Fighting (Sequel to Fate)

Chapter 29

Katniss P.O.V.

"Only three more months until I get to meet you, little one," I whisper as I rub my stomach. I look over at where Peeta's still laying in the hospital bed.

He hasn't woken back up since last week, and it has the doctors here in 13 worried about him. They ran tests this morning checking for brain activity and making sure that he's not brain dead.

Now I'm just waiting for the results, and it's been the longest thirty minutes of my life.

Mom doesn't like the idea of me staying in the room after what happened last week, but I don't care what she thinks right now.

"Katniss?"

I look over to see Prim standing in the doorway. She motions for me to follow her, so I stand up out of my chair and follow her out into the hallway and down to the waiting room. I open the door to find Haymitch and Plutarch waiting for me.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Sit," Haymitch says as he motions at the seat across from him. Prim and I sit down side by side.

"What is this?" I ask them again.

"We need to talk about Peeta," Haymitch says. My heart drops.

"What about Peeta?"

"You can explain this better than I can," Haymitch says as he nods his head towards Prim.

She takes a deep breath and looks at me.

"Peeta's not brain dead," she says.

"That's a good thing," I reply optimistically.

"Yeah, well, that's not all," Prim continues slowly. "He should be awake by now. Everything's still looking good, and his brain function is completely normal."

"So?" I ask.

"So the doctors decided to check something else. Peeta's bloodstream," Prim tells me. "They're not for sure what it is yet, but Peeta's body is fighting off something."

"It has to do with whatever Snow was doing to Peeta," Plutarch adds. "Whatever poisons were introduced to Peeta's bloodstream are now taking over."

"But why is this just now affecting Peeta?" I ask.

"It's been gradually getting worse," Prim continues. "Buy when he got shot, it made the affects of it intensify."

My heart starts pounding as I put the pieces of the puzzle together in my mind.

"Is that why Peeta was having spells where some things were like they never even happened?" I ask. Prim nods her head.

"We think so."

"Snow was trying to turn Peeta into a weapon to use agaisnt you," Plutarch says. "If he had had Peeta just a little while longer, there's no telling what he could have done."

"So now what?" I ask. "We just wait until Peeta wakes up and see what happens then?"

"Pretty much," Prim answers as she nods her head.

"In the meantime," Haymitch begins, "You need to stay out of Peeta's room."

"No," I say quickly. "Absolutely not."

"Katniss, it's too dangerous to risk it," Prim tells me.

"Dangerous?" I laugh. "Peeta's not dangerous."

"He left bruises on your arm," Plutarch points out.

I roll my eyes. "Okay. So what? It's not like he mean to."

"It's not up for debate," Haymitch tells me. "You're staying away, even if I have to have someone follow you around twenty-four seven. If something were to happen, it wouldn't just be you who'd end up getting hurt."

I sigh and look down at my stomach. He's right.

"I'm sure Peeta would never forgive himself if that were to happen," Haymitch says. "And he'd probably never forgive you either if he found out that it could have been avoided if you'd just quit being so stubborn and just listen for once."

"Okay," I say quietly. "Whatever. I'll stay out of Peeta's room for now."

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it," Haymitch tells me.

I roll my eyes. "I'm being serious."

We're all quiet for a moment before Plutarch speaks up.

"I'd better go now," he says as he stands up.

"Tell Coin that I want to meet with her later," I say. Plutarch gives me a look -obviously knowing that I'm mad at Coin- and then nods his head before leaving the room.

"I'd better go too," Prim says. I nod, and she gives me a quick hug. Once Prim walks out the door, I look over at Haymitch with tears in my eyes.

"I can't take this anymore," I tell him. "I keep losing Peeta, and every time I think he's returned to me, I lose him gain. When is this going to end?"

Haymitch shakes his head at me. "I can't answer that, Katniss," he tells me. "But I do have to warn you that even if Peeta does wake up, there's a big chance that he won't ever be the same."

"What do you mean?"

"Where Peeta was shot, it's weakend his body and he can't fight off whatever's trying to take over."

More tears fall down my cheeks, and before I know it, I'm in the middle of a full blown panic attack. I start gasping for breath, and those pains return to my stomach.

"Katniss, clam down," Haymitch tells me as he moves to sit in the seat beside of me.

"I… I c-can't!" I gasp.

I was just now starting to feel like Peeta was completely returning to me. What if he is never the same again? What if this time he wakes up, and he has no clue who I am?

I though that the damage has been done. That the worse Snow did to Peeta was make him lose a few memories temporarily. What if Snow did more than that? What if he's changed who Peeta is?

"P-Peeta was t-trying so hard a-already to fight what S-Snow did t-to h-him," I stutter out through my bursts of tears.

"I know," Haymitch tells me as he runs a hand across my shoulders. "But you have to calm down, sweetheart. It's not going to do you or the kid any good if you pass out."

I nod my head and begin taking slow, deep breaths. I rub circles on my stomach to try to calm the baby down.

"What do I… What do I do now?"

"You have to decide that," Haymitch tells me. "Are you going to sit here all day and do nothing but worry, or are you gonna go give Coin a piece of your mind?"

I look over at Haymitch and give him a small smile.

"I think you know the answer to that."