After the Rebellion | Part 2

Chapter 9

-Katniss

I've just finished getting ready to go to the hospital with Peeta. Haymitch and Effie said they will come around tomorrow and do what they were planning to do today with us. We said okay and they soon left.

I guess we do really need to start locking the door, who knows who we will have wandering into our bedroom next, no-one hopefully.

I pull my hunting boots up onto my feet and start to do them up. I stand up and look through the jackets on the hangers until I come across my father's hunting jacket. I pull it on and walk to the kitchen to wait for Peeta.

We walk out of the house together, slowly making our way into the district that only a few months ago was ash and dust.

"What are you thinking about?" Peeta asks.

"The baby," I lie.

"What about the baby?"

"Who it's going to look like, what colour eyes it's going to have, what gender it's going to be, what hair colour it's going to have, just the usual thoughts that any mother would wonder."

"It's going to look like you with its little blue eyes from me and your brown hair and olive skin, and it's going to be a little boy," Peeta says.

"It's going to look like Gale with that description." I hear Peeta mumble something under his breath but I don't take notice I just carry on walking in the direction of the Hospital.

I open the door and hold it open for Peeta as we both walk in, Peeta whispers, "I'll go and get us some tea, and I'll be back now." I nod in approval and continue to walk forward to the reception. I stop dead. I take another glance at the receptionist and shake my head, it can't be her, and she's dead. Prim?

I feel the tears leaving my eyes and I fall to the floor uncontrollably and let myself cry into my hands. I start to whisper to myself, "It's not real, Katniss. It's not real, Katniss." I see the image of the parachutes coming down and her small body standing, helping the capitol children, my lips are just forming her name when the parachutes blow up. I start shaking and my cries become more known to the people around me in the hospital, but no-one comes to my help. They just sit and watch me break down in the middle of the hospital reception.

I look up again and I see her, staring helplessly at me. I feel Peeta by my side helping me stand up, "Katniss, what happened?" he says softly into my ear. I can't look at him. I can't do this. I can't bring an innocent baby into this world, I couldn't protect Prim what makes me think I can protect my own baby.

"I can't do this," I spit at him.

"Can't do what, Katniss? Talk to me." he says softly while walking me over to the waiting room seats.

"I can't have this baby; I couldn't protect her, Peeta!" I almost scream into his chest. I can almost imagine what his face must look like now, an utter disappointment.

"Katniss, what's going on?" a soft very familiar voice says.

I look up and the receptionist is staring at me. "Prim?" I say in between sobs.

"Katniss, it's really you." the voice says again.

"Prim?" I cry.

"Yes, it's me, Katniss it's me."

"Where have you been? I thought you were dead!" I scream.

"I've been right here, in the hospital with mom."

I stand up from Peeta and pull her into my arms, my little sister into my arms. I let myself cry into her hair as I pull her closer to me. I whisper, "I'm never letting you leave my sight again," between sobs.

I let her go and she smiles at me while wiping the tears from her rosy cheeks. She looks at me and then looks towards Peeta and her face lights up and she pulls me in to hug her again. "You're pregnant, Katniss?" she whispers against my shoulder.

"Yes," I whimper. She lets go of me and runs over to Peeta. I watch his face light up and tears leave his eyes when she lands on his lap pulling him into the tightest hug. "I knew you'd do it Peeta, I knew you'd win her over and make her love you, I knew it." She says to him. More tears flow down his cheeks and he looks up at me and just smiles.

My hands move to my stomach and I rub my hand over the small forming bump and whisper, "That's your Auntie Prim."

I walk over to Peeta and my sister and just smile, I can't stop. Prim stands up and walks back over to the reception, but before she goes she says, "I'll get you a midwife straight away."

As if this day didn't contain enough happiness, I get to find out how my little baby is doing and I finally know my sister is alive. I have so many questions to ask her but I'll ask her them all later after my appointment.

I wipe my fallen tears away off my cheek and take Peeta's hand in mine. I rub my thumb over his in a small circular motion which is both relaxing and calming.

I hear my name being called out and we both jump to our feet. I lock my hand with his and we slowly walk towards reception.

"Room 4, Miss Everdeen," the other receptionist says.

~~

I feel someone shaking me so I open my eyes. "Katniss, are you okay? We left to go get breakfast from the bakery and we came home and all we could hear was you screaming," Effie says.

I wipe the sweat off my forehead and sit up on the bed. "Where's Peeta? Where is she?" I say panicked, looking around the room for some sign of her.

"He's downstairs, who's she, Katniss?"

I start to cry uncontrollably into my hands. She isn't alive; it was just a nightmare, Katniss.