Icing on the Cake

Jennifer Hudson~Still Here

Peeta

We get back from the lake, the sun is setting and I'm drained from today's memorial. But I think we might go back at least once a year and do it again. It seemed healthy for us. As we walk to Katniss' door, I hear Haymitch's door open and turn to see him waving at us. I'm wondering why he's up. He's usually sleeping, passed out really. Even though he did get geese he's supposed to take care of. Mostly he just yells at them to shut up.

"You kids have a good date?" Haymitch says while burping.

"We aren't-"
"It wasn't exactly-"
We both start to say at the same time.

"Relax, Geesh. I'm just teasing ya." He bellows. "I have something to tell you."

"Well can you get on with it, it's been a long day." I say grumpily.

I don't like him teasing us about dating when we just had such and emotional breakthrough.

"Odair is alive." Haymitch snaps back.

How is this possible?

He continues, "Yeah, lover boy didn't get eaten by lizards and blown up like we thought. He used some of them lizards as a shield and somehow fought his way into a crevice that the mutts couldn't reach him through and stayed there bleeding, not knowing when it was safe to come out and when he finally did come out of the tunnel he was picked up by a Capitol citizen who didn't recognize him and he passed out and they took him to a hospital but his face was badly cut swollen and bruised so with no identification and since he was pronounced dead no one thought to ask him who he was at first. Days later when they did he didn't tell. Not realizing that Snow was no longer in power he thought they would turn him in and when he started healing enough to be recognizable he snuck out of the hospital and out of the Capitol. He slowly through back channels so not to be seen, made his way back to District 13. Crazy bastard,He livedHa!"

Katniss is already emotionally raw and now she's yelling, "So does he know now what happened and that Annie is safe and pregnant and does Annie know?!"

I think she's crying tears of joy this time.

"He really is alive." I can't believe it.

"I don't know, but Annie's in 13, so I'd imagine she knows and they've seen each other." Haymitch say and grabs a bottle of white liquor. "That's my big news now go on, get."

We look at each other and run to...

The phone!

Thank goodness we have these stupid phones.

***

Katniss

We walk home and as we walk up to my door, red eyed, emotionally and physically exhausted, Haymitch comes out and waves us to come over.

"You kids have a good date?" Haymitch says while burping.

Peeta and I speak at the same time which I think is funny but I'm not in the mood to laugh or deal with Haymitch teasing us.

Peeta snaps at him probably feeling the same.

"Odair is alive." Haymitch states and explains how.

"So does he know now what happened and that Annie is safe and pregnant and does Annie know?!" I'm shouting and crying but tears of joy this time.

"He's really alive." Is all Peeta can say.

Haymitch shoos us out.

We just look at each other once outside and then run to my house and to the phone.