Pure Torture: a Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 81

Katniss

"Your little hand's wrapped around my finger and it's so quiet in the world tonight." -Taylor Swift

The door to my hospital room opens and I have to tear my eyes from Willow to see who it is.
Of course, it's Haymitch and Effie.

Effie gasps when she sees me holding the pink blanket and Peeta smiles at her.
She nervously approaches us and Willow, unsure what the proper thing to do is.
"Hi." I say smiling at the two figures who now stand in the room.

"So," Haymitch says. "You have a baby, and now you're all... Happy?"
"You want me to be upset? Give it a few days, then get back to me and see how it looks. Look, I just had a baby. I'm holding my baby. Just give me time to be happy." I say matter-of-factly.
"I was kidding." He says with a frown.

He can't keep the frown on his face as he nears to me and Peeta and the baby.
"You want to hold her?" Peeta asks.
Haymitch looks... Happy. A way I've never quite seen before in all my years of knowing him.
He's hesitant, but everyone knows he wants to.

I hand off Willow to Haymitch. When she's secure in his arms.
Peeta and I watch smugly as he holds Willow in his arms. She yawns and opens her eyes briefly, but long enough to smile a baby, toothless smile at him.
"She already loves her Uncle Haymitch." Peeta says.
"Uncle Haymitch..." Haymitch repeats.

He looks so happy.
"Haymitch," I say in mock disbelief. "Are you, I'm sorry, are you crying? A man like you, crying? What?"
Peeta laughs and I turn my head to smile at him.
"Shut up and let me be happy." He grumbles, but he can't hide his smile.

"Funny, really," Effie interjects in that Capitol accent of hers. "That sounds like just what Katniss was saying a few moments ago."
"Effie, you make me wish I was drunk." He retorts.

I laugh but end up wincing instead.
"So, how is mom?" Effie asks. "How are you feeling, Katniss?"
I shrug my shoulders and lock my gaze on Haymitch holding Willow in his arms.
"At this point, any pain I'm in is nothing compared to how happy I am." I say.

All of a sudden, Peeta hands me a phone.
"You know what you need to do." He says.
A sickening feeling spreads throughout my chest. I feel color drain from my face and I try to put it off.
"Not now, Peeta. Please?" I say.
He remains unmoved.

"You need to do it now. Which one is first?" He asks.
"Gale."

I stare blankly at the phone in my hands.
"Peeta..." My excuses are already forming on my lips.
"Here," He says. "Let me dial it."
I want to slap him silly, but I know he's right.

Effie pulls up a chair next to my bedside and Peeta holds Willow.
"Can you and Haymitch... Uhh..." I say to Peeta and Haymitch. "Can you go for a few minutes until this is over?"
Peeta looks taken aback but plants a kiss on my forehead and puts Willow in my arms. He and Haymitch walk out without a word, leaving only Effie and I.

"I can't do this with them in the room," I say simply to her. "But I don't want to be alone."
"I understand." She says.
"Have I ever told you? About what happened with Gale and I? Or with my mother?" I ask her.
She shakes her head, shedding a few wig sparkles onto her forehead.

"I don't even know... Gale was just mad, I guess. Just mad that I was going to have a baby with Peeta. I think he expected I would come back to him someday." I say.
"But not after... After what happened with your little sister." Effie finishes.
"Not after what happened with Prim." I repeat.