Finding the Missing Piece: Book 3

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Peeta POV-

"Sir?" Some taps my shoulder.

I open my eyes and turn around, careful not to wake Katniss.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"We need to check Katniss's vitals and take some more blood."

I nod, "You need me to leave, don't you?" I ask.

"You don't have to leave since you're her spouse but we need you to at least wake her." The nurse says.

I sigh, relieved, "Okay, can we have a few minutes?"

She nods and the flock of nurses leave.

I look down and see how sound she is sleeping, her brown hair all tangly and in her face again and her lips puffed out just enough to make me wanna cry.

"Katniss, wake up." I say softly, rubbing her arm and combing her hair back out of her face.

She opens her gray eyes and squints, her eyebrows scrunched up, "What?" She asks innocently, though I just woke her from a good sleep.

"They just came in and said to wake you up because they need to take some blood and check your vitals, okay?" I inform her.

Katniss grumbles, "Will you help me sit up a little more?"

"Of course, just sit up slowly so that you don't get dizzy or anything. Do you feel any better?" I ask hopeful.

"I feel drugged." She cracks a wide smile and I can't help but to too.

"Well, I'm guessing that's a good thing right now." I genuinely laugh for the first time all day and night.

Katniss smiles widely as I carefully help her sit upright just as the nurses come back in.

"Hello. We are just gonna draw some blood and check your temperature and blood pressure, okay?" A really tall nurse says nicely.

I look at Katniss and she bobs her sleepy head. She sees the needle and her eyes grow about 10x their normal size.

I reach over and take her hand, rubbing her thumb with mine. "Just relax, Katniss." I mumble into her ear as she hides her face in my shoulder as they take the desired amount of blood.

"See. It wasn't too bad, was it?" The same nurse pipes in.

I look up and see Katniss just give her a look of disgust and I have to hold my laughter back.

"Okay, now we are just gonna check your temperature and then your blood pressure and we will leave you alone." The nurse says, strapping a blood pressure cuff over Katniss's arm that's opposite of the side I'm sitting on and another nurse swipes her forehead with a fancy thermometer.

"Well, Katniss. Your fever has gone down tremendously."

"And her blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal. Maybe I'll believe her now."

A confused look appears on my face but Katniss explains. "I told them how you and I were each other's pain relievers in a way. I told them how whenever I'm sick, you help comfort me and I feel almost instantly better."

A smile comes across my face, "Oh. Yeah, that's true." I say, squeezing her hand with mine.

Katniss leans over and kisses me on the cheek, leaving a burning sensation behind, as she always does.

"You two are really sweet. Must be newly weds. I'll be back in about an hour to check on you." The same nurse says, walking out.

I look over at Katniss.