Once I'm there I see that he has once again cut his cord, so I limp back over to my house mumbling my disapproval under my breath as I enter. Upon entering I walk over to Haymitch and see if I can help because I don't think I have actually seen him in the place of a healer. When I walk around the corner, I see that Peeta is barely conscious which would scare me if I didn't know what his attacks did to him. Haymitch on the other hand, I have never seen move so fast. In the time it has taken me to hobble over here He has managed to sterilize, assess, and care for the wound on Peeta's arm. He is wrapping the arm in a bandage when he sees me. He nods me over to help him and I crouch next to him as I look at the now unconscious Peeta's face. "Was it bad?" I ask as I drag some of the hair, wet from sweat, out of Peeta's eyes.
"Pretty, the bleeding hasn't quite stopped yet, but it should soon. Did you call Sae?" I just shake my head in response not looking away from the baker's face. I feel Haymitch get up as after a while I hear his gruff voice telling Sae to organize a trip to the clinic for me.
Despite all the effort Haymitch has gone to my thoughts are of Peeta. Thoughts of hope always seem to come to mind when he is near. Since his return he has given me enough hope that life could be good again that I was able to stop simply surviving and start living, living on honour of the life my sister couldn't have. Yet this isn't all his presence gives. It also gives me a peace that I can't seem to find on my own, peace that leads to happiness. He has single handedly made life worth living and how have I repaid him? With nothing but paid and devastation and he knows it and does nothing about it. The kindest thing I could do for him is lock him out completely. It will hurt him for a while but hopefully he will be able to move one like everyone on else. All it takes is distance, distance to break bond of that of a mother and daughter, but I guess there would have to a good bond to start with. I doesn't matter if Peeta loves me because Gale says he did and he is probably kissing a line of girls now. Yes, the power of distance I just what I need. The thought is numbing, and I feel my face lose any trace of emotion which I rejoice in because hiding my feelings is a lot better than facing them, especially when you are as weak to them as I am.
When I feel Haymitch's hand on my shoulder I am as feelingless as a stone. I take what needs to be the last look at Peeta's face and head for the green in the front where Thoms cart awaits me. I greet Thom and he nods in concern at my injuries, I just give him a slime and say, "Hunting gone wrong." He chuckles at this leaves it at that which is good because I am terrible at lying. Unfortunately, I am going to have to lie to the doctor about how I got these injuries and that isn't going to be easy. I spend the trip to town thinking of a believable lie until the pain in my foot from overuse demands my attention and I decide to wing it.
When we enter town, everybody stares at the mockingjay being pulled up to the clinic I try not let I bug me and will them to leave me be. Thankfully the people of district twelve have always respected my privacy and the newcomers from other districts are too scared to ask questions. When Thom helps me into the building, he simply registers me at the front desk where they must have been expecting me. He walks back over to me "Okay Katniss, the doctor is expecting you just walk down the hall with the nurse. Do you want me to help you?" I decline politely and say goodbye, he says to call if I need anything and waits until im ready to leave. Then a young-looking nurse with red hair comes and helps me walk over to my room. "My name is Levine, and I am in charge of helping you heal." She has a kind face and tells me to sit so that she and prep me for the doctor. I'm thankful that she lets us sit in silence as she cleans and X-rays my arm and treats my foot, because I zone out and wait for this all to end. When she leaves to consult a doctor about the x-ray, I look for the scarf she removed from me. not that I'm cold but it's mine and I want it back because it still smells like Peeta. I wish he was here because this hospital room is making me uncomfortable due to its resemblance to the place, I spent most my time in 13. Then I remember that I'm supposed to be weaning myself off Peeta because how else am I going to cope on my own. But you can't be weaned in a day I guess, so when I find the scarf I re-rap it around my neck.
Levine renters and begins to get what must a cast ready in a machine printing in the corner before turning to me to tell me the verdict of the doctor. "Sorry that the doctor can't see you I person he is quite thinly spread being the only doctor in twelve, but I assure you are in good hands."
"Thank you, I don't mind. Do you know how long I'll be in that thing?" I ask gesturing to the printer in the corner. "oh right, about 6 weeks, but come back in 4 to see if you can have it off early." She says as she walks to retrieve to the now finished cast. "The 3-D cast will allow you to shower, and the design gives you these large holes for breathability." She tells me while attaching the blue cast to my arm. After that she informs me that I have sprained my ankle and should stay off of it for the next two weeks, so no woods. When it's time to leave she calls my name as I half-way out the door.
"Miss Everdeen," I stop and turn looking back at her slightly confused "I know you probably just want to forget all about the war, but I just wanted to say thank you. My little brother was about to turn 12 at the Quell and not matter how much we tried to stop him he signed up for his name to go in repeatedly just to try and help feed our family of ten." She starts to feel her voice quiver and clears her thought. "If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't still have him with me, so thank you." Her confession has my resolve of a stone face break a little and I feel I tear slide down my face. Not trusting my voice, I nod and limp down the hall back to Thom. I ask him to take me to Sae's before heading home which he obliges, and I show her that I am fine. After a bowl of soup and relaying what Levine said about my health, she won't take no for an answer when telling me she will be supplying me with food for the next two weeks. The three of us chat and joke around, Thom tells me that he'll have that business report to me by next week, and considering I can't leave the house he'll know where to find me. when we finally head home it sun set and Sae makes me take the leftover soup home for the boys and we leave. The trip home is silent as is the drop off. Thom says goodbye and I head inside.
When I enter the house is silent, so I'm surprised when I find Haymitch on the couch. "What did the doctor say?" is all he says when I am next to him and join his stare at our feet. "Not much just that I'm stuck in this," I gesture to the cast "for six weeks and I can't use my foot to much for about two weeks." He replies with a "humph" and leaves it at that. The silence is short lived when he shifts to look at me as he throws the health reports in my lap. "So, miss nosey, we stealing now?" I say nothing "Because if we are then this unlocked door thing may not last long. What did you think would come of this huh? That Effie is extra crazy or that you where out of the loop?"
"Well, I was kept out of the loop wasn't I. A loop that whether you like it or not I am the centre of." After the last few hours of my life, I'm too tired for rage and I am just left with hurt "How could you keep something like this from me?"
"I didn't want to, but he asked me to, and I think out of the three of us he deserves kept promises better than anyone else." He takes a breath "Look sweetheart, he is hurting. Hurting badly, but it's still his hurt. he has the right to hide it same as you have the right to hide your emotions like you do, or more rather try to do." He snickers "you're not fooling me or him, with this stone face of yours, we know you to well." I look away from his knowing grey eyes now and hope he is wrong when I know he isn't. he is right about it all from Peeta to me, he has been for a long time which is why he was able to save us so many times I suppose. "his bleeding stopped by the way, so I put him to bed. Oh, and feed your cat and clean up you wouldn't want to let the boy see how you've wrapped yourself in his scarf, you'd just give him a big head." He chuckles before leaving and shutting the door behind him.
Chewing on his words I shower in the dark, because I can't be bothered to turn on the light, and once clean put on my night dress. I neatly fold Peeta's scarf, putting it on the dress and climb into bed which is warm. The warmth and the comfort of the soft sheets put me to sleep almost immediately.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Wings
FanfictionMy take on what happened between the primroses and the 'real or not real' at the end of the Mockingjay book. All characters belong to the talented Susan Collins.
