Chapter Fourteen:

Scarlett shouted in pain after the announcement. She'd expected the normal birthing pains to stop once the child was out, but they had continued on with a vengeance. Now that the maid was speaking to the doctor, Scarlett's attention focused on them. Did they just say there was another baby? She questioned her hearing. The doctor laid her baby down, and rushed back toward the bed in which she lay. He took a quick glance under the sheet that protected her modesty, and looked back at her.

When he spoke, he did so calmly, but he kept direct eye contact with Scarlett. "Mrs. Butler, there is another baby. The baby is breech, it's coming feet first. You're going to have to listen to me very carefully, alright?"

The pain began amping up once more as her body experienced another painful contraction. "Alright, Doctor, only, please hurry this along and make sure my baby is safe."

He nodded, and immediately began issuing commands to both Scarlett, and her maid. He stayed in control and Scarlett felt relieved to have someone tell her what to do and what to concentrate on. The process was longer than anything Scarlett had ever experienced, and more painful. With each push she felt herself weaken, and it was not a sensation that she was accustomed to, or liked.

"I'm going to die. I can't have this baby- just like Melly." She spoke quietly, and to no one in particular.

"Don't say that, Scarlett, you'll be fine. Keep focused. You can have this baby."

The doctor's use of her first name did not go unnoticed to Scarlett. The forcefulness of his tone, and address, was not unlike something Rhett would say. He had the authoritative manner that made Scarlett pay attention. "Damn you Rhett Butler, you should be here!" She screamed in as loud of a voice as she was able, and if the maid or doctor found question in her statement, they didn't let it show.

Three more pushes later Scarlett felt a pain that assured her she was ripping apart. Then, there was a type of relief as the second baby was held up by the doctor. "She's here, Mrs. Butler. You have a daughter."

Scarlett lifted her head to try to look at the baby, who was crying already, and loudly. She felt her head spin and let it fall back onto the pillow behind her as she gave in to a welcoming darkness.

"What have you done, Scarlett, dearest?" Melly smiled at her.

"Melly? What are you-how?" Scarlett asked the questions, but even as she did so, she knew the answer. I've died. She thought to herself. If I'm seeing Melly, I must be dead. Although, if I'm seeing her, I must be in Heaven… that's where Melly is. God must have forgiven me for everything I've done.

"Scarlett, you must go back to Captain Butler, he needs you. He's already almost lost you once, he can't go through that again."

"You don't understand, Melly. Captain Butler, Rhett, well, he isn't there anymore. He doesn't care. He doesn't know…"

"Of course he is, sister, he's there, waiting."

"Scarlett, why didn't you tell me?" Rhett was standing across the room from her. He paced back and forth, and stared down at her as she sat in the chair by her bed.

The twins were snuggled in his arms as he walked, but his attention was on her, only. When she replied, his angry glare threatened to kill her as she sat. "You didn't want to be married, Rhett, you were quite clear in your actions."

"You know I would have come back, for them, Scarlett." His words hurt even though she knew them to be true.

"Just for them, Rhett-"

"You've got us in a mess now, my pet."

"Mrs. Butler. Welcome back." Dr. Murphy's voice came from the foot of her bed.

"Rhett, did he take them? Did he take my babies?"

"No one has your children, Mrs. Butler, they are sleeping. They are both in perfect health, and waiting to meet their mother."

Scarlett struggled to sit up, but managed to do so without assistance. She looked around the room, and noted that it was the afternoon. She must have slept through the remainder of the evening and the following morning. "May I see them?"

"Of course. Don't try to move. You lost a lot of blood and passed out after the delivery. We'll talk about that a bit later, but you've been asleep for quite a while."

"So, no one came?"

"Mrs. Hilton came over yesterday evening. She took your older children with her."

Thank heavens for Cathleen, she really was her only true friend now that Melly was gone. The thought reminded Scarlett of her conversation with Melly. Had it been a dream? It must have been, since she'd seen Rhett, too. Rhett wasn't dead. Still, it had been more vivid than any dream she could remember, even more so than her nightmares. She felt so much relief at the Doctor's assurance. The thought of Rhett made her heart clench, he couldn't find out, not yet. She couldn't let him take her children.

Dr. Murphy went to the side of the room, and reached down into the cradle Scarlett had set up. He picked up one baby, and then the other, before heading back towards her. Scarlett reached out her hands, smiling, as her babies were placed into her arms. She grinned as she looked at them.

"You have a son and a daughter." The doctor's voice came from the side of her, but she did not look up at him.

The babies were both swaddled in pale yellow blankets. She didn't recognize them as any that she'd purchased. She couldn't tell which baby was which with them both wrapped up, but she thought they were both beautiful. Each of them had wisps of jett-black hair, and perfect cherub-shaped faces. They were both fast asleep, and with their eyes shut, she couldn't tell what color eyes they had. Would they be blue like Bonnies?

They were tiny, even wrapped in the blankets. Scarlett could feel that they were much smaller than any of her other children had been. "They're fine, you said?" She questioned the doctor once more, just to be sure.

"They seem to be perfectly healthy despite their rather dramatic entrance into the world." He continued on, as if sensing her reason for concern. "They are small, but it's quite normal for twins to be smaller than a single baby. They have to share the space. I'll leave you alone for a minute to get acquainted with them while I talk to your staff."

Scarlett nodded her head, but her eyes never left the babies. "Two of you." she whispered, "Whatever shall I call you?" She'd thought of names, but hadn't decided on one, let alone two. She'd believed that she had another month to make the choice, but that didn't happen."

The baby in her left arm began to squirm, and she was reminded that she was still weak. Despite their small size, she could feel the exhaustion in her arms as she held them. "Shh, shh, darling." Scarlett tried to calm the baby, though she looked at the door hoping to see someone come in.

It took several more minutes, but the doctor returned and seemed to sense her plight upon looking at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be gone for so long. Shall I take one, or both?"

"Both, please, I feel so tired."

"Quite understandably." He took the twins from her and walked back to the cradle to place them inside. "You had a difficult delivery, and with the blood loss you'll be weak for several days. I'm afraid you tore quite severely during delivery, so I had to stitch you as well. You'll be more sore than your past deliveries. You will, however, make a full recovery."

The reassurance relaxed Scarlett. She fell back into the pillows in her bed. She let out a slow breath. "Thank you for being here, Doctor."

"Of course." He moved to grab his bag from a nearby chair. "I've asked for food to be brought up, and your maid is coming to assist you. You're not to move from the bed without assistance, and the babies should be handed to you for the next few days. You musn't pick them up yourself. I'll check back in tomorrow."

When the doctor left, Scarlett had another few moments to herself before her maid joined her. It was overwhelming to think that she had two new children. She'd worried about how she would conceal one child from Rhett, but she worried even more now that there was two. News of twins would surely spread quickly, and she wondered if it would spread to Rhett. Newnan was growing, but so far no one had questioned her or asked her about her life before Newnan. Scarlett knew that news of a divorced woman with twins was probably going to be the biggest thing that happened in the city for a while, but she had hope that her life might continue on as it had in the months since she'd moved there.

The door to her room opened, and her maid walked in, smiling. "Congratulations, Mrs. Butler."

"Thank you."

"I've sent for a wet-nurse for the babies."

"No, thank you. I'll nurse them myself." The maid's eyes widened a bit, but she nodded her understanding. Scarlett had never nursed her other children, there hadn't been a desire too, and until Rhett had told her that mothers in Paris had nursed their own children, she hadn't considered it. Her mother hadn't fed her or her sisters, and her other three children had been nursed by a wet nurse. She realized that these would more than likely be her last children, and she'd thought about nursing her child for the last several months of her pregnancy, wanting to experience it at least one time. Scarlett wished that Mammy was here for this, she wasn't sure if she'd approve, but she knew that Mammy would help her through it, regardless.

"I'll ring for you when they start crying, Mary." The girl bobbed once more before leaving. Scarlett sighed and looked over to the cradle where her babies slept. "Now," she said to herself, "Whatever shall I call you?"

A/N:Sorry this took a bit to get up and posted. I had it written in a notebook from class for a while but hadn't had time to sit down and type it up. Nothing super excited happened, but I really wanted to start getting into Scarlett's thought process. How will she keep the babies from Rhett, etc. Thanks to all the readers and reviewers, again. Special things to: kanga85, Guest 1, Conlyn70, Anon, gumper, beautifulliar326, Aunt Flora, romabeachgirl, gabyhyatt, and Aethelfraed for your comments and encouragement!