Overheard
Part 2
A/N 1: I am impressed. I have been writing fanfiction since 3 years now but never before was any of my fics greeted with such enthusiasm as here. If you continue to pamper me like that, frankly, my dears, I won't give a damn about my HP fans and I will write for you. (-:
Quite seriously now: I thank you for all your kind support. It means a lot to me, especially since I am new in this fandom.
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Aunt Pitty's house stood merely two houses away from doctor Meade's residence and Melly's house was just across the yard from Pittypat's. When Ella noticed they were going to walk pass her aunts', she unashamedly begged Scarlett to stop by so that she could show the two women her white bandaged arm with five stitches and pride herself on being brave and not crying at all when the doctor tended to her injury.
Usually, Scarlett would tell her off and would rush her home with a vague promise that they would visit aunt Melly another day and aunt Pittypat when India finally moved away. India living with Pittypat gave Scarlett a good reason not to visit the old silly woman and sadly for the old Miss robbed Pittypat Hamilton also of Melanie's more welcomed visits. Today, however, Scarlett knew that India was out of town and consequently, Scarlett was inclined to behave generously. She nodded her agreement to Ella's pleading to both Ella's and Wade's astonishment.
In reality Scarlett was not acting unselfish at all. Truth be told, she only really needed to see Melanie and confirm for herself if Doctor Meade's words were true or not. Pittypat might know something too, though the family usually told her any news as the last one. If doctor Meade was right, Scarlett would need to find a way to hinder the new catastrophe that was threatening her and her family. Melanie couldn't die. Not if Scarlett lived and had any strength left to prevent it.
They reached Aunt Pittypat's garden and Ella opened the gate and ran to the porch where the old lady rested in the August heat, lazily waving her fan and sipping on lemonade. When Ella appeared on the porch, the old Miss nearly dropped her glass with shock – Scarlett and her children sadly hadn't visited her house much since the incident on Ashley's birthday's afternoon two years ago. Then Pittypat noticed the white bandage on Ella's arm and fainted, dreading another tragedy.
Scarlett berated herself while she and the summoned servants worked on reviving aunt Pitty. Such a stupid idea to have let Ella enter the porch first and present her injured arm! The fragile old lady did not take Bonnie's death well and seeing another of her adopted great-nieces harmed must have given her a shock. The injury shook after all even Scarlett who's core was hardened by the many misfortunes of her life and who appeared – not only to the Meades – to have gotten over Bonnie's death unnaturally fast. Scarlett herself knew that it wasn't true but there was no point in trying to explain her dry eyes to the old inhabitants of Atlanta – grandma Fontaine had been right there all those years ago.
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After Pittypat had fainted at the mere sight of Ella's bandaged arm, Scarlett decided not to ask her if she knew anything about Melly's supposed pregnancy. Melanie understood people better than Scarlett ever did and was likely not to mention anything distressing before her and Charles's old aunt.
Scarlett with Wade and Ella each took a glass of lemonade, the children chattering about their early afternoon shopping – disappointed Ella was strictly forbidden to go into details of her visit at doctor Meade's by both Scarlett and even sterner Uncle Peter.
Scarlett was uncomfortably reminded of the previous summer when India had also been visiting with Honey and Rhett and she visited Pittypat with all three children. She suddenly again greatly missed Bonnie but forbid herself to think about her now. She would not cry in the open. Especially not when there was another disaster that was about to approach her family and she needed to remain strong.
As soon as it was possible while keeping the decorum, Scarlett thanked Pittypat for the lemonade, excused herself and marched her children over the yard to Melanie's. Ella didn't really need this second visit, Pittypat had pitied the girl quite enough in Scarlett's eyes, but Scarlett still didn't have her answer. Having a reason to visit Melly without delay was excellent and Scarlett unashamedly decided to use it.
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"Scarlett, darling, what a nice surprise!" Melanie greeted when Dilcey let Scarlett and her children in. A sincere delighted smile was gracing the familiar heart-shaped thin face as Melly stood up, her hands holding some sewing. On the table before her, there lay a basket with Beau's clothes, some of them now too small to fit the just nine years turning boy.
"Good afternoon, Melly," Scarlett nodded with a pretended smile, her calculating green eyes on the basket. She knew that Wade and after him Beau had wore some of the clothes inside several years ago and that they were far too small now. Suppressing the forming frown over the contents of the basket, Scarlett charmed a cheerful smile – she couldn't ask Melanie openly but either her sister-in-law would tell her the expected news herself or Scarlett would pull them out of her in her own way. For the start, she would tell Melly about her own children. Melanie loved to speak about children, so the subject was likely to lull her before Scarlett decided to attack and drag the information out of her.
The green eyes smiled directly at Melanie now, showing the just discovered genuine friendship towards the frail woman and safely hiding the threat of Scarlett's anger if Melanie had indeed allowed herself so much as to become pregnant when she very well knew what the new baby would do to her.
When Scarlett spoke, her voice was kind and caring – a sound that would alert Rhett that his wife is up to something, but simultaneously a sound that soothed Melly more than anything else in the world could have done, except maybe Ashley's caress. Scarlett so very much deserved to be happy and Melanie was glad that her sister managed to recover from the darling Bonnie's death at least as much as to smile over her remaining children's doing.
"I am sorry to come unexpected as this, Melly, but Ella had to see her favorite aunt. She was a very brave girl today – yes, Ella, dear, you were indeed and mother is very proud of you!" Scarlett turned to the blushing Ella for a moment, smiling slightly – partly out of pretense, but surprisingly feeling she cared for the girl too. Unknown to her, the apparently insignificant smile made both the children fear their mother less and like her more than before.
Melanie answered to Scarlett's words with a simple smile of her own, holding Ella on her lap with one hand and playing with Ella's curls with the other. Despite being painfully bitten earlier that day, the girl seemed to be happier than in months and Melanie was relieved that things apparently were going better in the Butlers' household.
"She fought a huge horse at the tailor's porch, earning herself five stitches at Doctor Meade's – and she really wanted you to see her bandage," Scarlett continued, for some reason sounding proud of Ella. Seated in Melly's worn armchair, she found she didn't understand herself but for the moment it didn't matter. She would worry about it later – now she needed to know what was happening with Melanie so that she could step in if it was necessary.
The other woman was now inspecting the bandage and priding Ella. "Such a big wound, darling! Did it hurt when doctor Meade made those stitches?"
Scarlett couldn't help it but remember Melanie speaking in similar tone with the soldiers in hospital during the war. Melanie really had the talent to calm people and made them feel better, children especially – a gift Scarlett envied her for. In the past since the wounded soldiers had always looked up rather to the ordinary, child-like Melanie than to her, the belle of three counties, who was the one who wanted to dance and flirt with them and generally be admired, and now because she hoped to prove Rhett incorrect.
She was better mother than Rhett thought and took care of her children. She hadn't pampered them, true, but they had enough food and toys and clothes – and that was the really important thing. Her children liked Melanie better than her, she knew and for an umpteenth time thought that it wasn't just – but one couldn't really compete with Melly for children's love. Melanie simply had the gift to easily befriend them, something Scarlett had never tried to find in herself. Scarlett suppressed a sigh.
When she started to listen to the conversation again, Scarlett noticed that Ella had managed to tell her aunt most about the visit at doctor Meade's in the meantime. Good so, Scarlett thought, not particularly willing to relive the moment when doctor Meade had uncovered Ella's still bleeding wound, deliberating it from Scarlett's provisional bandage and saying that the wound would need some stitching and Ella's mother might help him as nurse.
When Ella had looked at her with wide eyes, Scarlett reluctantly confirmed that she had helped doctor Meade with the wounded soldiers during the war together with aunt Melly. She earned herself an admirable look from her daughter but a gentle cough from the doctor's side reminded her that Melly was the more dedicated caretaker while she tried to flee the blood and pain most of the time, later in the war feeling sick just from the sight or smell of the hospital.
Promising herself that she wouldn't become ill, not when nursing her own daughter, Scarlett caressed Ella's face and finished quite honestly, getting rewarded by an approving look from the old man: "Mother was not a very good nurse back then, Ella, not like aunt Melanie but I promise that I am much better now. Is it alright if I help doctor Meade?"
Back at present, Ella Lorena was just finishing her story: "...and mother helped doctor Meade, aunt Melly! She held the instruments and bandages for him. Doctor Meade said that she helped him also in the war and you too. You were so brave!" Ella gazed at Scarlett, and then looked back at Melanie, her eyes wide with admiration. Her quieter brother, almost forgotten for the moment, was proud of having such a brave mother (and aunt) as well – as proud as he had been of Uncle Rhett when his stepfather told him that he had served in the war.
"And I didn't cry at all, aunt Melanie! Doctor Meade gave me some lauda-, lauda-, laudamum, it was sweet and it didn't hurt at all then." Ella was smiling proudly.
"The medicine is called laudanum, darling, and I am very proud of you. You are a brave girl, Ella!" Melanie smiled at the girl on her lap and caressing the girl's hair, she shared a compassionate look with Scarlett. It was one thing to help doctor Meade and the other medics during the war, when they had felt with the wounded but were not personally involved, and yet another thing to help patch together your own child, especially after another child of yours had recently died.
"Your mother was very brave, too," Melanie added, gently smiling at her sister-in-law over the ginger head of the girl.
Scarlett blushed, unexpectedly moved by the kind words. That was typical Melanie. Praising Scarlett no matter if she deserved it or not and standing on her side whatever had happened. No, Melanie, who had always thought the best of Scarlett, however undeserved it was, and helped Scarlett in the worst times of her life couldn't die. Scarlett would do her best to hinder it. Firmly promising herself to find a way to save her sister-in-law and learn to appreciate Melanie's kindness, Scarlett donned a smile and said, for once genuinely grateful to the other woman: "Thank you, Melly."
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A/N 2: We shall meet Rhett in the next chapter or the chapter after that. It all depends on Melanie's willingness to share her secret. (-: