Bought Love

Chapter 10

Katniss

I sit in the shade of the wagon as I wait for Peeta to come back with information about the town below. I hear a noise and lift my head to see two horses approaching. One I recognise as Peeta's, the other a large deep brown color with a tall woman upon it. I carefully stand.

"Did you fair well?" I ask as he rides in.

"Just fine," Peeta says. "I brought the doctor." I glance at the tall woman as she dismounts her horse and she walks over and holds out her hand.

"Dr. Michaela Quinn," she says introducing herself. "You must be Katniss." I bow my head slightly and then look at her. Peeta comes to my side and ties Betsy to the wagon next to Rocky.

"I didn't think white men allowed women to be healers," I say and she laughs.

"You are not wrong," she says. "I've been question what I thought I was doing from the moment I decided to go to college and be a doctor. But I graduated just like anyone else. Your husband said you wanted to see me." I glance at Peeta and sigh.

"I've been having pains," I admit. "I believe I'm going to have my baby very soon." Peeta grabs my arm.

"You didn't tell me that part," He says and I just look steadily at him.

"I wasn't sure," I say. "I didn't want to worry you."

"I can look at you up in the wagon if you can get up there," the doctor says and she and Peeta help me up the steps into the back of the wagon. Its silly how this easy task now feels so difficult. The Dr. Quinn has me pull off my bottoms as I lay down against a sack of corn we had brought for our animals. Peeta sits on a crate next to me as the doctor looks at me. She's very gentle but I still grab Peeta's hand as she touches me.

"When is last time you had one of these pains?" She asks.

"Not long before you came up," I say just as I feel a strong pain creep up on me and I cry out. "And now."

"Has anything else happened?" She asks. I nod.

"Not long after Peeta left I wet myself," I admit. She nods and sits up a little.

"Well, you are not moving too fast, but you are having your baby Katniss," she says.

"Right now?" I ask glancing at Peeta.

"Yes now," she says. "I'm just going to go grab some things from my pack and I'll be right back to help you. Just stay calm."  I just hold my large belly as she leaves.

"You are really having the baby right now?" Peeta asks and I shake my head.

"No," I say. "I'm not ready. I can't have this baby." Peeta just shokes my hair and squeezes my hand.

"We don't have a choice Katniss," he says. "She's coming now whether we are ready or not. Whether we have a house or not. He suddenly looks so discouraged. "My God, what have I done to us. I drug you out here and now we're homeless with a baby."

"We'll be okay," I say. "You've always found a way to get through. You have nothing to worry about. So now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to give birth to our child here." He leans over and kisses my forehead.

"You're doing great," he says. "As long as you stay calm and remember this is all for our baby." I nod nervously as the doctor comesback.

Its nearly pitch black out when she finally takes her first breath. I fall back completely spent and feel Peeta gently wiping my face. Dr. Quinn takes care of my daughter and my vision is a little spotty as she's laid in my arms. Peeta and I are both crying as we look at our little girl.

"You did it Jay," he says kissing my forehead and looking at the little baby in my arms. She has a soft down of black hair and tan skin, lighter than mine but not so pale you wouldn't know she was mine. She looks at we wearily with pale blue eyes and I smile as I hold her tiny fist between my fingers. "We really have a baby."

"She's wonderful," I say. "She's everything we ever could have wanted."

"I have somewhere for you to stay for a little while," Dr. Quinn says and I smile gratefully.

"Thank you," Peeta says. "We appreciate it."

Before too long, the wagon begins to move as Peeta drives us towards somewhere to stay. I hold my baby close to me and occasionally shush her. I sing her a Cherokee lullaby as we head into a forest to a small little house. Peeta helps me out and I stand and look at the quaint little house.

"Its perfect," I say and walk into the house. I sit down in an old rocking chair and carefully rock my baby to sleep.

"Have you thought of a name for her yet?" Peeta asks when he finally comes in. I walk over to him and hold out my infant. He carefully takes her and smiles at me.

"Don't you want any input?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"I trust you," he says looking at me. I look at the baby in my husband's arms and pull a talisman from my pocket and lay it over he body. I have known her name for months now. I came to me a dream not long after Peeta and I left Boston.

"Rose "Willow Branch"," I say and he smiles at me.

"That's perfect," Peeta says and he kisses me in the light of the fireplace.

A dream come true I never wanted. A dream I am happy to have realized in the arms of Peeta Mellark. A happy life with my little family out west.

The End