Author's Note: Sorry guys this is where I take a walk on the fluff side…I know some of you are not all that keen on Gale, in the books he bordered on either being heartless, WAY too outspoken, or a jerk. I think he's a little misunderstood, don't get me wrong I am a proud member of the Peeta Mellark Fanclub but I think Gale needed some attention too! (trust me when I first started writing the 69th I never thought of Ari and Gale…only started developing in Roads very briefly….)

Thanks go to my reviewers: E-W-Dragon, Seaotter, Pandora, HL, and JB

Chapter 16

Healing Hands

Gale POV

"Mr. Mellark!" Ariana calls as we enter the bakery. Katniss and I have only been to the back door, we never entered.

Mr. Mellark comes in from the store front, "Peeta told me, I told my wife to go and get some ingredients we were running low on. She shouldn't be back for an hour or two since she likes to haggle, bring him upstairs"

"Thanks" she says and comes to my other side. Right now the pain is becoming unbearable, "easy now" she says softly, "we'll get you fixed up"

"My mom" Katniss says, "I should get her she helped Gale when he was first whipped"

"Good and get my black bag from Haymitch's" Ariana says taking most of my weight on her small frame as we are halfway up the stairs, "I got him"

We make it upstairs and Peeta gets me to lay on my stomach on their old worn couch after Ariana had gently lifted off my shirt. Some of the whip marks -the deepest ones- have opened and bled on my t-shirt. She washes the wounds and then Peeta hands her a bag of ice.

"Who did this to him?" she asks

"Head peacekeeper named Thread" Mr. Mellark says, "over a turkey"

"He…over a" Ariana doesn't seem to have words right now which I can only assume is bad because next thing I hear is, "as soon as we get you safe home I am gonna do a bit of reading"

I close my eyes as I hear Haymitch and Katniss come in with Mrs. Everdeen.

"This is disgusting" I hear Ariana say, she's my age and she talks like she has been thru much more than I have, "you did see his back, no suturing? No nothing?"

"We don't have a lot of supplies Ms Crane" Mrs Everdeen says a bit tightly

I hear a bag being tossed, "you have now, give him a shot of polycyline for infection and there are some vials of morphling, one should do him for the pain"

"Polycyline" Mrs. Everdeen sounds dubious

"It's an antibiotic" Ariana explains, "here" I hear her rummage in her bag, then I feel a coolness on my arm as she rubs it with alcohol and then a shot, the pain starts to melt away.

"Is Gale gonna be okay?" Katniss asks

"He's going to be fine" I hear Ariana reply then I feel tugging on my back, it's dulled but I think she is putting stitches in, "I didn't know peacekeepers were so brutal, I saw some people in stocks as we ran past the justice building but this?"

"You didn't have whippings in Five?" Haymitch asks

"You kidding me? With the amount of snakes my dad and I killed when I was a child we would have been dead by now, we were doing a service"

I groan as finally the pain is just a low thrumming. "we should get him to his house" she says and it sounds far off, "Mrs Everdeen can you help me with him?"

"I can help" Katniss says

"Katniss I need you to go back home with Peeta and study, don't worry I can take care of him with your mother" Ariana says gently, but with an edge that she is serious.

"He's my friend!" Katniss argues back, I can understand, after what happened I think she fell for me, mostly because I'm in need of care.

"Look right now priorities are hard okay? I know you want to help but sitting around moping will do nothing, I promise to take the best care of him" I open my eyes and see Ariana with her hands on Katniss' shoulders, "we'll all check up on him after supper okay, right now? Books"

Katniss looks to be on the edge of screaming defiance, but it must be the steadying gaze I am sure the healer and Mrs. Everdeen are giving her that she nods and Peeta leads her out of the room.

"Mrs. Everdeen if you could help me get him on his feet" Ariana says as she helps me first to sit up very slowly and then her and Katniss' mom help me to stand, she looks to Mr. Mellark, "thank you Mr. Mellark"

He nods, "are you sure you'll be okay to get him to Hazelle's?"

Ariana nods, "don't worry when I was fourteen I half carried Maverick remember?" she smirks and Mr. Mellark chuckles and nods, Haymitch has taken Peeta and Katniss back to his place. Mr. Mellark takes point and walks down the stairs backwards just to make sure we don't all fall in one heap. It's so strange, before I only knew him as a guy who I could rely on to buy squirrel in trade for bread for my family. Ariana has a completely different view, he treats her like family. We get to the door and Mr. Mellark opens it, he put a hand on her shoulder and she steps away just for a moment. My mind is going fuzzy but I do realize he touches her face then gives her a hug. If I ever get to talk to her alone I should ask about that.

She gets back beside me and with a small smile to Mr. Mellark, her and Mrs. Everdeen help me get back home. I start to drift in and out as we head for my house in the seam.

Ari POV

Gale is about the same heft as Maverick was in my games, proportionately I should say, I was just fourteen at the time but Gale and I are the same age and he's tall. I don't mean by a few inches, he's at least a foot taller than I am. But I still manage him with Mrs. Everdeen.

"I'm sorry for snapping back there" I tell her in conversation, "blame it on too much Capitol medicine I forgot how rough it is outside the pampered few"

She shakes her head, "don't matter none dear" she says, "we get by, but thanks to the supplies you brought we can help a lot better"

"I wish I could do more" I say, I feel a hand brush my shoulder as she reaches to touch me comfortingly

We get to Hazelle's who opens the door for us.

"Where is his bed?" I ask and she leads us to the back room where there are three beds. We get Gale on his stomach and I open my bag for some antibiotic ointment and bandages. He stirs and groans a bit.

"Easy there" I say softly as he turns his head to look at me, "try not to move okay?"

He gives a small nod, "how bad is it?" he asks a bit groggy

"I'm not gonna lie, it ain't a bed of flowers Gale" I reply as I work on the other deep gash on his back, "but don't worry I've been told I have a magic touch when it comes to patching people up"

"You didn't warn me about the tree" he says and smirks

"Thought you knew" I reply, "sorry next time I'll hold a sign that warns of upcoming foliage"

He laughs gently, I smile in return. Then he seizes, I can only imagine how much it stings. I place a hand on his shoulder and his hand comes to grasp mine. I think this is what Nightingale Syndrome is, but I don't care. He needs comfort right now. Who wouldn't after being whipped so brutally? I let him hold my hand until he drifts off again. I rid my mind of feelings of attraction, but it lingers. I rationalize that he is hurt and it's compassion I feel, that him holding my hand warmed my cheeks because of reflex. And yet…

Yet he looks at me with those grey eyes and I can't help but want to talk to him until the night song birds start warbling, until the moon gives way to dawn. His strong hands seem almost delicate with long fingers wrapped around mine, I remember Seneca having similar hands and mom calling them 'pianist hands'. But Gale's are scarred from what I don't know. His grip slackens as he drifts off, and I let him rest.

When I exit the back room Mrs. Everdeen is consoling Mrs. Hawthorne.

"He'll be fine, just a small set back Hazelle" she says as Hazelle looks lost an a bit forlorn.

"Let him rest for now" I say from the doorway, "I'll come later tonight to check on him" I hand her the canister of antibiotic ointment, she tries to refuse but I insist by pushing it into her hands, "look he needs it and when you are done you can give me back what isn't used okay? You just need a thin layer of it under his bandage" she takes it and nods

I head back to Haymitche's until I remember I wanted to read up on local law.

I head for the justice building. When I ask for where the local law books are kept the secretary looks confused….I guess no one ever challenges things in Twelve. She points me to off where some extremely dusty tomes rest and I take a glass of water with me as I dive into reading.

I am both vindicated and angry at what I learn. First offences are ten lashes, and if this is the first time Gale has been caught officially then he wouldn't have been in such poor shape. Whoever this Thread is he is dangerous and a power hungry maniac.

I take notes on other rules. Mainly public gatherings and smile, I know how to rally this rabble, and make Thread feel like a world class troll in one swoop.

Thing is I can't right now. Gale has to heal, and Peeta, Katniss and Haymitch have to be ready. I will wait.