Finding the Missing Piece: Book 2

Chapter Eighty-One

Katniss POV- (5am on New Years Day)

"Katniss, your phone keeps going off over there." Peeta says tiredly, face buried in his pillow.

I open my eyes and look up to see the room illuminated by the light of my cellphone.

I get up and walk over and see it's still buzzing, I realize I have 5 missed calls and 9 text from Bristol.

My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.

"Hello?" I say, shakily into phone.

"Katniss, something is wrong with the baby. I need you, please? Please, Kat!" Bristol cries hysterically into the phone.

"Bristol, what happened? What's going on?" I say into the phone.

This seems to get Peeta's attention because he brings his head up and looks over at me standing here in the early morning winter dawn.

"I don't know, Katniss. I'm in the hospital. Please, just come as soon as possible." Bristol begs me.

My heart races, "I will, Bristol. I'll be there as soon as I can." I say and hang up before I start crying.

Peeta made it over to me a few seconds ago and his expression is worried.

"What's happening?" He says, stroking my arm.

I can't even get the words out, I'm terrified for her. I walk over and sit down on the edge of our bed. Peeta rushes over to me and sets his steady hand on my back, "Katniss, please tell what's going on?" He whispers softly.

"Bristol, she is in the hospital. There's something wrong, there's something wrong with the baby." I choke out.

Peeta frowns, "Oh no." He mutters, hugging me close.

"I need to go, Peeta. I have to go be there for her." I tell him, breaking out of his embrace.

"I know and you will. I can try to get you the quickest flight possible." Peeta says, standing up too.

"No, I need to leave now." I say and begin flipping on our bedroom light and frantically throwing clothes into a travel bag.

Peeta just looks at me pitifully, "Katniss, just wait until I get you a flight. I don't want you driving there."

"I'm going right now. I'm not waiting, Peeta. She needs me." I say, frustrated as I zip up the bag.

"No. You're not. You're gonna wait until I get you a flight." Peeta states.

I look up at him, somewhat offended.

It's probably one of the first times he's not letting me get my way and I don't like it.

"What?" I ask him flustered.

"You need to calm down. She will still be there when you get there, Katniss. Calm down."

"Peeta, don't tell me to calm down." I snap at him.

He looks hurt but equally ticked.

"You'll get there way faster if you just take a flight. And freaking out is helping anything. I don't want you getting into a wreck or something because your shaken up about this and there's no way you can take a two day trip in a few hours!" Peeta yells back at me.

"Peeta, I'm going and I'm not waiting on a damn plane." I yell back at him.

Peeta's jaw clinched, "You are gonna wait on a damn plan and you're going to get there quicker too. Plus, I'm not going to have you frantically driving in this weather when there could also been drunks from last night's parties on the road!" He says, the veins in his neck flexing with frustration.