Author's Note: I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I will try to update faster but I'm kind of busy. Here is chapter 21. Please let me know what you guys think. Enjoy
I don't own The Hunger Games
Chapter 21
Katniss's POV
What I see in front of me sends my hand up to cover my mouth. Peeta is lying on the hospital bed. There are tubes connected to both his arm and his chest. He is not wearing a shirt and I can clearly see the bandage wrapped around his torso. He is wearing an oxygen mask, probably to help him breath. Machines surround him. Machines that are probably keeping him alive.
I can't contain the sobs that leave my chest. Peeta looks so hurt, so vulnerable. His face and arms are covered with cuts and bruises. My mother is by my side in no time, holding my shoulders and keeping my body from falling, I'm sure my knees won't be able to keep me up for much longer.
"Oh, my God….P-P-Peeta…." I say through my sobs. I want my Peeta to open his eyes and tell me that everything is okay, that he will be okay and we will be together for now on. I want Peeta to live, I don't care if he never looks at me again I just want him to wake up and live. I can't stand this. Peeta can't die. I turn into my mother's arms, I never thought that I would need her as much as I do right now.
"M-m-mom, p-p-please. H-help h-h-him." I whisper, my voice not very understandable. She just holds me tight and whispers soothing words in my ear.
"I'm trying Katniss. I swear we are trying. I know how much he means to you. I won't let that happened to you Katniss, I won't let you lose him like I lost you father. I won't let you feel this pain." She says. I can feel her tears soaking my hair but I don't care. For the first time since my father's death I can finally understand my mother. When my father died her entire world fell apart and that is exactly what is happening to me right now. I know that I won't keep living if Peeta is not here. He became my everything, especially after my sister's death. I don't have two little girls to look after, but I understand what it feels like to lose your ground and forget about anything else.
"I will take care of you now baby girl. Everything will be okay, I promise. Shhh, mom is here, there is nothing to fear." My mother whispers as she caresses my hair. I remember when I was a little girl and she would hold me like this when I had a bad dream or when we were about to leave for the reaping. Those moments when I didn't have so many situations to worry about, I could just let myself be small and weak because I had someone to hold me up.
"M-m-mom, I-I-I'm s-s-sorry." I say. I don't know exactly why I'm apologizing. Maybe for not being by her side when Prim or dad died, for not understanding her sorrow, for being so mad at her after she left me to take care of my sister. The only thing I know is that I need my mother right now, I'm breaking down and she is the only person who can help me up.
"It's okay honey. Why don't you sit down next to his bed and I will get you a glass of water and some pills?" She says while helping me to sit on a chair I didn't even notice was there. I just nod and she kisses my forehead before leaving the room.
I stay in there, watching Peeta. His eyes are glued closed with a piece of tape. He looks so peaceful that I wonder if he is dreaming and what he may be dreaming about. I take his cold hand in between my shaking and fragile ones and bring it to my lips. I rest his hand on my cheek, the way he would do when he was about to kiss me. But this time my swollen lips are left waiting for his perfect and soft ones. I may never kiss those cheery pink lips again, I may never feel the electricity they carry through my body, I may never feel the love they bring every time they touch my skin.
"Hey Peeta." I whisper. Tears are still streaming down my face but I can finally control my sobs. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here by your side, and I won't leave as long as you don't send me out." Tears are making my vision blurry but I keep hanging on. "I just need you to be strong one more time, for me. I know I don't deserve your love Peeta, but please don't leave me here alone." I can't control it anymore, I let the loud sobs shake my body. "P-Peeta I-I l-love y-you. P-Please c-come b-b-back t-t-to m-me. I-I-I c-c-can't l-lose y-y-you t-too." I press a kiss to his pale hand and squeeze it as tight as I can. I wonder if Peeta can feel it, or if he can hear me. I never told Peeta how much he means to me, how much I love him. But now it may be too late.
"Katniss?" I hear my mother says. She is standing behind me with one of the nurses, they both have tears in their eyes. My mother gives me the glass of water and two pink pills while the nurse starts checking on Peeta. I watch her carefully, maybe by her facial expression I can find out more about his current situation. She checks his bandages and I barely have time to see the enormous cut on his stomach before she covers it up again. I don't understand what most of the machines are for, I only know that the machine connected to his oxygen mask is making sure that he is breathing and the one that keeps making "beep, beep" sounds is monitoring his heart. The doctor walks to the small table next to his bed to grab another syringe before injecting another tube in his right arm, even though he already has what looks like five different tubes in each arm. I may be seeing too much but I swear Peeta flinched.
"Why are you doing that? Stop it, it's hurting him" I say before I can contain myself. The pills made me feel a little dumb but I know how stupid I must sound. Peeta is sleeping, he is not feeling anything. I'm not sure if he ever will feel something again.
"Ms. Everdeen, or Katniss if you would prefer, the patient is in a coma. He is not able to feel, see or hear anything that is going on. I can guarantee you that I'm not hurting anybody." She says while getting back to work. "She is right Katniss, Peeta can't feel anything, or hear anything, or see anything" I think to myself. Which means he didn't hear what I said earlier when we were alone. I don't know if I should feel relieved. I don't think I'm ready to let Peeta know how deeply in love I am with him. But he deserves the truth, especially right now.
Peeta's POV
"….P-Please c-come b-b-back t-t-to m-me. I-I-I c-c-can't l-lose y-y-you t-too." I hear someone saying. It is so distant, so far away. I know that I must hold on to this voice. This voice. I could recognize this beautiful voice everywhere. The voice that can make the birds stop to listen, the voice that made me fall in love. It's Katniss. She is crying and I want to comfort her, but I can't move. I don't know what if real and what is not, it feels like I'm back in the capitol. They have me trapped to a bed while they inject me with Tracker Jacker venom. But wait, the war is over and Snow is dead. So what is happening to me?
"Katniss?" I hear another voice say. So I was right, it was Katniss's voice that I heard. But this other voice is also familiar. A voice coming from someone older and more tired. Why can't I simply open my eyes and see for myself?
Suddenly I feel someone touching me and a sharp pain goes through my right arm. "Why are you doing that? Stop it, it's hurting him" I hear her angelic voice saying. "Ms. Everdeen, or Katniss if you would prefer, the patient is in a coma. He is not able to feel, see or hear anything that is going on. I can guarantee you that I'm not hurting anybody." So that is what is happening to me. Everything comes back to my memory now. Katniss and I breaking up, me working with the construction crew and finally the headache and dizziness before everything went black. I'm in a hospital and I can't move my body, open my eyes or even talk. An agonizing pain on my stomach tells me that I probably hurt myself somehow. Is it really possible that I fell from the third floor? How could I've been so stupid?
"Katniss, you need to go back now." I hear what sounds like Ms. Everdeen say.
"Can I please stay with him?" My Katniss asks. I just love hearing her voice so much.
"I'm sorry Katniss. You are already breaking the rules by being here right now. We can't afford to let you stay anymore." The voice that I don't recognize say.
"N-n-no p-p-please, I-I b-beg y-you. P-Please I-I c-can't l-leave h-him. T-this m-m-may b-be o-o-our l-l-last m-m-moments t-t-together." She is crying, sobbing to be more specific. I hate this. I need to comfort her, I need to let her know that she won't lose me. She needs me right now. Come on Peeta, do something.
"argh" I try speaking. I can only hear animalistic sounds coming out my mouth but I need to let them know that I need Katniss by my side.
"Peeta" I hear her whisper, she is right next to my left ear.
"Please, Katniss stay away from him." The woman says. She is really starting to get on my nerves.
"No. Peeta? Peeta can you hear me? Please talk to me. Please" She whispers. I feel a pair of small and warm hands bring my cold one up and then she kisses it. Oh Katniss, how I wish I could just kiss your lips right now.
"Kkkatarghnis" I try again. No matter how much I try. I can't speak. Suddenly I feel extremely tired. I can't let myself fall asleep. I need to show her that I can hear her. But I can't fight it anymore. I hold on for as long as I can, but there is no use. The last thing I hear is her angelic voice before I'm unconscious again.
Katniss's POV
"Katniss please, I won't ask again. I hope I don't have to call the security." I hear the nurse saying but I can't bring myself to pay attention. Peeta just talked to me, or at least I think he tried to. He knows I'm here with him. How can I possibly just leave right now?
"Katniss, honey let's go. I promise that I will let you know if anything changes." My mother says while trying to get me to leave Peeta's side.
"Mom, he just talked to me. Please I need to stay with him. What if he wakes up?" I plead
"That's impossible. Even if his brain is ready to come out of the coma, which I doubt, he is under heavy medication to make sure he stays unconscious for at least the next 12 hours." The nurse says. I wish I had my bow and arrow right now, my skills would be extremely helpful.
"Katniss please, you are not supposed to be here honey. Don't get us in trouble." My mother begs me. I really don't want to leave his side. I believe that Peeta could wake up at any moment. He is strong enough to fight whatever medication is running through his veins, but I don't think I can get a way around my mother and the nurse.
"Okay" I say with a sigh. I let my mother lead me back to the waiting room and my torture. I know that I won't be able to rest even if I tried. I may be a step closer to getting my Peeta back and I promise to myself that this time I won't let him go. I don't care if I'm not good enough for him right now. We will heal together and I will become a different person if I need to. I will make my Peeta happy. We are the star-crossed lovers, we are destined to be together no matter what comes our way.
"Where the hell were you?" Haymitch asks once we get back in the waiting room.
"I went to see him. Haymitch he talked to me. Peeta tried to talk to me." I say. I don't even notice the smile that covers my face. Haymitch comes running to me and gives me a bear hug. Only I know how much Peeta means to him, probably as much as he means to me.
"Now, I'm really happy that you are bringing your hopes up. But please be careful, we are not sure what caused this. We can't be sure that he actually tried talking to you Katniss. It may have been a reflex from his body." My mother says. My smile fades, I haven't thought about that. What if he is not getting better, but it is only my imagination. Maybe that didn't mean anything.
"It's kind of early. I will try to get you guys some breakfast." My mother says as she leaves us. For the first time I take a look around the room. Tom, Greasy Sae and the other guy are still sleeping. I sit back on my chair and stare at the wall.
"Come on sweetheart. You know that boy better than her. If you felt that he was talking to you then he was trying to talk to you." Haymitch says. I force a smile at him. I know he is just trying to help but I was never a very optimist person.
I spend the next two hours or so staring at the same spot on the wall. At some point tears start streaming down my face but I make sure that nobody notices. I don't know why suddenly I feel so useless. Peeta tried talking to me, right? He is getting better. Or at least that is what I want to think. I wish I could be by his side right now.
"Katniss, come here. Eat something." Greasy Sae calls me for the hundredth time. But I just shake my head. I'm not hungry at all, at least not for food. I'm hungry for Peeta's arms to wrap around me and kiss me until there is nothing else but us. I want to have the intimacy with him that normal couples usually have. I want to give everything I have to him, when we are both ready of course. But for all of that to happen, first I need for him to open his sky blue eyes and get up from that bed.
Like I said before, I will try to update as soon as possible. I swear that I'm trying to give Peeta some time to heal but I can't wait to get them together again. Tell me what you guys think, Should he wake up already and live happy ever after or he needs more time? You guys are the reason why I'm writing this, so please let me know. Please review, every time I get a email it makes my day. See you next time.