Finding the Missing Piece: Book 4

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Katniss POV- (Middle of the night, roughly midnight)

"Peeta, your child is kicking me in the rib cage." I mumble to a sleeping Peeta.

He doesn't budge.

I sigh and get up to pee.

"Baby girl, I'm not even going to be able to sleep next to your daddy if you don't quit getting excited when he's near me." I tell my stomach.

I sigh and get back into bed next to Peeta and there she goes again.

"Ugh..." I groan, scooting away from him.

Then Peeta lifts his messy head out of his pillow and looks sleepily at me, "You alright?"

I look over at him, "Yeah, she's just going crazy." I say, shifting uncomfortably.

He smiles tiredly, his eyes half open.

"Come here." He says, holding out his arm for me to take.

I laugh, "That's kind of my problem." I say truthfully.

"Huh?"

"You know whenever we kiss or when you touch my tummy or whatever, she starts moving a lot?"

Peeta nods.

"Well, now it's just when we touch in general."

He smiles, "Really?"

I laugh, "Yeah, really."

Peeta gives me a frown, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just hold me and I'll be alright if I stay up all night."

He gives me another frown, "I'm sorry if you do. Just keep me up until you fall asleep." He says.

I nod my head and we meet back in the middle, where we both originated a few hours before.

I lay on my side, my head on his chest.

He wraps his arms around me and my tummy presses to his side.

She goes insane again and I know this is gonna be a long night.

"I can literally feel her moving." Peeta whispers.

"Me too." I laugh a little.

He rubs my shoulder rapidly making the cold disappear and my whole being warm.

I hear his heartbeat which calms me even though it's like there's a tornado in my belly that's destroying my organs.

"So, remember when you use to sing to me when I was sick?" Peeta starts.

I think back, "Yeah, 'Deep in the Meadow.' Right?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I ask him softly.

He sighs, "Maybe try singing to her."

I laugh, "What?"

"The song always helped me feel better and helped Carter sleep a few times, remember it?"

I smile and think back to the day, the week after we came back from our 'Honeymoon' when Bristol and I went to the coffee shop and came back to Peeta singing Carter that song.

It was probably the sweetest thing I've ever seen from Peeta. I remember he was telling her about how I sang it to him before.

"Yeah." I say simply, remembering the day so well.

"Will you try it?" He asks me softly.

I take a deep breath, "I can't just sing every night, Peeta. I don't even want to sing now." I deny.

I hate singing in front of anyone, even Peeta but I have a few times, just because that's what I felt like doing.

"Please? Just try it?" He begs, sounding like a small child.

I sigh deeply, "Okay but it better not put you to sleep." I tease him.

So I sing.

The baby stops to listen and Peeta hugs me tightly.

It reminds me of the few times he's been really upset before his family died, where he would look to me for motherly attention.

How he would hug me and cry or when I would play with his hair or sing to him and I miss the days we were so close like that.

I miss when we'd make up stupid things to do and tackle each other on the floor and play fight and he'd hold me down and tickle me until I kissed him.

I miss those days more than anything.

I know they're gone too because we grew up, we have a baby on the way and somehow, I'm angry about that.

It's like after high school, it's not as fun as it was or maybe even after marriage.

I don't regret the baby or getting married but I just long for those days again.

I remember we use to stay up all night and talk about the future or laughing hysterically at four in the morning and how we couldn't wait to get married but in all reality, it all changed.

I remember how I was dead set on the fact that nothing had changed after we got married, that we'd live the same way as we always had but that wasn't the case.

More heartbreak came our way and more fighting, more kissing, hugging, and a time of baby making.

But one thing I can say never changed was the fact that we are madly in love.

When I finish the song, the baby is extremely calm.

She still flutters around but isn't kicking me like she was.

"Peeta, I know what I want to name the baby." I say, right before we hit the hay for the second time that night.