Chapter 14: Aftermath
Katniss limps to Haymitch's house and knocks on his door. When he opens the door he grabs Katniss to bring her inside. She is bloody and bruised. He looks across to the house and only sees one blind half drawn. Peeta must have blindsided her. He sits her down and Katniss says:
"Peeta had a flashback. He is OK now, but we need Gale to come down just to be sure". She is breathless and is labouring to speak. Haymitch gets a cold cloth and tells her to hold it to her face and lip. He can see some marks on her neck and there is a deep gash on her leg as well.
"Katniss, wait here. I am going across to check on Peeta and will phone Gale from there".
Haymitch rushes across to their house and finds Peeta slumped on the floor in the front room. Peeta can't look at him, and Haymitch sees he is very dishevelled as well. Katniss must have fought hard to escape.
"Peeta, I am going to phone Gale and tell him to come down. Katniss is hurt and it looks like you might be hurt, too. We need to get you both some medical attention".
Peeta seems to be in a daze, so Haymitch reaches for the phone and raises Gale in the barracks.
"Gale, there's been an incident at the house. Katniss is hurt and so is Peeta".
"I'm coming right over" says Gale.
Gale has his hands full already. There is a military vehicle missing and two of his Peacekeepers have absconded. What is going on?
Haymitch tells Peeta he needs to check on Katniss and asks him to wait for Gale to arrive. Gale is there within minutes and goes straight into the house.
"What happened, Peeta?" asks Gale.
"I don't know. I must have blacked out and when I came to, Katniss was standing in front of me all bloodied and bruised. I think it was me". There are tears in Peeta's eyes and he can't' believe this has happened again. What if he has hurt the baby?
"Peeta, I am going to secure you now just for your own safety, do you understand?" Gale says.
"Yes" faintly.
Gale secures Peeta's hands just as Haymitch is leading Katniss back into the house. Peeta looks up and Katniss doesn't hesitate. She goes straight to him and puts her arms around him.
"Peeta" she softly whispers. Please, stay with me…".
"Katniss, the baby" he says.
Gale interrupts. "We are going to take you both to the clinic to be checked out. Katniss you wiil probably need some stitches in your leg and we will get them to look at you, too, Peeta"
The doctor tells Katniss that she will need stitches, but otherwise he thinks there will just be some swelling and bruising to her cheek and neck. The baby is fine. She knows. She could feel it moving. Katniss is so grateful she was able to coax Peeta out of his hijacked stated. She doesn't know what would have happened otherwise. The doctor sets about stitching her leg.
Peeta is in a separate room. The medic has noticed some bruising on his arm with what looks like a needle puncture mark. Gale tells him he has no idea what might have caused that. Maybe Katniss jabbed him with something to force him to let her go. Other than that, Peeta has a lump on the back of his head where Katniss hit him and a welt across his face as well. He is told he is fine and is able to go.
Peeta tells Gale he doesn't want to be around Katniss tonight. He can't remember what brought on his flashback and he is afraid of hurting her again. Gale says that he will put him in a separate room in the house tonight and he, personally, will stand guard.
Peeta steps away from Katniss as they go back to the vehicle preparing for the drive home. Then he refuses to get in with her. Gale isn't sure if this is because he is afraid of hurting Katniss again or if he is still somehow in his hijacked state. Gale can see the pain in Katniss' eyes. She thinks that Peeta believes she is still a mutt and then Katniss starts to cry.
"Katniss. It's not you, it's me!" says Peeta not moving any closer to her. "I don't want to hurt you again. Please. Go. Gale can bring me down in another vehicle".
Katniss understands now that Peeta is ashamed. He is ashamed of hurting her and putting their baby at risk. She has already forgiven him, doesn't he know that? She decides it is best not to agitate him in his current state of mind, so she climbs in and says "I love you, Peeta" before being driven back to their home. Peeta follows in another vehicle and insists Gale brings him straight to the spare room and lock it from the outside. Gale does as Peeta asks, just to give him an opportunity to gather himself, and then checks on Katniss again. She is already lying on the bed holding Peeta's locket in her hand.
"Katniss" says Gale "it will be OK. I promise. We will get to the bottom of this, but I think we might need to bring Peeta back to the Capitol for a short time so they can assess him again. He may need to spend some time revising his memories, just so that we can make sure his real memories of you are the ones that are the strongest. They have a new treatment now, too, which might help. For your own sake, and the baby's, you probably need some time apart".
Katniss knows Gale is right, but she hates seeing Peeta like this and she just wants him to be OK.
"Can we talk about it in the morning, Gale?" Katniss asks. Gale knows he has been dismissed again.
Peeta has a restless night and so does Katniss. In the morning Gale makes the arrangements to bring Peeta back to the Capitol for a few days and then leaves him and Katniss to say their goodbyes.
Peeta hasn't come out of his room yet and Haymitch is on standby. He watches Katniss as she knocks on the door and asks Peeta if she can come in. She hopes it is nothing like it was in the hospital when Peeta returned from the Capitol the first time. He tells her to come in. He is sitting on the edge of the bed and looking a little the worse for wear. Katniss moves towards him, slowly, and Peeta watches her. She makes her way over to the bed and sits beside him.
"Katniss, I'm sorry" he says again.
"Peeta, I know that wasn't you, just like you know that wasn't me…whatever it was you saw or thought last night. We are going to get through this, I promise".
Peeta is no longer shackled and takes her hand in his. He wants so badly to kiss her, but her mouth is bruised and a little swollen. He lays back on the bed and draws her close. She faces into him and Peeta places his hand on her stomach. He feels their baby move and is flooded with relief. With tears in his eyes he turns and kisses the top of her head.
"You love me…real or not real?" says Katniss.
"Real" says Peeta.