Kindred

Chapter Nine

A/N: This chapter is a tad shorter but I'm happy with where I ended it. It will lead into the next chapter nicely :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or its characters.

Chapter Nine

Peeta had woken up in the middle of the night, confused and disorientated. Katniss had been passing his bedroom when she heard him groan and when she peered into the room to check on him, he had hung over the side of the bed and vomited. Haymitch took a look at him. He checked his eyes and his focus before concluding that he was concussed. Katniss was alarmed by this. You weren't supposed to let someone with a concussion sleep. They were lucky he had woken up at all!

Broderick returned in the morning and gave them some advice. Peeta had to get plenty of rest and not strain himself until he was completely recovered. When he examined him further, Broderick discovered a bump on Peeta's head which had been hidden by his hair. This suggested that during the attack, he may have whacked his head multiple times against the wall or door, blinded by rage when Katniss escaped. This also explained why he passed out so quickly afterward.

"Keep something cold against the bump. Like some ice or a wet towel," Broderick told Katniss as they left Peeta's room with Haymitch watching him. "Don't let him do anything strenuous. If he isn't any better in forty eight hours, come and see me again." He handed Katniss a packet of paracetamol. "They will subdue the pain. Don't let him take any more than two every four hours."

"Okay," Katniss said. She led Broderick out and thanked him avidly. Without his help, who knew what state Peeta would be in?

When the medic was gone, Katniss pulled the ice cube tray out of the freezer and dumped them all into a kitchen cloth. She ascended the stairs and returned to the guest room, where they had moved Peeta to in the middle of the night. "Broderick says it keep that pressed against the wound," she said, handing Haymitch the cloth.

"Thanks, sweetheart," said Haymitch.

Peeta wasn't asleep-he hadn't been since he woke up and threw up-but he was extremely disorientated. His eyes were drooped and he was muttering quietly to himself. It unnerved Katniss to see him like that. Almost as much as the hijacking attack had unnerved her.

Willow was distressed as well. Haymitch had been visited by Hazel Hawthorne and she gave him the walkie that she had used for Posy. It had been the only thing that had come with them when Gale evacuated everyone before the bombing. She had heard about Willow and wanted to help so she gave Haymitch the walkie to give to Katniss. Just like everyone else, she was too nervous to give it to Katniss directly.

Willow didn't have time to enjoy the leisure of her new toy. She was too upset, like she sensed there was something wrong. Her clothes were dry and she didn't have to be wrapped up in a blanket anymore. Haymitch had sorted that out for Katniss while she kept an eye on Peeta. After he had thrown up in the middle of the night, Katniss had been afraid to leave his side.

"We're losing two more days," Katniss said fearfully.

"Two more days?" voiced Haymitch.

"To get rid of Willow," Katniss explained.

"Sweetheart, I don't know if that's going to happen for a while now. If Tax's ma couldn't take her, I don't think there are many other options," Haymitch said as softly as he could. "Not until the roads through the Districts are finished anyway."

That's what Katniss had feared. She chewed on her thumbnail anxiously before pulling the comforter further up Peeta's body. "I can't look after a baby for six months Haymitch," she said. "Peeta thinks he can but look at where the stress has led him."