The Mellark Children

Chapter 28: The One With The Possibly Pregnancy

"I think I might be pregnant," I tell him, biting my lower lip.

Peeta straightens up and stops swaying with me.

"What?" he asks, and I can sense a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Please don't make me repeat it."

"I thought you said—"

"I know what I said, but I didn't really think about it until you put the idea in my head, " I say, panicking, and holding on to Willow tighter for comfort. Her little fist clutches the material of my shirt and I hear her begin to snore. "Peeta, I really think I could be pregnant and I'm completely freaking out."

"Wait, are you screwing with me or are you serious?"

"All the signs are there. I'm late, my emotions are a mess, I feel different, my boobs hurt more than normal, and my hunter's gut is telling me something isn't right."

"Then why did you snap when I asked about it?"

"Because I was upset to begin with. I think I got defensive because I didn't want to believe it. I'm scared Peeta," I confess to him. "We didn't plan this a-and, ugh why was I so reckless that night?"

"Hey, hey, hey," he says, grabbing the tops of my arms near my shoulders and kissing my forehead. He starts rubbing my arms to calm me down. "How about you lay Willow down and we go talk this out, ok?"

"Okay," I say, and step over to Willow's crib. I stare down at the empty place next to her favorite stuffed elephant where she rests, but I can't bring myself to let go of her. I turn around and look at Peeta glumly, "I can't lay her down."

"Honey, you need to."

"Can't she sleep with us tonight?"

"No, she'll get used to it and expect to sleep in our bed every night. It will take us forever to break that habit."

"I just wanna snuggle her all night," I frown with a pouty lip, genuinely sad.

"I'll cuddle you," Peeta says with a hopeful looking, sympathetic pout.

"I need you to come physically remove her from my arms and put her in her bed. I can't do it."

Peeta walks over and delicately takes Willow away from me. Her little hand still has a grip on my shirt which pulls the fabric away from my skin. He slides his finger into her palm causing her to let go of the material. He kisses her temple once she's laying in his arms and then holds her out for me to kiss her goodnight, too. He leans over the railing of her crib and gets her tucked in under her thin summer blanket before standing up straight again. His eyes linger on Willow's sleeping form for a few seconds and when he turns around the look on his face reflects my posture: I'm hunched over with my arms crossed in front of me as if I was giving myself a hug, sniffling as I hold back tears.

Peeta steps in front of me, unravels my arms, and takes one of my hands in his and intertwines our fingers. He wraps an arm around my waist and guides me out of Willow's nursery, takes me back downstairs, and commands me to sit and finish eating my dinner.

"What are we gonna do?" I ask after a several minutes of complete silence as poke at my food.

"You really think you could be pregnant?"

I nod.

"Are you angry?" I ask, the pressure behind making a reappearance.

"Of course not," he says, sympathetically, reaching out to take my hand. "Katniss, I don't want you to think that I did this on purpose—"