Dead in the Water | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Finnick stayed by Annie's side for the rest of the night. He didn't stay exactly where he was, of course. He only held her in his arms until her sobs had died away and her breathing had slowed, and he was sure she was asleep. Then Finnick lowered her gently back into bed and took a seat in the chair across the room. He sat there until sunrise, until light was peeking through the curtains, and he heard the front door opening downstairs.

Finnick slipped out of Annie's bedroom, running into Mags in the hallway. He braced himself, clenching his fists and waiting for the comments and sly looks that always followed him in these situations.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Mags asked quickly.

"I swear, it's not what it looks like –"

"Finnick," she said, not even waiting for him to finish. "I know you better than that. What happened? Is Annie okay?"

Finnick stared at her for a moment before he replied. There was only worry in her eyes. He relaxed a little, unclenching his hands. "Nightmares, I think," he told her. "And she was seeing things. She was seeing Kai."

Mags frowned. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to come over."

"No, I don't mind. I don't mind at all. I was already up. I just –" Finnick shook his head. "I didn't realize it was so bad, Mags."

"I think it's worse than she lets on."

"But I thought she was – I thought the sailing was helping her –"

"It is helping, Finnick." She looked up at him, at the dark circles under his eyes, and pulled him into a hug. "You're doing great."

"It doesn't look like it." he mumbled into her shoulder. "She's not better. She's still seeing things."

"Did you think she was going to be cured overnight? Don't be so hard on yourself." Mags wrapped her arms a little tighter around Finnick. "Five years and I'm still taking care of you. If you're bad at this, then I must be a terrible mentor."

"You're the best, Mags."

"Then give yourself time. It's going to take time."

"How much longer?" Finnick asked. Five years felt like an eternity – would he really still be taking care of Annie then? How had Mags put up with him for so long?

But Mags only laughed, soft and a little sad. "Give it time." she said again. She peered in through the door to look at Annie's sleeping form on the bed. "It looks like you did alright last night."

"This time, maybe. What am I supposed to do if it happens again?"

"What did you do this time?"

Finnick shrugged. "I told her a story – one she told Kai during the games."

But he didn't know any more stories. He'd only heard the one – how was he supposed to tell her what was real if he didn't even know it himself?

Finnick sighed, sitting down on the stairs. "She has a hard time remembering things." he said. "I think – all the voices and things she sees – I think they confuse her. She needs someone to help her remember what's real. But I don't think that should be me."

Mags sat down beside him, and he leaned his head on hers. "We'll figure it out." she said softly. "I'm sorry I made you come over. I didn't know something like this was going to happen."

"Of course you didn't. I don't mind. I know you had to leave." Finnick looked down at her, noticing the bags under her eyes for the first time. "How are the Murphys?"

"Twin girls." Mags murmured. "That's five kids now – and they've already had trouble keeping the other ones fed." she shook her head. "Never recovered after they lost their boats in the storm last winter."