One Last Game -Haymitch Abernathy-

Chapter 52

Amelia's eyes are closed, her body curled up under the blanket. The bed is warmer with Haymitch there. He's careful not to touch her. He lets Amelia come to him. She appreciates that. Some days are easier than others. Some days she wants to be by his side. The other days she can't think about anything other than her growing anger. It's weird to her. Amelia doesn't feel in control. Her life is entirely in the hands of others, and she hates it.

She fell asleep quickly. Despite her lost memories, the connection between them was still there. Amelia felt safe with him. She always felt safe with Haymitch, which was why she was able to sleep beside him.

Haymitch woke up early the next morning, but he didn't try to fall back asleep. He laid on his side, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The blanket was bunched around her waist. Her shirt pulled up to reveal her stomach. His eyes drifted down to the injuries. There was a large wound that traveled down her gut. It was from Brutus when he shoved the machete straight through her. Haymitch remembered watching that happen in real-time. There are no words to describe out he felt seeing her standing there. Machete lodged in her gut.

There were a few other scars. They were in pairs, two small circles that resembled a plug. He couldn't figure out what caused them. Haymitch hoped that one day Amelia would tell me what she experienced in the Capitol. He knew on that day he would get her back. Amelia had to come to terms with what happened before she could get better.

Haymitch looked back at her face, admiring her. She was so skinny when she returned, and it took her forever to eat. Now, she was starting to look like her old self.

Haymitch could stare at her forever, and it wouldn't be long enough. To him, she was the most beautiful person to walk the planet. Her smile was infectious, and her eyes lured him in. They were gentle and full of love. They might be different now, but they were still the same eyes he fell in love with.

Amelia may be different, but he loved her just the same. Haymitch knew he always would. Knowing she was safe, alive, was all that mattered to him. It was all that would ever matter. Haymitch rubbed his eyes and slowly slipped out of bed. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was pulled into a meeting. It was better if he went to find Plutarch. If he didn't, the man would come to him. That meant he would risk waking Amelia. The girl barely slept as it was. Haymitch wanted her to rest.

Haymitch got dressed silently, his eyes constantly falling on Amelia's sleeping figure. She looked peaceful, lips parted as she breathed even breaths. One hand above her head while the other rested on her hip. He smiled to himself, buttoning his shirt. He wanted to kiss her, but he couldn't. Amelia wasn't ready for that yet. They had to take slow, gradual steps. That was okay with him. Taking one last look at her, he walked out the door.

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Amelia walked into the room as Johanna was leaving. Johanna winked at her but didn't say anything. Walking around the curtain, she found Katniss. "Hey."

Katniss looked up. "Hey."

"I heard about what happened." A loyalist in District 2 had shot Katniss. She was recovering. Luckily, her costume was bulletproof. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Katniss assured her. "How are you?"

Amelia smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed. "That's the million-dollar question Haymitch would love an answer to."

Katniss sat up straighter. "He's just worried."

"I know." Everyone was worried about her. Amelia wished they would stop worrying about her. She wasn't worth the stress. Her mind was destroyed by Tracker Jacker venom. It was never going to be the same, which was still hard for her to accept. She knew it would be easier with President Snow dead. "You know what I would love?"