I Love You, Peeta Mellark

Chapter Nine

Peeta's POV:

I just woke up a few minutes ago. Kat ran into the room a minute ago. "Peeta," she cries, "I thought I was going to lose you!" Her face is red. "No. I'm okay. I wanna stay a bit longer. Like alive, I mean," I smile weakly. Katniss grimaces, "Peeta. They kicked. The first time. Again and again. Oh my. These three are active! Peeta feel!" Her eyes twinkle. I put my hand on her stomach. I instantly feel them, kicking away. "Kat. This is absolutely amazing. These are our kids! They're part of the family!" I grin.

I hear a knock on the door. I look up and see Joy. "You look a bit better, Peeta. That's a good thing. Your vitals are back to normal, which is good. How are you feeling?" She looks at me. I nod, "Pretty good." Her smile fades, "I hate to bring bad news. But I have news on Willow. I spoke with Alder. He said Willow has many important things damaged. He said her spleen ruptured, her spine is damaged in several spots, several ribs are broken, her left leg is impossible to fix, the fingers are all broken, and her rotator cuff isn't how it should be, from when the boy shoved her. I'm so sorry."

"Peeta. Peeta, honey. Breathe, love," Katniss whispers. I take a deep breath. I'm much closer to Willow than Rye. My little girl. "Your family and friends want to come in. What shall I tell them?" Joy asks. Kat looks at me. "Send them in. I need my support," My voice cracks. Within a few minutes, everyone is in my room. Annie is crying into Finnick. Katniss gets up slowly. Jo whispers something in her ear. Katniss hugs Annie and Finnick. Finnick's face is glistening with tears.

"We lost him. Seth is gone," Finnick barely makes out. This is awful. Annie and Finnick lost their only son, Kat and I might lose Willow, and Gale might lose Kattie. I push myself up and prop up against my stack of pillows. Katniss lays down beside me, "This makes me realize I, well we could actually lose Willow. They never expected this. No one did. Peeta. We can't lose her!" She cries into my chest. I kiss her head.

Effie hands me my son. He snuggles up between Kat and I. I feel so loved. I want my little girl to live. "Mama. Dada," I look down. Rye is smiling. "Kat! He said that! Rye said his first words!" I exclaim. She perks up, "My big boy! I'm so proud!" I rub his back.

The door swings open. Alder rushes in, "Katniss! She's awake! Willow is! So is Kattie!" Katniss jumps up. I hold Rye back. He starts fussing, "Mamamamamama!" I hug him. He starts to cry. Katniss kisses his head and pushes Gale out of the room. I look at Haymitch, who is staring at the door. "Haymitch. I don't know what to do. I can't calm him down. I don't do this kind of thing. Can someone help me?" Johanna passes Bekah and Oli to Effie and Haymitch. Then she comes over and takes Rye. She bounces him as he starts to giggle. "Peeta. You need to relax. They are like dogs, meaning they can sense fear. We need to be fearless," She holds onto my giggling little boy.

"Annie. Do you remember... when we were in the Capitol? While we were there as prisoners? After Jo or I got tortured, you always kept us calm. I always thought I'd never get out of there. I didn't think I'd ever see Katniss again. You kept me optimistic. I never thanked you, so thank you for keeping me sane," I look up at Annie. "Peeta," Annie looks at me, "What are you aiming for?" I pull my blanket up a little, "You have to keep your head up. Don't lose hope. Please Annie." She walks over to me, "You don't understand. I lost my son! My only son! This is one of the worst days in all time! You. Will. Never. Understand. Peeta." Finnick grabs her arm, "Annie. Please calm down."

"Annie. Peeta lost his parents and brothers. I think he understands perfectly. He had to plan the funeral months after they died. He didn't even have their bodies," Jo says quietly. I flash her a thank you look. She nods curtly. None of us have a chance to say anything because Joy walks in. "Peeta. Can I look at your port please? I won't touch it. I promise," She hovers over me. I nod and pull the blanket off my amputated leg. She examines it from every angle and says, "It looks a lot better. Maybe we should try to take a walk. Here is the prosthetic piece. It is a new one because the old one was cracking. Let's walk to your daughter's room. I've heard she wants to see her father." I grab the leg and put it on like the old one. It is considerably comfortable, considering it being new. I sit up slowly, then swing my legs over the bed. "Now, Peeta. You will need to take your tower with you because the bag here is full of fluids, while this one has morphling. Be careful while you do this. It will be painful, walking. The prosthetic will seem heavier. And remember to rest when you feel too sore or tired. Willow's room is halfway down this hall." I nod.

I push up off the bed and grab my IV Tower. I groan as pain spreads throughout my stub. Joy helps me balance. I take little steps. Each step hurts. About 10 steps later, I stop and take a breath. Joy pats my back, "You are doing so well, Peeta." I keep walking and I get farther than before. "Peeta. They are 3 doors farther. You've got this," Joy urges me on. I go and knock on the 3rd door. Someone says come in and Joy opens the door. I walk inside and see Kat, Gale, Willow, and Kattie.

"Daddy!" Willow's voice cracks. I hurry over to her and Kat. Kat pulls up a chair. I sit down and kiss her cheek. Willow reaches for me. Her lower arm and her whole hand is in a cast. I hold the cast tightly. "Daddy. I'm sorry. We should have been more careful," Willow whispers. I look at my daughter, "Willow. You were all on the sidewalk. It wasn't your fault. Or Kattie's or Seth's. It was the driver. You guys were doing the right thing. You three were being careful." Katniss rubs my back. I love my girls and my boy. I still have my flashbacks, but I would not change my situation for the world.

Effie's POV:

"Haymitch, we should call Prim. Katniss would want her here," I whisper. Haymitch nods a little, "Wait. She's on a date with Ben. An important date." I process that. "Haymitch," I gesture to the door, "Can we talk in the hall?" He nods and walks into the hall before me, "Effie, honey. What is it?"

"Haymitch. Is Ben proposing to Prim tonight?" I whisper. He nods. I squeal. Prim has grown up so much since I first met her. She has such a great personality. "I love you, Effie," Haymitch smiles.

Katniss' POV:

I glance over at Gale. He's holding Kattie's hand tightly. Her eyes sparkle in a way only Gale can make them sparkle. He still is my first best friend. He still looks like his young self from 12 years ago, but maybe a bit more tired.

"Mom. Where's Rye?" Willow asks. I look back over at her, "He's with Effie, Haymitch, Jo, Annie, Finnick, and the twins." She nods a little. I smile as my triplets kick within me.

Willow's POV:

"Mom. Dad. There's something I remember. From before the accident. Seth kept saying something. Over and over. He was saying 'I volunteer as tribute.' What does it mean?" I look at my parents. Their expressions change to the same worried expression. "What does it mean?"

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OK! New chapter! I'm sorry it took awhile. I've been busy. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Stay Nerdy!

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