Mockingjay: Prim [Completed]

Chapter 13: Loved Ones (Prim)

I can't lose Rory again, I think to myself in bed. Not again...not again.

Mother bursts into my room.

"Is he back?" I ask, sitting up.

"Who are we talking about?"

"Rory...Rory Hawethorne."

"Yes, yes he's back...and so's Noah."

"What?!"

I scramble out of bed, grab my coat, and head out the door. Katniss wakes up and asks what's happening. Mother explains that the rescue team just came back with everyone and Katniss scrambles out of bed too. She wants to see Gale.

When we get to the hospital, everyone seems to be damaged in some way. Johanna's been shaved, Gale is a bit mentally unstable, Rory took a bullet to his shoulder, and Noah...he's really alive, just like Beetee had told me. Finnick is with his beloved Annie, which is great for him. Katniss rushes over to Gale. Me...I check up on Rory. I feel like it's the right thing to do.

"I'm here," I tell him with a smile.

"Of course you are, why wouldn't you be?" he says with a signature Rory grin.

"You okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah...doing better. They found something wrong with my shoulder though...something about the bullet. It's injected with some sort of serum; it's dangerous."

"We'll be able to cure you, don't worry."

"Thanks, I won't."

I talk with him for a little more then tell him I should probably go see Noah. He let's me.

"Prim."

"Noah."

I can't believe it's really him. I can still remember crying over his corpse, Rue telling me that it will be okay. For a moment I feel betrayed that he didn't tell me about his plan but I guess that would have ruined everything. I was supposed to think he was dead.

"How's life?" I ask him. It seems an appropriate question.

"Livable," he says with a shrug. "But it's been better before. You?"

"Everyone in Thirteen's so nice but...I've been better."

"I heard you're going out with Rory," he tells me. I look over at him, laying peacefully in his bed.

"Uh yeah he's my boyfriend...asked me out a while ago, right after we settled in Thirteen."

"It's okay."

"What?"

"It's okay."

"Yeah, I heard you but...what?"

"I don't mind that you're going out with him."

"...oh."

"I just want you to be happy."

"...oh."

I don't know what to say. He just laughs and takes my hand. For a second I think about pulling away but I know we can just be friends. I don't want to take that away from him.

Noah is soon wheeled off to the Special Defense room, where Beetee pretty much lives. I know he'll be excited to see his mentor. The guy really is awesome. I go back to Rory, and he's sound asleep. I plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I don't want to ever lose you again," I whisper. The bullet's still in his shoulder and I really hope they can help him soon. He said something about it being dangerous, and I really hope it doesn't kill him off or anything.

Finnick was right. I realized that I cared when he hit the force field. And since then I've been scared to lose him. I know that Noah's been pretty important, what some others call a 'first crush' but I don't care. At this point it's Rory that I care about and I'm not going to lose him to someone who's been dead to me for a while. He came back to life. So what? That shouldn't change anything. I hope Rory knows that. I know he'd be jealous if he thought there was a chance that I would chose Noah over him. I better reassure him, I think. And with that in mind, I head over back to Compartment 2212.

"Hey Katniss," I say, hanging my coat on the coat hanger. Buttercup comes to greet me with a soft purr. I pick her up but give my attention to my sister. She seems sad. "What's up?" I ask her.

"It's Gale," she tells me with a sigh. I sit next to her on her bed. Buttercup fights for my attention but I start running my fingers through Katniss' hair, brushing out all the knots. Buttercup hisses at her and goes away. I know he's jealous of Katniss sometimes; that's why he can be a bit mean to her. Jealous, there's that word again. I dismiss it and continue my conversation with Katniss.

"Aren't you glad to see him?"

I finish brushing out her hair and start to braid it.

"Yeah, I am. But...it's not really him," she tells me, "he can't talk for one thing, and he keeps grunting angrily about something. I don't know, I feel like his time at the Capitol has done him some significant damage."

"Maybe you should take him to Pollux, he's an avox too," I suggest, thinking they might have some sort of connection.

"You know Prim, that's not a bad idea," Katniss says with a smile.

"Thanks," I tell her, "glad you think so."

I finish braiding her hair.

"I love you Katniss."

"I love you little duck."

~A/N~ I call this a free chapter, my own sort of thing with not many connections to the original. I'll try to make more ties as I go but I'm going without the hijack, and chapter 13 was all about it...I will add a hint of hijacking next chapter though!

I know it was real short, and I will be doing a few more relatively short chapters after this one. I'm trying to balance out the longer chapters so I hope that's okay with yall.

That's all, and thanks for everything! I've met all of my summer goals except for 5K on MJP so please help me with that; spread the word :)

-Monica