Reunited: An After Mockingjay Story

Chapter 28

We get home and my mother repeats the same things she did when Gale got whipped. After she leaves to go to the house she's staying in I grab a chair and sit next to Peeta laying on the table. I hold his hand and kiss it, hoping he'll be okay. He was whipped more than Gale was. After the exhausting day I soon fall asleep holding Peeta's hand.

I wake up and see Peeta still sleeping. I look to the living room and see my mom laying on the couch watching TV. She sees me awake and comes over. She lifts up the cloth on his back and I gasp. It looks terrible. All bloody and raw. My eyes water and soon the tears spill over.

"Why does everything happen to him?" I ask crying into my mothers shoulder. 

"Shhh." Is all she says. She rubs my back and continues to whisper soothing things and eventually they work because I stop crying. Peeta makes a noise and I run over to him still on the table. I sit in the chair I fell asleep in and look at his face. I see his beautiful blue eyes looking back at me. I hold his hand and kiss it now crying again. He gives me a little sad smile but it quickly fades and he winces. I caress his hair with my other and cry harder. Seeing him in pain breaks my heart.

"Its okay Katniss." He croaks out. His voice is hoarse from screaming. I nod but don't stop crying. "I'll be... okay. Right?" He nods to my mom and she replies with a reassuring nod of her own. 

"Come on honey. You need to get some rest." My mother says leading me up the stairs to the room Peeta and I share. I climb into bed and my head sinks into the pillow. I'm not used to sleeping on a pillow. I usually lay on Peeta's chest. My mother leaves and I close my eyes. It feels weird sleeping without Peeta. I wish I didn't have to.

PEETA'S POV

 I lay quietly on the table. Everytime I move anything it hurts. Ms. Everdeen comes back down the steps from puttig Katniss to bed. She comes over and sits down in the chair Katniss was sitting at. 

"She really loves you huh?" She asks. 

"Yeah," I give a slight laugh, " She does." Her face suddenly turns pale. She's looking at my back. 

"Peeta?" She asks.

"Hm." I answer.

"How long did those guys whip you?" 

"I don't know maybe about 40 minutes. Why?" I get worried. 

"I treated it the best could but you're worse." She pauses looking me over then she gasps. 

"What?" I ask her. "What's wrong?" 

"Blood poisoning."