Return of the Mockingjay

Chapter 53

I open my eyes slowly. The bright lights above me hurt my eyes and the soft clinical smell of the medical wing brings back memories of being here many times before, a feeling of familiarity surrounds this place for me.

My head hurts, bad. I reach up and wince at the touch of a soft white bandage that's wrapped round my head.

I feel nauseous as I raise my head from the soft white pillow so I lower it back down ever so slowly immediately reducing the pounding which seems to echo round my skull. I can feel my left arm is restricted in some way and I check it to see a drip inserted into my left wrist which is giving my body vital fluids. I try to replay in my mind that final night in the arena, killing Cashmere, Wolf and Blight, the fire, and then the fight with Peeta the mutt. The fight that my husband ended with his arrow.

Peeta.....where is he, how long have I been here, and, where is Rue?

"You should try to rest" says my mother from the open doorway. I look back at her and see the bags under her eyes, the lines in her face. It's clear she's not been sleeping. She slowly makes her way across the room, dressed in her nurses uniform, fiddling with her hands as she nervously makes her way to me.

"Where's Peeta?" I ask.

She drops her hands to her sides and stands by my bed, I can feel the nervousness and anxiety draining from her, what's the problem?

"He's been at your bedside for nearly three days Katniss, but Plutarch persuaded him to join Elise in a broadcast to the nation, he'll be back soon. Lots has happened while you were in the arena"

I struggle to sit up, ignoring the throbbing pain in my head and stare at her to continue.

She looks down at her hands. "While you were away the war changed. Not in a bad way, the country really stood by you and most of Wolfe's remaining forces rebelled against him. Even the most loyal followers of the games turned against him"

"Why?"

"Because the Hunger Games were always seen as a form of fair entertainment and Wolfe had changed that by making you the sole target " says Haymitch as he enters the room.

He comes over and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. "It's good to have you back sweetheart, you did good Katniss, real good" mom leans down and gives me a gentle kiss on my cheek. "I'm so happy you're home Katniss, I thought for a while that I'd lost you"

"Yeah, well I'm home now, and back to stay now that the war's over"

Mom gives a concerned look across my bed to Haymitch which makes me frown.

"Well, you must of captured Wolfe by now, when I went into the arena he'd pretty much admitted defeat" I say looking at each of them.

Haymitch sits on the side of my bed and takes my hand. "The thing is, we thought it was Wolfe who was pulling the Gamemakers strings in the arena,  and to begin with he probably was but we think he left and returned to the Capitol a couple of weeks ago. When Lyndon and the others broke into the arena control room they found it deserted, no Wolfe, no Gamemakers, nothing. That's why the arena had dried out so much, there was no one there to control  it, everything was kinda left to fend for itself"

"So you think he's in the Capitol?"

Haymitch sighs and looks down at our entwined hands. "I'm sorry sweetheart, we re-took the Capitol a week ago and he's nowhere to be found. Plutarch and Lyndon think he's probably gone to site 2.