Thanks for reading ^^. I hope this chapter doesn't gross anyone out, I didn't detail it too much. Enjoy!

Mrs. Meade returned holding a large bowl of steaming water with several towels draped over her arms. Rhett was holding Scarlett on her side; her dress had been unbuttoned and her stays removed so that her back was exposed. Dr. Meade held a cloth over her wound with one hand and wiped the remnants of the dried blood with the other. Mrs. Meade placed the steaming bowl beside the table where Scarlett lay and proceeded to back away from the scene as if it were an appalling nightmare.

"Mr. Butler, keep her held this way until I tell you to lay her back down. I'm going to have to use what I have here to get this bullet out; she's unconscious so she shouldn't feel any pain – yet." Dr. Meade dug through his bag and pulled out a shining pair of tweezers with black rubber handles.

Rhett's eyes widened at the sight of the objects; his hands trembled as he held Scarlett. Dr. Meade laid a steaming cloth on Scarlett's back for a moment letting the blood soak into it; he then wiped the surrounding area with some whiskey he'd removed from his bag. "It's all I have to keep this from getting infected." The war had undoubtedly diminished Dr. Meade's supplies and had forced him to use what he had at hand in order to take care of the wounded soldiers.

Dr. Meade gave Rhett a stern look and then proceeded to Scarlett's back. Rhett shook as he watched Dr. Meade remove the cloth and insert the tweezers into the wound; the blood seemed to pour more rapidly than before. "Don't worry, Rhett, it's only because I'm agitating the wound. I have to dig around a bit to find to bullet, make sure her breathing stays regular." Dr. Meade continued to move the tweezers lightly under Scarlett's skin until he captured the bullet between the two metal ends. "I've got it."

Dr. Meade gently pulled the tweezers from inside Scarlett's back; a shiny gold bullet was held in the end of the metal. As the bullet came out, a gush of blood dribbled down the small of Scarlett's back, Dr. Meade quickly poured the whiskey in the wound and covered it with the cloth Mrs. Meade had laid beside the table. "I'll need to stitch this up quickly; it looks as if the bullet didn't penetrate anything valuable. She's lucky, Mr. Butler, but not out of the woods yet. She's lost a tremendous amount of blood, and the fact that she didn't awaken while I did this is not a good sign. Hand me that thread behind you."

Rhett turned and saw a sewing needle with a long black thread attached to it – Mrs. Meade's sewing kit came in handy. He removed the needle and thread from the cloth it was attached to and handed it over to Dr. Meade, careful not to take his other hand off of Scarlett's side. He watched as Dr. Meade threaded the needle through Scarlett's skin closing the wound tighter and tighter with each round of the thread. "That should do it. The bleeding will stop in time, until then, I'll leave this cloth over it to soak up the remainder. We cannot move her too much; I suggest you keep her here until she gets better. There is an extra room upstairs, follow me. Pick her up carefully, those stitches aren't very stable."

Rhett turned Scarlett as gently as he could and lifted her from the table so lightly it looked as if she was floating in his arms. Dr. Meade made his way past his shaking wife and to the stairs, Rhett followed slowly with Scarlett resting in his arms; her chest rose and fell steadily, it was the only indication that life was still present in her body.

The room was dark save for one lamp that burned in the corner beside a large bed that sat in the middle of the room. Dr. Meade made his way to the window and threw back the drapes; the light illuminated the room completely. Quickly, Dr. Meade walked back over to the bed and pulled the quilts back; Rhett laid Scarlett onto the mattress and covered her up to her shoulders leaving only her arms exposed.

"All we can do is wait now, Rhett. I must be honest with you though, she could die. Her body is not suitable for this kind of trauma, but I hope for the best. She's a strong one, and the bullet didn't hit anything major. You can stay with her for however long you want. I'll be in and out because of the hospital, but Mrs. Meade is here if you need her." Dr. Meade gathered his bag and replaced his coat, "Talk to her Rhett, I've heard that helps." He gave Rhett one last look of concern and was off.

For the first couple of hours after Dr. Meade left Rhett sat with his head in his hands beside the bed, his mind kept repeating the events of the day over and over. He saw Hayes's hands coming down on his face with powerful blows; he saw his own hands returning contact to Hayes's arms and head. He remembered watching Scarlett run to the woods – and what happened – Hayes tried to stand and run after her, but Rhett caught his arm and pulled him back to the ground. Somehow he'd let Hayes pull out his pistol – Rhett shuttered as he re-watched Scarlett's body go rigid and coil onto the ground like a wounded animal. It was all his fault; all he could do was watch as Hayes fired that fateful shot – there was no stopping it.

Rhett raised his head and stared guiltily into Scarlett's pallid face. "I'm so sorry Scarlett. I should have been the one to take that bullet, not you. You were so brave, my girl." He inched closer to her and held her hand in his. "Scarlett, you're the only woman I've ever known who would stay by my side as you did, and for the life of me I can't understand why. You've got to be strong now, my dear; you've got to wake up for me." Rhett stroked her cheek and pushed a misplaced piece of hair from her eyes; he stood and watched her breathe for a moment before kissing her lightly on the forehead. He lingered with his lips touching her warm skin and closed his eyes tightly – he realized that his life meant nothing without her in it, it was a revelation Rhett Butler never thought he'd have about anyone; especially not a woman.

Rhett walked down the stairs and into the parlor, the blood on his arms and shirt had dried into a brown crust. "Mrs. Meade, I'll be back as soon as possible. I've got to inform Scarlett's Aunt Pitty of what has happened – I'm also going to get some clothes so I can stay with her until she awakens. I'll be back soon." Rhett swiftly walked through the door and down the walkway; his eyes burned with tears that threatened to appear. He made a promise to himself – if Scarlett awakens, she'll never know pain or loneliness again; he'd make sure of it.