Safe and Sound (The Hunger Games)

Chapter 30 - Safe

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The clouds in my head disappear. I can't open my eyes, but I hear something beeping right next to me. I'm curious.

I take in a deep breath but I end up heavily coughing as I let air out. My chest aches and I'm trembling for air.

Then someone touches my hand and I feel safe. I concentrate on calming my breathing. In, and out. In, and out. I tell myself mentally. And all of a sudden, I feel like I am being dragged back to sleep...

~

My eyes flutter open and my eyes cringe to the sight of the blinding light. I try to cover my eyes with my hands, but I find that my wrists are restrained to the bed.

I moan with helplessness and close my eyes again. I feel like the world is swaying around me. Like I'm a light feather in the wind.

"Kaya?" I hear a voice. The thought of me being a light feather goes away, and suddenly I feel like I am as heavy as lead.

I open my eyes and brace for the blinding light. I turn my head away from the light, but it's no use. The light is bright no matter where I look.

There is something covering my nose and mouth. Some kind of dome object feeding me air. My breathing makes a weird noise when I breathe out. It's some kind of... air mask.

"You must have a million questions." The person says. I hear her from the other side of the room, but she's too far away for me to see her. "I'll tell you what happened, you can ask me questions, and I'll answer all of them. Just promise me you won't freak out, again." She says kindly. Again?

I try to say okay, but my throat is dry as sand. Instead, I nod.

"So for starters, congrats on winning the Hunger Games!" She says with joy. She walks closer to me, and I finally see what she looks like. She looks like a normal nurse. Maybe a doctor. She is dressed up in scrubs from head to toe.

I won the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, where twenty four children fight to the death, and you have a one in twenty four chance of making it out alive. I won the Hunger Games. I survived. I am the victor. I give her a small smile, while deep inside I am crying.

"You were beat up badly by Toby. It was really hard saving you from the arena because of your wounds. On the television screen, the whole nation saw the end of the game as you passing out from blood loss and shock after they announced you victor." She says. I kind of remember that. That's probably the last thing I remember doing clearly.

"What they didn't see, is the lightning that struck the cornucopia, where your hand was touching the base of it. You were shocked by lightning after you passed out. The doctors on the hovercraft say you died. By the time they got their hands on you, you weren't breathing. You had no pulse." She says seriously. I... was dead?

"We revived you quickly. Then you came to again and we were relieved. But then you started freaking out, and we were so worried we were going to lose you again that we had to knock you out." That was fuzzy to me. It felt like I was falling away from the world. It was horrible.

"But then we did lose you again." She says sadly. "We gave it all we got until you responded. And thank god you did." She smiles again. "Since then, you have been here, in the Capitol, for a week now in a semi-catatonic state. We have been constantly checking up on you, hoping you would wake up soon. The whole nation was hoping you would wake up soon." She says kindly as she holds her warm hand in mine. "And now you have. And you can take as much time as you want to get better. No rush at all. Just focus on getting better." She says. She then places my cold hand in between her two warm hands, and I feel safe.

"Do you have any questions for me?" She asks me as she takes the mask off of my face.

"What is your name?" I quietly whisper.

She laughs, and then puts the mask back on my nose and mouth. "Your first question is my name? Well I guess I should have told you that in the beginning." She smiles "I'm Dr. Flynn, but you can call me Maia if you want."

She's nice, I decide that I can trust her.

"Where is Annie?" I whisper.

"It looks like you don't need this mask anymore. However, if you freak out on me again, you will have to wear this for a whole day, no exceptions." She instructs, and I nod that I understand. "She came by a million times in the past week. At least ten times a day she sat in this chair next to your bed."

Annie sat here, waiting for me to wake up for a week? I didn't know she cared about me that much...

"Oh no, don't cry!" She says as she gently wipes my tear away. I didn't even realize I was crying...

"I'll go get her right now." Maia says as she places the mask back on my face. I guess she thinks I'm going to flip out again. She goes to the phone and dials a number.

I barely hear their conversation, but by the look of Maia's face as she walks back to me, I can guess that Annie is on her way here.

"She's coming now. She even said that she has a surprise for you." Maia smiles.

A surprise? For me?

"I'll just keep you company until she arrives." She says as she runs her hands through my dirty, knotty, disgusting hair. "Do you have anymore questions?" She asks. I slowly nod, and she takes my mask off again.

"Did you watch the games?" I ask weakly in curiosity. She can tell that I am desperate for air, and she puts the air mask back on immediately. I sigh in relief.

"Yes, and you were very brave." She says. That should make me feel better, but somehow I feel empty inside.

"I'm tired." I exhaustedly say.

"Rest. Annie will be here when you wake up. I promise." Maia says.

I close my eyes, and let my mind do the rest.