I did not expect to update so soon, but I was suddenly inspired (and I don't want to study). Thanks for all the encouragement. I didn't expect to get six reviews in two days. And I find it even crazier than I have 145 views. I think this chapter is a bit more common and expected, but I hope you enjoy it none the less.
Her blue eyes stare directly into mine as I ponder her existence. Did this really just happen? Did I really just bring this perfect little being into the world? She is still covered in mucus and blood as she lays across my chest, but she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I'm too shocked to even do anything, even try to hold her against me. I just stare at her, my jaw a little slack as her eyes close again. They had only opened for a second, and I was already enraptured by her.
Peeta rests his chin on my shoulder, his arms holding our little girl to my chest. She had been facing the upwards instead of down in my belly, so the nurses had to try to twist her around before birth; otherwise her blood supply might have gotten cut off. Peeta had sat behind me and held me close; giving my body the support it needed to not twist with the nurse's firm grip. Eventually our baby had flipped the right way and everything seemed to speed up. Peeta secured himself to the rails of the bed, while my hands clenched against his forearms. I could feel his chest rise against my back and it helped to even my breathing, and to remind me that I wasn't alone in all of this.
It had been one final push and she was introduced to the world, my perfect little angel. She was small, even for a newborn, but that may have been due to the amount of stress I experienced throughout pregnancy. She would have rolled right off my chest if Peeta hadn't secured his arms around her. And here we sit, with our perfect little miracle in his arms. My eyes start to flutter with exhaustion and Peeta can feel my body sinking closer into his.
The nurse comes by and picks her up, my eyes snapping open as I watch where the woman is taking my daughter.
"Where's she going?" I ask Peeta, a little bit of hysteria reaching my voice. "What are they doing with her?" My mind immediately fills with terror. Had that woman had any surgical enhancements? Was she secretly from the Capitol and was now taking my baby away from me? Was it a minion of Coin's, seeking revenge from her assassination from so long ago? Peeta immediately starts running his arms up and down my own.
"Shh," he murmurs. "She's just cleaning her up." Despite this my body refuses to relax, I can't see my daughter and I begin to panic. My sight gets interrupted by white splotches and I will myself to not pass out.
"Katniss," Peeta interrupts my panic attack. "She's fine. We're safe. We're in District 12. Everything is okay." Before he can continue the woman returns with our daughter in her arms. This time I am ready. I prop my arms ready to receive my little girl, and I hold onto her tightly as soon as the woman releases her into my grasp.
All of my worries drop away when I see her again, fast asleep in my arms. No chance of seeing the blue eyes but I am just as mesmerized by her. My breathing slows back to a normal pace and I realize how irrational I had been acting before. I can feel Peeta chuckle behind me and I glare at him to make him stop. Now that she is no longer covered in fluid I notice more things about her. She is much more tan than Peeta, her complexion almost completely matching my own. Her eyelashes are dark and long; they flutter in her sleep. She almost looks completely like me; the only thing I've noticed of Peeta's is her eyes and rosy full lips.
A little knit hat sits on top of her head to keep her warm, but my curiosity gets the best of me and I pull it off without disturbing her sleep. I am shocked to see thin brown curly locks, so much and so little like my own hair. It instantly reminds me of Rue and I feel a sob rise in my throat as my eyes fill with tears. I quickly put her hat back on.
"It reminds you of Rue, doesn't it?" Peeta says, reading my thoughts. It seems like he knows me now better than I know myself. I nod so that my voice doesn't break. "Do you want to name her after Rue?" He whispers in my ear. I shake my head back and forth quickly.
"No, she deserves to have a fresh start. I don't want the past haunting her every day." Peeta nods understandingly. "How about for a middle name?" He asks.
"That sounds good; a way to honour her." I smile widely at my little girl as she fusses a little before calming herself down.
"She's already like you." He says into my ear.
"Not her eyes." I murmur.
"You saw them?" He asks, suddenly excited.
"Yes, bright blue." I turn my head to look at Peeta for the first time since her birth. "I hope they never change." I say as I stare into his own blue ones. I see tear tracks on his cheeks and watch as his eyes overflow again. I lean into him and kiss his tear-stained cheeks, his eyelids closing at the contact.
"How about Lily?" I murmur, sweetly.
"Lily Rue Mellark." He speaks loudly, testing it out. "I like it. It keeps with your family history too." He smiles fondly.
"That doesn't mean when we have a son that we'll name his after bread." I tell him quickly. His eyes soften at my words.
"So we'll definitely be having another one then?" He smiles ruefully.
"Someday." I say quietly, shocking both of us.
"Someday." He whispers back after a moment, as he leans forward and kisses me slowly on the lips.
Just a side note: my dad sat behind my mom during my birth and I had also been facing the wrong way. I've always found that idea super sweet so I decided to include it in the story. As always, please review, as by now you have already read it.