Somehow

Chapter 32

Katniss P.O.V.

"Peeta!" I say through clenched teeth. 

"Shh. It's okay," Peeta says softly. "I'm right here." The pain finally passes and I realx. "Thirty-five minutes, Katniss."

I sigh. "Why is this taking forever?" Peeta reaches over and wipes my tears away. "What did Mom say on the phone?"

"She said that if she's not here by then, to call her when your contractions are less than five minutes apart."

"Okay," I breath as I nod my head. "What time is it?"

"Nine-thirty."

"Is it still snowing?"

Peeta nods. "It looks like a big, white blanket out there."

I swallow hard. "I'm just ready for this to be over with."

"Hey," Peeta says as he takes my hand in his. "You're going to be fine. I'm right here." He brings my hand up to his lips and kisses my knuckles. "I love you."

"I love you too," I say as I lay my free hand on my stomach. "Peeta, I can't tell if this baby is going to be wild or shy."

Peeta chuckles. "Probably a little bit of both."

I smile weakly. "I'm two weeks past my due date, and now this little one isn't cooperating very much. At this rate, I'll be in labor for two more days." Peeta places his free hand over mine and I smile at him. "Did you ever imagine that me and you would be married one day with a five year old daughter and a baby in the process of being born?"

Peeta chuckles and shakes his head. "I also never imagined myself being put in the position to possibly help deliver one of our babies "

I laugh a little bit. "I trust you a lot more than I trust a random doctor." Peeta gives me a sad smile. "I just hope that the doctor knew what he was talking about at my last appointment when he told us we have nothing to worry about."

"We don't have anything to worry about, Kantiss," Peeta says assuringly. "Listen to me. You're going to get through this and at the end of it, we're going to have another beautiful baby girl."

"Baby boy," I say. "This baby has got to be a boy."

"Why?" Peeta chuckles.

"Because this baby has caused me too much trouble to not be a boy." Peeta laughs and shake his head.

"If this baby is a boy, then I won't have two little girl's running after me hollering 'Daddy, braid my hair!'"Peeta says. I laugh at him.

"You know you love it," I tell him. He just smiles at me. 

"You know I'd take a houseful of girls," Peeta says. "As long as we had at least one boy. Maybe we could try for twins next time."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Peeta? You know how I told you a few days ago that bringing up more kids while I'm pregnant isn't a good time?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, do you really think that now is a good time?"

Peeta chuckles. "It doesn't hurt to plan ahead does it?"

"It does when you're talking about more kids to your wife who is currently in labor," I tell him. Peeta laughs at me and shakes his head. "Gosh, I hope we don't have a Christmas baby."

"Why?" Peeta asks me.

"Because it's nine-thirty in the morning on Christmas Eve," I tell him. "I'd have to be in labor for almost fifteen more hours."

I close my eyes when I feel another contraction and squeeze Peeta's hand. Peeta gently rubs small circles into the side of my huge belly, and quietly whispers in my ear that I can do this. Once it passes, I look up at Peeta with tears in my eyes.

"Still thrity-five minutes," Peeta says. "Maybe walking around will help speed things along? I know it did when you had Willow."

"I don't know," I whine as tears fall down my face. "I want this to be over with, but at the same time, I want the baby to hang on until Mom can get here." Peeta sighs. 

"Honey, I don't think that's going to happen," Peeta says. "The snow shows no sign of letting up soon, and the roads won't be fit to drive on. Don't worry about waiting until Eellen gets here. Worry about making yourself as comfortable as possible."

"Well, that isn't going to happen until I have this baby," I tell him.

"And the faster this goes, the sooner this baby gets here," Peeta says. "So come on. Let's walk." He holds out his hands for me and I take them. He slowly lifts me up, putting an arm protectively around my waist. We pace the bedroom for awhile until I get tired and have to lay back down. "Did that help?" Peeta asks me. 

"I don't know yet," I tell him. He lays down beside of me and rubs my back.

"Rest again," Peeta says "You look like you're tired." I nod my head and try to go back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Throughout the rest of the day, I alternate between walking and resting. Peeta called Haymitch sometime around noon to check on Willow and let him know what's going on. Before we know it, it's ten o'clock at night and I still haven't given birth. 

"Just two more hours and this baby will be a Christmas baby," Peeta says excitedly.

I nod my head since I am now unable to speak during contractions. "Twenty minutes apart, Kat," Peeta says as he looks up at the clock. "How are you feeling?" I give him a look. "Sorry," he says. "Bad question." He reaches over to wipe my hair off my sweaty forehead. "You want to try walking again?" I shake my head.

"I'm too tired," I tell him. "And don't you dare tell me to rest anymore, Peeta. I have taken a hundred naps today and they haven't done me a bit of good." Peeta just looks at me.

In a few minutes, my stomach tightens again and I squeeze Peeta's hand.

"Deep breaths, Kat," Peeta says softly in my ear. "Fifteen minutes apart. You're getting closer." I sigh and lay my head back on my pillow. I'm so exhausted.

Peeta eventually makes me try walking again, and my contractions get down to seven minutes apart. Peeta decides to go ahead and call Mom, but she just tells me to keep waking.

"She said that you'll know when we need to call her," Peeta says. I nod my head, but I'm not for sure if I know what Mom means or not. I don't remember much from when I had Willow. The only thing that mattered was when we held that little baby in our arms. And that's my motivation now. Imagining what this baby looks like.

That's when I feel the pressure build up and the baby drop down. I gasp and grip Peeta's shoulders.

"The baby is coming!" I scream in agony as my heart start pounding. This is it. It's finally happening. Peeta holds me upright as I lay my head over on his shoulder and pant. Once the pain dies down, Peeta quickly helps me back into bed and calls Mom. I don't pay much attention to what he's saying. The only thing I can hear clearly is Peeta telling me he has to check how far the baby has dropped down. I nod my head and close my eyes, just wanting to get this over with.

I start imagining the baby. Is the baby a boy or a girl? Will he or she look more like me or Peeta? Will the baby act like Willow, or will they have complete opposite personalities?

Peeta's voice finally breaks through my train of thought.

"Okay, Katniss," he says. I look over at him and he gives me a nervous look. "We're ready to have another baby."