It's A Jungle Out There

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

My mum takes me to visit Peeta after school. We stop at the garage for gas and I go inside, having a desire to purchase something for him. What should I get him? Chocolates are out of the question. I don't have enough money for a bear or any trinkets either. Flowers? That won't seem too girly or frilly, will it? I wander all the aisles and come up with nothing. Well that's just great.

As I'm exiting the garage, I notice some dandelions on the smattering of grass by the roadside. I pluck one of them from the ground and cradle it in my hand. It isn't much but I think Peeta will appreciate what it means. A part of me wishes I had kept the dandelion he had given me in First Grade for as long as possible. Instead I threw it away in disgust when Leevy informed me that if you touch the bottom of the stem, you'll wet the bed. I carry the dandelion back to the car and hold it in my cupped hand for the entire ride to the hospital.

"Peeta has something to tell you," Mum says as we enter the hospital building.

"Really?" I ask, my curiosity immediately peaked. "What is it?"

"You'll find out when you see him," Mum replies with a knowing smile.

We part ways as she heads off to the ward where she works and I go to find Peeta in his private room. I have it memorised. Every twist and turn engraved itself in my head during the rush to get Peeta to theatre. I'm glad that memory is over and the only time I have to relive it is in my nightmares.

When I find his room, I knock before entering. I feel like a stranger about to enter someone's home. "It's Katniss," I add for good measure.

"Come on in." When I enter, Peeta is shaking his head with a wide smile on his face. It's such a relief to see him smile. It feels like it's been forever.

Peeta is sitting up in bed. I wish I could say that he looks better. That a couple of days in the hospital have done him wonders but I can't. He's still very sick looking but the fact that he is smiling and does seem genuinely happy does take the years off his gaunt figure. All the same wires are still coming out of his body and his back his propped up with a pillow in an attempt which I assume is to ease the pressure off his broken ribs.

"Why are you knocking, you silly woman?" he asks me. "You're welcome to come in whenever you want."

"I know, I was just a bit . . . I don't know," I say, shutting the door and hopping across the room. "I didn't know what to bring you so I just picked this." I pass him the dandelion and, no joke, the sight of it makes his face light up like a star. "Oh Katniss, it's beautiful," he whispers.

"Is it?" I ask. "I mean, it's a weed."

Peeta shakes his head. "Some of the most beautiful things in this world are the things we see every day but dismiss," he tells me. "This has made my day, Katniss, thank you." When he looks into my eyes, I see genuine gratitude in the blue pools. I feel honoured to have made him feel so happy and I will do whatever I can to continue doing so for him.

"My mum said you have something to tell me," I say, sitting down on the seat beside his bed.

"Uh yeah," he replies, suddenly sheepish. "I've been put on a diet plan-one I'm not at all keen on-which my doctor says will ease me into eating properly again and . . ." He trails off and frowns, as if he believes what he's about to say isn't that big a deal.

"And . . . what?" I ask him.

"I, um, ate an entire bowl of soup," he mutters, too nervous to meet my eyes.

"Oh my God, Peeta, that's amazing!" I declare, lurching forward and hugging him. Peeta yelps and I move back sheepishly, having forgotten about his ribs. I sit down again and grab his hand. "That's fantastic, Peeta!"