Spark to Flame: A Finniss Story

Pt IV: Hurricane to Cyclone

She drifts in and out of consciousness quite often, and the faces that come to see her are so diverse that she doesn't even bother questioning whether or not they're actually there.

Finnick.

Prim.

Gale.

Peeta.

Annie.

Her mother.

Cinna.

Boggs.

Cato.

Jackson.

Her father.

All coming in to check on her, to see how she's doing and to let her know that they're there for her without words, that they forgive her. That they love her. That they understand.

Every time she opens her eyes, a new face. Every time she closes them, a short-lived period of peace.

This becomes all she knows for what feels like an eternity.

~*~

When she is finally strong enough to stay awake and sit up on her own, Haymitch is there waiting for her.

He's sitting at the edge of her bed on the right hand side, looking as though he's only just woken up himself – his clothes are wrinkled and his hair is a disheveled mess, and judging by the creases and dents in the sheets by her legs, she guesses that that is where he had spent most of his night - and she's just so happy and touched that he would even bother to stay the night in her room that she doesn't even think to point out how ridiculous he looks.

"Haymitch..." She whispers, voice hoarse with sleep.

"Hey there, Sweetheart," he says, chuckling as he rubs his eyes. "I thought you were never gonna wake up."

She smiles, but only the slightest. "Did you stay here all night?"

He scoffs, pulling back his arms and stretching out his spine. "Pfft. Try the last three nights. I tell ya, you never quite realize just how old you are until you try sleeping on a hospital bed. Phew..."

She smiles at his humor but doesn't laugh on account of her tiredness, and she patiently waits for him to pop all of his joints.

"Ughh," he groans, wincing as he rotates his shoulders and cracks his neck. "So...you're probably wondering what happened after you blacked out, am I right?"

Katniss looks at attention, surprised that he's bringing it up so soon. "I- I don't...remember much. Just the explosion."

Haymitch nods. "Yeah. The Capitol fell right after the parachutes went off. Apparently even the highest ranking Peacekeepers wouldn't stand for Snow sending out a hovercraft to kill a bunch of helpless kids. They let the Rebels right in. They took over the mansion, and you were taken to intensive care."

"How long have I been out?" She asks.

He tilts his head. "Eh, I'd say...about two weeks? Long enough for Gale to be called away to Two to clean up Peacekeepers and your propo team to be sent away to cover the wreckage of the war in all the other districts."

She quiets, processing that she's been asleep far longer than she'd thought and that her friends are gone.

"I didn't think I was hurt that bad..." She mumbles, and Haymitch smirks.

"Yeah, well...you got a pretty nasty bump on your head to say the least. Personally, I would've just let you sleep it off, but Coin insisted that you be taken to the hospital and watched over twenty-four seven."