Not real.

Chapter Fifty: Don't Leave

*Gale*
"Are you done yet?" Katniss asks for the millionth time. I'm cooking dinner and let's just say Katniss has been waiting for this meal for the past hour and a half. And I swear if I have to answer that question one more time I might burn the food.
"Catnip, I love you, but I'm going to stop answering you."
Katniss huffs behind me. She's about eight and a half months pregnant with our twins. It must be torture not only eating for herself but two others, and lately I think she's been tired of being pregnant, so I also can understand the short temper.
Eventually I get done cooking and Katniss eagerly fills up a plate, only to find that she isn't that hungry. This happens a lot. I just smile and shake my head.
Our meal tonight was pretty late due to me taking a couple extra hours of work. One of the workers called in sick. Due to the late hour we end up going to bed right after dinner.
I lie down next her and wrap my arms around her. It's a little harder to do since her stomach is significantly larger but she's not huge. She sighs happily and wraps her fingers around mine.
We lie like this for a while in comfortable silence. Until Katniss places my hand on the side of her abdomen and I can feel one of the twins kicking.
"Doesn't that hurt?" I ask, slightly dumbfounded by how she handles it.
She laughs.
"Sometimes, especially when they kick my ribs but usually they're pretty gentle. She's more of a kicker than he is actually."
I smile and kiss her cheek. After a long argument we decided on their names. Iris Rue and Asher Beck. In honor of Rue and Nadia's former husband Beck. Actually Nadia and Mason announced that they are now expecting. And Peeta and Delly recently had their little one, Prim.
It's amazing how quickly the new generation of New Panem is starting. Sadly they will have to learn the gruesome history of how New Panem came to be. How the Hunger Games were started and then had to be ended by the War. They'll eventually have to learn that children like themselves were murdered for the good of us all. And how we were all a part of it.
Katniss's breathing evens out as I think about this. Slowly I drag myself out of thought and hold her tighter. And slowly my eyelids start to close.

...

In the early hours of the morning I startle awake to a cry of pain. I jolt up to find Katniss sitting up in bed, clutching her stomach. There's blood everywhere, and I feel my mind cloud with worry.
I jump out of bed and throw on shirt. Then I grab a blanket and hastily wrap it around her to try and staunch the bleeding, as I pick her up.
Her arms grip my neck and she bites her lip, trying not to yell. Tears stream down her cheeks.
We're out the door too fast to make a call for an ambulance. I walk as quickly as I can without hurting her even more. My heart pounds in my chest. Please be okay. Please stay with me. I plead in my mind.
"Gale." Katniss whimpers.
"I know, I'm here. We're almost there." She cries into my shoulder.
"Gale don't leave me." I press a short kiss to her temple.
"Never."
Finally we arrive at the hospital. And thankfully Nadia is at the front counter and yells for a stretcher, upon which I lay Katniss down. She grips my hand as they rush her into the E.R., her eyes full of pain and fear. My expression must not be any help.
"Her placenta has detached...immediate C section...O.R. 7 is open." The doctors talk around me but I'm not really listening. Tears sting my eyes but I dare not let them fall. I remind Katniss over and over that she's going to be okay, partly to convince myself. Suddenly Nadia steps in front of me and breaks my grasp of Katniss.
"Gale!" Katniss yells for me. I try and run after her but the O.R. doors slam in front of my face. Immediately I try and push them open but Nadia pushes me back.
"Gale, calm down." She grips my neck and looks straight in my eyes.
"Katniss's placenta detached, she's lost a lot of blood. We need to do a C section so that we can save the twins. She's in good hands. You have to wait in the waiting room."
"I'm not going anywhere." I growl. Nadia rolls her eyes and is about to go through the doors before I grab her arm.
"Is she going to be okay?" I ask. My voice cracks and I can feel my eyes sting again. Nadia looks at me sadly before closing the doors behind her.
I rush to the small round window at the top of the door and frantically try and determine what's going on. Katniss still lies on the stretcher, her eyes are wide with fear and then they slowly close as anesthesia kicks in.
I can see the doctors making a long cut in her abdomen. She winces in her sleep. Give her more anesthesia! Her heart rate goes up, and up.
Suddenly cries fill the room and I look over to see a nurse putting Asher in warm water. Soon after Iris's crying joins his. I run my fingers through my hair and for a moment things calm down.
I'm a dad. Tears fall from my eyes and I can't help smiling. But then they roll the twins into a different room. And my thoughts snap back to Katniss.
Blood is everywhere. Nadia puts down a phone she'd been carrying and rushes over to the doctor with the other nurses, bringing more gauze.
And then suddenly, Katniss's heart rate on the machine goes flat. And my whole world crashes down.
"No!" I yell and slam my hands on the door. I slam it over and over trying to get to my wife. She can't be...no, no, No!
I try to slam the door again but arms grab mine and pull me away. I try desperately to escape, I have to get back to Katniss. But Mason and Peeta have me pinned.
They drag me into a separate hospital room and stand in front of the door.
"Move." I growl through my tears.
Peeta and Mason both look at me sadly.
"They're doing everything they can Gale, you can't be a distraction." Delly's voice makes me jump and I whip around. She holds her hands out in surrender as not to startle me.
"No you don't understand, you didn't see-" My voice cracks and a sob escapes my lips, racking my whole chest.
Delly doesn't say anything, she just slowly wraps her arms around my neck.
"She-, her heart-, it-, I saw-" I choke out.
"Shhhh." Delly whispers. Eventually I give up trying to explain and tightly wrap my arms around Delly. Sobs rack my entire body and only one thought enters my mind.
Don't leave me.