Always

Chapter 18- 9 weeks later

9 weeks later...

Peeta engulfs me in his muscular arms, I sigh with relief as I hold his body as close to mine as he'd allow me to. My body trembles and he holds me together, it's as if I can't function unless he's near me. He's like the heart to me, I wouldn't work without him.

"How's she doing?" he whispers into my hair. I can tell he's just as scared as I am.

"They're turning the life support off; they said that if she doesn't wake up now, she won't ever really wake up."

As soon as we got Willow and my mother into the hospital, my mother was automatically connected up to the life support machine because she was barely holding on for her life, and there was no way she would make it through the night if she had to rely on herself.

It was one of the scariest experiences of my life; I didn't know if she was going to make it through the night, no one did. Me and my mother weren't the closest of people but I love her with all my heart, and she and Prim were all I had left after my dad died.

She's been on that life support machine for 9 weeks. 9 weeks of being fed through tubes, 9 weeks of not communicating with any of us. 9 weeks without my mother has been terrible, and today is the day that they turn the life support off. Without it we're not sure whether she'll survive or if her body will cave in and stop working completely.

I hope it's the best and I hope it starts working – I don't know what I'll do without my mother.

"Mummy, can I go see grandma?" Willow says, snapping me out of my daydream.

I look down at my innocent little girl, my little girl who could've lost her life in a fire 9 weeks ago. A little girl who had to watch her two best friends, Bethy and Marina, die because their bodies weren't strong enough to pull through the night. My little girl who got out of the fire just at the right time, my brave little girl.

"Of course you can, baby. Daddy will take you in while I stay out here with Aunt Primmy and wait for the doctors," I turn to Peeta," You will take her in wont you? I'm not sure if I'm prepared to see her again just yet. I'm not sure if I can talk to her lifeless body again without getting any response from her. It's just so hard, Peeta." And I slowly start to break down once again. Peeta taking me into his arms and wrapping me up in his chest where I cry everything I have left.

"Of course I'll take her in. I'll let you and Prim talk about a few things before you go in and see her again. Hey, don't cry, baby. Look at me," he whispers as his hand goes under my chin and he lifts my head up so I can look into his beautiful eyes. "She's going to get through this, she's a fighter. She got through your dad passing and I'm pretty sure she can get through this. I love you, Kas."

"I love you, too," I manage to croak out before I abruptly turn and engulf my little sister into my arms, and we both cry into each other's shoulders.

"Primmy, she isn't going to wake up, is she?" I whimper.

"Kas, I don't think she is," Prim whispers into my shoulder.

"We need to pull ourselves together and show mum that we can do this, and we'll fight with her. We need to show her that we're strong and that she can be strong too, we need to show her that she can get through this and that we're here for her all of the way."

"I know," she whimpers. "How am I going to tell her about this? How the hell am I going to explain this to her, she's going to be so pissed, I can already hear her voice 'I was out of it for 9 weeks and you go and do something as stupid as this. I thought you were better than this Primrose.'" I start to laugh at Prim's imitation of our mother, which makes her laugh a little too.