Piece By Piece {Completed}

Chapter 20: Baby Number Two

"Where the hell is Peeta!" I scream at my mom who sets my legs up

"Gale is getting to the bakery as fast as he can, just breathe sweetie" my mom says, the past week has been uncomfortable and long, this baby rather than coming early, decided that being a week late would be great and that I'd just love it. I hated people touching me, even Peeta and Pearl, I just didn't want to be touched and wanted to sleep, do things to help this baby come out. Now, I convinced Peeta to go to the bakery which I'm immediately regretting because almost a couple minutes after he left the baby thought that it was the perfect time to come and although I'm happy that the baby has decided to come now but I need Peeta beside me.

It's a couple of minutes before Peeta comes running in still in his thick coat, gloves and scarf. I breathe a sigh of relief as he takes off his winter extras and immediately comes to my side, I lay my head on his shoulder

"I'm so sorry, two of my workers couldn't come in today and it was so busy" he explains, I smile at him

"It's okay, Peeta. You're here now" I sigh. It's a little while until Pearl comes in with Gale behind her, I give him a thankful smile as he agreed to pick her up with Nessa, Pearl crawls on the bed and wedges herself between Peeta and I, cuddling into my side.

"Are you okay, mommy?" She asks

"I am, little duck. I'm just in some pain because the baby is ready to come" I reassure her. Pearl stays for a little longer until Gale takes her to his place just a few houses away, once she's gone I prepare myself to push, knowing that this is the moment of my last child. After a little talk, Peeta and I both agreed that this is our last child, whether it's a girl or boy because although we love Pearl and this baby, more than two I feel like would be too difficult for us.

I'm pushing longer than I had to for Pearl, apparently this baby really likes delaying their presence. After pushing over, and over and over again, the baby cries are heard throughout the room, which means I can instantly relax but I look to my mom so she can announce if we have a boy or girl, she looks down at the wailing baby with a smile

"It's a gorgeous baby boy" she announces, she lays the crying baby on my bare chest and almost instantly he stops crying, Peeta cuts the cord and washes him while I finish off and shower myself. Like previously, there are fresh sheets on the bed and Peeta is dressing our baby boy, I lay back in bed and he hands him over to me

"Alder River Mellark. Big boy, just like his dad" Peeta grins and I do too, he is much larger than Pearl was as a baby

"He's going to be blonde like his dad too" I smile, kissing the top of his head, the blonde hair giving off the illusion that he has no hair, I look at the sleeping baby feeling so incredibly happy.

+++

I smile as Pearl holds her baby brother next to me, she already adores him over the day that she's met him. We decided that his nickname is bear because he's squishy like one and it just stuck when Pearl first said it, I think back to all those years ago and something spooks me out, the dream I had on the train... what Prim said all makes so much sense! The little girl and boy makes sense, I always knew I was going to have children, every part of me but I wasn't seeing it. I see it now, as I look down at the two children who have been closest to me more than anyone ever has and I couldn't be any more grateful for the experience I've had.

After a couple of days I'm able to start walking, thankfully, I even start taking Alder with me in the forest and he's as silent as my footsteps on the forest ground, it makes me giddy at the thought of my young boy wanting to hunt just like me, my own hunting buddy. As I put Alder down for a sleep, I hear a high pitched and most heartrenching scream, a scream I only reconise as my daughters, I'm practically flying down the stairs, my heart breaks when I see what has left her so upset, she looks up at me with tears in her eyes, the fat orange cat in her arms