Not real.

Chapter Eighteen: Surgery

*Katniss*
I startle awake when Nadia taps my shoulder.
"We've got to get him prepped hon, your mom is in the hall, why don't you go talk to her."
The surgery it's today.
Worry hits me like a bus and I clench Gale's fingers still intertwined with mine. I stand up slowly and bring my face directly in front of his. I take in all his features, his breathing, everything. I press my forehead to his.
"I love you. Come back to me." I whisper. Before they wheel him away I press a kiss to his cheek. Please come back to me.
Nadia comes in front of my vision and cups my face in her hands.
"You okay hon?" She asks. Her expression shows she is genuinely concerned.
"Just...take care of him. Please." I whisper, barely audible. She nods.
"I will I promise." She hugs me tightly.
"You'll be the first to know anything." And with a squeeze of my hand she's gone.
I walk into the hall in a daze and my mother is waiting there for me. She must notice my disorientation. She walks over to me already scrubbed up and ready to go. She grips my shoulders.
"Hey look at me." She says calmly but firmly. I do as I'm told.
"Deep breaths Katniss. Everything's going to be alright. It's going to be a long surgery though. A few hours minimum." I nod.
"Hazelle and the kids are out in the waiting room, why don't you go join them." She hugs me. "I'm gonna do my best, he'll be in good hands." She whispers in my ear, before kissing me on the cheek and giving me a soft push towards the waiting room door.
The only people in the waiting room is Gale's family, Delly, and Haymitch. Which is perfectly fine because they all know how to handle me and I don't think I could stand being in a room with other people I didn't know at the moment.
Hazelle immediately embraces me.
"Stay strong sweetheart." She looks dead in my eyes and I nod trying to force the tears down. Rory walks over to me "Next time why don't you realize your in love with my brother a little later in the morning would ya?" He smirks. Just like Gale does. And I can't help but laugh at his sarcasm.
"Well I'll try." He hugs me and I notice he's already taller than me. His tone turns more serious.
"How ya doin' big sis?" I smile against his shoulder. We've always been like family.
"I'm alright. Just...worried like hell."
"Yeah we all are." He rubs my back before pulling away and Vick steps in.
"Now don't you go crying on us now." He says sarcastically. Man I love these kids. I annoyingly find that Vick is at least an inch taller than me as well. I laugh,"Well I won't make you any promises."
"Well I'll just steer clear then because this is a new shirt and I don't need tear stains on it already." He tells me very seriously as he pulls away and looks me straight in the eyes. As if his sarcasm wasn't any more obvious.
"Vick!" Hazelle exclaims at his remark.
"What? It's true!" He smirks as his mom smacks his shoulder, but she can't hide her laughter. I suddenly feel pressure against my leg and look down to see a smiling Posy looking up at me.
"Catnip!" She exclaims and my heart melts at the name I haven't heard in so long. I squat down so I'm at her level when she hugs me.
"Don't worry Catnip, he'll be all better soon."
"Thank you Posy." I whisper into her dirty blonde curls. I kiss her head and hoist her up to my hip as I stand up.
"How was the train ride?" I ask.
"It was fun. The waiter man asked me if I wanted Chocolate or Strawberry milk and I got chocolate milk and it was SO yummy and I asked the waiter man very politely I said, "Mr. waiter man, what cow does chocolate milk come from?" And everyone started laughing because I don't think they have manners like I have." I smile at her comment as Vick and Rory giggle like little girls.
"But the waiter man told me it comes from brown cows and so I was wondering if they have brown cows here so I can get some more?" She asks me very seriously.
"Well we'll just have to find one then won't we?" I say very seriously to match her tone. She smiles and nods vigorously.
"And who's this?" Delly comes over to me. I introduce her to Posy and they immediately become best buds due to their similar hair.
Haymitch gives me a short hug. Before very seriously looking me in the eyes.
"Don't stop hoping sweetheart, alright?"
I give him a closed mouth smile.
"I won't." He pats my neck and smiles back.
The next couple of hours are spent with this small group of people I've come to care for so deeply. Delly, Posy and I take turns playing with each others hair and Vick and Rory tease and make jokes with Haymitch. Hazelle and I talk about everything, their life in district four, my life back here, and lots about my current feelings for Gale.
Although I love all these people dearly, I can't help but feel a little cooped up. I need to get away for a while. I tell everyone I'm going to the woods and Rory immediately jumps up to join me. Vick agrees that he'll come find us if anything happens.
I take Rory on the path so familiar to me and lead him straight to our spot. He takes Gale's usual spot and we sit in a comfortable silence for a while before I speak up.
"I haven't been here since we were attacked." I say softly.
"It must be weird being here without him huh?" He asks nonchalantly.
"Yeah kinda." I say as I pull up some long grass.
"He really loves you you know." I blush.
"Yeah I know."
"Whenever you were in the games he'd wake up yelling for you. And then when he'd realize where you were he'd run off into the woods. Probably to this spot. He'd say he was fine but brothers know better. He'd barely eat or sleep and he'd constantly check up on the updates." Rory's sudden recollection of memory catches me off guard.
"Really?" I ask softly. I guess I never thought about how my time in the Games affect Gale. Only if it involved me kissing Peeta.
Rory nods his head and makes eye contact with me, telling me he's serious.
"It was obvious he loved you from way before the games though. It was hilarious actually, he took me into our room one day and he tells me,"she smiled at me." And I said "who Katniss?" And he said "Yeah, and all of a sudden I can't stop thinking about it and I can't breathe or sleep or eat...what the hell is wrong with me?" And I laughed and said "Bro you're totally in love with her." And he's like "Nah man." And I was like "Yeah you totally are." And he says "I am?" And that's how it all started. You should have seen his face."
I laugh. Sometimes I envy Gale for the relationship he was able to keep up with his brothers and sister. With Prim and I we were forced to grow up so fast, we had to take care of ourselves and we didn't have much time to do the fun things that regular siblings do.
I sigh as those thoughts enter my mind. No use regretting what's already passed. My mind is interrupted suddenly when Rory frantically stands up and I notice Vick running towards us.
"How long has it been?" I ask Rory.
"Maybe two hours?" He says.
Vick runs to us clearly out of breath.
"What the hell you guys, were you trying to loose twelve pounds while you were out here? Geez.."
"What's happening!" Rory and I yell at him at the same time.
"Jinx, you two owe me a dollar, and Gale's out of sur..." I didn't even need to hear him finish the sentence. I took off sprinting down the trail, Vick and Rory trying to catch up.