Captured || Book 1

Chapter 23 | Interactions

Peeta's POV

After seeing Katniss break down like that in front of everyone just about broke my heart a little more then it already. The strong girl I once knew to never cry in front of anyone or pose as weak was gone. Now replaced with a hurt and broken girl that is unrecognizable. But who can blame her? The only thing I saw in everyone's faces when she broke down like that was pity because they know it's not her fault for her to act this way. She's been through things no girl should endure; anyone for that matter.

But that was a weeks ago. In those weeks I've visited Katniss to talk to her about more memories, which we tried our best to reenact like it actually happened. The doctors told me this method would help a lot, maybe spark some recognition.

Usually at first Katniss doesn't really believe what I am telling her. But after a while she started to realize that it was no lie and then a little bit of her memory would return after a while.

I am on my way there, anxious as always to start Katniss' therapy session. She always does so good and gets a little better each time. I am always seeing improvement in her, even though the doctors say she may never fully recover.

We will be interacting another memory together and I am really excited about this one. We only interact small memories because it would be weird being in the same bed as her or anything. We usually just have the same scenery and start talking about what had happened during that time.

Gale had gone to talk to her too. It was one morning, when I had walked into the outside of her room with the glass wall, before she was moved to a real hospital. I remember seeing them and seeing the spark in Katniss' eye as she talked to him. I could tell she loved him still, of course she would. She was programmed to hate me after all, Gale was always the obvious choice for her.

I find myself in front of Katniss' door and enter slowly, being cautious from her recent attack on me. But she had snapped out of the flashback quickly and said she was sorry and I knew she wasn't just saying that, she really meant it.

"Hi, Peeta," she smiles when she sees me, but the trace of fear will always be in her eye when I enter her view. She could never hide it, it always shows.

"Hi," I say back.

"What are we doing today?" She asks.

I smile at her. "They have a room set up for us where we will be interacting another memory," I say.

"What memory?" She asks.

"You'll see," I say with a smile. "But we'd better get going if we want to make it there in time,"

"We're not staying here?" She asks.

"No," I say. 

"A - are you sure?" She asks, still scared of me a little bit, but it gets better each day.

"I'm sure," I assure her. "Nothing will go wrong."

"Um... okay..." she says cautiously.

"Katniss, I promise you nothing bad will happen," I say again. "We're safe from anything that could harm us. We're safe here," though I know it's me she's scared of, I say this anyways.

She only nods her head and gets out of her hospital bed.

"Do you know when I can get my own room?" She asks.

"I'm not sure," I say, leading her to the door. "But I'll ask the next time I see the nurse."

"Okay," she says.

We walk for a few minutes and then go down some stairs until we reach our destination.

"Here we are," I say, walking her into the room.