Puzzle Pieces • Finnick Odair

C H A P T E R 5 8

A lot had happened in a short period of time.

The Victors had been rescued.

An abused Peeta had attempted to kill Katniss Everdeen, resulting in receiving a hard blow to the head by Boggs to save the face of the rebellion who had almost died.

Katniss woke, temporarily unable to talk, finding that the tracker jacker venom used on Peeta caused the boy to view Katniss as a life-threatening target to be killed.

Jacob and Kylo waited for their sister to wake up. Jacob spent his time between Johanna (trying to cheer up the girl he loves) and his sister (who's voice he desperately wanted to hear again), Kylo was usually found following Primrose like a lovesick puppy whenever he wasn't sat with his big sister.

Brayden usually stayed with Mags, who he had become closer with in 13. When he wasn't with Mags, or checking up on Finnick, he'd spend half an hour a day sat by his unconscious friend's bedside.

Annie spent her time with her husband, who did his best to distract the ginger from worrying too much about the girl he had yet been able to thank.

Finnick would stay in the chair beside Jessica's bed all day and all night, leaving only to shower when necessary as Brayden would bring him food on his daily visit.

When he had first walked in the room, his breath had been taken away. Despite seeing the picture, it was somehow so, so much worse in person. He took in every last bruise and scar like the healed cut on the left side of her face, that he had seen briefly in her interview, which had now completely healed into a faded scar (half a shade darker than her skin tone) that would most likely never go away. It was only noticeable close up. It ran from the end of her left eyebrow to just above her jawline, near her ear. Even with the bruise colouring on her skin, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. She had been washed and changed on arrival by some female nurses to ensure she was comfortable when she woke.

He worried what mental state the Capitol had left her in. He had heard about the incident between Katniss and Peeta and didn't know how long he'd last if he had to watch the love of his life in pain but unable to provide comfort.

Jessica Miller woke to a dark room that was filled with medical supplies. Just as she was about to panic that she was in another Capitol operation room, or torture chamber, she noticed a soft, familiar snoring at her right side. She slowly turned her head, focussing on the messy haired blonde slumped in the chair beside her bed. His head resting in his arms, leaning onto the empty space on her bed next to her hand. She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes shut tight. Scared to open them in fear that she'd see the nightmare of Finnick Odair take his last breathe, covered in crimson blood, which was a familiar occurrence in her never ending nightmare illusions. She opened her eyes slowly and reached her shaky hand out to place it on his arm. He didn't disappear. He didn't evaporate into thin air. He was here. This was real. The feeling brought her a comfort, knowing that she was no longer in the Capitol. No longer in the hands of Snow.

When she opened her eyes again, after a nightmare free sleep, the once dark room was bright and a young, brunette nurse was stood at the end of the bed, back turned, reading her chart. She looked to the chair besides her and saw it was empty.

At the sound of her movement, the nurse turned with a slightly shocked expression before putting a smile on her face and handing Jessica a glass of water, which she took gratefully.

After she had refreshed her dry throat, she spoke, "where's Finnick?" Her voice came out weak due to dehydration.

"He went to shower," the nurse explains, "boyfriend?" Jessica thinks about the question for a second before nodding. "You're a lucky girl. He has barely left your side, only if necessary."

Jessica sends the nurse a small smile before a confused expression took over, "thirteen?" She asked, speaking as little as possible due to her sore throat.

"Yes, you were rescued from the Capitol the other day and brought here, to District 13, along with your friends: Johanna, Annie and Peeta," the kind woman explains.

"Are they okay?" Jessica asks, suddenly worried.

There was a slight pause, the woman not wanting to overwhelm her, "they all made it out alive and are here, safe and sound."

"Can I see him?" Jessica asks, referring to Finnick.

"Of course, if you feel strong enough to stand?" Jessica nods as the nurse walks over with a pile of clothes and helps Jessica get dressed. Whilst getting undressed, the Victor realised she was wearing a white bandage going around her whole torso, almost like a layer of clothing. She put two and two together and realised it would be for the deep cuts on her back.

Once dressed, the nurse opens the door for Jessica and stands aside to let her past. As soon as Jessica exited her room and turned the corner, she made eye contact with Finnick Odair, who had been almost jogging down the corridor with wet hair from his shower.

"Jessie?!" As soon as he noticed the girl, he took off into a sprint. The instinct to close her eyes and turn away, afraid he was just a hallucination, vanished completely as she looked into his sea-green eyes. She noticed a tall dark man following closely behind Finnick, his eyes looked sympathetic, worried and happy all at once though his stance was cautious and stiff, as if he was ready to intervene.

She didn't have much time to evaluate the male as she noticed Finnick was within five metres of her and had now slowed back down to a slower paced jog on Boggs' command, not wanting to startle the girl. She limped closer as he kept walking.

Within seconds, she found herself wrapped in Finnick Odair's arms. At first, she flinched slightly at the contact causing him to almost pull away before she tightened her grip slightly around his neck. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist, almost afraid that if he let go, she would disappear. Her arms gripped the material of his shirt collar, holding onto the man she loves like it was the last time as he lifted her up from the ground slightly and spun her round once.

"Hey Princess," he whispered softly through her hair as his voice cracked as tears fell freely from his green eyes.

In the arms of Finnick Odair, Jessica Miller let herself break. She let the tears she had been holding fall. The wall she had built fell as she let all the emotions she had been suppressing into her strong façade come to the surface. She cried into Finnick's shoulder as he happily held her, stroking her hair, whispering comforting thoughts into her ear despite his own tears falling.

Their bodies moulded together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces finally put together.

AN: I'm so happy, they're finally reunited! (1200+ words)