What if?- A Mockingjay Story

Chapter 69

What if?

What if the triplets aren't healthy being born early? What if I am worrying too much? What if I should just be happy for Haymitch and Effie and not be expecting the worst?

What if? What if? What if...
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We reach the hospital about a half an hour later to find Haymitch waiting in the waiting room. He looks anxious, face pale with worry and his feet tapping rapidly on the tiles. When he sees us enter he immediately stands. He says exhausted

"Hi"

Peeta speaks before I can

"Hey, how is she?"

He replies

"The doctor is checking up on her now"

I nod as Peeta gives him a pat of reassurance on the back. We go to the couch across the room and sit, Sophie sleepily in my arms who hasn't said a word since we left the bakery. She is so worn out and unaware really of what is going on. Usually at this time she is asleep so this is confusing for her, I usually find that she is uncomfortable when we don't stick to a normal schedule everyday and she goes to bed at a certain time. I feel my eyes becoming droopy also, with a day full excitement along with rushing somewhere this late is exhausting. I know well I'm going to have to get some coffee or something soon because this is guaranteed to be a long night.
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1:33AM
Haymitch walks out from the room across the hall over two hours after we arrived and only minutes after we heard several cries across the hallway. Sophie is long asleep and within the last hour I have felt myself drifting toward sleep despite the huge amount of coffee I have been drinking since we came. Peeta has been quite also, exhausted from the day full of energy. When Haymitch emerges we find ourselves immediately perking up, brought to our feet in excitement. He entered the room again around 10 and we haven't seen him yet, yet decided not to leave either. I glance from Peeta to Haymitch. Haymitch has a soft smile spread across his face, brightening what a few hours ago was a full dark expression of stress and exhaustion. He says with a gesture inside

"Come in"

I glance at Peeta who nods me forward before approaching Haymitch and following him into the room, Sophie in my arms fast asleep and Peeta close behind me. When we enter the room I first place Sophie on the chair to the left of the doorway as my aching arms refuse to hold her any longer. I then look up and stand over at the bedside along with Haymitch and Peeta. I see Effie who greets us with a huge yet exhausted smile, holding in her arms three bundles. I then get a glimpse of the babies faces, scrunched up tightly as they sleep. I smile and say quietly being cautious of the sleeping children less than a metre away

"Congrats you two!"

They both smile a grateful thank you, too exhausted for words. Haymitch says

"We have two girls and one boy"

Effie nods but my eyes are mainly focuses on the babies, so small since they were born early I suppose. Effie says with exhaustion clear in her voice as she points to each of the girls as she states their names

"The girls are called Maysilee and Hailey"

Maysilee, after Maysilee Donner. I know the meaning behind the name, we all do but nobody dares mention it. Taking the little baby boy from Effie's arms Haymitch adds

"And this little boy is called Joe"

I smile. Beautiful names. Effie asks me

"Would you like to hold Hailey Katniss? She's awake"

At first I'm a bit hesitant but then I remind myself that she is so much smaller than me. She will not harm me and I will not harm her. I know that for certain. She is only an hour or two old, if even. She is new to the world, greeted by so many things that must sink in to her small newborn confused mind. She should be naturally scared, a bit frightened even, but not me. I have been alive for over twenty years therefore I should not. Effie slowly hands Hailey to Haymitch who once I've sat down hands her to me. She is laid in my arms when her eyes open and she looks straight at me in silence. I smile as she stretches her fingers by her face as she yawns, reopening her eyes after ward and watching me once more. I rock her back and forth slowly in my arms as her deep brown eyes look up at nine, enchanted almost. Enchanted by the world of bright lights and new people around her. I lift my gaze to Peeta across the room who is grinning down on Joey who is sitting in his arms, small fingers stretched towards his face. He loves children, he wants children of his own. No Katniss, do not allow yourself to get that thought within you mind. Not today. So I push the thought aside and hold Hailey for a while longer. I then hand her back to Effie as Joe is placed in Haymitch's arms. For a while we just sit in silence, a positive yet tired atmosphere floating above our heads. Haymitch explains that they will be staying the night and ushers us to go home, to rest up just as I recall we have work tomorrow. We congratulate them once more and as Peeta picks Sophie up into his arms I glance back and for a moment I just see the image. Haymitch and Effie, happily married and parents. How could we possibly have predicted such different personalities to end up in love and with children? How could they have possibly known their future was with each other? They couldn't have, none of us could have predicted what we have now was coming years back. Its only in the last few years we have discovered that happiness is a possibility in our lives. Us victors may have won the games but now, now we have won something even better. Won the right to live in peace, in love and in happiness.

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2:10AM

Peeta's POV

Sophie is fast asleep in my arms as we walk out the doors of the hospital into the darkness. The only remaining light is the street lights and the billions of stars hanging above our heads with the moon by their side. As we walk home there is almost complete silence, the only noises I hear are the sounds of our feet hitting the pavement with each step and the faint sound of cars miles away. We are in the outskirts of 12, cars are only seen here around noon usually only by the hospital. Almost everywhere is able to be found on foot. I glance across to Katniss, her face glows in a greyish light from the moon with her grey eyes looking as if full of mist. Her face looks thoughtful yet exhausted, her eyes fixed on the road ahead at one minute and on the ground at the next. Yet she looks peaceful, silently happy. I can't help but smile a little and its if she immediately senses it and looks at me. For a moment I lock my eyes with hers then glance away and focus on the road again. After a few minutes I glance yet again only to meet her eyes instantly, seconds later to me turning away. I hear her laugh faintly and now I look at her properly. She continues to walk but shrugs her shoulder and whilst letting out another laugh asks me

"What? What is it?"

I shake my head and grin as I continue to walk. I tell her

"Nothing"

She stops in her tracks beside me and walks before me, planting her lips upon mine. I feel a rush of heat run down my spine, my heart pick up its speed and fingers brushing hers between us as they lock with mine. Once we pull away she stays only inches from my face and shaking her head in mockery says to me with a grin

"Mellark you are adorable, but a terrible terrible liar"

She then walks on. I stand for a moment and laugh, not too loud being aware that Sophie's ear is only upon my shoulder. I then continue to walk on, a huge goofy grin smacked on my face. I love her, I love her smile, I love everything about her. I love the way she has saved me so many times, I love the way she makes me feel, I love her with every breath I take, with every move I make, with every part of my heart, I love her so so much. Katniss Everdeen. I follow her home. I follow her saying goodnight to Sophie. I follow her lips as they lean to meet mine before we bid each other goodnight. I watch her fall asleep after that as it brings me the peace to fall asleep also, and the reassurance that she is here with me and she is safe. Always