A Fresh Start-After Mockingjay (Before the Epilogue)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Katniss POV-

"Haymitch! Haymitch! We've got to get him out of there! Haymitch, please!" I sob, stumbling into his house.

He brings his head up, "What are you going on about?" He asks me, annoyed.

"Haymitch, we have to get Peeta out of there! I was on the phone with him and the line went dead after we figured it out! Please, please, Haymitch! We have to get him out." I cry out.

He gives me a strange look, "I'm going to need more information if I'm going to be of any use and if you're going to be of use, you've got to stop crying." Haymitch says sternly.

I swallow hard, wiping my tears away. I sit down, trying to compose myself but I'm trembling. "Dr. Aurelius convinced Peeta that there were other hijacking victims that needed research on Peeta to help them recover. She's insisted he and I stay apart even though we were helping each other. Haymitch, you know it's true. You said it yourself Peeta and I were the only reason we were making progress. I know I was convinced it was Paylor but it's not. It's Dr. Aurelius. She's the one that must've told Paylor we needed to watch Johanna's interview. Maybe Johanna mentioned it by accident. Please, Haymitch! We've got to get him out before she kills him!" I say shakily.

"Stop. She's not going to kill him. She's not going to risk her medical license assuring he stays quiet. But she might kill you because you're a loudmouth. Let me make some calls and we will get him out of there as soon as possible. Did he mention any mistreatment? Is he eating? Sleeping? Are they hurting him?"

"I don't know. After I realized what was going on, I didn't want to ask him. He said he's okay but after he put it all together, he was angry and then he told me he loved me and the line went dead. Haymitch, please do something!" I beg him, sobbing again.

"They were listening. The only way to know now is his letters. Go through them and see if there's anything in there that's questionable. I'm going to call Paylor and Plutarch and have him removed from her care immediately." Haymitch promises me, standing up. He embraces me, "We are going to get him out. We are going to save him this time. Together." He assures me, kissing my forehead.

I run to my house to retrieve Peeta's letters. I rapidly rip them open, searching for any sign that Peeta was calling out for help. I go through all 17 of them, not finding one thing that sounds unusual or out of character. Nothing that suggests he's being mistreated. That's a good sign. Maybe Haymitch is right. She needs him alive if she's to keep her medical license and if she wants the fame her research is sure to bring. Me on the other hand, she doesn't need me to be alive to 'cure' Peeta. She's not stupid though, she knows the only cure to either of our conditions is each other. Why else would she insist we stay away? We've got to get him home. The longer we are apart, the worse he's going to get. Surely, this is enough to convince Peeta what I already knew.

"Find anything?"  Haymitch asks after about an hour of phone calls and searching letters with me.

I shake my head, still unable to stop myself from crying. "No." I mumble.

"Me either. Paylor and Plutarch are going to drop by. See if they can talk to Peeta and make sure Dr. Aurelius and her people have been taking care of him properly. They're going to be very discreet about it all so that Dr. Aurelius doesn't suspect that they are onto her too. She knows you put it together and she knows Peeta did too. They're going to make sure he's okay."

"They've got to bring him home. I don't care if he's fine or not. He wants to come home!" I tell Haymitch.

"One step at a time, Sweetheart. Paylor and Plutarch assured me that if anything is suspicious, they will remove him immediately. If not, they're going to make the removal process a little slower, so that we don't create an enemy."

"She's already an enemy." I snarl angrily. I'm going crazy, sitting here in Haymitch's house. Not being able to do anything but go through letters that I should've looked at already. Angry with myself for refusing to speak to him. If he has been mistreated, it's gone on longer because of my anger and refusal to adapt.

He sighs, "I know it's going to be hard for us not to jump in but he's a day away. We have to trust Paylor and Plutarch to take care of him. I want a drink so bad I can't stand it."

"Then drink." I say.

"No. Peeta needs us both at our best if we want to get him out. That means no drinks for me and you need to eat something. You look like you could drop dead any minute."

I swallow hard, "I don't want to get sick."

"I don't care. If you're going to be of any use to him, you gotta try. And drink some water."

I close my eyes, Haymitch is right. Again, just like the Quarter Quell, my survival is key if I'm going to protect Peeta. If he's to come home, I don't have any more time to waste being selfish. He would do it for me? Wouldn't he? I stand up, heading towards the pantry. I take out a piece of bread, not Peeta's soft, delicious bread but the factory made stuff the Capitol ships us. I take a small bite. It feels like sandpaper but I force myself to eat two slices. I slowly sip on water as Haymitch watches me pitifully. "I'm pissed." He mutters under his breath.

"Why are you pissed?" I ask him, rolling my eyes.

He shifts in his seat, leaning against the table and taking a piece of bread out of the bag. "You two don't deserve this. We were suppose to come home and all this bullshit and deception was suppose to be over."

"That's what I thought too but I guess that's too good to be true for Panem." I say. This is exactly the reason I'm still so afraid to commit to Peeta. To even tell him openly how much I love him. The reason I will always be too afraid to marry him or the reason I could still never risk bringing children into this world. We will be lucky if we can stay alive after all the things we've been through, let alone have a life with the other person in it. I think it's asking too much of the world to ever allow us a family too. Despite all the hurt and deception, Peeta's heart somehow has yet to be as tainted as mine. He still believes there's good out here while Haymitch and I know that any sort of goodness is too good to be true.