Just End It | An After Mockingjay Short Story

Chapter 4

Katniss' P.O.V.

I feel cold sheets under me. The surface is rough and uncomfortable. Although, I have something more important in my mind. Where am I? And how did I get here? I try to sit up but pain shoots through my head. I groan and lean back down. Where's Peeta? Without moving my head, I glance around the room. I think I'm in the hospital. But why would I be here? Maybe that explains the pain in my head.

I spot a window. Through it, I see Peeta, clutching his head in his hands. I know something is wrong. What happened?

"Peeta?" I slowly call out, panicking that something was wrong. My voice is slightly raspy making me shudder at my own voice.

When Peeta hears me, he looks up and his eyes seem to have lightened up. I smile at him, happy that he didn't look as worried anymore. He quickly jumps up from his seat and runs towards the room's door. Rushing in, he dashes to my bedside. He slides his hand into mine and I gladly take it. I am as happy to see Peeta as he is happy to see me.

"What happened?" I croak.

"Y-You were unconscious. I found you in the kitchen. Your head was bleeding and you were holding a knife..." He explains quickly. I frown.

"What? I don't remember anything..." I mutter. Peeta's smile turned upside down.

"You don't?"

"No."

"Katniss. What do you remember. You know who I am right? But do you know who you are?" Peeta asked worriedly.

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. You were hijacked. But now President Snow is dead and Panem is safe. You are fine. I am fine. And I'm with you," I tell Peeta. Not only does saying that out loud give me a sense of comfort, but it also satisfies Peeta, as he sighed and smiles again.

"So you only don't remember what happened before you fell unconscious?"

"Yes."

Peeta sits down on the edge of the bed. He leanes down and kisses me, and I accept the passionate kiss that we haven't shared in so long. When we pull away, he carefully pulls me into his warm embrace. I press my ear into his chest, listening to the calming sound of Peeta's heartbeat.

"Do you know what happened?" I whisper.

Peeta lifts my chin so that I could face him, being slow to not hurt my head.

"I think you had one of those flashbacks..." He mumbles. "The ones where you want to hurt yourself."

"Is that why you think I was holding the knife?" I ask.

"Yes, Katniss," Peeta starts to sound a bit more serious. "Im worried Katniss. What if one of these times you hurt yourself more? What if you actually kill yourself?"

I look up into his eyes. They are looking into mine with great concern. It is like I have never seen him this worried. The only other times he has had a look filled with this amount of concern were the times that he had a flashback he couldn't take control of. He hurt me quite a bit a few times, however, it doesn't matter. That person isn't him. And the girl who wants to kill herself is not me either. It is just the side effects of the games. And the war. The war that killed Prim. The war that I made. I killed her. She died because of me. I killed my own sister.

"Katniss? Katniss, are you okay?"

The voice echoes in my head. I can barely hear it. The regret is blocking it. The regret of killing my own sister. Im a murderer.

Thats when I feel a soft sensation on my lips. My mind glides back to reality. Peeta. Peeta is here.

When the kiss ends, Peeta pulls my shoulders back so I face him again.

"Its not real Katniss. You're fine," He says, dragging me into his chest. Im safe. Its not real, I repeat in my head.

"Thank you, Peeta," I whimper. I sink down into his shirt. Peeta gave me the comfort that no one else could give me.

'Peeta is mine, and I am his. And nothing can change that' I think as I drift off to sleep.

*****

My eyes flutter open to the sight of Peeta's handsome face. I guess after I fell asleep, Peeta did too. It is already the next morning. I think I'll be discharged from the hospital today.

I decide wake up Peeta with a soft kiss on the lips. It seems to do the job. My lover slowly opens up his eyes.

"That was a nice way to wake me up!" He chuckles. "You should do that everyday."

"I do do it everyday!" I laugh at Peeta.

"Then do it more," Peeta says as he pulls me into another kiss. However, we have to pull back when a nurse came into the room.

"Oh I'm very sorry to disturb you, but Im just here to tell you that Ms. Everdeen can be discharged today," She says as she smiles warmly but apolitically at us. Peeta grts up carefully as my head wound still hasn't healed yet. I get up too and I pick up the clothes I had been wearing previously to change into from the hospital gown they had changed me into. I still wonder what exactly happened in the accident, however, I shake the thought out of my head and head for the room's bathroom.

After I am finally in my own clothes and head back outside to Peeta.

After we sign out of the hospital, we head back home with Haymitch, who Peeta has probably called to pick us up in his car. There is a slight smile on his face, almost like a smirk.

"Glad your okay, sweetheart," He says. I rolled my eyes at the repetitive nickname that is still going over the years.

Peeta and I slide into the backseat, and I place my head on his shoulder. No one speaks through out the ride however, the silence is not uncomfortable.

We arrive in around ten minutes. Haymitch parks his car in front of his house. After thanking him for the ride, Peeta and I head over to his house. Peeta opens the front door without the need to unlock it. He must have been so worried about me that he forgot to lock the house.

When I pass by the kitchen, I see a mess. A chair is knocked over to the ground along with Buttercup's shattered food bowl. The cutlery drawer is pulled wide open. It must be where I got the knife from. I frown at the scene. I don't remember any of this happening. But the blood on the floor makes me worry about what is happening to me.

"Peeta?" I call. Peeta rushes to my side.

"Katniss, whats wrong?" He asks.

"How can I not remember this?" I gasp.

"I really dont know Katniss."

Im pretty sure Peeta didn't want me to see this.

"Katniss why dont you change while I clean up?" Peeta offers. I just nod and run up the stairs.

*****

That night, when Peeta and I go to bed, the question lingers in my head. What happened to me? But I just lean into Peeta's chest accepting the safe embrace he has offered me every night for the last decade. Someone may wonder, why haven't we moved on further with our lives? Why arent we married? Why don't we have children? The truth is, as teenagers, we were forced to grow up too quickly. The games. The love at age 16. The lie that I was pregnant. We were never given the choice to move slowly in life. We were just forced to act like weapons to kill our enemies. I dont want that anymore. I just want to live my life the best I possibly can from now on. When we are ready to move on further in our relationship, we will.

And like always, we fall asleep peacefully cuddled in each others arms.

•••

Hi everyone!

So yeah dont worry I didnt kill Katniss off on the second chapter...

There were some really cute everlark moments in there!

I hope you enjoyed!

If you did please vote and comment any feedback or suggestions!

-fansreads