Author's Note: So... I'm only 15. I know nothing about child birth. I'm trying to research but obviously I haven't experienced it first hand. Sorry if this sucks or is too much like a movie or something. I'm trying my best, okay? It's not helping that 5SOS is distracting me.
Some of you guys got legit mad at me for that cliffhanger. As a reader, I sympathize. As a writer, I think it's hilarious. I see why authors do this. Except for real authors, you guys have to wait MONTHS! You guys only had to wait a day.
"No..." I whispered. "No, this can't be happening! It's too early! She isn't due for four or five weeks!"
"Willow, calm down. It's going to be okay," Katniss replied. "Babies come early sometimes."
"Babies that come early die sometimes!" I screamed.
Talon put his hand on my shoulder. "Willow, stop screaming. Calm down. We need to get you back to the tree house. We're not that far away."
"Labor isn't going to start right away. You have some time," Katniss said.
I took a deep breath and nodded. With that, we continued to walk to the tree house. We were there before too long. I smiled when I caught sight of the tree house. It's been too long since I've been here. I put my hand on my stomach. I can't believe this is happening.
I'm starting to feel my first contraction. There's a lingering pain on my lower back, that feels like it's moving foward, toward my stomach. The pain isn't extreme. Not yet, anyways. It's just uncomfortable. I've felt contractions like this at random times during my pregnancy. Except now I know that they're going to get worse.
The contractions, at this point, are only lasting for about a minute. Then the pain subsides. Then another one doesn't come for another twenty minutes. We all go into the tree house. Everyone's silent. The mood in here is weird. No one really knows what to do.
Well, except for Katniss. "Don't just stare at her, you guys! It's not like the baby is about to pop out any moment. Why don't you guys go and hunt or something?"
Gale and Rayne agreed, crawling out of the tree house. Talon stayed firmly at my side, holding my hand. "I'm not going anywhere," Talon replied.
"Okay, that's fair," Katniss said.
My muscles tensed up. Another contraction. This one hurts a little worse. I bit my lip. When was the last time that I had a contraction? It didn't feel like it had been that long. I thought labor was supposed to be a slow, continuous process. Sometimes it takes a women 24 hours before she even goes into labor. But the time between those contractions was definitely shorter. I would say it had been fifteen minutes.
Finally, the pain subsided. How long had that been? I can't keep track. Contractions are supposed to get shorter, but closer together the closer you get to crowning.
"Let me know when the next one starts," Katniss said.
I nodded in reply. We talked amongst ourselves for a little bit, talking about random things. I was trying to get my mind off of what was happening. I've known that this moment was coming for a long time. It just hadn't felt real until now. It's scary, being in the Games and giving birth. I can't imagine that there's a worse labor situation than this. I'm pretty sure there's one more Tribute in here that hasn't been killed. What if they decide now is the time to strike? It's not like there's anything I can do right now. Plus, this is starting too early. Crystal isn't fully developed yet. What if she can't breathe on her own? There's nothing here to help her. If something's wrong, I don't know if I can fix it.
Another contraction started. I squeezed Talon's hand. This one is more extreme. I look over at Katniss and nod. She gets my message. This is starting to worry me. I feel like the contractions are progressing quickly. What happened to me having some time? I feel like I don't have any time!
When the contraction faded, I looked over at Katniss again. "It's over."
"45 seconds," She replied. "Really short."
"What's that mean?" Talon asked.
"Well, they're going to start happening closer and closer together. Eventually, they will be coming every five minutes. Then we know that it's time to push," Katniss replied to Talon.
I put my head in my hands. "I'm giving birth on television."
Talon laughed. "Well don't think about it like that!"
Two hours later, the moment had finally come. My contractions were really close together now. Katniss said that I was ten centimeters dilated. She made me take off my pants. Gale and Rayne have come back by now. Talon's still grabbing my hand. The contractions are severe now. I wish the sponsors would've thought to send me some epidural. That would've been great.
"Wait, she's seriously ready to push?" Gale asked. "How could that be? I thought this stuff took a long time."
"Sometimes a women can be in labor for a whole day before pushing. Sometimes it only takes three hours. For Willow, it's only taking three hours," Katniss replied.
"Has it seriously only been three hours?" I yelled, sweat beading on my forehead. "I feel like it's been an eternity."
"Well then this part's going to very fun for you," Katniss replied sarcastically. "Are you ready?"
"I don't know," I replied. "How is one supposed to be ready for something like this?"
"Well, your body is telling me your ready. Are you feeling some pressure?" Katniss asked.
I nodded.
"Sounds like you're as physically ready as you can be. Crystal's ready. Next time you get a contraction, you push, okay?"
I nodded again. I can't believe this is happening. I never imagined that I would be giving birth to my first child in the Hunger Games. I never imagined that Katniss would be the one helping me. I never imagined that the father of my child would be the Head Gamemaker, who's probably watching anxiously. I never thought that I'd be in love with someone who isn't my daughter's child. I never thought I'd give birth on live television. I never thought that I would last this long.
Now I'm here. This is actually happening.
The next contraction came. I closed my eyes. This is it. I pushed. To say the least, it hurt. You can watch birth many times, you can have it described to you many times, but none of it does the real moment justice. Sweat rolled down my forehead. My arms trembled. I may be crushing the bones in Talon's hand.
I stopped the first push a little too early than I should've. This is really hard! Katniss gave me a look. "Seriously?"
I laughed lightly in response. "It's kind of difficult, okay?"
"I know. I've had two kids," Katniss said.
"Hey, look, we're getting a sponsor gift!" Gale said, walking out of the tree house.
All too soon, another contraction came. I didn't have time to see what the gift was. Or to even ask. I had to push again.
This pushing process went on for a long time before I finally felt like I had made some progress. It feels like it's been hours, although I'm pretty sure it's only been half an hour.
"I can see her head," Katnis said. "Keep going. This is going perfectly."
It took five more pushes before I was finally done. Twenty minutes later, I made my last effort. That was it. Crystal Rhymer Erwin had been born.
But not everything was as perfect as I would've hoped.
Gale had come back inside with the sponsor gift. It was a basket full of goods. He pulled out some warm, wet towlettes that Crystal got cleaned off with. Katniss quickly wrapped her up in a blanket. For a moment, everything looked good.
Except Crystal wasn't crying.
Babies are supposed to cry when their born, right? That's how you know they're breathing! Katniss was holding Crystal, looking urgently down at her. I tried to reach toward her, but Katniss took a step back.
"She's not crying," I said to Katniss, completely panicked.
"Don't worry yet. Don't stress yet," Katniss replied, although it sounded more like she was trying to comfort herself than me. I could hear the urgency in her voice.
I'm sure only a few seconds passed. But to a mother of a silent child, it felt like my entire life passed before I heard her cry.
Everyone in the tree house sighed in relief. Crystal's breathing. She's fine. Katniss smiled and wiped a tear away. Despite how loud Crystal was, the sound of her crying was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. Katniss started to hand her over to me, but I stopped her.
"I need to give her something first," I said to Katniss. I reached around my neck and unclasped the necklace. I took it off, letting it bunch up in my palm. The wood heart is still in perfect condition, despite all that it's gone through. I turned it over. The words From your big sister are still perfectly visible.
Katniss smiled. "Rhymer's gift."
I nodded and put the necklace on Crystal. I'll have to keep a close eye on her when she has it on; I don't need her to accidentally swallow the heart. "This is from your big sister, Rhymer," I said to Crystal. "She's not actually your big sister, but she's the closest thing I think you'll ever have. She wanted to do one last special thing in her life. So she made you this. I want you to always know who Rhymer is. I want you to always remember why that's your middle name.
Katniss handed Crystal over to me. I smiled and looked down at my beautiful baby girl. Finally, after all this time, I'm holding her in my arms. She's a little small, since she's early, but she seems to be really healthy. She's still crying. At some point, her umbilical cord had gotten cut off, but I didn't notice when. I had been too focused on other things, like her lack of breathing.
"Man, you hit the jackpot on this sponsor gift," Gale said, digging through the basket. "Binkies, diapers, clothes... Every thing a baby needs."
"Great," I replied, not taking my eyes away from Crystal. She's so gorgeous.
"She looks like you," Talon said.
I smiled and looked at him. "Do you want to hold her?"
Talon's eyes lit up. "Yeah, I would love to."
I handed Crystal over to Talon. He took her in his arms, handling her with such care. He looked at her with the most tender eyes. He loves her. I can see it in the way he looks at her. I've seen the way he looks at me. It's similar to that, but even more passionate. The smile he has on his face could light up the night sky.
"This is your Dad, Crystal," I said to her.
Talon looked at me. "R-really?"
"Of course. I wouldn't want anyone else raising Crystal with me," I replied.
Talon smiled even wider. He looked back down at Crystal. "Hear that, Crystal? I'm your dad. You're my daughter."
A smiled at the two of them, tears welling in my eyes. I have my own family now.
"Hey Willow?" Talon said.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Will you marry me?"
For a moment, I was stunned. Did he really just propose to me? It was so sudden. I didn't see it coming. But there was no doubt in my mind how I wanted to reply.
"Of course I'll marry you, Talon."
Talon smiled wider again, which I didn't even think could be possible. He kissed me and brought his attention back to Crystal. The two of us continued to gush over her, not paying attention to anything else.
The first day I spent with Crystal was perfect. Katniss spent a few hours with us before a hovercraft flew overhead. She couldn't stay here any longer. She said quick goodbyes, kissed Crystal on the forehead and left.
At one point, we heard a canon go off. The final Tribute in the arena had died.
"Well, convenient time to have the next week to ourselves," Talon said.
"Does anyone know what day it is?" I asked. "I want to know Crystal's birthday."
"It's August 10th," Talon replied. "I've been keeping track. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss my 16th birthday.
I smiled. "August 10th. Crystal's birthday is August 10th."
"Yeah. Guess what, Willow?"
"What?"
"Today is my birthday, too," Talon said. "I'm turning 16."
I laughed. What a coincidence. Crystal and Talon have the same birthday. Talon will always be exactly 16 years older than her. It's a closer age gap than most fathers and daughters.
I fed Crystal pretty soon after that. Katniss advised that I may want to feed her a little more often than other kids, since she's premature. So I spent a lot of that day feeding her. She didn't ever seem to be full. I also spent a lot of time worrying about her. I want to make sure every thing's perfect. I don't want to let my guard down to find that something's wrong.
She was perfectly fine, though. She acted like a completely normal baby. She cried. She pooped. She slept. Everything remained perfect. I didn't mind the crying at all. Every time I hear it, I just smile. It reminds me that I'm really lucky. I have a healthy baby girl, even though she was premature. The sound of her crying feels more like a blessing than a curse.
Well, except for that night, when I was trying to get some sleep. The sponsor gift included a lot of blankets and cussions for Crystal, but no crib. So while Talon and I paid attention to Crystal, Rayne and Gale made us a beautiful crib. Talon and I slept side by side on the ground while Crystal slept. She started crying right in the middle of the night. I groaned and opened my eyes. I've already been sleep-deprived. I looked over at Talon. Despite Crystal's screaming, he's still fast asleep.
"Great father," I muttered, getting up and walking over to Crystal. I took her out of the crib, holding her close to me, trying to get her quiet. I glanced over to where Gale and Rayne were sleeping. Rayne was shifting, waking up from Crystal's crying. Gale, on the other hand, wasn't even there. I frowned. Where did he go?
I took Crystal outside, trying to get her away from Rayne so that she can go back to sleep. Once I got outside, I could hear hushed voices speaking. One voice was Gale's. The other one belong to Luke.
"No, Luke!" Gale said.
"She's my daughter! You have to let me see her!" Luke replied.
"She's Talon's daughter. You're just Willow's ex-fiance."
"Gale, I swear, if you don't let me through.."
"Stop," I interrupted. Both Gale and Luke turned around, looking at me. Neither of them realized that I was out here. "Gale, go back into the tree house."
"Are you sure?" Gale asked.
"Yes, I'm sure," I replied.
He sighed. "Okay. Be safe." Gale walked past me and went back into the tree house.
At this point, Crystal's crying has slowed down. She seems to be over whatever was upsetting her. I kept her pressed against my chest, looking warily at Luke.
"Can I hold her?" Luke asked.
"No," I replied immediately.
"She's my daughter," Luke said calmly. "You can't keep me from her."
"Yes, I can."
Then I saw Luke do something I never thought I would see from him. He started to cry. For a moment, I thought I was imagining it. But then he blinked, sending a tear spilling over. The tear sent sympathy straight into my heart. I know about all the horrible things he's done, and I'm trying to remind myself of that. He just looks so upset!
"I'm so sorry, Willow! I'm so stupid! I can't believe all the terrible things I've done. Can I please just hold my daughter?"
I sighed. "Fine," I handed Crystal over to Luke. He smiled widely and took her into his arms, smiling down on her.
"Well aren't you just adorable?" Luke said. "You're so small!" The smile dropped from Luke's voice. "I hate to think that you're going to be spending your time in here."
I looked down. The thought horrified me, too. Crystal will be two by the time she gets out of here. If she gets out of here.
"Willow, there's something I can do, you know," Luke said.
I looked up. "What?"
"I can get you and Crystal out of the games. The three of us can leave right now."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Crystal will never be in danger again."
"How?" I asked.
"I'm the Head Gamemaker and Panem loves you. President Snow didn't even object to the idea. No more Hunger Games."
The idea sounded so compelling. I would love to take Crystal and run. But there's more on my mind than just Crystal. "What about Talon?" I asked. "Or Rayne and Gale? I can't leave them behind."
"I can't take them, too. That would end the Games," Luke replied.
"But Talon's my fiance!" I argued.
"Crystal is your daughter! You need to do what's best for her."
As much as I wanted to argue with Luke, I couldn't. He's right. I can't be that selfish. Crystal needs to get out of these Games. If I have that chance, then I can't keep her behind because of Talon.
"Okay," I agreed. "Just give me a second, okay?"
Luke nodded in agreement and turned his attention back to Crystal. I went back into the tree house. Tears came to my eyes when I saw Talon's sleeping form. I walked over to him and kissed him. "I'll get you out of here. I promise," I said. "I love you."
That woke Talon up. "Hey, baby. What's up?"
"I love you," I repeated.
"I love you, too. What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked.
"Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep," I said.
Talon nodded and closed his eyes, drifting back into the darkness. I wiped my tears and walked back outside. There was already a hovercraft waiting. Luke handed Crystal back over to me and crawled inside. I followed behind him. A moment later, the hovercraft zoomed off, leaving my alliance in the distance.
I will get them out. Whatever it takes.
***
Well that was heavy! Vote if you like it! Comment your thoughts!
Question of the chapter: Did Willow do the right thing?
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