Victor's Village

Chapter Seven

I shook the dream and thoughts out of my head. Right now, I needed to see Gale and make sure he was okay. I limped with the surgeon to Gale's room.

When he pushed open the door, he said, "Gale can be taken home today. We left a black suit, complete with an ironed white shirt, on the end of the bed in courtesy of his friend's sister's funeral." He didn't know that I was Gale's "friend"  that he was referring to. I nodded my head in reply.

Gale was spread out on the hospital bed, stripped naked. The surgeon threw a hospital sheet on him, knowing that I would come to visit. They sat him halfway up-right by propping his back with pillows. Gale had trouble keeping his eyes open as he tried to smile at me. My eyes lowered to his leg. I gasped.

Gale knew what I saw and looked away from me. He had an artificial leg, just like Peeta's. the metal shined under the lights overhead. It looked very complex, with bolts and screws covering from all directions.

"Gale," I said, walking over to sit on the bed with him. "I didn't mean to act that way when I saw your leg. I was just hurt to see you like that. I'm sorry" He turned his head towards me.

"Thank you for being there when I needed you. I could've died there alone" He said.

"But, I didn't call for a hovercraft" I replied.

"All I needed was to see your face, that was what kept me alive. I could've closed my eyes, forever... But, your voice kept telling me that it was too soon to die" He said with the most sincerity that could ever come from his voice. And for the first time, I saw a tear run down his cheek.

There were no words. I wiped the tear and laid down beside him. He put his arm around me and I snuggled into his side. His skin was warm and cozy. When my leg touched  his artificial one, I shuddered as a cold shock made me uncomfortable. I jerked my leg back, too fast. Gale saw my discomfort. "Oh, sorry" He said, sliding his leg a little further away from me.

"Don't be" I said. I slowly lifted my head closer to his. He pressed his lips on mine. We pulled away at exactly the same time. I gave him a huge smile and cuddled back under his arm. He murmured the words,"I love you" into my ear, and hugged me tighter. I looked back up to his face and he had a genuine smile from ear to ear. "I love you too" I whispered back to him.

Just then, his gaze went to the door. His emotion was stiff. I could already sense something was wrong. My head immediately turned to the door. He was standing there. He was watching us. He was watching me. A villianous smile took charge of his face and he said the least expected.