Finding the Missing Piece: Book 2

Chapter Ninety-Four

Katniss POV-

"Peeta, come here. I need to clean your fingers and put some more cream on them." I say sweetly as Peeta emerges from the hallway and into our bedroom bathroom. Peeta makes a stink face as he lugs himself over to me and helps himself onto the counter top. I smile softly as I grab the clean gauze and healing cream and take his hand gently.

"How many more times do we gotta do this?" Peeta asks, bored.

I carefully begin unraveling the dirty wrap from Peeta's hand he cringes, "What? Am I hurting you?" I ask and quickly stop unraveling the gauze.

Peeta shakes his head, "No, it just makes me hurt when I look at it." He says, looking into my eyes. I frown at him and gently continue to change his gauze, rubbing the healing cream across his red, hot, cuts. Peeta clenches his jaw and closes his eyes as I do this. It shouldn't make it burn but it does, I can't take it so I stop.

"No, Katniss. Just keep doing it, get it over with." Peeta says softly.

It's been this way since the first day and I've had to experience this many times since that day.

Everyday, it's the same.

I start treating his hand then stop half way through because I can't bare Peeta in any form of pain and he tells me to continue so I do, but I spend the whole time hesitating it.

It's bad enough he has pain on a regular basis for the cuts but when I actually put him in the pain he feels, I feel terrible.

"Okay." I whisper so softly, I'm not sure I said it.

I carefully begin rubbing in the rest of the oily ointment into Peeta's irritated, halved skin with my index finger.

Peeta's hand clenches the shoulder of my shirt as he just tells me to go on, so I do.

It's an insanely hesitant action though.

Finally, I get the said amount of pain medicine onto Peeta's skin and rewrap it. I plant a kiss on the fuzzy, cottony material that tightly wraps Peeta's hand, making it hard to the touch.

"Thank you." Peeta whispers and jumps down off of the counter, standing face to face with me. His arms wrap around my waist and I hug him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Peeta." I whisper against his shoulder.

His muscles tense, "It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm just glad you're here to help me." I whispers back.

I involuntarily plant a kiss on his hard, chiseled chest and he returns it on the top of my head.

"Ready for bed?" I ask after a while.

Peeta parts away from me as if to realize we'd been standing silently for awhile, "Yeah, let's go." He says and we walk into our bedroom together.

I help Peeta with his shirt and pants and he sleeps in his underwear, I don't mind though.

I strip into my underwear too and we crawl into bed, turning the lights out first of course.

I crawl over to Peeta's side of the bed and he shivers at my touch, "What?" I ask softly.

Peeta shakes his head as he pulls my waist to his side, "Nothing, just go to sleep." He says turning slightly angry.

I close my eyes, "What's wrong?" I ask him worriedly.

"Nothing, it's okay. Just go to bed. Goodnight." Peeta says.

I decide it's not worth arguing so I snuggle up closer to him and close my eyes as I breathe in his sweet, calming scent.

"Goodnight." I whisper without an 'I love you'.

I guess it's because there seems to be tension in the air. But Peeta clutches me tighter as I fall into a deep unrest-full sleep.

I wake up with Peeta's arms still slung tightly around my waist. I lay my hand softly on his arm and rub the hair covered skin with my thumb.

Hours upon hours later, Peeta wakes up.

"Hey, sleepy head." I tease him with a big goofy grin spread across my face.

One that only Peeta Mellark produces.

"Hi." He manages to choke out plainly.

He closes his eyes and I smile and lay my head back on his chest, "Katniss?" Peeta asks sounding in obvious discomfort.

I sit up and look into his deep blue eyes that are clearly crystalled over.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

Peeta holds up his hand as if he could no longer speak, "My hand hurts, a lot." He says as tears stream down his cheeks, his face pale.

I sit up and wipe them away, I take his hand and softly begin making strokes on his wrist with my finger tips. Feeling of his veins that rapidly pump blood.

His lips are pale and hot and his pulse is out of the roof high.

"Katniss." Peeta says as if he only knows how to say my name.

"Peeta, do you need to go to the doctor?" I ask feeling his pale cheeks knowing my answer.

He nods as I get up out of bed and quickly throw on some clothes and grab Peeta some too.

I help him weakly stand up out of the bed and quickly dress him.

I get him out the door and to the hospital just as he passes out right in front of me.