The Wrong Victor

Chapter forty-six: Lavender Everdeen

I stand in the stands near President Coin as Peeta walks through the stadium. This is the stadium my daughter was paraded through twice to show her off like some prize. This is the stadium where they decided she was the winner. They were right, Katniss has always been a winner. Even when I had left them, when grief stole my will to live, she was there pushing through for us. I was surprised every year when her name wouldn't be called. She did so much for us. Now, it is my turn to do what I should have done for her. I should have taken care of her. I should have protected her. I didn't. But I will today.

This vial woman has been dangling my daughter over poor Peeta's head for months. Treating Katniss like a feral animal as if she isn't also to blame for it. I tested the sedatives and the medications. I tested Katniss' blood. They were still dosing her with tracker jacker venom in District 13. No wonder my daughter wasn't getting better. They upped the dosage when Coin sent Peeta to the Capitol. Coin wanted a reason to kill Katniss.

I take a deep breath as Peeta notches an arrow and shoots.

BAM

I jump as sparks of electricity fall from the screen the arrow hit. I quickly tap them off my skin as I take a deep breath. I was told one shot would hit the wall then the next would hit Coin.

I make sure my bag is nearby and I recount all that I have in there. Gloves, gauze, needles, numbing agent, paralytic, and finally nightlock concentrate.

I take a deep breath as Peeta notches his second arrow. I ignore the whispers around me as I prepare myself. This is about to end.

The second arrow wizzes by and cuts Coin's side.

"Medic! Medic!" Officials call out as Coin collapses into their arms. I grab my kit and rush over.

"Back up! Back up!" I demand as I get Coin on the ground. "You're okay." I say as I look around. We need to move away from here. "We need to move her. I can't stitch her up here. I need to be indoors!"

A man picks her up and carries her inside away from prying eyes as I apply pressure to her wound. Someone clears a table and she's laid down on it as I ask everyone to step away.

I open my kit and pull on gloves. I take out my shears and cut her shirt away from her side so I can access her cut.

"It's deep. I'll need to apply a clotting agent before I stitch you up." I lie as I pull out three needles and my three vials.

"What are you doing?" Coin asks trying to look up at me and the vials. I press on her wound with the gauze so she doesn't bleed out. This causes her to groan in pain. Good.

"First a numbing agent to prep the skin for stitches. After the numbing agent is injected I will inject a pain medication to help you through the discomfort and pain. Then after I will inject the clotting medication so you don't bleed out while I'm stitching you up." I explain as he clean off the wound and open my first syringe. I draw out the numbing agent before cleaning her wound again.

"Slight pinch." I say as I inject her wound all around. I clean her off again making sure everyone around can see how many gauze pads I'm using. I'll be able to say she lost too much blood the medication was too strong and her body was too weak. She won't survive past the first suture.

I open my second syringe and measure out the paralytic. Enough to cause her a seizure by the time I'm injecting the nightlock which will kill her almost instantaneously. "This is pain medicine. You may feel a slight pinch. Just keep breathing." No, don't keep breathing. Just stop breathing you monster. Make my job easy.

I grab my third needle and measure out a small amount of nightlock. As I do so the seizure starts. "Someone grab her shoulders. Someone grab her feet! She's seizing! Someone move her on her side now!" I yell at the bystanders. They all move and quickly get her on her side as she seizes. I inject the nightlock and stitch her up quickly. I go to check her vitals and gasp. "Move her on her back!"

They quickly listen and I start to attempt CPR. I know it will do nothing. I climb on the table for even better leverage for CPR. I feel her ribs starting to crack under my hands. "No! No! Come back! Come back dammit!" I cry and scream as I keep trying. Eventually someone pulls me off and keeps me in their arms as if to protect me from the distressing image of the President dead on the table.

"How is President-" A voice dies down as soon as it started. It's Peeta. He's keeping up appearances. "No! No I didn't mean! No! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Peeta cries as he drops to the ground. "Kill me! Throw me in prison! I killed her! I killed her!"

"Enough!" A woman I don't recognize walks in. She a tall black woman with a serious look on her face, but her eyes are still soft and calm and comforting. "Peeta you did not kill her. It was an accident, right?"

"Yes! God yes it was an accident! I took lessons I swear. I tried my best. I tried. I'm not an archer. I'm not. I'm so sorry!" Peeta cries as he covers his face with his hands. He really is a wonderful actor.

"Miss Everdeen, you did all you could to save the President?" The woman asks me and I nod.

"It's all routine. She was bleeding a lot. She was in pain. I tried to keep my head level. It's all medicine I use daily. She must have lost too much blood or been allergic to the medicine. I didn't know. I didn't know she had allergies. She started to seize. I commanded we get her on her side so she didn't choke. I stitched her up and when she stopped seizing I checked her vitals. I immediately started CPR." My hands are shaking and I don't know if it's from fear or if it's my acting. I can't tell anymore. I don't know what's real and what's not. I just know I protected my daughters.

"Then it was an accident. We will announce her passing and the Victors will meet to discuss who will take power now. Peeta, do you think you can get a call to District Four and District 12 so we can talk to everyone?"

"Yes Paylor. I'll be able to." Peeta sniffles as he is helped up from the ground. "I really didn't mean.."

"It was an accident. It was a stressful thing to do, I would have been shaking in my boots if I had to stare down Snow."