Chapter 16: Primal
Author's note: Detailed commentary about childbirth/labour (without blood/gore). Probably not for the faint hearted, but not deserving of a higher rating either.
Katniss is expecting her mother any day now. She is starting to get very uncomfortable, again. The baby is very big and she is finding it hard to eat and sleep, even breathe sometimes. Peeta is very solicitous, catering to her every need. He has employed someone else to work in the Bakery well which means he can be with her most of the time.
They had given him the "all clear" in the Capitol when he was discharged. The chance of him having any more flashbacks is minimal. This means that they did not need to put any restrictions on Peeta when he returned home, but Haymitch and Gale call in everyday anyway. The three of them sometimes laugh at Katniss as she waddles around trying to keep the house in order. She has decided, herself, that her precious "bun" is just about done!
She refuses to let Peeta sleep anywhere else except in their bed, now that he is home, and he holds her close every night, noticing that her bad dreams are less frequent as well. Soon there will be something, or someone, else waking her up in the middle of the night!
Startled out of his sleep, Peeta can hear Katniss urgently calling to him.
"Peeta! Peeta!" she says whispering loudly.
Still groggy Peeta asks her "What is it?"
"I think the baby is coming!"
"How do you know?"
"My waters just broke" says Katniss.
Peeta seems confused.
"The waters around the baby. That means the baby is on its way. It could even be here today"
"But, your mother isn't here yet!" he says.
"I don't think it will wait for my mother, Peeta" says Katniss.
Peeta runs a bath for Katniss so she can relax. It is too early to get anyone else up and this could take a while. Katniss' contractions are far apart at the moment, every thirty minutes or so, and she says they are uncomfortable, but bearable. After a couple of hours, she tells Peeta she needs to walk, but she doesn't want to walk in the house. She feels too confined. Katniss wants to walk towards the woods by Prim's grave. Peeta doesn't like the idea, but he isn't going to argue with her now. Katniss is in control and this is her moment. She is primal.
They begin to walk and dawn is just beginning to break. Every now and again Katniss has to stop and lean on Peeta when she has another contraction. He keeps asking her if she wants to go back, but she says "no".
Eventually. they have walked past Prim's grave and, at Katniss' insistence, into the woods. The contractions are beginning to come closer together and soon Katniss tells Peeta they need to stop. Peeta sets down a blanket which Katniss kneels on trying to control her breathing. Annie had suggested breathing slowly and rhythmically as a way to help in between contractions. They are about 10 minutes apart and Peeta thinks that if he doesn't get her back to the house now, he might not get her there at all.
"Katniss, I need to get you back to the house"
"No!" says Katniss. "I can't move. I want to stay here".
Peeta had grabbed coats, as well as blankets, on his way out the door so he puts a coat over Katniss' back and looks around to see if he can find kindling for a fire to keep them warm. He had not been prepared for this.
"Katniss I am going to see if I can get you some water. There is a stream just over there".
Katniss agrees. When Peeta comes back, Katniss is beginning to cry out. This is going faster than Peeta expected. When Katniss cries out, he feels so helpless. He hates to see her in pain and it reminds him of the Jabberjays in the Quarter Quell. He had not been able to get to Katniss and it was one of the most difficult moments of his life, to see her in pain and not be able to help her. But this is a pain he knows she has to go through and he tries to steel himself to her cries.
Peeta manages to build a fire close by, but Katniss is in another world and probably does not even notice. As the labour intensifies, she wants to hold his hand and squeeze it each time she has a contraction. She tells Peeta it helps her to bear the pain. After a while, when Peeta says he wants to put more wood on the fire, Katniss says through gritted teeth, "Stay with me". "Always", he reassures her, as he allows her to tightly squeeze his hand. For several hours they remain like this and Peeta tries to keep her warm.
Eventually, Katniss drops onto all fours and is rocking backward and forward trying to cope with the pain. It must be getting close now. Then, Peeta hears a sound he has never heard from Katniss before. He had become accustomed to the cries of the last few hours, but this is new. It is a deep, guttural sound and instinctively he knows it is time for Katniss to push. He kneels beside her and waits to deliver their baby.
When baby Primrose finally makes her appearance she is a healthy weight and has a hearty cry. Katniss can't believe she has produced this little miracle and takes the baby straight to her chest to keep her warm. Peeta uses a knife from his pocket to cut the cord, which Katniss told him he should do, and Katniss ties a knot in the part of the cord still attached to the baby. She knows exactly what to do and Peeta can see she is a natural. He is so proud of her.
Peeta wraps Katniss and baby Primrose in another coat to keep them both warm and gets the fire started up again. Katniss needs to rest before she can be moved and Peeta just wants to have this moment with the three of them, together. They are finally a family.
Author's note: Theme music for the end of this chapter ('cos I sure need it...that was exhausting, but exhilirating!) Taylor Swift: Out of the Woods.