Original Prompt (anon): If you still take prompts, could you do a drabble on Haymitch going through withdrawal symptoms and Effie being there for him?

"…It's Haymitch."

Effie pressed the phone closer to her ear, fully aware of the worry in her voice as she spoke. "What? What's happened to him?"

The line went quiet for a few moments before Peeta spoke again. "He's not good. Katniss and I, we've been taking care of him the best we can but… It's hard. He's being stubborn as ever and he won't eat anything; he hasn't for at least a week now-"

"Well what on earth is wrong with him?" Effie questioned, lining up a stapler across a thick document one handed.

"He's stopped drinking, or is trying to."

She pressed down and missed, the staple half on-half off the papers. "He's doing what?"

"He's trying to stop. For good I think."

"The fool!" Effie said, leaning back in her chair. "Honestly, is he trying to kill himself?"

"We've spoken to a doctor about the withdrawal, he explained that most things should clear up on their own but Katniss thinks that he's getting worse. He's been asking for you, Effie."

"For-for me?" She questioned, completely dumbfounded.

"Yes. He's quite adamant."

There was a long pause as Effie considered her options. She heard the silent plea in the boy's voice and eventually she sighed. "I'll be down on the next train."

XxX

"Haymitch," Peeta spoke quietly. "Haymitch."

The ex-mentor groaned, not bothering to open his eyes. "What?"

"Effie's here."

"Effie's he- Why is Effie here?"

"You've been asking for her, remember?"

He gave a small shake of the head.

Effie stood with Katniss at the opposite end of the room, bags still in hand. "Why doesn't he remember?"

"Something called… Peeta, what's that thing called again?"

He looked confused for a moment. "Wernicke-Korsakoff?"

Katniss nodded. "Right, that's not too much to do with the withdrawal, it's just all of the heavy drinking catching up with him. The doctor came by a few days ago to give him something, so he should be okay. I think he called it 'alcohol amnesic syndrome'."

Effie exhaled, trying to soak in the new information thrown her way. "That's a little easier to understand." She glanced over to her former colleague, now bedridden.

Peeta came over and Effie noticed the dark bags underneath his eyes , he hadn't been sleeping properly, that much was evident.

"We can wait downstairs for a while if you-"

"No, dear," Effie interjected. "You and Katniss go home, you both need rest. I can deal with Haymitch."

"Are you sure?" Peeta asked.

Effie let out a small laugh. "Oh, I've had plenty of practice, don't you worry. Besides, you two have done more than enough already."

Still unsure, Peeta nodded as he and Katniss began to leave the room.

"You know where we are if you need us."

Effie smiled kindly as Peeta closed the door behind him.

Now alone, neither person spoke for a while and Effie took in the sight of Haymitch, skin dull and yellowed slightly, hair plastered across his sweat-drenched forehead. He was a state.

"Don't think I've ever seen you this quiet before." He rasped, eventually breaking the pause, dry lips forming a smile of sorts.

She shook her head and moved towards his bed, perching on the edge of the mattress. "You're a damn fool, Haymitch Abernathy."

He didn't reply, just watched her.

"Why are you doing this?"

He shifted in bed and went to sit up but Effie stopped him. "Don't sit up."

He slumped back down again, closing his eyes. "I don't know, Effie. I just don't think I'm doing anyone any favours by staring at the bottom of a bottle all day. I just feel like I'm wasting time away."

She smiled slightly at his realisation.

"I wanna make good use of time from now on. Do something that isn't drinking, you know?"

"Yes. I know."

Effie reached up to brush a few strands of hair away from his face, briefly grazing the longish stubble at his jaw.

"Maybe you could start with a shave," she muttered. "And a haircut."

"Those are the least of my worries right now," Haymitch replied, pulling himself to sit up despite her protests. He flinched briefly, resting his back against the headboard.

"You're right," said Effie, fingers going to the edge of one of the wool blankets atop the bed. "Are you warm enough? Or… too warm? I don't suppose you've had much fresh air recently, would you like a window opening?"

He sent her a look.

"What? I've just spent the past day on a train to be here. You will let me look after you."

Haymitch watched her as she went to the window, opening it and looking outside. "You have the most beautiful view."

He made a sound of agreement though really he was fully aware that he wasn't thinking about the landscape.

The late afternoon sun caught Effie across her face and hair that was laid shining across her shoulders, a colour to shame any daffodil in the spring. She looked positively radiant.

"You took your time." He spoke when she next looked over.

"I got on the first train I could, I couldn't really have gotten here any sooner." She said, not moving from her place by the window.

"No, you know what I mean."

Effie bit her bottom lip and shifted her weight to the other leg – she knew exactly what he meant. "I just – I got caught up. A new job and…things."

"It's been months, Effie. Not even so much as a phone call." He said and there was something in his voice that Effie couldn't quite place a finger on. Hurt? Betrayal, maybe?

She looked down at her feet, opening her mouth as if to speak again, but promptly closed it.

"I was gonna come and see you, but look how that turned out."

Effie looked up at that and after a few moments, she moved back towards the bed. "Did – did you do this for me?"

He stopped looking at her for a moment. "Yes – well, no, not.… partly for you, yes."

As much as she tried, Effie could not keep the smile from her lips.

"You can stop with the stupid grin, Trinket, complacency doesn't look good on you."

"I wasn't being complacent," She said defensively. "I was smiling because you're an idiot. You needn't do things like this for my benefit, Haymitch."

"Well it was the only way I could get you to come visit. And clearly it worked, here you are."

"Yes," she sighed at how completely impossible he was being. "Here I am."