Chapter 5 - Epilogo: 5 anni dopo (Epilogue: 5 years later)

Peeta couldn't be still. He had been shown where he could clean himself and put on the scrubs in the room adjacent to Katniss' but as he tried to dress, his hands shook uncontrollably. He'd insisted on being here with her even though her mother had looked at him like he'd put snails in his hair – she'd lived in Italy long enough to take on the more archaic characteristics of the typical Italian mother. It was bad enough he cooked better than Katniss – she was not particularly fond of the kitchen – and he worked out of the studio in his home while Katniss was the one who actually left the house each day to teach Italian at a local private school. Now, he wanted to invade the most sacred of womanly places. She just shook her head sternly as he returned to the birthing room, having somehow managed to dress himself.

Katniss, who was panting and squirming, grabbed his hands in a vice-like grip. "Non mi lasciare! Don't leave me!" She begged, the pain in her eyes breaking his heart. He would give anything to take her place at that moment. Rosa brought a bowl of ice chips, setting it on the table next to her. "Tutto a posto. Everything's okay." She said to her sister as she gave her a chip. Rosa gave Peeta a devilish look – of everyone in the family, Prim, as he'd nicknamed Rosa because her full name was Primarosa and there was no way he was carrying that mouthful around - was probably the most insanely excited about this baby. She'd just begun an internship at the University Hospital - with some help from Finnick, who made sure she'd taken all the right tests to qualify to study and work in the US – and lived with Peeta and Katniss.

As Katniss began her breathing exercises, Peeta thought of the last five years. When he'd proposed to her the day after Christmas that year, he wasted no time in officially marrying her in the small courthouse in her city, though they had the ceremony and reception six months later. He immediately filed for all of her legal documents and brought her home with him. It was hard going in the beginning as she got used to the city, the language, the loneliness of being without her family. Peeta bought Prim a laptop and they were constantly speaking on Skype, which made things so much better for Katniss. It also helped that there was a very articulated Italian community in the city so she was able to find company in the many different social events that took place.

There were a few things her learned about Katniss over the years.

She's obstinate. When she got something into her head, she did not let it go of it until she was fully convinced that she was wrong which, in her mind, was not often.

She's independent. She would not suffer staying home without being productive. With Annie's help, she looked up study programs, first for English and then to get her teaching certificate and within three years, she had earned the credentials necessary to teach Italian and World History in a private school, where teaching requirements were less stringent. Turns out she had already gotten half-way through her college studies in Italy before dropping out to take care of her family full-time.

She loves her family above everything else. Peeta was happy to be included in this list. She made sure that her sister was cared for and arranged to have her stay with her as soon as it was realistic. She had a cooler relationship with her mother, who had fallen into a deep depression when her father died and essentially abandoned the girls to their own resources. When Gale injured himself seriously at work last year, she was by his side during his surgery and convalescence, inconsolable when she thought he might be permanently handicapped by his injuries.

She loves baked goods and fresh pasta. She was careful with her diet and exercised religiously but with her pregnancy, if you set a bowl of cheese buns in front of her, it was safer to step back and let it unfold because if you got involved, you were going to get hurt.

She doesn't make friends easily but when she does, they become her friends for life. It took her time to warm up to Annie and Rue but once she overcame her shyness about the language barrier, they were always together. Which meant Peeta was always with Finnick and Thresh, which was just fine by him.

She does not like his mother. At. All. This was not a surprise as his mother was largely unlikeable. At first, Katniss tried to understand her position – he'd gone off and brought home this strange girl that no one knew and was married to her to boot. She'd tried to be sweet to her, to bake for her, even sat with her during her surgery but there was nothing for it. His mother had decided that Katniss was an opportunist and Katniss in turn stopped making anymore overtures towards her.

The pain of Katniss' fingers digging into his palm brought Peeta back to the present, a contraction overtaking her body as she moaned in pain. She'd screamed with the first contraction but the nurses told her to be calm because screaming would only make the pain worse, which was a relief for Peeta because he thought he was going to be ill when he saw how raw her pain had become.

The contractions had begun around 7 that morning. Katniss calmly washed herself and got dressed, than let Peeta, her mother and Prim know that they should get ready because it was time. She leaned against both women and paced the corridor quietly with the overnight bag in place while he'd forgotten where he kept everything he owned. He was having heart palpitations as he led her to the taxi and prayed that they wouldn't crash as they drove the short distance to the hospital. When they made it to the examination room, there was an explosion of activity when it was revealed that Katniss was very dilated, so much so that they would not be able to give her an epidural and they were all whisked off into the birthing room.

Now, Peeta ran a wet towel over Katniss' sweaty forehead and kissed her hand, trying to find little ways to comfort her. Her mother went to refresh the bowl of water. Katniss looked up at him, smiling weakly.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey." He answered, taking her hand and holding it close to him.

"Just a little bit more." She chuckled before her face crumpled in pain again.

"I'm sorry it hurts." He said sadly.

She shook her head. "It didn't hurt to get here." She tried to smile but it was lost as she tried not to push through the contraction.

"Alright, we're ready!" exclaimed the nurse. "Honey, when the next contraction comes, I need you to push as hard as you can, okay."

Katniss nodded her head quickly. As the wave crashed over her, she took a deep breath and pushed until she turned purple, squeezing Peeta's hand on one side and her mother's on the other. When the contraction passed, she moaned in pain.

"Andra' tutto bene, figlia mia. Everything will be fine, my daughter." Her mother whispered.

It continued in this way for another hour, her pushing mixed with her moans and whimpers of pain, the tears pouring down her face. Peeta felt light-headed, having never witnessed so much agony but he forced himself to be strong for this girl who'd gone through so much for her family, for him and now for their child.

"The baby is crowning. I need to you give this next one all you've got, okay baby?" said the nurse. Soon, Katniss was pushing with all her strength, the nurses on each side of her belly pushing down on it and then there it was, the sound of something being released, the fluid, the wailing. The nurse grabbed Peeta's hand and handed him a strange pair of scissors. "Cut the cord, daddy." She said. He swallowed hard as he cut through the remarkably tough cord, trying not to look around too much. The baby was hastily cleaned and wrapped before she was place on her mother's chest.

"It's a girl!" beamed the nurse, wiping blood and effluvium from her hands.

Peeta became blinded by his tears and wiped them with the back of his hand. "Look, Katniss, look what we made." He said as he studied the little baby, her head covered in a shock of dark brown hair. When her eyes opened, he saw the most remarkable blue eyes he had ever seen. Katniss' mom peered over and gasped at the eyes. "You…eyes…" she said haltingly, pointing at Peeta and giving him a kiss directly on his cheek. "Bellisima!" she cried before going to fetch Prim, much to the chagrin of the nurse.

But Katniss didn't hear any of it. She had eyes only for her little girl and for the wonderful man with whom she had been privileged to bind her life to. She brought Peeta's hand to her now wet cheek. "E' perfetta, vero? She's perfect, isn't she?"

Peeta bent to kiss his wife. "Vero. Come tu. Yes. Just like you."