The New Beginning

The Arrival

*KATNISS’ POV*

When I go to bed, I know that something’s going to happen, only I don’t tell Peeta in case I’m wrong.

Turns out I probably should have because when I open my eyes only a few hours later, I have to take a deep breath to stop from panicking. At least this time I know what I’m in for so as I take yoga breaths to help with the pain, I gently reach over and shake his arm.

“Huh?” he blinks and rubs his eyes as he lifts his head. “What’s wrong?”

Another pain shoots through my spine and I take a deep breath.

“I need to go to the hospital. The baby’s coming.”

Last time when I went into labour, I was absolutely scared. I screamed a lot, too, I remember and even started to cry. This time, as Peeta runs down the stairs to get the car ready, I calmly wander into Prue’s room to wake my mother.

“Mum,” I shake her arm. “Mum, wake up.”

“Hey,” she sits up. “Are you okay?”

“My water broke,” I tell her around a gasp of pain. Man, it hurts. “Peeta’s taking me to the hospital now.”

“Oh my gosh,” she flies out of bed and Prue awakens with a start.

“Mummy?”

“Prue, its okay sweety. Daddy’s going to take me to the hospital now because the baby’s coming.”

She lets out a squeal as Peeta bursts into the room and grabs hold of my arm.

“Quick, Katniss,” he tugs on me.

I quickly hug Prudence as she pulls on her clothes and reassure my mother I’m fine. Then I let Peeta lead me down the stairs, grimacing when a particularly hard contraction rolls through me.

“You are so much calmer this time,” he tells me as he backs out of the drive.

“Still hurts,” I wince. “Hurry please. I’m not sure I can stay calm for much longer.”

“If you need to scream, scream,” he presses down and we speed up. “If you need to cry, cry.”

“I’ll be fine,” I squeeze his arm and throw my head back and close my eyes as they start getting harder. “Peeta, please hurry.”

It’s much like last time. Peeta scoops me out of the car and runs me into the emergency clinic where Delly sits at the desk, talking to someone. I don’t really remember how I get to the hospital room, but I feel a flood of gratitude as Haymitch sits down at my side and takes my hand.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he smiles.

“What are you doing here?” I grip his hand tighter.

“Wouldn’t be much of a mentor if I didn’t help you, hey?”

“True.”

Haymitch has a surprisingly calm voice so I let myself relax as Delly runs around, setting everything up.

I don’t know where Peeta is and I start to panic as I look around the room.

“Where’s Peeta? Why isn’t he here?”

“Hey, hey it’s okay,” Haymitch calms me. “Prue and your mum arrived and she had a panic attack. Totally lost it, to be honest. I couldn’t calm her down.”

“Oh no,” I moan and feel sweat trickle down my neck. “Poor Prue.”

“You just focus on yourself, why don’t you?”

I nod my head frantically. I must give birth to a healthy baby. I must.

Peeta comes back into the room after Delly announces I don’t have long to go. A quick glance at the clock reveals I’ve been in here two hours already. Prudence took five hours to give birth too. I hope this labour doesn’t take as long.

“Hey, Katniss,” Peeta holds my face between his hands and leans down so our noses are touching. “You’re doing great. Delly says you don’t have much longer so just hang in there.”

“It hurts,” I moan and get the urge to move around.

“I know, I know. But you’ve down it once so by gosh you can certainly do it again.”

“Stay with me,” I grab his hand as he pulls away.

“Always,” he kisses my forehead tenderly.

“Are you going to help with the birth this time?” Haymitch asks as I close my eyes.

“Not this time. Delly’s assistant can do the job for me.”

“You just hold your wife’s hand, Mellark. I’m not doing it after she fractured my finger last time.”

I feel a pang of guilt shoot through me followed by smugness. Two days after Prue’s birth, Haymitch had has finger checked out by Delly and apparently I had fractured it. I feel awful, but Haymitch found it quite funny.

He wouldn’t laugh if he realised just how painful this was.

“Katniss,” Delly calls my name and I open my eyes to look at her. She’s quite pretty, like an angel. Her blonde hair is piled high on her head in a very sophisticated style. She looks prim and elegant and not for the first time, I briefly wonder why Peeta didn’t love her. “Katniss, I need you to push.”

Oh great. The best part.

Peeta smooths back my hair while Haymitch lets me hold his arm.

“Big pushes, Katniss,” Haymitch instructs and I nod quickly before putting my effort into it.

I think I scream, maybe a few times. I know at one stage Peeta turned really frantic, saying I looked like I was in a lot of pain. I forget he didn’t see this last time since he was to busy bringing Prudence into the world.

“I see the head!” Delly yells. “Quick Katniss. One last push.”

And I do.

I fall back into the pillows, gasping for air as the sound of a baby’s shriek fills the room. Not like Prudence, this one.

“You did it,” Peeta kisses me and I smile.

“We did it.”

I look up as Delly lowers a bundle into my arms, which I clutch to my chest gently. I peek inside the blanket to see a tiny baby, eyes scrunched tight and fists balled together.

“It’s a boy,” Delly smiles proudly. “A bouncing, baby boy.”

Peeta sits on the bed beside me and strokes the baby’s fist, causing it to start flying around.

“He’s beautiful,” I run my finger over his forehead. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Good on you, Sweetheart,” Haymitch kisses my cheek. “I’ll go get your mum and Prune.”

“What will you name him?” Delly asks as Peeta and I hold our baby.

“Felix,” we say at the same time.

“Well,” Delly leans down so she too can peer into the blanket. “You’re very lucky, little Felix.”

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