Katniss and Peeta's Life Continued

Chapter 17

I stuff my clothes into a tiny plastic bag as Annie hands me another pair of clothes.
"I will send them back to you when I get home," I tell her.
"Don't sweat it....after everything you have been through...you can keep it."
"Thank you Annie," I say and I give her a warm hug. I think this is the first hug we have ever shared. After I get donned in her pair of dark-washed jeans and a light blue scoop-neck shirt, Finnick comes sauntering in with a gift in his hand.
"This is for you," he hands the colorful bag to me. I carefully remove the tissue paper from the inside and I find a beautiful wooden hand crafted mobile that is intricately carved with little light blue animals hanging from a string. When I spin it, it plays Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Tears fill my eyes.
"Finnick.....its beautiful," I say choking up.
"I was working on it all night." When did Finnick O'Dair, the cocky young boy from the Quarter Quell, become a sentimental guy?
"Thank you so much Finnick," I sob into his shoulder as he pulls me in.
"Your welcome Katniss," he says. When we pull away Peeta enters the room with a video camera in his hand.
"So as we enter the room 207 we find Katniss your mother and an old friend Finnick O'Dair. And-darn it!" He abruptly shouts."
"Shhh....Peeta...Ethan is sleeping!" I whisper loudly. Ethan squirms his arms a tiny bit, then settles back into his deep slumber.
"Oh sorry. The camera just died for the third time," he explains. Finnick and I snicker as I put the mobile back into the bag. "Are you ready to go?" Peeta asks.
"Yep," I answer in the middle of a deep breath. Even though this hospital room has brought me nothing but nightmares and fear for the past two weeks, I am going to miss this place.
Peeta gets the camera started again as I seat myself down in a wheelchair and we roll down a long hallway, Peeta narrating my every move.
"Alright Ethan, this is you coming home today. Katniss say hi to the older Ethan." I give the camera a slight wave and I return to my bundled up baby boy.
"Daddy! I wanna see me!" Jenny peeps. Peeta flips the camera screen to face Jenny who stares at herself making funny faces. We make it to the train station and say our good-byes to Finnick, Annie, and Bailey. As the train pulls away I give them a last wave of good-bye knowing I won't see them for a while.
Once again I fly by a flash of trees and this time a counting up of districts. 5. 8. 12. The train pulls to a complete stop in front of the District Twelve station. I shake Jenny who is sleeping soundly on the seat in front of us.
"Jenny....Jenny. We're home," I whisper giving her a kiss on the forehead and pulling her brown curls out of her face. She doesn't wake up.
"It's ok, I'll carry her," Peeta insists.
"Alright," I say. We walk the streets back towards our house and it looks a little over grown with weeds sprouting around the planters full of wilted flowers. We unlock the door and everything is left the way it was. Peeta tucks Jenny in on the couch and covers her with a blanket as I set Ethan up in his crib. I bought the small white-washed crib right before he was born and I gingerly set him down in the crib as if he might shatter. Peeta walks in quietly behind me and surprisingly wraps his arms around my waist.
"I love you," he whispers. I get chills as his breath tickles the back of my ear.
"I love you," I respond back.
I throw myself in our bed and take a deep breath. This is the first real relaxation I have gotten in two weeks. Peeta settles himself next to me and pulls me into his chest. He gives me soft pecks in my forehead and then my cheek and then my neck. I lift his chin for him to meet my lips. When we part I whisper to him, "No more babies for a while ok?"
"Alright...no more babies," he smiles. I rest my head on his chest again and I listen to his heartbeat. I love the boy with the bread and I will love him forever.
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So my story is going to be coming to a close so stay tuned for the final chapter of my book📖