The Truth Between the Lies Chapter 5
Disclaimer: not mine don't sue
Zoe explained as we strode through the hospital, “I’m so sorry, Katniss. Coin accessed you medical file this morning and she immediately called a meeting with her advisors and child protective services.”
“Why would she do that?” I ask, still not sure what I should be worried about.
Zoe nods. “CPS is supposed to be called in when a parent is regarded as unfit, but Coin has used them politically in the past. Last year a patient of mine opposed Thirteen taking sides in the rebellion; one of the ways Coin discredited her was to have her declared unfit and take her child away. Coin even had the child placed with one of her friends to prove her point.”
My stomach flips over. The worst of it is I’m not sure Coin is wrong. At the same time though, I’d sooner go back to Twelve than hand my baby over to her.
Dr Aurelius is nodding. “Which I’m guessing is where I come in?”
“Exactly.” Zoe turns towards him. “Coin will probably be attacking Katniss’s mental fitness. If you can say she’s fit, it would go a long way.”
I speed up so fast I think I startle them. “Let's go then,” I say. I know where Coin’s offices are; it doesn’t take long for me to find them, although my body protests slightly at running again.
The look on Coin’s face when I walk in with my doctors behind me is priceless. On anyone else, it would be unnoticeable, but the twitch of her eyebrow is practically raging on her. “Hello. I heard you called a meeting about me?” I ask as innocently as I can while still catching my breath.
“It’s standard procedure to call in CPS when anyone under 21 is found to be pregnant. Teen pregnancy is usually a sign of dysfunction in a family,” Coin sneers.
“In Twelve, being mother before your twentieth birthday is a sign of good luck.” I smile, trying to stay calm.
The dark-haired male Thirteen Drone to Coin’s right speaks. “In your case, there is also the concern about your mental status. Given how you have been resisting treatment and your general behaviour, I would say there is more than enough reason to have an ongoing assessment of your case.”
I feel trapped like an animal in a cage again. The walls feel like they‘re closing in. “I have been..... I have...” I can’t breathe, let alone talk. My knees start to give way again and Zoe grabs my arm and guides me to a chair. She talks soothingly and keeps telling me to breathe slowly, but I feel like I’ve failed my child before I’ve even started and I just keep getting worse.
Luckily, Dr. Aurelius steps in. “Ms. Everdeen has submitted to treatment since learning she is pregnant and there is every reason to believe she will be functioning much more normally well before the baby arrives.”
The Drone speaks again. “She cannot make it through a simple meeting. I think we need to be realistic.”
Dr. Aurelius turns on the Drone. “I am being realistic. This is a simple panic attack. The right medication will have those dealt with in a few weeks.”
I’m already breathing slightly better following Zoe’s instructions, and this helps calm me further. I look up and face Coin and her drones.
The female Drone on the right stares at me for a moment. “Well, I think the best thing to do is to keep an open mind for now and do an assessment when the child is born.”
Coin actually glares at her. “Well, if Everdeen is well enough to be a mother, perhaps she also feels up to doing her duty as the Mockingjay.”
The word Mockingjay is enough to send a shiver down my spine and I start breathing hard again.
Dr. Aurelius turns back to Coin. “I think the war effort is too much of a trigger for her right now. Perhaps we can review her status at a later date.” he says with authority.
Coin glares at him. “I expect to be given regular updates. If I feel you’re not making progress, I will assign someone else. This case is too important to be mishandled.”
Dr. Aurelius nods. “I understand.”
He kneels down beside me and asks, “Katniss, do you feel up to coming back to my office now?”
I nod and look into his eyes. I notice they’re a deep, piercing blue much darker than Peeta’s. I want to thank him, but I feel Coin’s eyes on me so I just nod. We leave as quickly as we can. I notice, though, it’s not me Coin is glaring at but Zoe.
Chapter 4
Zoe explained as we strode through the hospital, “I’m so sorry, Katniss. Coin accessed you medical file this morning and she immediately called a meeting with her advisors and child protective services.”
“Why would she do that?” I ask, still not sure what I should be worried about.
Zoe nods. “CPS is supposed to be called in when a parent is regarded as unfit, but Coin has used them politically in the past. Last year a patient of mine opposed Thirteen taking sides in the rebellion; one of the ways Coin discredited her was to have her declared unfit and take her child away. Coin even had the child placed with one of her friends to prove her point.”
My stomach flips over. The worst of it is I’m not sure Coin is wrong. At the same time though, I’d sooner go back to Twelve than hand my baby over to her.
Dr Aurelius is nodding. “Which I’m guessing is where I come in?”
“Exactly.” Zoe turns towards him. “Coin will probably be attacking Katniss’s mental fitness. If you can say she’s fit, it would go a long way.”
I speed up so fast I think I startle them. “Let's go then,” I say. I know where Coin’s offices are; it doesn’t take long for me to find them, although my body protests slightly at running again.
The look on Coin’s face when I walk in with my doctors behind me is priceless. On anyone else, it would be unnoticeable, but the twitch of her eyebrow is practically raging on her. “Hello. I heard you called a meeting about me?” I ask as innocently as I can while still catching my breath.
“It’s standard procedure to call in CPS when anyone under 21 is found to be pregnant. Teen pregnancy is usually a sign of dysfunction in a family,” Coin sneers.
“In Twelve, being mother before your twentieth birthday is a sign of good luck.” I smile, trying to stay calm.
The dark-haired male Thirteen Drone to Coin’s right speaks. “In your case, there is also the concern about your mental status. Given how you have been resisting treatment and your general behaviour, I would say there is more than enough reason to have an ongoing assessment of your case.”
I feel trapped like an animal in a cage again. The walls feel like they‘re closing in. “I have been..... I have...” I can’t breathe, let alone talk. My knees start to give way again and Zoe grabs my arm and guides me to a chair. She talks soothingly and keeps telling me to breathe slowly, but I feel like I’ve failed my child before I’ve even started and I just keep getting worse.
Luckily, Dr. Aurelius steps in. “Ms. Everdeen has submitted to treatment since learning she is pregnant and there is every reason to believe she will be functioning much more normally well before the baby arrives.”
The Drone speaks again. “She cannot make it through a simple meeting. I think we need to be realistic.”
Dr. Aurelius turns on the Drone. “I am being realistic. This is a simple panic attack. The right medication will have those dealt with in a few weeks.”
I’m already breathing slightly better following Zoe’s instructions, and this helps calm me further. I look up and face Coin and her drones.
The female Drone on the right stares at me for a moment. “Well, I think the best thing to do is to keep an open mind for now and do an assessment when the child is born.”
Coin actually glares at her. “Well, if Everdeen is well enough to be a mother, perhaps she also feels up to doing her duty as the Mockingjay.”
The word Mockingjay is enough to send a shiver down my spine and I start breathing hard again.
Dr. Aurelius turns back to Coin. “I think the war effort is too much of a trigger for her right now. Perhaps we can review her status at a later date.” he says with authority.
Coin glares at him. “I expect to be given regular updates. If I feel you’re not making progress, I will assign someone else. This case is too important to be mishandled.”
Dr. Aurelius nods. “I understand.”
He kneels down beside me and asks, “Katniss, do you feel up to coming back to my office now?”
I nod and look into his eyes. I notice they’re a deep, piercing blue much darker than Peeta’s. I want to thank him, but I feel Coin’s eyes on me so I just nod. We leave as quickly as we can. I notice, though, it’s not me Coin is glaring at but Zoe.
Chapter 4