Broken Wings

Chapter 18

A look of worry is on the face of the visitor as he looks around at me and fruitless efforts to light a fire, then proceeding to start to work around me. He takes of his long raincoat, still wet from the trek through the woods in the dark and reveals my hunting bag full of supplies. Out of the bag comes a warm looking coat which I am soon covered in like a blanket then he turns and successfully starts a fire warming the air around us. I curl deeper into my ball and hide my head under the coat until my body settles for a quieter approach to shivering. My limbs are defrosting as I feel Peeta's presence next to me. looking out of under my hiding I stare at the fire and try discovering what to do next. Clearly Peeta is here for me, because there is no way Peeta just went for a walk in the woods, in a raging storm, to clear his mind. That is more my crazy thinking, Peeta would more likely paint or bake. However, I can't keep going along with him because I might start changing my mind about the distance necessary between us. I can't let him see my injuries or he will think I need further help, so I start moving around more to try keep the illusion of being fine and try play it cool. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you to slip up in your pretence of health. You?" Damn, how does he do that?

"I don't know what you are talking about" I answer back pushing my hair out of my face in fain obliviousness, but Peeta catches my hand. "That." He says showing me my hand bleeding from the warmth returned to me by the fire. Damn again, I forgot I had a boxing match with the tree. I pull my hand back, "it's just a few scratches. It's fine and so am I."

"Scratches all over your fist and most likely that other as well means you either punched something rough repeatedly or an animal has attacked you in just that spot." He says digging in the bag, I use the opportunity to hide my hand again. "So, Fine? I think not." He finally finds what he is looking for and pulls out a first aid kit. Retrieving a cloth from inside he gets up and walks to the door, wets the cloth with the still falling rain and comes back. "Give me your hand." I don't budge. "Now, or I'll grab it myself and risk hurting whatever other injuries you're hiding in there."

If just purely walking brought that much pain earlier, I don't want to know what Peeta yanking my arm would feel like. So, reluctantly I give my scratched and bruised hand over to him but keep my broken arm close. Ever so gently he cleans my cuts and wrap up my hand in a bandage. "There that wasn't so bad. Now give me your other one." He say reaching for my right hand, but that on is on my broken arm and even if I could hide the pain the swelling would be a dead giveaway. "It's fine." I say as kindly as I can to the liar next to me. "You said that about the other one and I wouldn't call bleeding and purple fine." His voice is inpatient and has been from the very first word said when he arrived, indicating whatever he was upset about earlier is still bugging him now. This makes me angry all over again because I haven't done anything to provoke it. Out of the two of us he has done the most in last two days to make someone angry. He gives up on waiting for me comply and grabs my arm. He doesn't even do it that roughly, but I still scream out in pain. Peeta drops my arm and I pull it back to it prior position as tears fall from pain. "Oh, Katniss I'm sorry I didn't realise! Is it broken? I am so sorry." It comes out rushed but I know he means it. "How did it happen?"

"I was climbing a tree in the dark before the storm." I explain, more focused on trying to get the pain to subside again. "Are you hurt much anywhere else?"

"My foot I think it might be broken to, but it has hurt too much to take off my shoe." I say looking up into his eyes and I get caught again. I become so trapped in his eyes with the theme of worry. I want to cry again because I know that worry is only out of the goodness of his heart. A heart I have to distance myself from because of moments like this were all I want to do is fall into his arms. But I don't and he just nods going to the fire in the corner, putting a log on the fire and receiving two small straight-ish sticks. he looks back at me, asking for permission to proceed. I nod and he gets another bandage. "I promise I'll be gentle." He says quietly and he is. With the care Peeta puts into everything my arm is put into a splint. That being done, he takes of the grey scarf he has had around his neck and makes a sling for me and ties it around my neck.