CH 2

Scarlett stood still below the stairs for a moment as she waited for the intense pain of the goodbyes to fade into something that was bearable, or at the very least fade to a point where she would be able to breathe again. Never had she though that she would be here, rendered immobile by the mere sound of a closing door, but it was a fact. The soft thud of Rhett closing the door between them after their goodbye had stopped her dead in her tracks and she had no idea how long she had been standing there.

"Miz Scarlett?" Pork's concerned face appeared before her. She blinked and found her resolve again as she watched that familiar face. Her shoulders straightened and her head rose high once more.

"Yes Pork?" she watched him, wondering what had made him interrupt her.

"Did you need sumptin, miz Scarlett?" Pork watched his mistress with even more concern. He had never seen her like this- not even during the war when her mother had died and her father lost his mind.

"Have you seen my shawl?" she managed, as she scrambled for something intelligible to say.

"Right here miz Scarlett. You need me to call Simon?" He continued watching her. She thought about it a moment, then shook her head as she decided to walk instead of taking the carriage.

"No. I will be at the Wilkes' all day. Send word to Tara that I need Prissy and the children picked up, and send word to Prissy to take the children on to Tara." She spoke quickly as she pulled her shawl around her then walked out before hearing his reply.

She walked slowly down that well known route to her now dead friends' home. It was a sunny morning, sunny and clear. How it could be so beautiful when it was dark and raining in her heart was something she couldn't quite understand. It ought to be impossible and yet there it was- the morning sun, blaring uncaringly at her from a clear sky.

The sight of the well-known one story house that she had once secretly mocked came into view and she almost slowed her steps before pulling her steely resolve around her once more. There was no point in procrastinating the inevitable. She had no choice but to face this day. With determined steps, she went up to the front door and knocked. After a surprisingly long wait, a yawning Dilcey appeared at the door and she realized for the first time how early it truly was.

"Miz Scarlett?" Dilcey blinked and looked at Scarlett in surprise.

"Good Morning Dilcey, Is anyone else awake yet?" Scarlett handed her shawl to the woman as she passed.

"Only the doctor, miz Scarlett", Dilcey replied as she closed the door and put the shawl aside. Scarlett frowned for a moment, wondering what Dr. Meade was still doing there, but she dropped that line of questioning and moved toward Melly's room. She needed a moment alone with her friend to say goodbye in private before the others intruded and she would have to be in control and strong again. Just a moment of peace with the only true female friend she had ever had- that was not so much to ask.

Dr. Meade sat half asleep in a chair outside Melly's room. Scarlett watched him for a moment, wondering why the obviously exhausted doctor had not gone home to get some much needed sleep. He started a little as he became aware of her presence. A brief moment of surprise registered on his face as he straightened to face her.

"May I sit with her for a moment?" she asked quietly, surprising herself with the sudden need for his permission to sit with her dead friend. He watched her silently as if weighing his response before he nodded.

"She is asleep at the moment so do not disturb her, Scarlett. She needs her rest." Dr. Meade's voice and the words froze her with her hand on the door knob. She had moved to the door at his nod, but now she stood frozen in mid-movement, her tired brain struggling with comprehending his words. Her friend had died the previous night so who could he possibly mean?

It took a surprisingly long time for her scrambled brain to understand his meaning and, when it did, she felt hope flare up in her chest for the first time in hours as she turned to stare at the doctor.

"She's alive?" She watched him, holding her breath as she barely dared hope she had heard him right. Dr. Meade nodded and watched her thoughtfully.

"She survived the night." He said as he watched her. As almost all in Atlanta had, he had thought Scarlett would be happy if Melanie died and left the path to Ashley free from obstructions, so he was astonished by the clear relief in her face. He watched in amazement as the relief turned into determination and she turned to him.

"What can I do to help?" Scarlett asked eagerly. Melanie was alive and she would do anything to make sure the woman stayed alive. No matter what it took. Dr. Meade watched her with curiosity, remembering Scarlett had been a nurse during the war and not taken much to it he was surprised at what she seemed to be offering.

"Melly needs constant care, rest, and as much food as we can get her to eat. She has lost a lot of blood. I doubt she will survive much longer, but food, rest, and some strengthening tonic are the only things that could help her." He watched her as he spoke. A part of him was relieved to be getting some much needed help in caring for Melanie, but he also worried that Scarlett would not be the best of help.

"I will make sure she rests and eats, Dr. Meade. And let me know if there is anything else I can do to help her. May I go in and sit with her now?" Scarlett asked quietly. She was determined to get Melly better and to do so, she needed the good doctor on her side. At his nod, she went inside and closed the door behind her.

Melly was asleep in the bed. The room was dark, but the faint light from a gaslight next to the bed told Scarlett all she needed to know. Melly's chest was still rising and falling in the steady rhythm of breathing. Though it was too shallow for a healthy person, it was still there. She took a seat in a chair next to her friend and gently took her hand, just wanting to assure herself that there was still some warmth and life left in that body.

Hours passed, and Scarlett heard the rustling of movements in the house, but she didn't care. Her full focus was on the fragile woman in the bed before her. The rise and fall of her chest as she breathed kept her firmly anchored in the hope that she would survive. Dr. Meade came in to check on Melly and then went back outside, leaving Scarlett alone with her. When Melly moved in her sleep, Scarlett did what she could to sooth her, speaking quietly and caressing her forehead or her tiny hand. She never could remember what she said during that first day of watching over her, but whatever it was seemed to sooth Melly, who calmed and rested again.

Scarlett was unaware of the attention she got from Dr. Meade, who watched her silently those times he came in to check on Miss Melly. He was amazed at her quiet vigilance but even more than that, he was surprised by the calm she brought Melanie and how easily she seemed to be able to calm the agitated woman. This led to him making sure the others in the household were kept outside the sick room. Melanie needed calm and quiet, not hysterical women or crying children. Content with Scarlett's care for Melanie, Dr. Meade felt he could, for the first time, get some sleep of his own, and he lay down to rest in one of the few beds in the house.

There was a feeling of calm and peace as she sat by Melanie's side and Scarlett had plenty of time to think, sorting through the hundreds of things that she had pushed off, saying she would think about it tomorrow. Today was that day. She started from her childhood, moving on through the war and on to her marriages. And she took her time- mulling over each mistake she had made that had led her to where she was now. It came to a single realization- she had never made the people she cared about happy, though she had somehow always managed to keep them physically safe. She envied Melly's ability to stay a lady and be happy despite the lack of money and despite having faced the same hardships she herself had. All her life, Scarlett had wanted to be like her mother and now, as she thought back, she realized she was as far from her mother as she could possibly be. That realization was like a knife in her breast.

She thought of her children and how badly she had treated them, neglecting them to work, only rarely giving them hugs or affection, but too often yelling and giving them harsh words. It was no wonder they were so afraid of her. As with everything else, she had been so focused on making sure she and her family had a roof over their heads and were well fed that she had forgotten about the need for love and affection. And that was something she had always received from her mother and from mammy and Melly and so many others. Oh how she now regretted not caring for her children more. Somehow, she had to make it up to them. Somehow she would find a way to make amends to her children for all the wrongs she had committed.

That would have to wait, though. First and foremost, she would have to make sure Melanie survived this. She had to. She couldn't lose Melanie now- not that she had found her still alive by some miracle. She just couldn't lose one more person she loved. No matter what, she had to do to make sure Melanie survived this.

"Scarlett?" Melly's weak voice broke through her thoughts and Scarlett quickly leaned forward to take Melly's hand.

"Yes, darling? I'm here", she caressed Melanie's tiny hand and smiled softly at her.

"Water." Melanie said quietly and Scarlett quickly helped her sip some cool water from a glass and then helped her settle again. Melanie closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep again, but then she looked up at Scarlett once more.

"Beau?" the question was evident.

"He's asleep, darling. It is early still, but I can bring him in once he wakes up if you like." Scarlett caressed her forehead gently.

"No, he should rest and said quietly and closed her eyes again.

"Rest Melly, you should rest some more so you can join him in playing later." Scarlett spoke softly and felt more hopeful when she saw the ghost of a smile on Melly's face at her words.

"That would be nice." Melanie said and almost before the words were said, she was asleep again. Scarlett smiled a little and then tiredly returned to her seat and continued watching over her friend. At least it seemed her health was ever so slightly improving, which meant there was new hope that she would survive. The tight look of imminent death was fading slowly from the lovely face.