Deep in the Meadow - Peeta Mellark X Reader

14. Recovery

"No masters or kings when the ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene"

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

I jolt up, a scream leaving my lips as my eyes bolt open only to squint instantly at the blinding lights. I'm panting, dry heaving, every bit of panicking symptoms in the book.

Unable to calm myself, I begin to cry in my state of panic, hugging myself as the door flies open. My head snaps towards it, and I grab for the nearest object, ready to fight.

I am met with the face of a man I never thought I would see again, his hands grabbing at my wrists to remove whatever object I had managed to grab.

"Dad?" My voice cracks as my eyes focus, tears streaming down my face. Haymitch's expression softens and he pulls me in for a hug.

I lean forward, sobbing in his embrace as he holds me.

"You're okay, kid." He murmurs, rubbing my back gently. He had never comforted me like this, and I can tell that he's uncomfortable, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

I find it hard to believe that I was okay. I'm alive, but am I really? Was this the afterlife? Some cruel twisted version of an alternative reality where I had won the games? Or did I really win? Did I really not eat those berries? Did they really let both Peeta and I leave that arena? Peeta.

"Peeta? Where is he?" I ask after a while, pulling away from Haymitch's embrace to look at him as I wipe away my tears. It seems all I can ever do these days is cry.

"He's... He's alive. Recovering, but alive." Haymitch nods to me.

"And his leg?" I ask, thinking to the disgusting, muddled mess. We didn't treat it long, and certainly it had been too far infected by the time we got ointment.

"They couldn't save it, but he's alive." Haymitch reminds me and I nod, sorrowful that I couldn't do more for him.

"Can I see him?" I ask. "They want to save your reunion for the interview."

Interview. I forgot. I'm a big spectacle. When will this end? Never.

Am I sure I'm alive right now? Am I sure Peeta is alive?

I sigh and nod, glancing back to him.

"Thank you... for everything. I'm sorry I was so cold to you before." I mutter. Haymitch shakes his head, pulling me into another hug "It's okay, kid. I should be apologizing to you. If I had been more present for you... then none of this would have happened."

I tense up slightly. He's right.. but maybe it was, in some twisted way, a good thing that it did happen. Right?

Or maybe not.

Recovery wasn't very lengthy for me, mainly just rehydration and eating. The cuts I had healed up quickly, and I was given a hearing aid as the explosion had caused irreparable damage to my left ear.

Seeing Cinna again brought tears to my eyes, our hug long overdue. He worked tirelessly to make me a gown for the interview, and it came out beautifully. It was a pretty dark blue gown, something I could imagine Capitol citizens would wear to a sunday brunch with friends. It was simple, but more beautiful than anything I had ever worn before, and Effie made it clear how beautiful I looked in it. My hair was left to be in loose curls, given a trim and washed relentlessly.

I look so different to how I did when I first got here for the arena. When I first got here from the reaping too.

Everything seems to move in slow motion. I feel tapped out of reality. I constantly find myself asking whether things are real or not real.