Meeting again {hayffie story}

Chapter 1: the meeting

What where you thinking, Haymitch? Just search where she lives, and then knock on her door to say 'hey' Its stupid. What will she think? Knock, Haymitch, knock. I get al my courage together and knock on the thick mahogany door.

And i listen quietly if someone is coming to the door. I hear someone struggling to walk. No, I'm just at the wrong door. Effie is healthy and perfectly fine. I check if my breath smells good, not like I'm dead on the inside or something. I cant understand why I never said 'i really love you Effie Trinket' I had the chance. But i didn't do anything. But I can tel her now. I love Effie Trinket. I know it now, after that long time. The door creeks open. I thought that i would see the bubbly woman that i know. The woman with the high pitch voice. The woman with the colourful wigs and extravagant clothes. But there, in front of me, stands a woman with filthy hair, a shrunken face and a expression i cant even explain. Her eyes lit up when she sees me. I am shocked.

'Hey' i say.

'Hey' she says very hoarily, she must hold firmly on to the door jamb. Her knees ramble. Her skin is un-healthy grey.

'Effie Trinket, right?' I need to ask this, this woman cant be her! Effie was always so strong. So happy. So healthy. I thought I would be the one that would look that way some day.

She nods. 'Haymitch Abernathy, right?' She asks sarcastically.

I nod. She didn't lose her sarcasm. But i think that is the only thing she didn't lose. Her over-sized shirt hides her thin body.

'I emh... I just... Ehh... I just wanted to tell you.... That...' The heat rushes to my cheeks, 'i wanted to tell you i loved you for a long time... Or i love you for a long time, cause i still love you' she cracks a little smile.

'I thought you hated me' she says, still very hoarily. I shake my head "no".

She looks if she is very dizzy or something. Im worried about her. Maybe she is really sick. I think i am right.

'Are you alright, princess?' I ask. At that moment she collapsed. 'Effie!' I crouch next to her. I don't even think its her. Its just a body, its not even her any more.

The hallway is dirty and there lays a lot of trash. It reminds me of my house. I pick her carefully up en walk down the hallway. I shove some trash of the couch and lay her down. Her eyelids are dark grey, she just looks very very sick. I dial the number of the hospital. I turn my back to her and talk to the woman thats speaking to me. The weak and cold hands of her pull on my shirt. 'Don't! Stop!' She yells quietly. 'You are sick princess, you need help' i say. 'No no no! Please just hang up!' She says panicking. I hang up the phone. 'Why?' I ask. 'I... I...' She sobs. I sit carefully down besides her. The tears roll down her cheeks. I wrap my arms around her. She continues to sob in my shoulder. 'I don't have the money Haymitch... I cant afford to go there' she says into my shirt, 'its just too expensive' 'i can pay it for you' i say. She shakes her head. 'No no no no' she says, looking up to me. 'And your medical...' 'I don't have that' she says, 'all the money go's to the bill for water and electricity... And that is not even that much' she starts trembling. 'Just go and sleep now. I will stay here' i say. After a few moments is she asleep. What happened with the Effie i knew? She was so strong.

I lay her head on my lap. She has a bothered look on her face. Im so so so concerned about her. She doesn't deserve this. She needs to be treated for what ever she has. I wipe her tears away. Her body is cold and her breathing slow. I carefully take my thick winter coat of and lay it on her. She made herself as tiny as possible, so the coat almost covers her whole body. I take one of her hands in my hand. She slowly starts to warm up.

Its cold in her house. Very cold.

She frowns. If i could only know what she thinks...

After hours that she had sleep, she started screaming. A nightmare. 'Ef! Its just a dream! Your safe!' I shake her awake. She looks frightened. 'Your fine, your here' i say. She doesn't move to sit. 'Are you okay?' I ask. She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it quickly. 'I love you to...' She says after a long time of silence. I smile. Her eyes go close once again.

After hours after hours that she is asleep, i try to wake her. I shake her shoulders. She breathes, so she is alive. I think. 'Ef! Come on, wake up' she doesn't move. 'Please just wake up!' She doesn't wake up. She doesn't even pinch. 'effie sweetheart, please, just wake up, so I can see you are okay' i know she isn't okay. Not okay at all.

I dial the number of the emergency for the hospital.

'hello, whats the emergency?' a womans voice asks.

'my... my... my girlfriend doesn't wake up and she is sleeping for over 12 hours now. And she is sick, at least that is how she looks and acts.' i say quickly.

'ah... i will send someone immediatly over'

'thank you so much'

she snifs, 'its my job, sir'

She hangs up.

I lay my hand on her chest, only to feel her heart beat. Only to feel that she is indeed alive. I don't know what i need to do if she would die. Not even the strongest liqour could south that pain. She said she loves me too! If she just died and didn't say that, it would be not even this scary. But she did say she truly loves me. I'm the only one she haves. And i will be here for her, when she needs me.

Maybe, if she survives this -if i just think she is going survive this, she would, right?- I can ask her to marry me. So we have a wedding with al the crap she wants. At a beautyfull location, a ring with a big precious stone. I would even wear a full suit if she wants me to -what i think. And maybe after a couple of years, children? A little girl with the looks of her mother, with her perfect blue eyes. A perfect girl needs to have a perfect name. Maybe the name of my mother. Or an other name that Effie wants, i'm okay with whatever extravagant name she pics out for our child.

A knock on the door gets me out of my train of thoughts. I lay her in a way she wouldn't fall of back on the couch and walk to the door. One thin man with white hair and a thin girl with red hair greet me. I show them where she lays and what excacly happened.

'did you only meet her today?' the boy laughs, 'intresting date'

Anger boils up in my stomach - it could be gastric acid, i dont know. 'i know an intresting death for you too' i snap.

The girl laughs. 'whats so funny? huh? lighthouse?' her underlip starts trembling. Damn. 'just go on with what ever you where doing' i sigh.

After a couple of nervous minutes they start to lift effie onto a brancard and ride her into the ambulance. 'you can follow us in your car' she points to a bright blue car in the front porch of effie's house.

'thats not my car, i came with plublic transport' i say.

'so find your own way to get to the hospital' the boy snaps and closes the door of the ambulance.

Maybe I need to call the hospital and sue them for impoliteness, or something.

The ambulance rushes away. I look at the dirty blue car. The colour tells me enough that its effie's. I jog/walk into her house. Every room in her house has an other colour. Typical.

I search for her keys. The trash is all over the rooms. She was always so very clean. I need to ask what happened.

Eventually i find the keys and rush out of her bright house. I open the door of the car and step into it. a cloud of dust rises of the chair. I cough and try to open a window.

Everything -again- is a bright colour. That woman needs to slow down with colours. Really.

I rush to the counter. 'effie trinket? where is she?' i ask.

'they are reanimating her' she says, 'they are trying to save her live'