Not real.

Chapter Sixteen: Waiting

*Katniss*
   "Ms. Everdeen? Katniss?" I awake slowly to Gale's nurse gently shaking my shoulder. I've learned her name is Nadia. I came to find out she was also trained by my mother, which made me trust her even more. If she could withstand my mother's commands and expectations then she can withstand anything.
   I slowly sit up in my chair by Gale's bedside. I fell asleep here last night, and I realize my fingers are still intertwined with his. I blow into his limp palm attempting to add some warmth to his cold hand.
"Katniss you've been here almost a full 24 hours, maybe you should go home for a while." I start to protest but she interrupts me.
"We'll take good care of him alright? And I'll call you if anything happens, go home take a shower get some rest and you can come back whenever and how ever long it pleases you. I promise you'll be the first to know if anything comes up." She reassures me. I guess she's right, my clothes are still doused in Gale's dried blood and I probably reek of it as well.
"Okay," I sigh and nod my head.
"I'll be back soon." I whisper to Gale, kissing his forehead.
   Before I leave I stop in the doorway and turn to Nadia.
"Thank you, Nadia, for everything." She smiles and walks over to me.
"Thank you for saving me and my family in the Nut. I want to help you in any way I can, so just call me if you need anything alright hon?" She squeezes my shoulders as I return her smile and nod my head. With that she returns to tending to Gale. I decide that I like Nadia. I think we'll be friends.
   As I walk home I can't help but feel an absence of someone next to me. I begin to get lost in my loneliness but remind myself that he's still here just, asleep. I'll go back in a few hours.
   I open my door surprised to find it warm and filled with light. The smell of fresh bread hits my nose and for a minute I dread that it's Peeta. Then I remember that he's restricted from seeing me and is probably locked up somewhere. Curious about who is in my house, I slowly round the corner.
    I'm taken aback when I'm greeted by a cheerful woman with blonde curls. She immediately embraces me.
"Oh Katniss, I'm so sorry about what happened it's partly my fault and I just feel so terrible," I interrupt her.
"Wait, Delly what are you talking about?"
"Well you see Peeta and I got into an argument yesterday and he said he needed to go think about things and that's when he went to the woods and I'm just so so sorry." Tears start to form in Delly's eyes and I see her genuine honest heart. My heart swells with empathy for her and I embrace her again.
"Oh Delly please don't feel bad it's not your fault. It's the Capitol that did this to him." She breaks our embrace and wipes the tears from her eyes.
"I guess you're right. Well anyways I didn't know when you were coming home and I asked Haymitch before coming here like a creepy person, because I thought you might like some company?" I smile at her.
"Of course Thank you Delly."
"Oh no problem, and to be honest it's helped keep my mind off Peeta so really I should be thanking you in a really strange way."
"You're welcome then?" I smile.
"Now go take a shower you look horrendous!" She laughs as she shoves me towards my stairs.
   Again I have underestimated the luxury of the shower. I stay under the hot water for a good half hour, and fifteen minutes are spent trying to wash the blood off of my body. Red water goes down the drain slowly until it finally starts to clear.
    After my shower I dry myself off and throw on a soft sweater and a comfortable pair of jeans. I braid my had back like I normally do and throw my dirty clothes into the washing machine. Then I head downstairs to see what Delly's doing.
   "Oh good, I thought you'd drowned in that shower!" She remarks sarcastically as I pull up a chair to the center kitchen counter.
"Hahaha you try washing blood out of thick hair!" I reply with a smile.
"Alright I guess you have an excuse, and you're down just in time for dinner." She smiles as he passes me a plate. She's made a dish called lasagna and I'm convinced it's better than what they gave us in the Capitol.
   As we eat we talk and laugh a lot. We avoid the topics of the current situation with the men in our lives, but recall countless memories from before the war.
   Delly, having practically grown up with Peeta, has countless stories of her bossing him around and making him play dress up or doing makeovers on him. I laugh non stop for what seems like the first time in a long time.
   She asks me about my days of hunting with Gale and I tell her about times when I challenged bears for honey, or got chased by wild dogs, or shoved Gale into the lake at the top of the mountain. She finds my stories hilarious, and I can't help but feel totally at ease with her.
   I realize that we have more I common than I originally thought. Quite frankly I thought she was shallow due to her being on the more well off side of district twelve. But now I see she is very down to earth and real with people. I like that about her. We both have these people in our lives that we don't quite understand but we both care for them so deeply and stubbornly. I decide for the second time today that she and I will probably become friends. A part of me is overjoyed because now, besides Gale's coma, I have a chance at a normal life. With real friends. I'm broken out of my thought process when Delly comments,"Man I wish it could be as simple as it was back then."
I sigh contentedly "Me too."
"But I guess all we can do is move forward right?" I nod.
"Speaking of which you and Peeta got into an argument does that mean you two are...?" My eyes ask her the question and she nods.
"The day you left for district two was the day he came to my doorstep and told me everything. Kind of mushy and cheesy really but still sweet. And to be honest I think I've been in love with him since we were kids and so it just kind of worked out I guess. But now..." She sighs unhappily.
"If I want a future with him and I do, I just don't want this dangerous side of him to come out to hurt other people. The guilt would kill me. Like how could I be with someone who would do stuff like that to people, or me, or my future children. I just don't know how I'd be able to handle it." I suddenly get an idea that might ease her mind.
"Come with me." I say as I grab her arm and practically drag her upstairs and into Peeta's old painting room.
   "This is where he'd come if he was worrying about something or after nightmares. He'd just sit right down and paint something. Maybe that's why he had a breakdown. He left his coping mechanism here and all of a sudden he didn't have anything that prevented him from having a meltdown."
She gazes in wonderment at the masterpieces around her.
"He painted these?" She gapes.
"Every single one. He paints the things he's afraid of and the things that he loves in order to keep his mind straight. This is what he painted the night before I left." I gesture to the beautiful painting of her and she blushes immediately when she sees it.
"He loves you a lot you know, I can see it. So why don't you take his stuff home with you, so that you two can have a future that's not in danger." I tell her softly. She turns to me with tears in her eyes.
"Katniss I don't know what to say. Thank you, so much." I take her hand and give it a squeeze.
"No problem."
   We pack up all of Peeta's painting stuff and though I don't trust him at the moment I know it will be good for him and I'm glad he has Delly. She'll take care of him.
   Delly decides she'll stay with me for a couple of days to keep me company, which I am truly grateful for.
"What about you and Gale?" She asks before I go to sleep for a couple hours.
I hesitate. I'm not used to sharing my thoughts with anyone really except Gale, but something tells me that I can trust Delly.
"I think I love him. But I don't know. Things are just confusing with him being in a coma and...I just would like to tell him when he's awake and if he remembers me and..." Delly gives me a small smile.
"I have a feeling that everything's going to turn out okay for you two. Don't you worry Katniss."
I give her a small smile in return.
"Thank you. And goodnight Delly."
"Night."
That night as I lie in bed, I hope and pray that Delly is right and that Gale will come back to me, one day.