Katniss finally does it. This is a short chapter, but anyway...happy reading! (oh and sorry if there's grammatical errors)
My earlier assumption was wrong.
Prim is sleeping next to me. Her hair is getting in my face. I mean, I was awake anyway. I lie on my back and look at the ceiling. The blank white ceiling starts turning into animated painting in my head. Peeta is painting and the invisible paintbrush illustrates a sunset. It's the sunset we saw on the roof of the building in the Capitol.
All of the sudden there's a jerking movement inside of me. It surprises me. I raise up on my elbows. I accidentally woke up my sister when I grabbed the blanket from being surprised. Prim turns over to face me.
I'm breathing quickly; my heart beat speeds a little. I've only felt flutters. This is new. I feel like a poke coming from inside. I'm admitting, it sort of frightens me.
"Relax Katniss." Says Prim in loud whisper. "It's only the baby. It's just moving." She looks concern. She takes my hand and puts it on my stomach. I start to feel the baby's movement with my hand. Prim puts her hand there too. She smiles a little.
"It's like it's poking me with its elbow." I say with a pained expression. Prim gives a little laugh. "I don't know why you're laughing, it hurts." I say, failing at keeping a straight face with her smiling. The baby stops moving. My breathing becomes slower. I'm okay. It's normal. I don't know how my mom wasn't freaked out a little like I am.
So my schedule is the usual; Breakfast, classes, lunch, more classes, training with Gale, then I see Peeta. I think Peeta is getting better. I go for 2 hours each day. I think we're really getting close again. We watch shorten versions of the Hunger Games that we were in. We also see some footage from the Victory Tour. When I see Effie it makes me sad. Even though she tortured me with puffy dresses and high heels, I miss her.
A video comes up of when Peeta proposed. I explained it was all a plan that we had. Then we watch the interviews; My dress burning up and then Peeta's news. Obviously, we had no idea what he said was true, but Peeta still thinks it's a lie.
The good thing about these visits is sometimes he remembers things and he'll describe them to me. He'll ask me if that's how they really happened and I'll explain if it did.
"Katniss, I remember the bread."
"Really? What do you remember about it?"
"I remember what you told me in your story. I actually remember it happening. There's another thing I remember about it. We were outside at the end of the day. I tried to catch your eye. You looked away. And then… for some reason, I think you picked a dandelion." I nod. He does remember. I never mentioned that to anybody about trying to thank him, and finding that dandelion. About what that dandelion meant to me.
"I guess I really did love you back then." He says.
I nod again. Back then. He loved me, and now he's just trying to make sense of it all. I can't imagine what he's going through.
Another day, and I had just came out of training. I feel tired. Gale left to work with Beetee, so I walk alone back to the Compartments. Some stranger with a communicuff stops me and tells me to go to Coin's office. Oh shit. I haven't made my decision yet. Is she expecting it?
I walk to Coin's office and see her talking to her secretary. Coin sees me and opens the door to her office. She gestures for me to go in. Coin goes in and when I walk past the secretary's desk I greet her and smile facetiously. "How are you doing?"
She glares at me.
I go in and close the door after me.
"Well Katniss, I believe are terminating mission is scheduled in just a few days." She says. "Have you made your decision?"
I'm unsure. I cross my arms over my chest to appear certain, but I'm not. "I'm still… I haven't made up my mind." I say.
Coin gives a short sigh. "You've had a mass amount of days to think about this." She says like she's disappointed, but it seems like she's ominously smiling again. She's just glad I didn't say no.
"How did you plan on getting me on a hovercraft to the Capitol?" I ask. I can tell she's glad I asked.
"You are to be boarding a hovercraft without Boggs and other people who are familiar with you. We don't want them distracting you. You will be dressed in regulated uniform with unnoticeable special protection we have for you. It will conceal you from showing." She says her eyes dropping to my stomach.
"You will be armed with the regulated gun, but we will also conceal your arrows in your uniform. It will be a smaller more portable set. The hovercraft team you will be accompanying is targeting Snow's mansion, where he'll be. We're planning on capturing him and bringing here, but you know how things get, and it could be easier just to finish him off there."
"So, after that?"
"The whole team will be picked up on the roof of the building and brought back here."
"Yes, but what about when I'm gone? They'll figure me missing." I say.
"Katniss, you do not have to worry about that. I'll let them know you're doing a special assignment in the studio. You will be rehearsing for a prop which will be kept for after the raid of the Capitol. The project will take all day."
I guess it could work, but I don't think I can make the decision by myself anymore. I understand that I am pregnant and I'm willing to go, but what about Peeta? I guess he has every right to have a part in this, but he doesn't know.
"We need a decision, Katniss." Coin says impatiently.
"Give me till the end of the day, please." I say. "I have to do something."
"You're not telling anyone of this arrangement are you?"
"No, of course not." I say surely.
"Very well then, till the end of the day. You come to this office before Reflection and tell me your choice." She says. "You are dismissed."
I walk out the room quickly. I have to go see Peeta. Wait, I should see Haymitch first.
I go to the hospital ward and find Haymitch on a bench, sitting there, doing nothing.
"Haymitch!" I quickly walk up to him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sitting." He says plainly.
"Never mind, look Haymitch there's something important I want to say. We need to get out of the hallway."
Haymitch sighs and lifts himself from the bench. We walk into the room adjacent to Peeta's.
"So what is it?" he says.
"I have to tell him I'm pregnant." I say.
"I don't think that's such a good idea." he says.
"He has to know. It's best he finds out formally. He's doing pretty well, and he'll have to find out eventually."
"You think he's ready?"
"I don't know if he'll ever be ready. So, I just have to come out with it. I'll put it as delicately as I can, if that's possible."
Haymitch is still unsure about the whole situation. "And what about after that?" he asks. "What do you plan to do?"
"I'm not sure. I'm just hoping he won't be terribly shocked." I say. "I just don't like keeping it from him."
"The news isn't going to come easy. We're just going to have to prepare for the aftermath, calm him down after." He says.
He takes something from a desk. He throws me the earpiece. "Put that on. The doctor just left to get something, but he'll be back."
"I'll go in now. Like you said the doctor will be back." I say assuring him.
"Whatever." He says and he takes a seat next to the pane of glass. I put on the ear piece and go into Peeta's room.
When Peeta sees it's me, he gives a small smile. It lightens the room, but I still feel nervous. I take a seat in the chair next to his bed.
"How have you been feeling?" I ask.
"Good, I guess. I thought you weren't coming today."
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
"That's okay." He says casually. "Oh, so I remembered something last night."
"You did?"
"Yeah, um… we were on a train, I think. I used to hold you while you slept." He says a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, you did. I would have nightmares and you lay with me. You did too, but you didn't wake up screaming like I did."
He looks concerned.
"Oh, but you helped me calm down. That's why we slept next to each other. To comfort each other." I say a little disquieted. He nods. Then he grabs one of my hands. He's a little awkward about it at first, but it subsides, and I feel close to him, again. This gesture makes me feel like he really cares about me. Signs like these that make me feel hopeful, but it means I have to tell him now. I can't put it off any longer.
"Peeta, I have to tell you something."
"What is it?" he asks more kindly to me.
I look into the one way window. Even though I can't see through it, I know Haymitch is there. I feel like I'm going throw up. Peeta looks to the widow then looks at me questionably.
"You saw the interviews for the Quarter Quell. You know how you told him them we were already married and that I was pregnant, even though we weren't? It was all planned. It was suppose to turn the audience against the Games. "
"Yeah," he says a little confused.
I take a deep breath and let it out. "Peeta… I really am pregnant."
AHHH, Major Cliffhangar! Sorry about that, but it all leads up to his reaction. Predicting already? Yeah, I do that too, but I have to write it so... we just have to wait and see. *sigh*I'll update as soon as I can.
-cheezebuns PS: thanks for reading!