscious and aware, it was slightly more daunting. After signing in a second time at the desk, we were all led to a room for preparation. My family (including Peeta) jammed into the corner to give more room to me and the nurse.
"You will need to take all of your clothes off, and cover yourself on this bed." Nurse Baron instructed me. "After that is done, we will sterilize your arm put an IV in your arm. We'll wheel you into the operation room. There you will switch beds and have anesthesia put into you and you will sleep." After he was done addressing me, he turned to my Mother, Peeta, and Primrose. "I am afraid you will need to return to the waiting room when she is wheeled off. For sanitary reasons."
They all nodded, and the nurse left.
"We'll just step out of the room to let you change." Peeta smiled at me and slipped through the door, followed by Prim and Mother.
I followed the nurse's instructions and stripped. Once I was in bed and safely covered by three layers of blankets, I called my family back in. My eyes followed each of them separately as I shrank lower into the covers self-consciously. Normally being naked in front of everyone wouldn't have bothered me; I was use to it. I knew I was covered up by numerous amounts of blankets, but for some reason I couldn't pinpoint, this situation was acutely uncomfortable. Shortly after everyone filed into the room, the nurse came in carrying an IV and sterilizing wipes on a small metal tray.
"Which arm?" I asked dully.
Nurse Baron chuckled. "The one that we aren't operating on." He pulled up a chair at my side and held my right arm completely straight.
I was use to needles. I have had so many IV's and shots, and other needle encounters. I knew what to expect when the giant IV slid into one of my veins. Still, I winced. As quick as the pain came, it calmed down.
"Very good, Mrs. Mellark." The nurse praised me. "Now it is time to haul you off to the operating room. I will be back in ten minutes." And he left.
Peeta let my mother and Prim go up to me first. Mother patted my hand. "It will be over as soon as it began, Katniss. It'll go smoothly."
"I'm not worried." It was true. "The only thing I don't like about this situation is that I'll probably have to stay in the hospital after the surgery as well."
"Who knows?" Prim shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
With a confident look, Mother bent down and kissed my forehead very mother-like. Then she turned around and looked at Peeta with an expression I didn't really recognize… Trust? I don't know. Something like that.
Prim and Mother backed away from the bed and switched places with Peeta. He stepped up to the bed and leaned against the short metal railings. "Good luck."
It was a bit awkward between us. "Thanks."
Peeta made a thoughtful face before bending down and kissing me gently on the lips. I could see past him to where Mother and Prim looked uncomfortable. Mentally shrugging, I reached up and put my arms briefly around Peeta's neck. He seemed surprised.
"People here, Katniss." He reminded me, gently pulling away. "We're in public."
"I blame it on the drugs." I mumbled and sank back into the blankets.
"You don't have any in you yet." Peeta frowned at me.
I put my index finger to my lips. "Shh…"
With a quick chuckle he kissed my forehead as well and backed up, just in time for the nurse to come back in. "Is everything ready?"
We nodded.
"Excellent. The operation shouldn't take too long, but she has to wake up and have her vitals taken before we can bring her back to the room." He kicked a lever at the bottom of the portable bed I was on and wheeled me a foot across the room before stopping. "The exit to the waiting room is just to your left and you take a second left and there is a big sign. And don't worry," My family must have looked worried. "We'll take good care of her."
With one last glance at them, my surrounding began to move as I got wheeled down the hall.
It only took a few minutes to get to my operation room. There, four doctors awaited my arrival in sterile blue scrubs. When my bed got pulled up right next the one I was being operated on, the doctors expertly slid their gloved hand under my shoulder blades and hoisted me onto the table, a thin sheet still covering me.
"Here you are, Mrs. Mellark…" One of them picked up the short tube of my IV and screwed the end of a syringe into it. "When you awake again, it will be all over…" And he pressed down on the syringe.
Slowly, blackness flooded in front of my eyes and the drugs pulled me under.
DONE! That took a while. I'm going to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one in three hours! Can't wait! Ah! But um… review!