Pregnant In the Quell

Chapter Eight

"Looks like we've got more allies" Peeta says.

We go to greet Johanna, Beetee, and Wiress. They are all completely covered in blood. Wiress keeps mumbling the words "tick-tock"

Johanna smirks and looks me up and down. "How's the pregnant life, girl on fire?"

I try to keep myself from saying something that could get me killed. I just rest my hand on my stomach and say "Great. Thanks for asking."

Johanna strips once again, but Peeta just looks at me. She jumps straight into the water, and gets out to grab her clothes.

Beetee stumbles into the water too, and I help Wiress.

"Tick tock. "Tick tock" she keeps mumbling those words.

I help wash the blood out of her hair. As I wash her, I scan the arena, and I realize it.

"The arena is a clock," I whisper to myself. I say it even louder to let everyone know. "The arenas a clock!"

It was so clear. "Every hour, there is a new threat. The fog, the blood."

Beetee cuts me off. "At midnight, lightning hits that tree right there."

He points to a giant tree that is bigger than all of the others.

We make our way to the cornucopia, and Peeta grabs a knife.

I grab some more arrows and an extra bow. I hear Wiress gasp.

I look over, and she has a knife stabbed into her neck. I hurry and shoot the man with my bow.

From the other side. There's three or four other tributes trying to get to us. Finnick kills two with his trident, and I run out to try to hit one with my bow.

The ground begins to shake, and I fall straight on my stomach.

"The baby!" I scream as I try to get up. Peeta tries to run to me, but he falls too. The whole cornucopia starts to spin.

I hold on as hard as I can. It's spinning so fast. The whole time, I'm worrying about the baby. I'm laying flat on my stomach, probably hurting it.

That's when I lose my grip, and fall into the water.

I try to swim up, I'm sure that this is it, but then the water stops spinning. I swim up and gasp for air. Peeta is sitting on the edge bawling his eyes out.

I hurry up and pull myself up. I hug him from behind. "It's okay! I'm okay!"

Peeta turns around and wraps his arms around me. He burys his face into my hair. His breathing is heavy and he continues to cry. I lift his head up and kiss him. He kneels down and rubs my stomach some more. He kisses it multiple times.

"Alright, lovebirds." Johanna says in a sarcastic tone. "We're camping out. I'll take the first watch?"

"No way." I say. "I'm not risking anything.

"Fine," Johanna replies. "We'll be look out besties."

"Whatever, if that's what you want."

Johanna and I sit down in the sand. I start to get cramps in my stomach again, so I practice my breathing.

I breathe in and out slowly, and it makes me feel a little better. I don't realize Johanna is staring at me until I look over at Peeta.

"So, you're really pregnant?" Johanna says.

"Yeah. Isn't it completely obvious?"

"Well I guess so," she says. "But like how does it feel? I always wanted kids."

I couldn't believe what Johanna was saying. She of all people wanted kids?

"It's terrible, considering the consequences. I can't really enjoy it when I'm fighting to the death out here. There's probably something wrong by now. I fell straight on my stomach when the cornucopia started to spin."

Johanna frowns. "My boyfriend, Alder, we were going to have kids. We were going to start a life. Until I got dragged back in here."

For once, I actually feel sympathy for Johanna.

"I'm sorry." I whisper.

She quickly changes the subject. "How far along are you?"

"About four months, but it feels like four years."

"Wow," she says in a shocked tone. "You look about 6 months!"

I start to chuckle. "Really?"

"Definitely. When my mom was pregnant with my sister, she looked half your size at four months."

I start to wonder what was making me so big. "Maybe it's a boy," I say.

"Probably." Johanna says. "I'm sorry that this is happening. I'm going to take a rest, so if you want to sleep, wake me up."

I nod.

I sit there for an hour or so, looking out at the water. It's truly beautiful. The water coming up to shore, the sand, even the fish jumping out of the water are beautiful.

That's when the baby starts to kick.

"Peeta!" I squeal in excitement. "Come feel."

He jolts up and runs to me. "Are you okay?" He asks. His face shows concern.

"I'm fine!" I say. "Feel my stomach."

Peeta places his hand on my stomach, and I watch as it is raised slightly by my baby. Our baby. That's when it becomes more real to me.

Peeta and I are having a child.

Peeta has the widest grin I've ever seen. I can tell how much he wants this baby. He wants to be a dad. And I can't give that to him.

Finnick wakes up and glares at us. "It is impossible to get some sleep around here. What are you squawking about this time?"

I chuckle. "The baby is kicking."

Finnick walks up to us, and feels the baby for himself.

"Woah," he says as he lifts his hand off of my abdomen.

I smile. "Can you take watch, Finnick? I need some rest."

"Sure," he says.

Usually he'd refuse, but I can tell he feels bad for Peeta and I.

I lay back on the sand, and Peeta wraps his arms around me, and my stomach.

As I doze off, Peeta keeps his hands on my stomach, feeling the life that is growing inside of me.