The Wrong Victor

Chapter sixteen: Prim

Katniss wanted to go see Peeta off before he left. She wanted to kiss him or at least hug him. She's been coming back more and more. However, when we got there Gale was there and we haven't touched those memories. Gale doesn't want to be near her and I don't know enough of their adventures in the woods to tell her. Well, she saw him as a mutt and attacked. I've been instructed to carry sedative with me when I'm with Katniss just in case. So when Peeta was holding her I injected her.

"Just go, Peeta, we'll be fine. If you don't go Coin will lock her up." I say as Haymitch is trying to take Katniss from him. "Peeta, go. Please. She'll be fine. I promise. She'll be with me the entire time."

Peeta reluctantly hands Katniss' unconscious body to Haymitch before hugging me. He gets on the hovercraft and they leave.

"That was eventful. Mind explaining?" Haymitch asks as we start walking back to the infirmary so Katniss can rest.

"We haven't talked about him yet. He refuses to come see her and work with her and I don't know what happened in the woods between them. All I know is they hunted together. Thirteen doesn't have any good videos of him and her so I can't work with her on it. The goons with her make sure he doesn't come near." I explain as I move the blanket on the bed and help get Katniss situated. "How long will Peeta be gone?"

"A week or two. Hopefully. Maybe longer. It all depends on the district they're going to."

"Where are they going?"

"District Two."

"Will he be safe?"

"I trust the team he's with. Minus Gale." Katniss grunts at the name and tosses a bit.

"Don't say his name. Even when she's asleep she can still have an episode."

"How many episodes does she have a day."

"Depends on who's around and what's going on. That said, on average around ten. This meaning she goes through the day completely fine but get triggered into an episode at least ten times but can return to normal after some coaxing."

"And on bad days?"

"On bad days we can't keep her awake. She can slip out of the cloth restraints and digs her wrists and ankles into the metal ones. Even when she's sedated she still has it bad. Nightmares. She doesn't move much but she screams."

"And good days?"

"On good days she showers by herself. Braids her own hair. Pulls on father's jacket. She asks me questions about Thirteen and me being a doctor. On good days she's almost back to normal. She asks about Peeta and if he'll come visit." I wipe my tears from my cheeks as Katniss starts to toss in her sleep. "It's not a good day today. It started good. She showered all by herself. She didn't even need help finding her clothes and getting into them. She did her physical therapy. She was doing so well. She was playing our memory game to help identify real memories from fake ones. Then she had an episode at breakfast. He had showed up and she tried to attack him. We spent the rest of the day here. Then lunch Peeta showed up, but she wasn't having a good memory day and thought he was dead. Had an episode. Then just now."

"Well, you are doing an amazing job, Prim. I bet she would be really proud if she really understood what was going on."

"Thank you." I whisper before looking at him. "She sees you as a father figure, Haymitch. You remind me of our dad too. I'm really glad she's had you with her through the games."

"She was fighting for you, Prim. I just made sure she had supplies."

"Thank you. And thank you for helping Peeta. Really. They both have lost so much that they just bonded over the loss. I know they'll fall back together. She just needs to get better." We sit in silence after this. Watching Katniss. Other medics and nurses come in to see her and check on her.

"Tell me about this game of yours." Haymitch says as we were shooed from the room.

"I call it real or not real. She is confused on a lot of things about herself and others. And so it started as just questions but I figured her asking questions in real or not real would help drive it into her brain that there was false memories in her head. So she starts the game. She will say she wants to play. Or she'll ask a lot of questions and I'll tell her that we should play it. Either way it's her decision to play it. Next she asks questions like real or not real Peeta loves Katniss. And I will answer real or not real. If she needs a further explanation she'll ask but we need to let her remember and understand information by herself. Forcing information and memories will only hurt her more."

"Wow." Haymitch smiles and nods. "You're one hell of a doctor Primrose. You're doing wonderful with her. I have no doubt she'll be back to being the stubborn young woman we know with your help."

"Prim, she's awake and asking for you. She seems stable." A nurse says and I smile at Haymitch.

"Will you come sit with us? After her episodes she likes to play. You might be able to answer questions I can't." Haymitch nods and we walk into Katniss' room. I sit on her bed and hold her hand. "Haymitch is going to stay with us. If you would like to play real or not real maybe he can answer the questions I can't."

Katniss looks at Haymitch and nods. Her fingers squeeze my arm and I rest my hand on hers. "Real or not real I was pregnant."

"Not real." Haymitch says and I look at him. Not real? It was a ruse?

"Not real? Why?" Katniss asks her hand reaching for mine to grip. I grip her hand back and offer her comfort.

"It was Peeta's tactic to try to get the Quell stopped. He thought that if you were pregnant then the people would riot and demand the games be stopped. You were never pregnant." Haymitch explains but Katniss doesn't seem to be processing the information.

"Real or not real I was pregnant?" She asked again her face scrunched up in discomfort.

"Not real." Haymitch says and she shakes her head.

"No, no! Real or not real I was pregnant!" She yells at Haymitch and I stand up from the bed to be in her line of immediate sight.

"Katniss, shhh, it's okay. How about you lay down? Just relax." I say my hands resting on her shoulders.

"Real or not real?"

"Katniss, stop. Please."

"Real or not real!"

"Stop! Please!"

"REAL OR NOT REAL!" Katniss screams in my face before shoving me. I fall backwards and hit my head on the ground. I stare at my sister who has stopped the moment my head hit the ground.

I can't see very well. My head hurts so much. I try not to clench my eyes because it'll make it hurt worse. I think someone is talking to me. I look to my side to see Haymitch. His mouth is opening and closing. What is he saying? I look to Katniss who is as still as a statue on her bed. Her hands clamped over her mouth.

I look back to Haymitch my eyes slowly closing. What's wrong with me? I see him look around and I think he's screaming. His hands are bloody. Am I bleeding? My eyes slowly move back to Katniss before they close compl-