Ashes Blow Away

Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: ULTRASOUND

After Peeta finds out about the baby, he becomes more. . . caring, I suppose you could say. It's nice, really, but after all those years of looking after myself, it will take a bit of getting used too.

The next person to find out is my mother. I call her and talk to her about the pregnancy. It becomes clear that she wants it to be a girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wants it to be another Prim. I want to yell at her, but instead I just quietly say goodbye and hang up.

My 'prep team' - I believe I will always call them that - let out excited shrieks and squeals. When I tell Effie, she clicks her tongue disapprovingly and asks if I have a shower planned. When I ask her why I would take a shower, she chuckles and tells me that she means a baby shower. I tell her no, envisioning another affair like the wedding.

" No."

" But Ka-"

" No."

" But you-"

" No!"

" Had a we-"

" NO!"

After that, she gives up, taking a long, shaky breath and saying okay.

" Well, send me pictures," she sighs.

" Will do."

And then the line goes dead.

Every morning, I wake up and take an unnecessary test, finding that pregnancy consumes my every thought. Each day that I find my baby is still with me, I feel utter joy. Peeta rejoices along with me, because I still have my moments of fear, sending my knees buckling and me to the ground.

Together, Peeta and I schedule a much needed vacation in the Capitol that will double as a meeting about the baby with Dr A. The train ride makes me sort of sad. All the important moments of my life seemed to have happened on trains, and they just flew by, gone.

Then it's good, because things were normally bad back then. And now all our train journey is full of is anxiousness to see the baby.

We discuss names on the way. I decide to don't want to name the baby anything normal - I want it to be unique.

When we arrive, we check into a hotel and wait the meeting impatiently. We try to shop but I only manage to find a stuffed duck that reminds me of Prim.

The day of the ultrasound, Peeta and I make our way to a huge, unfriendly hospital. Strangely dressed nurses lead us to a room with a large, metal bed, a small chair, and a complicated piece of computer equipment. I lay back in the cot and Peeta sits in the chair, taking my hand.

Doctor Aurelius enters soon after. " Hi, kids." Then he goes on to explain that he is not actually trained as an obstetrician, but that he will be our doctor throughout this 'journey' as he has known us so long.

A nurse with bright pink hair down to her ankles wheels an ultrasound machine in, and then leaves.

The cold, blue gel is placed on my stomach and he runs a weird wand-thing over my stomach gently.

" There," he says as a scratchy noise fills the room, " the heartbeat."

Tears fill my eyes. After all this time, there it is. My baby is alive.

He tells us I am about thirteen weeks along, at the beginning of my second trimester, and then gets us to fill out some sheets.

As we leave the room, Doctor Aurelius calls to me. " Oh, Katniss?"

I turn and offer him a, " huh?"

" This baby is lucky, to be with the two of you."

I sigh. " I would like to think that, but. . ."

He smiles slightly. " I think you'd be surprised as to how many people are still rooting for you."

As we leave the hospital, I think maybe he is right, maybe people are rooting for us.

But then again, he could be wrong.