ONE NIGHT STAND
A/N:
Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites, as you know this is my first fic and it was such a nice response, you put a smile on my face!
Also thanks to Peetabreadgirl for her help with this chapter and for being so nice to me :)
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CHAPTER 3: Match
PEETA POV
"Who are you?"
Breath Peeta, breath. Yeah, right, what I'm supposed to say? Hey kid, I'm your daddy. Nice to meet you?
I'm interrupted from my thoughts when she asks who I am again and my nerves betray me. I'm gulping and coughing. The noises I'm making are enough to wake Katniss, and she slowly raises her head and opens her sleepy eyes. She is confused by sleep, trying to focus and when she finally realizes what is happening, she rises quickly from her chair as if it were on fire.
"Peeta! Hello!" She is as surprised as I am and clearly doesn't know what to say. She looks from Prim to me and then back to Prim. "Honey, this is my friend Peeta."
"Peeta?" the little one asks. "Your name is funny," she said laughing.
"Prim, that's rude." Katniss scolds.
"It's ok, it really is funny." I tell her with a grin on my face.
"Um… Prim I was looking forward to meeting you. Your mom has told me all about you," I say, a little more sure of myself, as I move towards her.
"What are you hiding over there?" she asks me, pointing to my hands which I am taking pains to hide behind my back all the time.
"This is a little present I had for you. I hope you like it." I say as I extend my hands towards her
"A GOAT!" she shouts enthusiastically.
"Yeah, there wasn't much variety in the store down in the lobby. I hope you like goats with pink ribbons."
"Yeah, goats give milk!" she tells me like I don't know any better.
"Prim what do you say?" Katniss asks.
"Thank you Mr. Peeta." Katniss nods. She is attentively watching the exchange, not missing anything and it makes me anxious to feel her eyes on me.
"Prim, please just call me Peeta."
"Goats make milk, milk makes cheese. Mommy loves cheese!" she informs me.
"Good to know." I answer smirking. "Are you going to name it?" I asked, pointing to the goat.
"Yes. Her name is Daisy," she says matter-of-factly, without thinking about it.
"Why Daisy?"
"'Cause I like it."
"Well, I think Daisy is perfect then." She smiles proudly at my acceptance of the name.
I watch her play with Daisy for a while. Her voice is a little raspy like Katniss's and sounds a bit weak. She has dark circles under her eyes and she is so thin, but despite the circumstances she is smiling and singing to Daisy, talking to her nonstop. It is bittersweet to watch.
I discover a box of crayons on one chair and I make her a drawing of Daisy. She is amazed at it. "Wow." she says, opening her eyes wide. "You really know how to draw."
She leans closer to my ear and whispers "Mommy is really bad you know. I don't tell her so she doesn't feel sad."
"I heard you little duck." Katniss says, joking behind us. I chuckle softly along with Prim. Suddenly, I hear a man's voice. I turn to the door to see a doctor leaning into the door frame.
"Hey there, what's so funny?" The doctor asks at the same time he enters the room.
"Finny!" Prim squeaks and extends her arms moving her little fingers asking for a hug from the man and he embraces her affectionately.
"Hey Prim, feeling better?" She nods. "I brought you something but you have to promise that you won't say anything to your mom." He says it loud enough that everyone can hear him, which makes Katniss scowl. Prim nods enthusiastically and the doctor gives the child a candy.
"Thank you!" the girl says with a giant smile.
"Finn, you are her doctor. You're not supposed to give her candies!" Katniss chides him.
The satisfied doctor turns and walks towards Katniss. "Hi sugar cube," he says flirtatiously, taking her by the waist and lowing her backwards in what seems like an exaggerated tango move. Katniss pats the guy shoulders. "Let go Finnick." Katniss jells. Prim is delighted, squeaking at the exchange, but I don't like it at all so I decide to interrupt them. I extend a hand "Dr., I'm Peeta Mellark." He smirks to me and shakes my hand in a calm, but firm manner.
"Dr. Finnick Odair. Nice to meet you." He nods and turns to see a still scolding Katniss.
"Okay, let's see how this girl is." He begins to dedicate all of his attention to Prim. After many minutes of meticulous examination he makes his determination. "I think you're ready to go home, Prim. Kat I'm going to set everything up for her release." He pats the girls' heads and leaves the room.
After a while Prim falls asleep and I have a chance to ask Katniss what happened. She had a hemorrhage. Kat says that is common with chemotherapy but just thinking about it gives me goose bumps. It took a while to control it and the doctor wanted to be sure that Prim was stable and didn't need transfusions. everything is under control now. She also tells me this is not the first time they have been here for a similar reason. I feel guilty. I don't know how she handles this all by herself. How can she be so strong? I don't know what I would do if I was alone in her position. Maybe just mope around and be depressive?
I get lost in the sight of her stroking the little girl's head. I can't tell how much time has passed until a nurse comes in to notify us that we are free to go and she removes Prim's IV.
Though Katniss is reluctant, I insist on following them home.
It's late and I carry a sleeping Prim through the front door. Katniss signals the way to her bedroom and I lay her gently down to sleep. I watch how she leans over and kisses the girl on her forehead.
She whispers in her ear, her voice full of emotion, "Love you, baby girl."
Prim opens her eyes and says "love you mommy. Bye, Peeta." She hugs Daisy tight to her chest and falls back to sleep. I cannot explain it, but I am deeply moved by the scene in front of me. It's a strange sensation, because I don't feel like an outsider at all.
"I think she likes you." Katniss interrupted my reverie.
"And I like her. A lot." I offer, in reassurance of my feelings for her daughter. Ourdaughter.
"She's a great kid, so brave and loving. Too bad she has to go through all this." Her eyes light up when she talks about her, yet there is a hint of sadness, too.
Katniss asks if I would like something to drink. I want to say yes, but I know she spent the last night awake so I decline. She nods but I sense some disappointment in her eyes. Maybe I'm just being delusional.
"Can I visit tomorrow? After work?" I'm so hopeful it's almost fun.
"Maybe you can have dinner with us?"
"I'd like that very much."
When I leave the apartment I immediately feel something I can only describe as an emptiness in my soul. What is going on with me?
The next day I make my way back to the girls' apartment for dinner. I knock and Prim opens the door immediately, like she was waiting behind it. She has a big smile on her face and she' s wearing cowboy boots and a tutu over her pajamas. I have to suppress my laughter and turn it into a wide grin. "Hey, beautiful," I decide to compliment her attire.
This pleases her and she grins and runs to hug my legs and greet me. "Hi, Peeta."
I manage to stop looking at this warm, enthusiastic and open girl with cowboy boots long enough to see Katniss behind her watching the scene.
"Hi," she says shyly, looking down and toeing the linoleum floor.
"Hi." I respond, equally shy, but keep my eyes focused on her.
"She wanted to wear her favorite clothes for you," she says, pointing at the little one. I take a good, long look at her mother. She is a beautiful mess, wearing an incredibly dirty apron and she has, what I assume to be, food on her face. Her braid remains intact, save for a few tendrils that have escaped around her face and the nape of her neck. She is perfect. I humor her with my quick wit, thankful I can think of something to say in this moment when she's stealing my breath away.
"Is the kitchen attacking you?"
She gives me that trademark scowl. I ignore it and turn to Prim. "Little one, I bought this for you." I hand over the brown paper bag. Suspiciously she peeks inside the bag and squeaks "Cookies! Can I eat them mommy? "
"Only if you finish your dinner first, sweetie."
"Okay, okay." she exasperatedly nods her head several times. Prim takes the cookies out one by one observing closely the design I made on them, each one she emitting a wow from her. I don't think it's going to be hard work to love this girl.
"Mommy, is this a katniss flower?" she says, amazed.
"Yeah, I made that for your mom little one. Do you think she'll like it?"
"Mhmm, here mommy." Prim takes the cookie with her little fingers and gives it to her mother. "But you have to eat your dinner first." She grins, proud of herself for remembering the rules.
Katniss smirks and looks closely the cookie. "I was showing Prim the flowers we are named after in a book yesterday. You have a good memory little duck." she says, kneeling at the height of the child. Then she turns to face me. "These are beautiful, Peeta. I can't believe you made them."
"Yeah, I did." I say, nodding. "For you… both." She gives me a smile, a special one that I would like to think is just for me. It's shy but it actually reaches her eyes and I make a mental note to bring them cookies every day if I want to keep getting those smiles.
Dinner progresses in a blissful harmony. I mock Katniss for making such a mess just for macaroni and cheese. She isn't a great cook, yet it's the best meal I've had in a while.
Prim and I relate easily. She laughs a lot at my nonsense and I don't mind looking goofy as long as she keeps laughing like that. I catch Katniss staring at me more than once, and when our eyes meet she deviates hers quickly leaving me with a strange feeling running through my body. Could she be attracted to me, too? Maybe she's just analyzing the way I act with her daughter. I don't know what to think right now.
After dinner and three cookies, Katniss tries to take Prim to bed. I never thought it could be such a difficult task to convince a girl who is falling asleep at the table, that in fact, sheis sleepy.
While I wait I take a better look at the apartment. Without the whirlwind that is Prim talking and running around, now I can pay attention to detail. It's a simple little place in need of repairs and it causes me to wonder how much Katniss is struggling with money, not to mention everything else. But I get the feeling that she isn't going to appreciate me asking about it.
In less time than I expected she returns to the front of the apartment.
"Poor thing was exhausted. She laid her head on the pillow and she was out," she says.
"She was falling asleep at the table." I smile through my reply, remembering the way her blue eyes drooped closed more than twice, and her blond head bobbed up and down while trying to resist sleep. She stares intently at me and I can tell she's struggling to say something.
"Peeta, I hate to pressure you but I need to know if you've done the tests?"
"Yes, I didn't say anything before because I know you're exhausted and this will probably keep you awake, but I'll have the results this week."
"Oh, god. " The color leaves her face.
"Are you okay? I thought this was good news?"
"Yes, yes but this is it. Soon we'll know. If the results are negative what are we going to do? I don't have any more options." She breaths a sigh, trying to steady her nerves.
"Don't think like that. We have to wait and be patient. Hopefully the results will be positive, but until we know for sure-" I'm cut off by another round of "what-if's".
"I hope so too, but what if they're not? Then what, Peeta? I don't want her to have to live this way, with relapses and the damn chemotherapy that leaves her weak and sick all the time. She spends more time in the hospital than playing with other children."
She needs to vent so after a lot of rambling from her, and listening from me, I decide to just hug her. And she lets me.
"We must have hope." I tell her.
On my way home all I can think about is that hug. Every time she is close to me my body wakes. Her smell, her slim body, her eyes, her hair… everything about her makes me feel dizzy. How does she have that effect on me? It's exactly what I felt that night in the bar. I couldn't help myself. I got lost in her. And apparently it's a chronic condition. I know it's too soon and I don't fully understand it myself, but it's like my heart already belonged to the Everdeen girls, but it was somehow lost. Now it's found its way back home and I'm terrified that they won't welcome it.
I'm running to my doctor's appointment. He has the compatibility results and I barely get any sleep thinking about what they are. It's probably a little early but I'm anxious and I prefer to wait there in case they can see me any sooner. The good doctor finally receives me and after the pertinent introductions he gets down to business.
"Mr. Mellark, finding a compatible donor is extremely difficult, as you know. But I think you can consider yourself lucky. The odds are definitely in your favor this time."
This fills my heart with hope and it takes a lot of effort on my part not to let the tears that have built up in my eyes out.
"I can imagine, however, it will not be simple. I know you have a general idea of the process but I want to explain it a little more. To begin with, I'll need you to do some analysis. There are some conditions that wouldn't allow you to donate and we'll need to be sure you meet the criterion of good health. This means not suffering cardiovascular disease, renal, pulmonary, hepatic or hematologic, or other chronic conditions that require ongoing treatment, and no history or risk of having suffered infections with hepatitis B, C or AIDS ."
"Yes, of course, whatever you need." I say probably too upbeat, knowing my medical history involves none of the list he just rattled off to me.
"Well, we can start all of this tomorrow. I will need you here first thing in the morning. The nurse will give you instructions on your way out."
"I'll also need you to be aware of the process once we have the green light for it. You will be admitted at the hospital to prepare. It's a simple enough procedure; bone marrow donation is made extracting with a syringe, a small amount of blood from the back of the hip bone, and can be performed under general or epidural anesthesia."
"Okay," I nod. "What are the risks?" I ask knowing full well any serious risks would still be worth it and wouldn't deter me in the slightest.
"The bone marrow donation involves no risk other than the anesthetic. Upon extraction there may be a slight residual pain in the puncture area that disappears within a few days of the donation. The only significant side effect is widespread aching bones and muscles that disappear in a few days."
"And for Prim?"
"She will have to go through radiation and / or chemotherapy in order to prevent the rejection of the future new cells. The transplant process is very simple, takes about 60 minutes and is not painful. It can cause some effects that inconvenience her, but those are small anyway and very normal. Primrose has an excellent doctor and he'll give you more information at the time."
I decide to go out to visit Katniss in the physical rehab wing to break the news. My legs can't go fast enough without breaking into a full out sprint through the hospitals halls.
Once there I take a few moments to look at her from the outside. She must feel my eyes on her because she turns and looks straight to me and she signals to wait for her.
"I have the results." I blurt out as soon as she is with me.
"So soon?" I extend the envelope to her and she nervously wipes her hands on her apron. She takes the envelope as if the thing might bite her.
"Is it good?" I can see the trembling in her hands and decide to stop her agony.
"Yeah, it is." I say smiling. She looks at me strangely, wondering. She opens the envelope and reads the results.
"Oh my god." she says breathlessly and looks up at me, her eyes full of tears. " Peeta, you're a match... please tell me you're willing to do it? " Tears flow freely from her clear eyes like a leaky dam.
"Katniss, come on. Of course I am!"
I wasn't prepared for what happened next. While I expected her to be excited, I didn't quite expect this reaction from her gratitude.
Katniss leaps up and puts her arms around my neck and wraps her legs around his waist. I start to react and try to encircle her waist with my arms, but she begins to retreat, blushing furiously.
Someone coughs and I turn to see Dr. Odair standing a few yards away from us, his arms crossed over his chest, smirking devilishly. "Am I interrupting something Kitty?"
Next chapter is on its way!