Wilted Roses ; The Hunger Games

XIII. Fuck the Capital

‼️‼️‼️DISCLAIMER FOR THIS CHAPTER:
Brief mentions/descriptions of suicide, i wont advise you to skip this chapter entirely because a lot of important stuff happens but i will underline the line it starts at and the line it ends at so you know how to avoid it.

"She got me." Connor choked out, Rose stares down at the bleeding stab wound in awe. So many conflicting emotions at once overwhelming Rose to a dangerous amount. She knew she had to act fast, she knew she couldn't let Connor go like this. Even though she knew it was inevitable and the longer she was with him, the harder his death would be.

She thought fast, pulling off her jacket and instantly pressing down on the wound which confused Connor as she laid him on his back. She recalled everything her mother had told her while she was still a medic, before Clover. "The first thing you need to do when someone is stabbed is put pressure on the wound. Stops the bleeding." Rose shuddered as her voice whispered through her head and she tried to remember other key details her mother had learned before she was deemed 'unable' to continue as a medic.

     Connor groaned in pain though Rose was hyper-focused on helping him through this and making sure she doesn't let another person die because she didn't do something. Rose cursed under her breath as she tried to recall the next step. Before she could Connor shut his eyes and his body relaxed.

     Panic set in and she immediately placed two fingers up to the veins in his neck in search for a heartbeat. Rose let out a breath of relief as she heard a slow but definitely working heartbeat. She stared at his stomach, watching it faintly rise and fall before it stopped entirely. She could feel the game makers already setting up their cannons, but she wouldn't let him die like this.

     Tears fogged her vision as her first instinct is to preform cpr, but she couldn't quite remember the correct way to do it. Rose could feel all eyes on her from the Capital, she could practically hear Finnick cursing to himself as he watched her try and save the person getting in the way of Rose surviving. The confusion that must be felt by every eye watching and the pressure of bringing him back to life made Rose simply go into it blind.

     She began pressing hard on his chest in irregular patterns, just aching to hear the sound of his breath returning to his lungs and the sound of his life returning to his body.

     "Please." Rose choked out, she knew this must have been abnormal for a tribute to go out of their way to save their competition, but there was a deep instinct in Rose to save him, to bring him back to his family even if it meant never seeing hers again. To choose between a person you care for and yourself when the situation is as dire as this is one of the most difficult choices.

     Rose had a memory back in District Four, seeing Connor walking through the street with his many brothers and sisters who needed him, it's crazy how a stranger you pass on the street could become such a giant part of your life, of your survival, that you're willing to give up your own safety for theirs.

     "I'm not letting them take you too." Rose growled through gritted teeth as she began to question if she should give up, accept he's gone and move on with her inevitably short life. But she couldn't, she couldn't live with herself if she had a chance to save him but didn't.

     A sharp gasp escaped Connors lips as he shot himself up, instantly regretting it as he let out a groan of pain. Rose immediately wrapped her arms around the boy, practically digging her nails into his back as her tears fall down his shirt.

     "You saved me?" He mutters out and pulls a confused face at Rose. Rose resisted a smile, knowing she shouldn't get so attached to someone she knew would die within a week.