We're Still On Fire (Katniss and Peeta)

Chapter 23

Katniss' POV

I should of known this wasn't going to be easy, I mean is given birth to Willow, but once you actually have the child, you seem to forget about the pain, but I was certainly feeling it now.

"You're doing great" Peeta whispers, clutching my hand.

I nod, wiping away my tears so I can actually see him.

"Stay with me" I whisper

"Always" he replies.

I straighten up slightly, the pain going away for a bit, not for long though, never for long because my contractions were coming quite quickly now, and quite painfully too.

He gently strokes my hair "I'm so proud of you"

I rest my head back on the pillow before I feel another contraction. I clutch Peeta's hand, gritting my teeth and trying not to cry. "Does it hurt" he asks, gently rubbing my back. "No, just uncomfortable" I reply. That in itself was a lie. I felt like my whole was being crushed, but Peeta hates to see me in pain, and if I can hide it from him, I will. "You don't need to lie to me" he whispers. "And anyway you're a terrible liar"

"I'm fine now" I tell him, honestly this time as the contraction had finished.

"You're doing such a good job, Katniss" he tells me. "It won't last for much longer."

The doctors walk in. "After the next contraction I want you to start pushing"

I nod.

The contractions begin again.

It's time.

I take a deep breath.

I am being ripped apart. Real or not real?

Real.

I can't even describe the pain now. It's so fucking painful.

After what seems like hours and hours, it's nearly over.

"It's nearly over" Peeta whispers

"I fucking hate you so much! You did this to me" I say, before hysteria overcomes me again.

"I know, I'm so sorry" he says over my sobs.

"Just give us one more push, love" one of the doctors tells me.

"I'm sorry Peeta" I whisper "I didn't mean that"

"I know" he replies. "It's okay, you're nearly there"

I grab his hand tighter.

"Just one more push." He whispers. "You can do it"

And I pushed.

And that's when I heard the sharp shrill sound of crying.

"Would you like to hold him?" The doctor asks me

I nod as he hands me Rye.

He's so perfect.

"We made him" Peeta whispers.

"We did a good job too" I whisper, mesmerised by our little baby boy.

Our little baby boy with straight blond hair and shiny grey eyes.

"If you want, I could take a picture" a nurse offers.

"Thank you, that'd be lovely" Peeta says handing the nurse my phone.

She snaps a picture of us before handing the phone back.

"We'd better tell everyone" Peeta says.

"I'll call Johanna" I offer.

I pick up the phone, selecting Johanna's number and calling it.

Johanna picks up in the first ring.

"Thank fuck you called. Effie got pissed at me because she thought we were planning something. And by the way, I might like to point out that you are extremely late at picking up your daughter. It's 10.52 and she went to bed hours ago AND Haymitch wouldn't even let me call you because he said I'd be a cockblock, so meanwhile, I'm the person taking Effie's wrath."

"Why are you at Haymitch's anyway?"

"I wanted a free drink. But I didn't get to take it, because Effie was too busy hitting me with a tablecloth. Lucky for me she went to bed, and I was just about to drink, when you rang."

"Oh"

"Oh. Is that it?" She says. "You better have a fucking damn good reason for why you didn't pick your own fucking daughter up, and for leaving your best, amazing, good looking, friend to the wrath of Effie Trinket, or I swear to god, I will kill you. So do you have a good reason?"

"You're damn right."

"You said that so you could think of a reason, didn't you? For fuck sake. You know what I'm just going to get my axe to smash your fa-"

I cut her off. "Johanna, could you wake Willow so she could come meet her baby brother."

"Are you for real?" Johanna asks. "You've got to be fucking kidding me"

"I'm not"

"EFFIE!! WAKE WILLOW!" Johanna screams.

Effie screams back.

"What the hells going on?" Haymitch asked

"Move out of my way" Johanna yells "I'm getting my car"

And with that she hangs up.

"Here" I said handing Rye to Peeta "you can hold him now."

"I am so, so proud of you, Katniss" Peeta whispers, cradling Rye in his arms.

I look at Rye, this must be similar to how Peeta looked as a child, except for the grey eyes of course.

And with that Johanna bursts into the room, with Effie straight behind her, pulling Willow along by the hand, with Haymitch just behind them.

"Oh my god! Can I hold him" Johanna asks, almost crying.

"Yes, but be careful." Peeta says.

Old Johanna comes back. "Really?" She asks sarcastically. "I was going to throw him out the window. I thought that might be a fun thing to do."

Effie lifts Willow onto my knee.

"Is that my baby brother?" She asks.

"Yes sweetie, he is, do you want to hold him?"

She nods eagerly.

I gently place him in Willow's arms for 5 minutes at she looks ya him quizzically.

"He's small" she states

"Isn't he?"

"Having fun Willow?" Peeta asks

"Yeah"

"Jo!" I call. "Take a picture, would you?"

"Ugh, fine." She replies

I pull Peeta into the photo as he hands Johanna my phone.

"Okay, the excellent photographer is here. Say 'I'm a stupid douchebag'"

We laugh at that, and she snaps the picture, showing it to us.

I quickly set it as my screensaver. "You're not bad, you should go into photography"

"We've got a proper family now" Peeta whispers. "This is perfect"

And he's right, it is.

I lean up, kissing him on the lips. "I love you"

"I love you too"

Authors note: sorry I took so long to update, this was a really hard chapter to write and I kind of got addicted to that Kim Kardashian game.

QOTD: have you tried the Kim Kardashian game? and what did you think about it?