After the Rebellion | Part 2

Chapter 19

23rd April

40 Weeks Pregnant

-Katniss

I move my hand to the edge of the bed, clutching the sheets for my dear life. "Peeta," I scream. I can't control the tears that are running down my face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he says sleepily.

"The baby, I think it's coming!" I scream.

My breathing gets heavier as I feel the stirring of my child in my stomach, I'm consumed with terror. I can't do this. I start to cry out of pain. I feel a pool of water leave between my thighs and I start to panic even more.

"Peeta, it's coming, call the hospital!"

I feel him leave the bed and watch him run across the bedroom to the drawers, where we keep the land line phone. I hear him talk to a few people, not that I'm paying any attention I'm just screaming, it's all I can do. It's the only thing that helps bare the pain.

Another contraction rips through me, followed by a gritted teeth scream. Peeta runs to my side and moves the bed sheet that covers me off. He takes my hand and lets my squeeze it as hard as I can.

"We're not having another one," I scream, "The pain is unbearable."

I hear him laugh a little and I smile past the pain for a second.

"Your mother, my mother, Effie and a nurse are on their way. They're going to get you to the hospital and then you can deliver this baby, just hold on okay," he says before pressing a light kiss to my sweat covered forehead.

I finally arrived at the hospital and my mother, Peeta's mother, Effie, Haymitch and Peeta came with me. They're all waiting in the hospitals reception except for Peeta and my mother who are with me, Peeta for comfort and my mother to deliver our baby.

It's been eight hours, eight hours of crying, screaming and whining. My mother told me that all the pain would be worth it in the end and that it was worth it for her, unlikely, considering she was in labour twenty four hours with me I'm hardly worth it. I squeeze Peeta's hand again as another contraction rips through me, here getting more frequent now every six to seven minutes, the baby shouldn't be too long away.

"Okay, Katniss, same thing again. I need to check to see how far you're dilated and if you're ready we can deliver this baby and have it in your arms in no time," my mother says. The thought of having all the pain over in 'no time' makes me unbelievably happy.

"You're doing so well, I'm so proud of you," Peeta whispers against my forehead before planting a kiss right between my eyebrows.

My mother puts on the blue rubber gloves again; I part my legs slightly so it's less awkward for her as she doesn't have to ask me to open them. She checks how dilated I am before taking off her gloves, tossing them in the bin and washing her hands.

"You're 7 centimetres dilated, not long now, maybe if you walk around a little the baby will feel the need to drop lower and will almost be ready to be delivered," she says. I nod in response before Peeta helps me stand up.

I walk around the hospital room slowly with two hands on my hips trying to keep myself up right and not topple over. I feel another contraction rip through my body, but this one is longer and more recent than the last ones I was having. I lean over the hospital bed slightly, gripping onto the sheets, moaning and screaming as it feels like it never ends. Peeta's hands go to my back and he starts rubbing circles to try and calm me and help with the process, when my contractions finished I lye back down in the hospital bed, just as another contraction hits. Four minutes apart now, not long.